Read Online Unbound (The Braille Club #2) by J. A. Kerr - Free Book Online

to both of them. Peter thought both his sons were like their mother—focused, driven, competitive—and he struggled to like them. Crawford, always headstrong, did things his own way, and his older parents didn’t always have the strength to fight him. They were shocked when their youngest child was expelled from school; their world was suddenly turned upside down. Murray, in contrast, had been an easy child.
    Crawford took this turn of events in his stride, rising to the challenge, a natural troubleshooter even then. He wanted to learn and get his hands dirty. An apprenticeship in engineering seemed the obvious choice. He went on to obtain his degree. There was nothing conventional about Crawford Monroe; he loved to break the rules. He was exactly what the Braille Club needed, except he didn’t know it yet.
    The engineering firm he applied to recognised his cultured tones as a bonus; it was the fire in his eyes that secured an apprenticeship. He never looked back. His friends shortened his name to Ford, it suited him, but in business he was always Crawford. He used his name as a shield. He liked to hide behind it, using it to conceal the real person underneath.
    His first love had broken his heart. He had fallen for Esme MacDonald without warning. The only female apprentice, she was used to men staring at her. She had pretty eyes the colour of dark toffee, her rich brunette hair a mixture of autumnal hues. She wore her hair down her back in a long pleat. Small and thin, she was surprisingly tough and hard working. She had a hunger to learn. When he had boldly asked her out, she had laughed and said, “No chance,” but had flushed, her pale skin tinting. They soon became friends and Ford settled for this, whilst yearning for more.
    Esme and Ford’s friendship flourished. Although flattered, she told him she must focus on her job. She worked longer and harder than anyone, except Ford, which irritated him. Their competitive natures clashed, and they often brought out the worst in each other. No matter what they did, it ended up a contest. As soon as they hit eighteen, Esme matched him drink for drink in the pub after work. Often the first to volunteer for more challenging work, she put him and the rest of the guys to shame. She won their friendship and their respect; her humour just as caustic as the rest of them. Her jokes were often the dirtiest, making the younger lads blush. Most of them were afraid and a little in love with her, but she didn’t seem to notice.
    Ford clung to the hope she might relent to his offer to take her out, but she never did. The closest he got was a kiss at the end of the Christmas party. They were both drunk, and she had pushed him back roughly, her eyes furious. But just for a second she kissed him back. Ford felt raw passion flair in both of them although she never referred to the incident again.
    He and Esme finished their apprenticeships with distinction. Several weeks later he was utterly crushed when she announced she was leaving, not only her job, but the country. She was off to Denmark and her last week with him was bittersweet. Letting down some of her defences, she told him she never dreamed of marriage and babies. Instead, she wanted to travel, build things of importance, and make money. Money seemed very important to her. She didn’t have any, and as she met his eyes, he saw depths of hunger that only poverty can provoke. She was intoxicating, intriguing, but in the end she left him.
    Her leaving party had been torture. He’d sat as far away from her as possible, miserable and wretched. He could barely stand to look at her. She was so beautiful with her long hair loose and curling over her shoulders. He had never seen her in a dress and her feminine curves made him blush to the roots of his hair. Esme’s face, always pretty, looked striking with makeup. She was elegant and full of poise with not a grease mark in sight. It was getting late as she worked around the room saying