Read Online Sunset Ranch by A. Destiny - Free Book Online Page A

being between stepfathers.”
    He dipped into the flour canister at his side. “It was actually outside of Charleston, on Johns Island. But it’s super country out there.”
    â€œLike cows and corn and stuff ?” I handed him a dough ball.
    He laughed and shook his head. “Like little cabins from a hundred years ago, falling over, with huge vines growing all over them. And these trees—they’re called live oak trees; they don’t don’t have them up here—with giant branches that make kind of a canopy over the road and the fields. It gets really, really hot and super humid and the bugs are just huge. And the neighbors used to burn their trash in the drainage ditches by the side of the road, so there’d be fire on both sides of your car when you drove past.” He stopped to take a breath.
    â€œWow.” I stared at him, my hands still. “You must miss it.” I remembered the dough and began another pile of balls.
    He nodded. “Yeah. I miss the food, too.”
    â€œWhich? What was the best food in your café?”
    â€œProbably the green beans. My mom would do them with onion and bacon, and she’d simmer them all morning. Once, when I was little, I snuck in and ate the whole pot. She was so mad I thought she was going to throw me right out the door.” He laughed, his face alight.
    I laughed too. “You bad little boy. I once ate a whole bowl full of sugar.”
    â€œAre you kidding?” He added another tortilla to the growing stack at his elbow.
    â€œI’m not! My mom was super strict about sugar, and I wasn’t allowed to have any . So I snuck over to my friend Damien’s house next door one day when I was supposed to be taking a nap and just ate huge fistfuls. I finished the whole bowl before they found me. Here. This is the last.” I gave him the final few dough balls, then leaned my elbows on the table as he rolled them out. “I’m starving.”
    â€œHere.” Zach held out an uncooked tortilla.
    â€œEw, no thanks.” I wrinkled my nose.
    â€œDude, it’s good.” He bit off half. “Dan used—” He stopped suddenly, and a grimace passed over his face.
    â€œWho’s Dan?” I reached out and took the other half of the tortilla from his hand, stuffing it into my own mouth. He was right—it wasn’t too bad. Like un-sweet cookie dough. “Who’s—” I stopped. His mouth was drawn, and the light had gone out of his face.
    â€œMy brother.” His voice was oddly muffled. He looked down fixedly at the stack of tortillas.
    â€œOh.” I was about to ask him where his brother was, but before I could, Zach grabbed a baking sheet from under the counter.
    â€œThese can go in the oven.” He started shoveling the tortillas onto it without meeting my eyes. “So, that was awesome this morning, with the horses.”
    I sensed he was trying to change the subject. “Yeah. It really was. Thanks for speaking up like that. Jack and Rick weren’t even listening to Stephen or me.” I studied his face. He didn’t want to talk about his brother—that much was clear. Why, though? What was the secret?
    â€œWell, it was stupid not to give him a chance. He can do it. He’s a good horse. You can see it in his face.” He opened the oven and a puff of heat hit us. Zach leaned away and slid in the baking sheet.
    â€œYou can. And he has such a pretty mane, too. I found some detangler this morning—I was going to comb it out. I could braid it too—I learned at my old barn.”
    â€œWhoa, Nellie. All the other horses will make fun of him.” He grinned at me, the teasing light back in his face.
    â€œHe’ll look cute.” A timer dinged somewhere, and Nora hurried back in, with Miguel close behind.
    â€œWhere are the tortillas?” she asked, looking around.
    Zach nodded toward the oven. “I couldn’t stop