A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont Read Free Book Online

she worked as a maid for this wealthy family, and the husband sort of ... took a liking to her. He let her ride his horse on weekends. Among other things.” My eyes popped when I caught her meaning. “Yeah, well, when his wife found out, my mom got fired. She had to move in with my aunt, and after she had me, she worked three jobs so I could have every opportunity she didn’t have. For some reason, it was really important to her that I learn to ride.”
    “And what happened to the guy? To ...”
    “My father? I have no idea. He used to send my mother a check every month, but she’d always refuse them. Now he sends them to my aunt. She claims she doesn’t know who he is or where the checks come from, but I think she’s just afraid I’ll go looking for him. Which I won’t. If he’s such a coward that he won’t acknowledge his own daughter, I don’t want to know him. If it were up to me, I’d send the checks back just like my mom did. But my aunt needs the money. She just started her own business.”
    My eyes roamed to the floor, then back to her. “If it was so important to your mom that you learn how to ride, why don’t you compete?” I asked. “I’m sure she would want you to.”
    “Not gonna happen,” she said, shaking her head.
    “Why not? You could probably place.”
    “After what happened to my mom, I can’t do it.”
    “Look, I almost drowned this summer at the beach, and I’ve been scared to swim ever since. But I know I’ll get over it eventually. And you will too.”
    “Even if I wanted to, my aunt has forbidden me from riding. She thinks it’s too dangerous. Besides, how would I get the money?”
    “Aha,” I said, grinning. “So you were considering it?”
    “No, I wasn’t.”
    “Yes, you were. I saw that glint in your eye when Loughlin mentioned it.”
    “Let’s just drop it,” she said. “I don’t ride anymore, and that’s that. You lost your mother, so you of all people should understand.”
    I did understand, but I still thought it was sad that death could paralyze a person like it had Michelle. Like it had my father.
    We were sitting in silence when we heard footfalls on the loft ladder. I was scared we were going to get in trouble for being here, but Michelle looked ready for a fight. She stood up, took a step forward, and peered over the edge.
    Slowly a brown head emerged, followed by a lanky body dressed in a Gumby T-shirt, cargo pants, and Converse sneakers. It was a boy—a rather cute boy—with soft brown eyes fringed with darker brown lashes and messy hair that flopped charmingly onto his forehead. His shirt had little flecks of hay stuck to it, and his pants were filthy. “Oh, hey,” he said. “There are people up here.”
    “Yeah, there are,” Michelle said. “Who the hell are you?”
    “Sorry,” he said, brushing his hands off on his pants and reaching out to shake her hand. Michelle refused to take his hand, possibly on the grounds that it was dirty or possibly because he’d offered it. “I’m Owen. Owen Mabry.” The way he said it sort of reminded me of 007 saying, “Bond. James Bond.”
    I shook his hand since Michelle wouldn’t and introduced myself. He smiled, and two enormous dimples emerged.
    “What are you doing here?” Michelle asked, finally.
    “I work here. I go to school at Braeburn.”
    “Oh,” Michelle said, “you’re a Braeburn boy. I’ve heard about you guys.”
    “And I’ve heard about you Lockwood girls. That doesn’t mean I believe everything I hear. Actually, I thought you were going to be Elise Fairchild,” he said.
    “You know Elise?” I asked. An unwelcome vision of Gray Newman and Elise popped into my head, giving me an irrational shudder of jealousy.
    “Yeah,” Owen said. “She and her friends come here to smoke.”
    “I know,” I said. “I used to see them here last year.”
    “They think they’re alone, but I hear everything they say.”
    Michelle narrowed her eyes, like she was sizing him up to see