Staking His Claim by Lynda Chance Read Free Book Online

known him very long, but Brian
trusts him. Trusts him and respects him. They have a solid
friendship, and I know my husband well enough to know he doesn't
give his friendship to just anyone."
    "So you're saying you think I should
what-- go for it?"
    "That's for you to decide. I was mostly just
curious. But I do think he's a good man and he'd never mistreat
you. Ever ."
    Elaina bit her lip and stared thoughtfully at
her aunt.
    Janie continued, "And with your birthday
coming up, and the fact that I'm in full party mode, I don't know
how you're going to be able to keep your age under wraps for much
longer."
    ****
    Two weeks passed as Elaina tried to come to
terms with her feelings for Raul. If only she could talk to her
mother one last time. She trusted Aunt Janie, but she desperately
needed one last conversation with her mom.
    Obviously, she wasn't going to get it.
    She searched her soul, trying to understand
her own self. With an inborn woman's intuition, she knew if she
started something with Raul it was going to be something serious.
She felt like she had control in that respect, at least for awhile.
As long as he was unaware of her age, she knew he would continue to
try to keep his distance. If and when she gave him the green light,
she figured he'd jump on it.
    Trevor called and asked her out, and she
turned him down. She wasn't interested in him the same way he was
interested in her, and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea.
In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was trying to please
Raul. No doubt he would be pleased that she stayed away from
Trevor, and anyway, the last thing she was thinking about was
starting something with somebody else. All she could think about
was Raul Vega. She didn't need anything or anyone else clouding her
confused brain anymore than it already was.
    She spent her days going over job prospects
in the small town. There was an opening for a teller at the bank,
and she applied for it. The interview went well, and she thought
she had a shot at the job. She waited to hear.
    One day led into the next, and she couldn't
believe how difficult it was to stay away from Raul. She thought
about driving to his house more times than she could count, and the
knowledge that his number was programmed in her cell phone was a
temptation that was hard to ignore.
    But she persevered, and in the end, managed
not to call or text him at all.
    ****
    The day of Elaina's birthday party, Raul had
trouble with a mare in foal. The breech birth had been rough and
ended up costing him. He had to call a veterinarian out and by that
time it was too late. He lost both animals. Losing an animal in the
birthing process was never easy.
    He was in a savage, black mood.
    It had been two weeks since he'd seen her.
Two weeks in which he'd done his damndest to stay away from her. If
he could just make it through until she went back to school, he
could breathe easier and his damn conscience could shut the fuck up
for awhile.
    Every day felt like pissing nails, his guts
ached for her so badly.
    He arrived late to the party, after ten, and
it was in full swing. He grabbed a beer from the cooler on the
front porch and pushed his way into the house. Janie had pulled out
all the stops for Elaina's party, and the house and yard were
decorated in hundreds of lights and lanterns. The evening was
frosty but mild with no wind, and guests circulated from the house,
to the yard, and back again.
    He popped the top and took a swig and tried
to contain the ferocious heat running through his blood.
Experiencing death first hand sucked, and he needed something soft
and sweet to knock the dark memory from his brain and force life
back into his veins. He needed her .
    He'd managed to stay away from her for two
aggravating weeks, and now as he searched for Elaina, he had to
stop time and time again to speak to people he knew. The guest list
was varied. Older married couples interspersed with middle-aged
singles. Dotted around in groups were