Once a Rebel

“Maybe in the barn?” Susan said, referring to the trash can again.

The teen’s brown eyes barely blinked. “I suppose.”

“I guess I’ll throw this away later.” For now she decided to introduce herself. “I’m Susan Fortune, Ryan and Lily’s cousin. And he’s Chocolate,” she added as the dog sniffed the girl’s jeans.

“I know who he is. The vet’s pesky dog.”

Susan couldn’t help but smile. “He means well. What’s your name?”

“Cathy.”

She sat down in the dirt, close enough to make direct eye contact, but not close enough to invade the girl’s space. “How well do you know Ethan?”

“My mom used to babysit for his girlfriend’s kid when they went out.” Cathy squinted at her. “Are you his new girlfriend?”

“No. We’re just friends. We knew each other when we were young.”

“You kind of look like Amber.”

“Really?” Susan recognized the name of Ethan’s ex. “How so?”

“I don’t know. You just do.” A strong pull on the cigarette filled her lungs. “Except she’s prettier than you.”

Ouch, Susan thought. This kid knew how to pack a punch. It made her wonder what or whom Cathy was lashing out at. “Do you go to school around here?”

“Where else would I go? I live on the ranch.”

“You’re a long way from the bus stop. Shouldn’t you get going?” Susan decided to up the ante, to use a little friendly force. “Or are you planning to ditch?”

“I was just getting ready to leave.” Cathy stood, stamped out her cigarette and left it on the ground. Then she grabbed her backpack and took off, disappearing around the corner of the building.

Chocolate barked, and Susan sighed and went after the cigarette butt, dropping it inside the empty can. She had enough problems to contend with; she didn’t need to worry about one more trying-to-be-tough teen. The world was filled with rebellious youths, and she couldn’t help them all.

But Cathy lived on the Double Crown and that made Susan think that fate had intervened. That she should explore Cathy’s situation, at least ask Ethan about her.

Susan waited until dusk to show up at Ethan’s door. He answered her knock with his hair damp and his chest bare. A pair of jeans rode haphazardly on his hips.

He’d just taken a shower, she realized. And climbed into his pants. His fly wasn’t open, but several teeth on his zipper were exposed, drawing her gaze below his belly button.

“Are you here to return my dog?”

“What? No.” She looked up and felt her cheeks sting with bad-girl heat. She shouldn’t be examining him like a side of beef. “Chocolate is with Ryan and Lily.”

He glanced over her shoulder. “Are you sure he didn’t follow you?”

“I’m sure. He was napping when I left the house.” Her gaze strayed again. Faded denim, the waistband of his boxers peeking out. She wanted to touch him, to put her hands where they didn’t belong.

She meant to tell him that she’d stopped by to ask him about Cathy, but suddenly she couldn’t think beyond his body, beyond his half-naked appeal.

He gestured for her to enter the cabin. She walked inside and took a deep breath.

When he closed the door, she noticed a tattoo on his shoulder. Two horseshoes and a star branding his flesh. “When did you do that?”

He turned to face her. “Do what?”

“The ink.”

“Five years ago. For luck, when I turned thirty.” He gave her a half-cocked smile. “I’ll probably do it again when I turn forty.”

“On the other shoulder?”

“I haven’t decided.” He grabbed a shirt that was draped over the sofa. “Do you have any hidden artwork I should know about?”

“Like a pirate ship on my chest? No, I can’t say that I do.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of a rose on your thigh.” He slipped on the shirt, but didn’t button it. A grin slid across his face. “Or maybe a butterfly on your sweet little—”

She raised her eyebrows at him. Ethan Eldridge had turned into a dark and daring man. “You missed your chance to see my butt.”

“Don’t remind me how stupid I was.” He paused and his expression turned serious. “Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?”

The change of topic threw her off-kilter. She blinked, reminding herself that she’d arrived at his house to ask him about Cathy.

“We can go to Red,” he said.

Red? The restaurant where his ex-girlfriend worked? “When?”

“In a few minutes. I just have to finish getting dressed.”

“Sounds good. I haven’t eaten yet.” She decided she would ask him about Cathy over dinner. And maybe, if Amber was working, she would get a glimpse of the woman she supposedly resembled.

Even if Amber was prettier.

She sat on the sofa while Ethan got ready. He buttoned his shirt in front of her, but turned his back to unzip his jeans and tuck in his shirttail. A belt came next. She could hear the clank of the buckle.

She didn’t think he was as modest as he seemed. He’d probably done it out of respect to her.

Finally, he walked over to an oak armoire and removed a pair of socks from the single drawer. The cabin didn’t have a bedroom, and she shifted on the sofa, realizing she was sitting on his bed.

He reached for his boots and sat next to her, pulling them on. His dark brown hair, she noticed, had yet to dry. He wore it short and just a little messy. His temples bore fine threads of gray, barely visible, but still a testament of time, of the years that had passed.

“Don’t wear a hat,” she said.

He made a face. “Why not?”

“I like how you look without it.” And she didn’t want him to hide beneath the brim.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying, it seemed, to tame it. But his finger combing didn’t make much of a difference. “I feel naked.”