Read Online Breathless (Meadowlarks) by Ashley Christine - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashley Christine
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ride.”
“ He? ”
“Yeah, he was nice looking. I mean, really nice looking. Tall with a shaved head.”
My stomach dropped out of my body...there was no way it was him.
No. Freaking. Way...
Was there?
“Sadee, did you see what he was driving?” I ask ed, trying not to look freaked the hell out.
“Umm, I think it was a Mercedes. A red one,” she shrug ged. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sweetie. I'm good. Just not sure who it would be, especially since I don't know anyone here.”
I don’t speak about it again with her, but as soon as I could steal a minute with Addison I was going to have a freaking meltdown.
***
The entire drive into town was agonizing for me. Once again after babysitting, Addison drove Sadee into town, this time to her home instead of work. As soon as Sadee got out of the back seat and closed the door, I didn’t let Addison even shift her car into reverse before I exploded.
“I think Dane was at the house today!” I sa id, rushing my words out of my mouth.
She turn ed to me and her eyes widened. “What do you mean at the house ? My house? How do you know?”
I told her about what Sadee said, and how I was positive the person she described was Dane. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why he would be in Wyoming, and why he would show up looking for me.
“Can you call him? Maybe find out if it really was him?”
“I don't have his number, I mean, I’m sure it wouldn't be hard to find...”
“Don't say anything to Alex just yet, Riley. He'll freak out, with good reason. Dane's bad news,” Addison suggest ed, gripping her steering wheel tightly.
I exhal ed through pursed lips, and looked out the window as we drove back down Porter Road. She dropped Scarlett and me off at home, as Isaac's bus would be here any minute.
“We'll get to the bottom of this, don't stress. Promise?”
I forced a smile. “Promise.”
As soon as I got in the door, I tucked a sleeping Scarlett into her bed and ran into the kitchen to find the envelope that Dane's latest check came in. My hands scramble d through the mail on the counter and when I came across the opened white envelope I froze.
My fingertips trace d along the black ink on the paper, outlining my name and address. In the corner Dane's name and a P.O. Box in Augusta was the location of return.
“Thank you, Alex,” I whisper ed, smiling that he opened this before I did, saving it from its impending doom.
Inside the envelope was a folded piece of paper, and inside that was this month's support check for Isaac. I tilted the paper and let the check slide out into my hand. That's all I had ever done in the past, never opened the paper, never read what he had written. If he had written anything at all, for all I knew it could just be a statement of payments made.
“Oh, Dane. You arrogant son of a bitch,” I hissed. “There's no way any of that's going to happen.”
I crumple d the paper, throwing it on the counter.
Oh, shit ...
D id Alex read that when he opened the mail?
“Hi, mom!”
I turned and saw my son coming through the door after the bus dropped him off from school. His smile was exactly what I needed to see, I smiled back at him and held my arms out.
“Hi, baby. How was school?” I hug ged him, smelling his hair and kissing his cheek. Which he hated, but I do it anyway. He always squirms and wipes any trace of my lips from his face, a typical boy.
“Do you have any homework?” I ask ed.
Isaac roo ted through his backpack and pulled out a yellow piece of paper. “Field trip! Sign it, mom, please!”
I took the paper, scanning it thoroughly. “Wow! They want to take the class to Yellowstone, that's awesome, baby.”
“Well, can I go?”
“Of course you can. Pass me that pen,” I asked, giving him a big smile.
***
I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, my body mimicking my brain. It was flipping around like a fish out of water; I didn’t know what to do about Dane. I was too chicken to ask
“ He? ”
“Yeah, he was nice looking. I mean, really nice looking. Tall with a shaved head.”
My stomach dropped out of my body...there was no way it was him.
No. Freaking. Way...
Was there?
“Sadee, did you see what he was driving?” I ask ed, trying not to look freaked the hell out.
“Umm, I think it was a Mercedes. A red one,” she shrug ged. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sweetie. I'm good. Just not sure who it would be, especially since I don't know anyone here.”
I don’t speak about it again with her, but as soon as I could steal a minute with Addison I was going to have a freaking meltdown.
***
The entire drive into town was agonizing for me. Once again after babysitting, Addison drove Sadee into town, this time to her home instead of work. As soon as Sadee got out of the back seat and closed the door, I didn’t let Addison even shift her car into reverse before I exploded.
“I think Dane was at the house today!” I sa id, rushing my words out of my mouth.
She turn ed to me and her eyes widened. “What do you mean at the house ? My house? How do you know?”
I told her about what Sadee said, and how I was positive the person she described was Dane. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why he would be in Wyoming, and why he would show up looking for me.
“Can you call him? Maybe find out if it really was him?”
“I don't have his number, I mean, I’m sure it wouldn't be hard to find...”
“Don't say anything to Alex just yet, Riley. He'll freak out, with good reason. Dane's bad news,” Addison suggest ed, gripping her steering wheel tightly.
I exhal ed through pursed lips, and looked out the window as we drove back down Porter Road. She dropped Scarlett and me off at home, as Isaac's bus would be here any minute.
“We'll get to the bottom of this, don't stress. Promise?”
I forced a smile. “Promise.”
As soon as I got in the door, I tucked a sleeping Scarlett into her bed and ran into the kitchen to find the envelope that Dane's latest check came in. My hands scramble d through the mail on the counter and when I came across the opened white envelope I froze.
My fingertips trace d along the black ink on the paper, outlining my name and address. In the corner Dane's name and a P.O. Box in Augusta was the location of return.
“Thank you, Alex,” I whisper ed, smiling that he opened this before I did, saving it from its impending doom.
Inside the envelope was a folded piece of paper, and inside that was this month's support check for Isaac. I tilted the paper and let the check slide out into my hand. That's all I had ever done in the past, never opened the paper, never read what he had written. If he had written anything at all, for all I knew it could just be a statement of payments made.
“Oh, Dane. You arrogant son of a bitch,” I hissed. “There's no way any of that's going to happen.”
I crumple d the paper, throwing it on the counter.
Oh, shit ...
D id Alex read that when he opened the mail?
“Hi, mom!”
I turned and saw my son coming through the door after the bus dropped him off from school. His smile was exactly what I needed to see, I smiled back at him and held my arms out.
“Hi, baby. How was school?” I hug ged him, smelling his hair and kissing his cheek. Which he hated, but I do it anyway. He always squirms and wipes any trace of my lips from his face, a typical boy.
“Do you have any homework?” I ask ed.
Isaac roo ted through his backpack and pulled out a yellow piece of paper. “Field trip! Sign it, mom, please!”
I took the paper, scanning it thoroughly. “Wow! They want to take the class to Yellowstone, that's awesome, baby.”
“Well, can I go?”
“Of course you can. Pass me that pen,” I asked, giving him a big smile.
***
I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, my body mimicking my brain. It was flipping around like a fish out of water; I didn’t know what to do about Dane. I was too chicken to ask
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