River's End

Chapter 3-3

Erin spent hours cleaning. She took out trash bags of rubbish and clutter. She threw aside armloads of Chance’s laundry. What did she care if Chance stunk? She scrubbed until her hands were red. There was no vacuum. After debating fruitlessly with herself, she finally decided she would have to ask one of the Rydells for a vacuum. She couldn’t stand to sleep there without trying to pick up most of the mouse droppings. She asked Chance, who merely shrugged and agreed there sure did seem to be some mice around. She cringed. Didn’t that bother him in the least? First thing she intended to get was a package of mousetraps.

She glanced down and saw her feet had deep tracks in them from the straps of her sandals. She was dressed stupidly. She didn’t have a lot of clothes and left Seattle without most of her things, thanks to Brian. Tomorrow, she planned to find a*****e to buy some respectable things to wear. She refused, however, to slip her shoes off and come into any actual contact with the filthy, mauve-colored carpet.

She opened the trailer door as the evening began setting in, and dusky light filled the interior of the trailer. Chance left her alone hours ago; and apparently used one of the ranch trucks at will. Thanks to Joey. She hoped he wouldn’t come back anytime soon. She stepped out of the trailer, and started across the road, heading toward the main house. She stopped and stared. What would it be like to have a place like this to call one’s home? She’d never lived in anything more than one-room apartments where she usually bunked down on a fold-out couch.

The house loomed before her, with light shining from the first floor and shadows flickering around the windows. Beyond the solid wood structure rose the black line of mountains, and the orange-colored sky that lingered as sunset deepened. It was so ethereal, almost eerie in peach and white light. She turned and looked out over the valley that swayed and dipped up and down until it met the silver flash of river. River’s End was directly across the river from the ranch, but only added a small dot to distract from the mountains that encircled the valley. The river shimmered, long and black, in the twilight. A breeze picked up, lifting her hair. It was cold. So cold, her skin felt blue. She really needed some warmer clothes.

Turning back to the house, she started up the stairs that led to the porch. She stared hard at the front door, her hands suddenly sweaty with nerves.

She raised her hand to knock when a voice behind her nearly made her scream in fright.

“Need something, Ms. Poletti?”

She whipped her hand back and turned. There sat Jack Rydell. He was near where the porch wrapped around the house and at the opposite side from where she walked up. He sat in a deep Adirondack chair, his legs stretched out before him, resting on the railing. A beer sat between his legs. He’d been staring at her entire trek across the yard.

“You scared me.”

His gaze went from her ankles up to her chin, although he seemed to purposely pause at her chest. She crossed her arms over her middle.

He tipped his beer bottle towards her chest. “Bit cold out here, isn’t it?”

Did he really have to draw attention to her chest? For it was that cold. It wasn’t like her body was reacting to it on purpose. What a jackass. “I don’t have a jacket,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

His eyebrows rose. It sounded so stupid, so contrived. Who didn’t have a jacket? Anyone who lived in the Seattle area had multiple jackets. Unless they were so stupid, they let everything they owned get taken from them. She hunched her shoulders forward and crossed her arms tighter over her chest. He couldn’t see through her shirt, but she felt exposed to his disdain and didn’t like it.

“How do you not have a jacket?”

Warmth spread over her skin, it was so embarrassing. But she refused to tell this man, who already thought so little of her, that she was kicked out of her own mother’s apartment. “There was a fire. I lost a lot of my things. It’s why I asked Chance to let me stay with him.”

He raised the beer to his lips and drank before lowering the bottle with his fingers holding the long neck as he stared at her. “Mom died. Fire. Lost your things. Life isn’t going too well for you, is it?”

He didn’t believe her. “No. Lately, things aren’t.”

“So what was it you wanted? Looking for Joey?”

“Joey? No. I’m sorry to ask this…”

His mouth tightened as he waited for her request. Why did he think so little of her?

“But could I borrow your vacuum?”

His eyes narrowed. “Vacuum?”

“Yes. Chance doesn’t have one and he’s never once vacuumed the trailer.”

Jack leaned forward and set his beer on the railing before standing to his full height. He stepped closer to her. He was a foot taller than Erin and she had to lean her head back to see past his chest. Up close, he smelled like fresh air and something more… something earthy. Hay? Horses? She didn’t know. She supposed horses could smell good. She’d never been close enough to one to really know. He grabbed the hat on his head and swiped it off.

He had red hair.

That realization struck her as he stared down at her without a smile or trace of kindness in his rugged face. Now hatless, his thick, straight hair swept haphazardly over his forehead. His blue eyes were staring at hers. She forgot to breathe, he was staring so intently at her. But no. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t looking into her eyes; he was gawking at her chest. She glanced down and realized her shirt had slipped and a full inch of her b*a was revealed. She grabbed the fabric of the scoop-necked shirt and tugged on it as she looked up at Jack. The stupid thing didn’t fit right anymore. She’d lost so much weight in the last few weeks, it never stayed put. Jack raised his eyes to hers and stared at her finally with a mean smirk on his lips. He thought she’d done it on purpose.

“So can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Borrow a vacuum?”

His mouth twitched. “A vacuum? Sure.”

He walked around her, heading to the door and inside. She stared after him. She looked right, then left, and wondered what she was supposed to do? Follow him? Was he really that rude?

She walked to the half open door and stepped inside before stopping dead. So did everyone in the room. It was filled with all men.

Inside, the door opened into a large room, offering her a glimpse of the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left, as well as the second floor, all the way up to the roof. A giant, river rock fireplace separated the room, and halfway through the large, open space sat a table big enough to seat twelve. Right then, however, it seated five.

Joey sat next to a teenager and a young boy. Across from them sat two more men. A woman was in the kitchen. They’d been eating dinner and now they were staring at her.

Joey jumped up. “Erin. Hey.” He came around the table towards her. “I figured you left with Chance.”

She smiled. As if Chance would do anything with her. He left hours before without a single word. “No.”

Joey frowned and seemed puzzled by her brother’s treatment at her. Could Joey really not see what her brother was?

“Who’s this, Joe?”

The voice came from a man who was starting to rise from the table. He was a big man, almost as tall as Jack, but beefier, with thick arms, a big chest, and a shock of jet-black hair that was too long and straggly, which skimmed over his neck and shoulders. His short-sleeved shirt revealed tattoos on his magnificent biceps. He didn’t look anything like a man who worked on a ranch, but more like a biker.

“Erin Poletti. Chance’s little sister. She’s visiting him. Erin, this is my brother, Shane.”

Shane smiled. He had a smile like Joey that could reach inside a girl and steal her heart. White teeth flashed at her and his charm nearly knocked her for a loop.

“Hard to believe someone as pretty as you is related to that cowpoke.”

She smiled. Shane’s voice was amused, and his tone kidding. She didn’t take any malice from it, like she would have if Jack had said it.

Joey nodded towards the other man in the room. “That’s Ian.”

Ian stood up then and nodded solemnly at her, but his eyes lacked the heated resentment Jack’s gaze held. Ian had a hard time meeting her eyes. He was as shy as his brother, Shane, was a big, loud flirt, who didn’t mean anything he said. Ian was tall and skinny, with dark red hair and pale blue eyes.

Erin almost stepped back in dismay. They were all gorgeous. Every one of the Rydell brothers was like a different version of a catalogue model. There was the lanky, shy one; the muscle-bound, cocky one; the movie star-pretty Joey; and of course, the rugged, reserved Jack. It was disconcerting to her. They were not what she expected.

She turned then and looked at the pretty woman in the kitchen who shut the oven door and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. The woman averted her eyes, almost acting as if Erin wasn’t there.

Erin’s eyes lifted when she heard a sound beyond the group. Jack was standing there. He’d been watching, listening, and judging her. He came forward and handed her a vacuum. She was so surprised he got it for her, she forgot to reach out to take it.

“Your wife doesn’t mind?”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “My wife is dead.”

Her mouth opened and she looked towards the brothers and the kids. The tension in the room was thick and unpleasant. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Chance didn’t mention that.”

Jack turned from her. He ambled over to an oversized chair and sprawled out in it.

Joey put a hand on her arm. “These are Jack’s boys.”

At this, the boys jumped up. The older one came over with a silly grin on his face. Erin groaned inwardly. She’d recognize that look anywhere. The young teen couldn’t get past ogling her chest. Not that she regarded it as any kind of compliment. He probably thought any woman who had a pulse also had interesting breasts.

“This is Ben.”

Ben came forward and shook her hand with a polite “Hello.” She glanced at their father in shock. He sat in the chair, his legs sprawled before him, hands locked behind his head as he stared at her with smirk on his face. He could have learned something from his son’s polite behavior.

“And that’s Charlie.” Charlie looked about eight or nine. He was ducking his head and staring at the table. Erin sighed. He seemed like the spitting image of his father in both his demeanor and looks. She wouldn’t have pegged Jack as having kids. Or that his wife was dead. Erin turned to include the young woman behind her, and the obvious question: who was she?

“Oh Erin, this is Kailynn Hayes. She does everything around here. Lynnie, this is Chance’s sister, Erin.”

Kailynn glanced at Erin and said with a dismissive shrug, “Hi.”

“Hello.”

Joey glanced at the vacuum. “Cleaning up after Chance?”

She smiled back. “Yes.”

“Need anything else?”

She looked up with hopeful eyes. “Mousetraps? I think the trailer has some.”

Joey frowned. “I told Chance to set some. He doesn’t care?”

“No. But I do.”

“No kidding. I’ll come over in a few minutes and set them.”

Erin relaxed her shoulders. Help. Kindness. How long since anyone had offered her that? She smiled with genuine warmth at Joey. He was so nice. So refreshingly trusting and nice. “Thanks. I would really appreciate that,” she said as she looked back towards the Rydell men who were now all watching her. She felt like a cat caught in a pack of coyotes. It was so odd. Kailynn, who seemed reluctant to talk, was what? The housekeeper? Wasn’t there a mother? Another wife? A girlfriend?

“Nice to meet you all.”

They all responded with smiles and waves. Except Jack. He didn’t respond to her at all, but his eyes tracked her as she walked out the front door.