Read Online Renegade Hearts (The Kinnison Legacy Book 3) by Amanda McIntyre - Free Book Online
Authors: Amanda McIntyre
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temperature. “I’m a little warm, do you mind if I turn on the AC?” The blast of cool air fanned her cheeks and she breathed deeply. Brave? Her daughter was far more courageous than she was. How much longer would she let people believe the lies she’d told? “My aunt and uncle definitely get the credit for the wonderful child that Emilee’s grown to be.” Angelique stared out the window at the fathomless blue sky in front of her. “I haven’t been around for the last four years of Em’s life.”
“You did what you had to do under the circumstances, Angie. You made sure she was safe and then took care of yourself. Losing a husband, trying to raise a child alone would be hard on anyone. Finding the right help, going back to school--it was the right thing for you to do. Now you can move forward with Emilee and the support of your family and friends and create the kind of life you want for you and your daughter. I think that takes amazing courage.”
Angelique offered a weak smile. She wondered if Sally would find her as brave if she knew the whole truth. If the secret she’d kept all these years was revealed, how would the good people of End of the Line feel about her? What might happen to her aunt’s and uncle’s reputations? She straightened, firming her resolve to do whatever she had to in order to take care of her family. He was no longer a part of their lives and she wanted it to stay that way.
Chapter Four
“Mama! Mama!”
Dalton’s head snapped up in reaction to Emilee’s high-pitched squeal. He watched the young girl run hell-bent for her mother as she stepped from the car. He nodded his hello to Sally as she emerged, too, from the vehicle.
Angelique held her arms out to catch Emilee in a bear hug, barely giving him a second glance.
“Mama, guess what? Dalton has promised to take me on a trail ride before school starts if I have a few more riding lessons.”
Angelique’s gaze met his directly. “We’ll have to discuss that a bit more, darling.”
Big surprise. Dalton went back to tamping the fresh ground rock along the side of the new asphalt path they’d put in the last couple of days. Truth was, the little mite had at first gotten on his nerves darting from the house to the barn and back to the corral where she’d sit and watch her grandfather/uncle work with the horses. Now, he found himself chuckling at her antics, amazed by her pure energy.
“Great, I was hoping Sally would stop by. I have a couple of things I want to get her opinion on down at Clay’s cabin.” Rein, who’d been helping finish the path in record time, wiped his brow with a bandana. “I need to get my clipboard up at the house.”
“Go on, I’ll finish up with stuff here. You want me to leave this trench open for Tyler to set wiring for those lampposts?”
“Yeah.” He looked over his shoulder. “I hope we can get those in next week. He and Liberty found some nice ones in a Victorian style that will look good.” Rein waved at Sally. “I’ll be right back.”
Dalton’s gaze drifted to the interaction between mother and daughter as they met up with Rein and disappeared inside the house. He noticed Sally watching him, and ducked his head as she started toward him. He didn’t want to get into the topic of Angelique with her. Since the wedding, where things between them had gone badly, they’d been polite at best when in the same circles. Though it frustrated the hell out of him, Dalton figured maybe it’d get better with time.
“Hey, Dalton.” Sally hooked her thumbs in her jeans. “Angelique came down to check on a horse. You know anything about that?”
“Nope.” Dalton continued to smash down the rock edging. “She’ll need to speak to her uncle about that.”
“Right. You know,” she started slowly, and he rolled his eyes knowing in his gut what was coming, “it wouldn’t kill you to be nice to her.” She shaded her eyes from the sun settling in the western
“You did what you had to do under the circumstances, Angie. You made sure she was safe and then took care of yourself. Losing a husband, trying to raise a child alone would be hard on anyone. Finding the right help, going back to school--it was the right thing for you to do. Now you can move forward with Emilee and the support of your family and friends and create the kind of life you want for you and your daughter. I think that takes amazing courage.”
Angelique offered a weak smile. She wondered if Sally would find her as brave if she knew the whole truth. If the secret she’d kept all these years was revealed, how would the good people of End of the Line feel about her? What might happen to her aunt’s and uncle’s reputations? She straightened, firming her resolve to do whatever she had to in order to take care of her family. He was no longer a part of their lives and she wanted it to stay that way.
Chapter Four
“Mama! Mama!”
Dalton’s head snapped up in reaction to Emilee’s high-pitched squeal. He watched the young girl run hell-bent for her mother as she stepped from the car. He nodded his hello to Sally as she emerged, too, from the vehicle.
Angelique held her arms out to catch Emilee in a bear hug, barely giving him a second glance.
“Mama, guess what? Dalton has promised to take me on a trail ride before school starts if I have a few more riding lessons.”
Angelique’s gaze met his directly. “We’ll have to discuss that a bit more, darling.”
Big surprise. Dalton went back to tamping the fresh ground rock along the side of the new asphalt path they’d put in the last couple of days. Truth was, the little mite had at first gotten on his nerves darting from the house to the barn and back to the corral where she’d sit and watch her grandfather/uncle work with the horses. Now, he found himself chuckling at her antics, amazed by her pure energy.
“Great, I was hoping Sally would stop by. I have a couple of things I want to get her opinion on down at Clay’s cabin.” Rein, who’d been helping finish the path in record time, wiped his brow with a bandana. “I need to get my clipboard up at the house.”
“Go on, I’ll finish up with stuff here. You want me to leave this trench open for Tyler to set wiring for those lampposts?”
“Yeah.” He looked over his shoulder. “I hope we can get those in next week. He and Liberty found some nice ones in a Victorian style that will look good.” Rein waved at Sally. “I’ll be right back.”
Dalton’s gaze drifted to the interaction between mother and daughter as they met up with Rein and disappeared inside the house. He noticed Sally watching him, and ducked his head as she started toward him. He didn’t want to get into the topic of Angelique with her. Since the wedding, where things between them had gone badly, they’d been polite at best when in the same circles. Though it frustrated the hell out of him, Dalton figured maybe it’d get better with time.
“Hey, Dalton.” Sally hooked her thumbs in her jeans. “Angelique came down to check on a horse. You know anything about that?”
“Nope.” Dalton continued to smash down the rock edging. “She’ll need to speak to her uncle about that.”
“Right. You know,” she started slowly, and he rolled his eyes knowing in his gut what was coming, “it wouldn’t kill you to be nice to her.” She shaded her eyes from the sun settling in the western
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