The sun was just setting as I walked to my truck. My heart was pounding with excitement, and I couldn’t say why for certain. I knew it had very little to do with the evening before me. It felt more like something in the air; the excitement, the thrill. I just had a good feeling about tonight, and I couldn’t wait.
After watching the smash-up derby and hitting up the Midway, we were going to a bush party, the first ever bush party without any of my brothers hovering over me like a protective mother hen. I thanked the stars that both of my older brothers were working nights trying to finish up a residential job for Gordon’s construction company.
Elle had already gotten our tent set up, and she’d managed to score us several cases of beer. Elle assured me it would be safe; it was a friend’s family’s property, so there wasn’t a risk of getting the cops called on us.
I was intent on enjoying my last carefree summer. In September, I would be heading off to college and the fun would have to stop so I could focus on my studies and my goals.
I was enrolled in the veterinarian technician program at Georgian College. The ultimate goal was to work for a couple of years as a veterinarian technician and save up for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at Guelph University. I knew my father couldn’t afford the program or the living expenses at Guelph and I didn’t want him to end up stretching our family finances even more than they were already strained. Plus, a part of me wanted to do this on my own.
Barrie was far enough away from Parry Sound that I might actually gain some distance—and independence—from my family, yet close enough that I could easily drive home whenever I missed them. The living expenses of Barrie were super cheap too, and I’d gotten several scholarships and bursaries.
I was excited for September, excited for all the new possibilities. Better yet, I was excited that my best friend would be at my side. Elle was also enrolled at Georgian College; she was going to take the paramedic course.
This was the moment we’d both been eagerly anticipating for the last four years, when we’d get to be college students together. I could only imagine the different kinds of trouble Elle would attempt to lead me into, but I was hoping I could keep her head on straight.
I spotted her waiting for me by the ticket booth. She was peering around, looking for me. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of my friend. We’d been best friends since the day she was born, seven months after I was born. Her mother, Sue, had been my mother’s best friend growing up. She’d always had my back, and I’d always had hers. We were as close as two people could be, yet we were as different as night and day. She was more of a free spirit than me, and her sense of adventure was never ending. I worried about consequences and Elle worried about nothing.
Elle was thin and curvy with dark hair and dark eyes and a mischievous smile that always meant she was up to no good. She was one of the town’s darlings though, and could often get away with anything just by flashing her sweetest, most demure smile. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with, and I’d seen her in action.
Tonight, she was dressed in her black cowgirl hat and the shortest shorts known to mankind; Daisy Duke herself would likely cringe at the amount of thigh showing. She squealed when she caught sight of me and bounced over, throwing her arms around me as if she hadn’t seen me in months.
“Jesus, Elle. Did you consider putting on pants tonight?” I joked, shaking my head at her.
“You sound like your dad.” She snorted. “Besides, I’ll just have to take them off later for Braden.”
“Okay, gross.” I frowned, my excitement for the night waning at the mention of Elle’s boyfriend. Braden wasn’t my most favourite person. He worked as a mechanic at Chuck’s Garage; he wasn’t very book smart, but he definitely knew his way around an engine block. His talent would have been more impressive if he wasn’t such an arrogant prick.
Braden annoyed the hell out of me, and I sort of resented him. Before him, Elle and I could talk about literally anything. That girl and I were tight, and we still were…just not when it came to Braden. When they started dating two years ago, she started to get really defensive about her relationship with him. She loved him, and I tried to tell myself that was all that mattered. Elle was happy, and despite how much of a dick Braden was to everyone else, he was kind of sweet to her, in his own way.
Besides, I’d known that Braden was going to be a part of Elle’s grand plans. He always was and it really didn’t come as a surprise to hear that he’d be partying with us. I just hoped that Elle wouldn’t leave me completely to the wolves and ditch me to hang out with Braden…alone. The last thing I wanted was to start off my summer feeling like the third wheel, again.
“Oh relax, Tess. Tonight is going to be amazing,” Elle said decidedly, linking her arm through mine and leading me away from the gates.
I pushed down my feelings of discomfort and smiled at my friend. When Elle decided something, it was done and she was usually right. We would have fun tonight, despite Braden’s presence.
The number of people at the rodeo was astronomical. It felt as if the entire town was there, along with all the people from the smaller local communities. Twilight fell and the energy around us cracked and sizzled. Everybody was excited to be at the annual rodeo. Elle led me to the bleachers around the show ring, where our friends were saving our seats. Krista Turnkey and Joanna Poole were in our tight knit circle of friends. They both loved the same things as Elle and me, basically anything country. I’d taken horseback riding lessons from Krista’s mom growing up.
“Hey, Tessa!” Krista grinned, moving closer to Joanna to make room for Elle and me in the packed stands.
“Hey.” I smiled back, biting my tongue and resisting the urge to comment on their similar state of undress. Krista and Joanna were both wearing jean shorts and tight tank tops like Elle. They were the kind of girls that loved flaunting their bodies and giggling any time they got hit on. I almost felt out of place sitting amongst them.
The smash-up derby was about to begin, and Elle stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth to scream for Braden. He’d entered the derby, driving an old Sunfire that he and his friends had painted to look like some kind of monster.
Elle dropped down to sit beside me as soon as the squeals of tires announced the beginning of the derby. She clung to my arm, watching with wide eyes as Braden rammed his car into the others with notorious precision and speed.
Every year, Braden entered the smash-up derby and almost every year, he placed in the top three. This year, he came in second place to one of his friends, Ezra Johnson.
An hour later, Elle, Krista, Joanna and I met up with the guys outside of the ring. Elle dropped my arm the second she got close enough to Braden and threw herself into his arms. He grabbed her ass, pulling her against him, and started to kiss her. I rolled my eyes at their nauseating display.
“Hey, Tessy.” Braden grinned when he finally came up for air. I glared at him; he knew how much I hated that variation of my name, but it didn’t prevent him from using it as often as he could. It was one of many reasons why he annoyed me.
“Hi, Brandon,” I retorted, feeling very much like a third grader the moment the words fell from my mouth. I knew it; I was lame.
Braden chuckled, shaking his head at me as if we were in on a private joke. I glowered at him. I didn’t ever want to be in on a private joke with him.
“Can you two just try to get along tonight for my benefit?” Elle pouted. “It’s my birthday soon!”
“Elle, your birthday isn’t until October,” I pointed out, arching my brow at her. The corners of my lips perked up in a bemused smile. Elle shrugged.
“Don’t worry, babe. I think I’m growing on her,” Braden responded, smirking at me.
“Yeah, like a fungus,” I muttered back. Braden hadn’t heard, or if he did, he didn’t care. His lips were busy kissing Elle’s neck. He’d already gotten bored with taunting me, thankfully.
We stayed at the fairgrounds until th
ey shut it down around eleven. Then we all piled into cars and trucks and headed to the backwoods for the after-party. Much to my chagrin, Elle had insisted on allowing Braden to ride with us in my truck. For the entire short drive, he mocked the age of my truck and joked about it being a Ford. I could take jokes about my truck’s age and make, but coming from Braden, especially with his work boots mucking up my dash, they just peeved me off.
It was particularly infuriating because his truck was in the shop with a blown fuel pump.
I was in a foul mood by the time we arrived and set up. Elle had chosen a clearing in the midst of the bush. There was an access road that led straight to it, but unless you knew where to go you wouldn’t find it.
The moment we pulled up, everyone got to work on setting up camp. Within twenty minutes, the tents were set up and Braden, Ezra Johnson, and Peter O’Connor set to work on building a small fire in the old fire pit. Joanna and Krista were focused on setting up some cordless speakers on the back of Ezra’s Chevy, leaving Elle and me to wander around.
The clearing was shaped like a circle, with the access road on the south side. Directly across from it was an old but clean looking trailer. Before I could ask who’d brought the camper, Elle was darting off to join Braden at the fire pit in the center of the clearing.
I watched as she leaned into him and whispered in his ear. He grinned, nodding at her with an affectionate smile as she ran her hand along his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him and pressing a slow, tender kiss to her lips.
For a moment, a small swell of jealousy pressed down on me. Not because it was Braden, but because I wanted that. I wanted someone to kiss me slowly; I wanted to feel strong arms around me. I wanted intimacy and tender touches.
I glanced around the party, noting there wasn’t anyone even remotely interesting around. These were all guys that I’d gone to school with, or guys that were Braden’s and Tommy’s friends. None of them made my heart beat faster and my palms sweat. Hell, I got a better chemical reaction from shooting a bow and hitting my target than with any of the guys around this lame town.
One reason to really wish the summer away: college meant more of a selection.
Elle saw me sulking and reluctantly pulled away from Braden. “What’s up?” she asked, frowning at the sullen look on my face.
“Nothing.” I sighed.
“I don’t buy that,” she called me out, jutting her hip out and propping her hand on it with her certain brand of attitude.
I fixed her with a serious stare. “I promise that I’m fine. Just...please tell me we’re still sharing a tent and that Braden won’t be in it?” I raised my brows, pleading with her.
Elle smiled at me brightly, her white teeth flashing in the moonlight. “Don’t worry about it! Braden’s sharing a tent with Ezra. Unless you want to share a tent with him…” Elle trailed off, smirking as her hip bumped into mine.
“Um, no. I’m good.” I made a face, my memories drawn to the one time when Ezra and I hooked up. It was a year before the Corbin Little incident. I was sixteen and Ezra was seventeen, his license still fresh in his hand when he asked me out to the movies. We’d mutually decided to skip the movie and drive around in his truck, and one thing led to another. Although Ezra was sweet, he wasn’t experienced and neither was I for that matter. The whole situation was awkward, painful, unpleasant, and completely overrated. Definitely not worth the black eye that Ezra got when Tommy found out. I definitely had no desire to relive that night. “So, whose camper is that?”
She glanced up, looking towards the trailer. A guilty look befell her face. “That’s Braden’s brother’s trailer,” she said innocently, shrugging. She wasn’t meeting my eyes.
“Braden’s brother?” I repeated, blinking slowly.
“Yeah, I think that’s him now.” Elle grinned, nodding towards the headlights that were focused on us as a truck pulled up. My eyes widened as I took in the new Ford F-250 with huge, monstrous tires and floodlights. He parked carelessly with the other vehicles lining our makeshift party area and got out, leaving the lights pointed directly at our little group.
“Hey, Brock! Glad you could make it.” Braden smiled, his entire demeanor changing as his older brother slowly walked up to us. Brock had a dark, grim look on his face, as if this was exactly where he didn’t want to be. He was carrying two ten gallon jugs of water effortlessly. He set them down a little ways away from the fire.
“Get the rest of the water from my truck,” Brock ordered, his eyes narrowing in on Braden’s face.
His voice prompted butterflies to explode in my belly. It was deep, gravelly, and full of authority. Brock had the kind of voice and rugged good looks – that made girls swoon.
My eyes drank him in. His dark hair was wet, as if he’d just stepped out of the shower, and bits of it fell across his forehead. He had a strong, chiseled jaw, a five o’clock shadow and the most sensual lips I’d ever seen.
I had the most ridiculous urge to step towards him and run my hands through all that hair. The way his Wrangler jeans clung to his muscular thighs made my mouth water. He looked like a damn cover model for some country living magazine.
He looked a thousand times better than I remembered. Not good, not good at all! I thought, desperately seeking some kind of flaw in him that I could latch on to.
Even his clothes made me drool, or perhaps it was the way he wore them. He was dressed in well-worn cowboy boots and a black t-shirt that clung to the muscles in his strong arms. Arms that looked capable of hard labor; arms that I’d love to have wrapped around me.
Elle elbowed me sharply, giggling. I hadn’t realized I was noticeably gawking at the man standing less than a foot away from me, but I couldn’t help it. The guys I was used to seeing around weren’t built like Brock. They didn’t even come close to being built like Brock.
He glanced over, his brow furrowing as his eyes landed on me. I clamped my jaw shut and tried to force my eyes away from his, but he had some kind of pull on me. I couldn’t stop staring at him and he was staring right back.
His eyes were every bit as intriguing as I remembered, but the easy dimpled smile was definitely not present. Brock Miller looked hostile and every bit as dangerous as they said he was…and still, I couldn’t stop staring.
“Yeah, yeah,” Braden grumbled, effectively breaking whatever strange spell had overcome us. Brock’s eyes tore from my face and he watched as his brother stomped over to his truck. A second later, a menacing deep bark sounded from in the cab. Braden yelped and flew backwards, away from the snarling dog sitting inside. Brock smiled slowly, the dimple appearing just above the left corner of his lip.
He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. The dog leapt from the open window and growled at Braden. Brock whistled once again. Obediently, the dog walked up and sat down at Brock’s feet, still watching Braden carefully. The dog was huge and beautiful, a German shepherd mix from the looks of it. Absently, Brock’s hand dropped down to pat the dog on the head.
“I hope you’re going to control that fucking mutt,” Braden seethed, his face red with embarrassment. “I don’t want it barking all night.”
Brock sent him a single look that had Braden clamping his mouth shut and fetching the rest of the water jugs from the back of the truck. It seemed that Brock had an undeniable power over those around him. Me, Braden, the dog, even Elle watched with wide eyes.
I grabbed Elle’s arm again, dragging her further away from both Brock and Braden. I felt light headed, and I didn’t like it at all. “Why didn’t you tell me he was going to be here? If my father finds out, he’s going to flip!”
“Chill out, Tessa. Your father isn’t going to find out…I promise.” Elle’s eyes were filled with sincerity. “And really, there’s nothing wrong with Brock.”
“Didn’t he just get out of jail for aggravated assault?” I retorted, folding my arms across my chest. I was suddenly cold; the good mood I’d been in earlier had long since evaporated in a puff
of smoke, replaced with a swirling number of complicated emotions and reactions that I couldn’t even begin to sift through.
“Yes, but you don’t know the reason why,” Elle said, as if this should make all the difference in the world. Elle noticed my unimpressed are you serious stare. She smiled sadly. “Tessa, your world is always so black and white. Sometimes, things fall in the grey area. Trust me when I tell you, this is one of those things. He is one of those things.”
I wrinkled my nose, resenting my friend for calling me out. “Fine, but don’t expect me to talk to him. I barely tolerate Braden.”
“I know,” Elle said without humor. She pursed her lips as if she had more to say. Instead, she forced a smile. “Let’s go get a drink.”
* * *
I had been so excited to finally be able to let loose and get drunk without one of my brothers around to put a stop to the fun. Only, I couldn’t. Not at first, anyway. I felt Brock’s eyes on me often, and I couldn’t believe that I’d finally ditched my brothers only to gain a surrogate one.
I started to get a little chilly. I knew I had a sweater in the cab of my truck, so I told Elle I’d be right back and wandered over to grab it. I yanked the door open, and the hinges creaked loudly. I grabbed my sweater and slammed the door perhaps a little too harshly.
“Well, aren’t you the life of the party?” The modulated voice startled me, and I strained my eyes through the darkness trying to find the speaker. Brock stepped out of the shadows, followed by his dog. The dog hadn’t left his heels or made a sound since snarling at Braden. When Brock came to a stop at the end of my truck, the dog sat down, watching me with intelligent glowing eyes.
My heart jumped in my chest and my face felt heated. I didn’t understand what was coming over me. I’d always been attracted to Brock, but it had never taken my breath away like this before. “Yeah, well. I could say the same about you.”
Brock chuckled, but it wasn’t unkind like the last time I’d heard him laugh. He leaned against my truck, still looking at me, and took a slow sip of the beer in his hand. My eyes were instantly drawn to his broad shoulders, snug in a tan work jacket. “Yeah, I didn’t particularly want to spend my Friday night chaperoning my little brother and his friends. No offence.”
Rebel Soul: (Rebel Series Book 1) ((Rebel Series)) Page 2