Saving Scarlett by R. E. Butler Read Free Book Online Page A

understands that you’re my mates, if he accepts it, there’s a good chance I won’t be allowed in his territory again.  I might never see my brothers or my mom again.”
    “I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” he said.
    “Me, too.  I’m sorry my life is so screwy.”
    He smiled.  “It’s a little better now, though, right?”
    “Definitely.  Did I say thank you for coming for me?”
    Wes squeezed her shoulder.  “We’ll always come for you, Scarlett.”
    Ray opened the door and held out his hand and Scarlett took it and slid out, her feet crunching in the snow.  He turned when he heard a screen door creak and found his dad standing in the open doorway.
    “Welcome to King, Scarlett,” his dad said.  “Come in out of the cold.”
    Ray pushed the seat forward and grabbed their duffels while Wes gathered Scarlett’s bags.  Then they led Scarlett into their childhood home.  Ray set the duffel on top of the washing machine, hugged his dad and then pulled Scarlett into the kitchen where he hugged his uncle.
    “Dad, Uncle Miles, this is our mate, Scarlett.  Sweetheart, this is our dad, Max, and our Uncle Miles.”
    He could tell his dad and uncle were surprised when Scarlett hugged them and thanked them for their help.
    Max, cheeks pink with blush, said, “You’re their mate and that makes you part of our family, and I’d do anything for my family.”
    Uncle Miles said, “Why don’t you kids get settled and freshen up and we’ll make lunch.  Unless you stopped somewhere?”
    Ray shook his head.  “We only stopped for snacks.  I wanted to get here as soon as possible.”
    “Okay.  Grab your things and follow me to the basement.”
    “Basement?”  Wes asked.
    “We want you to have privacy,” Max said.
    Scarlett blushed brightly and Ray grinned.  “Thanks, Dad.”
    When they had their bags in hand, they followed Miles through the family room to an open door that led down to the basement.  “We’ve made a lot of changes since you guys lived here,” Miles said as he walked out into the main room.
    Ray whistled in surprise as he put his duffel down on top of a dresser.  The large, open space had been divided up into bedroom and living areas.  A large bed sat in one corner on top of a square of dark carpeting, along with a tall dresser and a nightstand.  Long curtains had been hung from the ceiling, mimicking a wall and giving them the illusion of a separate room.  On another square of carpeting sat a couch and coffee table, with a flat-screen television hanging from the wall.  Under the TV was a mini fridge.  In the corner by the couch was a small wood-burning stove.  The small black stove was sitting on top of a decorative brick platform, with the stovepipe curving into the wall.  Wood was burning inside, filling the room with heat and the rich scent of a wood fire.  When he and Wes had lived at home, the basement hadn’t been finished; it had been more a forgotten level of the house where the Christmas decorations were kept than a place to put up family members when they visited.
    Miles opened a door near the bedroom area.  “The bathroom is small, but it’ll keep you from having to traipse upstairs every time you want to take a shower.”
    Ray looked into the room and whistled in appreciation.  The small room contained a stall shower, toilet, and a sink on top of a small cabinet.  Three towels and three washcloths hung from a rack on the wall, and on the narrow counter were three toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a hairbrush.
    “If you need any supplies, just put them on the grocery list on the fridge upstairs.  The mini fridge is stocked with snacks and drinks, and there are napkins and cups in the basket under the sink here.”
    “Thanks for everything,” Ray said, looking back into the main room where Scarlett stood in Wes’s arms, her eyes closed as she yawned.  She hadn’t slept much on the way to King, dozing for a few minutes at a time before waking