Read Online Banishing Shadows by Lorna Jean Roberts - Free Book Online Page A

need every bite of that food.”
    She scowled at him. “You’re damn bossy, you know that?”
    “Yep,” he replied almost cheerfully.
    “I’m a grown woman, Cord. I can decide how much I want to eat.”
    “Is there some reason you’re trying to pick a fight with me, Kayla?”
    She opened her mouth to deny it when she realized she had been trying to prick his temper. Why?
    Because she was tired, grumpy and horny.
    “Sorry,” she muttered.
    She ate in silence, pushing back her plate when it was half-empty.
    “Go lie on the sofa for a bit,” he ordered. “I’ll tidy up.”
    She should protest. He was making himself at home far too easily. But she was feeling pleasantly full and drowsy, and lying on the sofa while someone else cleaned up sounded like bliss.
    Ten minutes later he lifted her legs so he could sit beside her, drawing her feet onto his lap. She didn’t have the energy to argue. As he rubbed her arches, she let out a whimper of joy.
    “Why didn’t you go back to your old job?” he asked.
    “Why’d you leave the army?” she replied, opening her eyes to peer up at him.
    His face was thoughtful. “I was getting restless, bored. I’d had enough. It was never going to be a long-term career for me.”
    “Why’d you join in the first place then?”
    “Because Jed did.”
    She screwed up her nose. “And that’s the only reason?”
    His face went blank and for a moment she didn’t think he was going to answer her.
    “And to learn some discipline.”
    She sat up, surprised. “Why would you need discipline?”
    “Because of where I came from.”
    She frowned. “What? L.A.?” She knew he’d lived there before moving here.
    “No, baby.” He smiled, although no humor lit his eyes. “Because of my father. Good old Dad was an alcoholic, and a real bastard with it. He had a horrid temper. He was violent and mean. I entered the army searching for the discipline I needed to ensure I never ended up like him.”
    “Did he… Was he… Did he ever hit you?”
    “Me? No. Not really.”
    She didn’t like the way he said that. Kayla grabbed his hand with hers, offering him what comfort she could.
    “Your mom?”
    He shrugged. “She bore the brunt of it.”
    Dear God, how had she never known this? She would never have guessed. He seemed so, well, together—so tough and strong, as though nothing and no one could ever harm him. “I’m so sorry, that’s awful. I can’t even imagine. I can remember Jed talking about your mom, but never your dad.”
    “That’s because Jed never knew my dad. We moved here from L.A. after Dad landed himself in jail.”
    She placed her head on his chest and thought he relaxed slightly beneath her.
    “Was he arrested for hitting your mom?”
    He snorted. “No. He was out drinking when he took exception to something some guy said. So Dad beat him up. He had a really heavy fist. He was arrested for assault and he had priors. Mom moved us here as soon as he went into jail. I never saw him again. Bastard found out he had liver cancer while he was locked away. Didn’t take him long to die. And it got him out of our lives for good.”
    “How is your mom now?”
    “Once we got away from him she turned into a different person. She laughed. She had fun. She lives down the coast now. She even met a man a few years ago. Nice guy. They live together.”
    “Oh, that’s nice.”
    “Yeah, she lived a hard life with an absolute bastard. I didn’t think she’d ever trust a man again, but Gavin wouldn’t take no for an answer. He chipped away until he won her love.”
    “She must have been scared. To trust a man again.” Kayla knew how terrifying it was to be attacked by strangers. But to be abused by someone who was supposed to love and care about you… His mom must be a very strong woman.
    “Yeah, she was. When we came here, we were running. But when we learned he was dying, well, we could actually start a new life. Yet there was a part of me, even as a boy, that was