Read Online Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles #2) by Nancy Holder - Free Book Online Page B

in their wake. Gretchen was holding court, shredding Cordelia’s reputation as she made insinuating remarks about cozy “meetings” with Mr. Henderson to discuss her “history project.” Everything in poisonous air quotes, of course. Katelyn had been at those meetings and they had discussed their history paper and their bibliography and his interest in the silver mine. There was no more chemistry between Cordelia and their teacher than between Cordelia and Coach Ambrose. But the seed of a juicy rumor had been planted, and it was taking root. In a tiny town like Wolf Springs, it would be a tangled thorn patch before lunchtime.
    I should speak up for her. I should say something , Katelyn thought. Or not.
    “That’s not true. They didn’t. None of that is true,” she blurted suddenly, and heads turned to stare at her. She looked hard at Gretchen. “You know it’s not.”
    Gretchen just raised a brow and smiled knowingly. Then she turned her back on Katelyn and slid a sly glance at the girl sitting beside her. The other girl smiled back. There was more than one kind of wolf in Wolf Springs, and Gretchen was busily raising her status in the pack through the power of gossip. Katelyn had no idea if it was a battle she should take on, but she couldn’t stand by and let Gretchen do that to her friend. And she was still Cordelia’s friend, even if Cordelia was blaming her for what had happened.
    “It wasn’t like that,” she said again.
    Beau patted her arm. “It’s okay, Kat. No one believes it.”
    And she felt even guiltier for not offering to help him find out what had frightened his grandmother, and what threatened their town.
    What did they believe around here? she wondered. What did they know?
    ~
    That afternoon, Katelyn told Justin about what people were saying about Cordelia. They were standing in the Fenner kitchen filling up two water bottles, and she blurted out the horrible gossip about Mr. Henderson. He blinked and guffawed, but when he saw how upset she was, he leaned forward as if to brush her cheek with a kiss. It was the way pack members acknowledged and comforted each other. But he pulled back before his lips made contact with her skin.
    “You can kiss her,” his older brother said, coming up behind them. “She’s not a stranger.”
    Jesse Fenner had Down’s syndrome and Cordelia had told Katelyn that one of the reasons for Justin moving the two of them into the Fenner house had been because he needed help taking care of his older brother — help that was often provided, Katelyn knew, by Justin’s girlfriend Lucy, when she was there. For the most part, Jesse stayed at home because he couldn’t be trusted to keep the family secret — he was so trusting and, left to his own devices, might talk to anyone. Sometimes, though, he got to go to the pharmacy to visit LaRue, the cat there, while a prescription was filled for some kind of medication he was on. Jesse wanted a cat in the worst way.
    “I know she’s not a stranger, buddy,” Justin said. He smiled at his brother and screwed on the cap of his water bottle.
    “I’m glad to see you, Kat,” Jesse said. “Justin’s glad, too.” He pulled a sad face. “I miss my cousin. Say her name, he’ll break your neck.” He mimicked doing just that, putting his fists together, then turning them in opposite directions.
    Katelyn felt sick to her stomach.
    “No one will ever hurt you, Jesse,” Justin said, and a fleeting expression passed over his features. It looked like anger, but Katelyn couldn’t decipher it before it was gone.
    “I’m going to Lucy,” Jesse said. “She has some sour apple gum.” He grinned at Justin. “If you marry Kat, I can marry Lucy. She loves me more than you.”
    “You’re a heartbreaker,” Justin said, feinting a punch at Jesse’s chin.
    “You’re a neck breaker,” Jesse said, giggling and squirming away. “You, Justin, you’re a breaker!”
    Then Jesse trotted out of the kitchen, leaving Justin and