Good Together by C. J. Carmichael Read Free Book Online Page A

presented into the Greek system, almost every other girls’ parents came except her own.
    Her dad had been at a rodeo, of course.
    And her Mom hardly ever left the horses. “That’s the price of owning a ranch,” she’d say, whenever Portia complained about not getting to go on holidays like other families. Pretty much the only time they left home was to visit their grandfather and Aunt Callan in Marietta, or, occasionally to watch their father at a nearby rodeo.
    But Kirsten didn’t get any of that, of course. She didn’t understand that owning a ranch meant waking up before the sun came out and scooping horse shit out of stalls. Kirsten watched YouTube videos of Portia’s father on the bucking bulls and gasped at how brave he must be.
    “I should probably catch up on my reading.”
    “We’ll go later, around ten?”
    Portia didn’t commit. The late nights were beginning to get to her. The drinking, too.
    The one thing she and Wren had in common was a distaste for alcohol, ingrained by their mother who almost never indulged herself with so much as a beer or a glass of wine. When she was a teenager her mom had given riding lessons to a girl named Neve Shepherd until Neve suddenly decided boys were way more cool than horses.
    Shortly after that Neve ended up dead—the result of using alcohol and drugs at a prom night party.
    Her Mom had been strongly affected by that. And she’d managed to pass her attitudes along to her daughters. Mostly because she’d never tried to be preachy or bossy about it.
    Whether to drink or not will be your choice girls. I just hope you do what feels right to you—and don’t start drinking just to fit in with your friends. And never if you’re driving.
    Kirsten was nice. Most of the time they ate dinner together and studied, or went to parties, in the evening. But lately, Portia had begun feeling a little hemmed in. Kirsten had a lot of ideas about the kind of people she liked—and the kind she didn’t.
    And one of the guys Kirsten definitely didn’t like was moving toward them right now.
    Hastily Portia slipped her laptop in her shoulder bag, then pocketed her phone, as a tall boy with long hair that brushed over his eyes, gave her a private smile. No, more like a grin. She’d noticed him watching her in classes before.
    She didn’t know his name, only that he didn’t belong to any of the fraternities and none of her new friends seemed to like him. Kirsten joked about his cowboy boots, calling him a pretend cowboy behind his back.
    Kirsten’s eyes narrowed as she zeroed in on the guy, moving their way. Then she frowned and turned her back to block him from Portia’s view. “Want to grab some lunch?”
    Without waiting for Portia’s response, she led the way into the hall.
    * * *
    M attie cooked the steak for dinner, not expecting she’d be able to eat it. She surprised herself by finishing half, along with a baked potato and several spears of broccoli. Bless Nat, he’d known what she needed better than she had.
    The TV was on, tuned to six-o’clock news so she wouldn’t be able to hear herself chew. Nothing she hated more since the twins had left than the quiet of mealtimes.  When she’d had enough, she cleaned the kitchen, putting off the calls she’d promised herself she would make.
    Finally, she dried her hands, then picked up her cell. Since she was most worried about Wren, she called her first.
    “Mom! Thank God! Why haven’t you been answering your phone?”
    Mattie smiled as she settled on the sofa like a cat, her body curled into the corner, with her legs tucked under her. Did Wren realize she sounded just like the mother here?
    “Sorry, honey. It’s been a crazy week.” She wanted to skirt the truth. Not lie. “Plus, my throat has been acting up. It’s been difficult for me to talk.”
    “Is it a cold? Are you okay?”
    Her daughter’s concern was touching. Mattie blinked, not wanting to risk getting emotional, because one thing would most