Hearths of Fire by Kennedy Layne Read Free Book Online Page B

mad.”
    “I’m sure Sheriff Plinkton will keep your name out of it,” Charlotte assured her.
     She didn’t know anything of the sort, but this was Mandy they were talking about.
     “Thank you for telling me though. I’ll have another talk with Mandy after the game.”
    Becky did smile at that and then with the energy of a teenager, she paid for her ticket
     and then joined the rest of the people inside the stadium. Charlotte crossed her arms
     and ran her hands up and down the sweater to ward off the chill that settled over
     her that had nothing to do with the weather. Her need to see Mandy became more urgent
     and Charlotte was reaching for her cell in her back pocket when she saw Neal walking
     toward her.
    “Neal, a friend of—” Charlotte broke off when she saw that his green eyes were focused
     on something behind her. She turned and saw Mandy and Garreth holding hands and walking
     through the gate.
    “Neal?” Mandy released her hold of Garreth’s hand and sprinted with a smile to where
     Neal had come to stand beside Charlotte. Sadness overcame her at seeing Neal and Mandy
     together. They’d been close and Mandy had always looked up to him. She felt better
     about calling him home now, knowing if anyone could talk sense into Mandy, it was
     Neal. He leaned down and returned her hug, his predator green eyes never leaving Garreth.
     “What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you!”
    Mandy’s enthusiasm didn’t last long, for when she pulled away and looked up at Neal
     she understood exactly what was happening. Sure enough, her angry gaze swung to Charlotte
     but Neal prevented a verbal attack by stepping in between the two sisters and holding
     out his arm in greeting.
    “Neal Bauer. You must be Garreth Ashe.” Charlotte wasn’t sure, but from the whitening
     of the boy’s knuckles he was trying to one-up Neal on his manhood. It would have been
     comical had the situation not been so tense. “Mandy, before you get upset with Char,
     I wanted to come meet Garreth for myself.”
    “Is there a problem?” Garreth asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice having already
     deepened into that of a full grown male. He flashed a smile that was evidently meant
     to ease any tension, but Charlotte thought that it fell flat. The boy was just as
     tall as Neal, with brown eyes and brown hair. Other than having a charming smile,
     Charlotte couldn’t fathom what Mandy saw in him. There were a lot of other seniors
     that were better looking and who weren’t involved in a cult. Like the others, Garreth
     was wearing all black with the addition of a black sweater. “I’m sorry, but Mandy
     has never mentioned you before.”
    “Garreth, that’s not true,” Mandy argued, shaking her head vigorously. “I told you
     that Charlotte called a friend of ours the other night.”
    “Oh,” Garreth said, his dark eyes seeking Charlotte’s. While there wasn’t any accusation
     within those black pits, she couldn’t ascertain what he was thinking. “That’s right.
     I’m sorry. I didn’t make the connection. You’re the one that Ms. Whitefall—”
    “Garreth!” Mandy exclaimed, her astonishment at his bravado for bringing up such a
     subject coming through loud and clear. Charlotte could only hope that her sister started
     seeing Garreth for whom he really was. The question that remained unanswered was what
     exactly had Becky overheard and what did it have to do with Mandy. “Neal, I’m sorry.
     Garreth didn’t mean—”
    “No hard feelings,” Neal said with a smile, easing the strain of their little chat
     and tugging at Mandy’s long strands like he used to do when she was little. He never
     varied his focus away from Garreth though. “I grew up here, Garreth. Hearth is my
     hometown and while I’ve only been back here for a few months in the beginning of the
     year, Mandy’s like a sister to me. I’m sure you can understand that I feel protective
     of her and want what’s best for her.