Read Online Winter Reunion by Roxanne Rustand - Free Book Online Page B

edge of town had seen far, far better days, so the wages they offered were surely nothingabove the minimum level. Beth rested her chin on her upraised palm and tapped a finger against her lips. “I wonder if there would be better jobs, for someone who is so fluently bilingual. Maybe at one of the resorts outside of town, or the bank?”
    Elana sat forward in alarm. “No. No—the motel is fine. The hours are good. I take Cody to school and walk him home. Always.”
    Dev nodded. “It’s safer that way.”
    â€œ Sí …I mean no. ” Flustered, Elana’s gaze darted between them as she reached blindly for the battered purse by her chair and started to rise.
    â€œWait.” There was no mistaking the command sheathed in his gentle tone. And though he hadn’t moved a muscle toward her, she sank back into her chair. “Is this about an old boyfriend?”
    She white-knuckled the handle of her purse.
    â€œA husband, then?”
    A single tear slipped down her cheek. “Roberto was no good. He…hurt Cody.”
    And Elana too, Beth thought with growing anger at the man who had gotten away with victimizing the family he was supposed to love and protect. What kind of animal was he?
    A muscle jerked at the side of Dev’s jaw, betraying his similar thoughts. “Does he know where you are? Will he try to find you?”
    â€œNo. He went to prison last spring.”
    â€œBecause of what he did to you and Cody?”
    She shook her head sadly. “Armed robbery and hewounded a deputy. He will be gone thirty years, on federal charges.”
    Yet she still seemed frightened of her own shadow.
    Dev turned his chair to face Elana, leaned forward, and gently took her shaking hands in his. “Then whatever happened to you in the past will not happen again. Understand? Roberto is gone. You are with friends, Elana.”
    She’d stiffened and dropped her gaze when he drew close, but now she shot a brief, wary glance at him.
    â€œYou didn’t deserve whatever he did to you,” Dev continued gently. “A man who would abuse his family deserves to be in prison for that alone. Forever, as far as I’m concerned. But you don’t need to live in fear—not anymore. Now you can make a good life for you and your son. So he can grow up to be a fine man, with a good future.”
    Beth watched them, surprised at Dev’s sensitivity and relieved when Elana’s tense shoulders began to relax. “He’s right, Elana. We want to help you achieve that, in every way we can.”
    But when Dev released her hands and stood, Elana instinctively flinched, as if none of his words had even registered.
    And Beth knew that reclaiming this poor woman’s courage was going to be a long, long road.

Chapter Six
    R eplacing a leaky faucet at Sloane House shouldn’t have required much talent or time.
    Fixing it with two older gents offering both running commentary and plentiful advice, plus one stern woman watching him with a hawk-eyed glare lest he run off with the dish soap, added a whole new dimension to the project.
    But it was the wide-eyed boy hiding in the shadows who held Dev’s full attention.
    Cody’s expression was still wary. Yet despite that brief encounter at the bookstore yesterday, when his mother had freaked out at Dev’s arrival, there was curiosity and even a hint of longing in those dark eyes—as if he wanted to draw closer but didn’t dare.
    Since coming back to Aspen Creek, Dev had fended off most of the friendly overtures that had come his way, more comfortable in self-imposed isolation than at the prospect of blending into the fabric of a community he couldn’t wait to leave. What would be the point, after all?
    Protecting the vulnerable, fighting for justice, and putting his life on the line were pretty much the limits of his skill set, but there was something about Cody that he couldn’t