Surviving Passion by Maia Underwood Read Free Book Online Page B

nice?”
                Dan ignored this as he tossed a bulging sack at each of them. Cal grinned as he caught his easily.
                “Ben,” the young man said to her, lifting a hand half-heartedly to shake hers.
                Selena forced the corners of her mouth up briefly and guessed that he wouldn’t buy her fake enthusiasm. She tried to ignore the way their eyes lingered on her as she finally dismounted. By the time she turned to face them again, Dan was unceremoniously walking away with Ben and Cal following. Cal at least shot her a wave as he turned to go.
                Selena felt strangely disconcerted as Dan left her there, but as the young boy took Star’s reins and led the horses away, the short, husky woman approached Selena with a casual smile.
                “Hello! Welcome to Brian’s Crater. Dan give you a rough trip? Of course he did, I don’t need to ask. He find you in town? No one else with you? There’s a clan of very nasty men frequent that area. Glad you’re here. They didn’t have you captive or you’d look a lot worse for wear. That’s good. He’d have stolen you out from under the lot of them if you were. Glad he didn’t have to. Is there anything I can get you?”
                Selena realized that her jaw was hanging open and that at some point it had become her turn to speak.
                “Uhh … no. Th—thank you.”
                “Well come on, honey! Sun’s a’settin’. I’ll show you to where you’ll be sleeping. Got enough cabins for everyone. Did Dan tell you that this used to be a wildlife field research center? Probably not. It wasn’t very well outfitted, technologically speakin’. But it’s full of books and old workstations. Belonged to some university or other. Hard to keep track of what’s what now that so much time has gone by.”
                She prattled on and Selena did her best to listen. She was interested, but terribly overwhelmed. At least this woman seemed genuine, brusque and forward as she was. It had been a long time since Selena had seen anyone who was portly like Blaire, and she guessed there was probably no shortage of food here. Her light brown hair was twisted into a bun and thanks to the laugh lines at her blue eyes and the wisps of grey at her temples she looked to be in her late forties. She had probably been well into her twenties during the Crash. There was something comforting about knowing people who remembered what life was like before the Crash turned everything upside down. Blaire would be able to answer many questions, Selena guessed.
                “Now what was your name again? Been a long time since we had someone new. Got so excited I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Blaire. Oh, and that’s my boy Tim,” she gestured back toward the boy who was unsaddling the horses.
                “Selena.”
                “Well that’s a pretty name. And you’re gorgeous, so that fits. If you’d have said Gertrude I might have laughed my ass off,” she grinned unabashedly.
                “Thanks,” was all Selena could muster.
                “Now, did you make those clothes?” Blaire asked, eyeing them appraisingly.
                Selena nodded.
                “Well some people have their complaints about Dan but he certainly ain’t no fool! Lucky find, you are. A leatherworker to boot! Did you say you were alone or you left your group?”
                “On my own.”
                “Oh well then it’s a good thing he brought you. Knowing him, he’d have tied you to the saddle if you didn’t come willingly.” She barked out a laugh as though it was a very common idea. “Couldn’t leave a nice girl like you out there at the mercy of who knows what or who. Don’t you mind him, he’s got a loopy attitude towards women, but it’ll