Surviving Seduction by Maia Underwood Read Free Book Online Page B

drumming her fingers on her thigh as the sun got higher in the sky. They were making good time and she knew exactly where she was, but moving at the pace of the wagon was frustrating. If she traveled faster, Jack would have to compensate and though he seemed smart enough to be aware of her nervousness already, she didn’t want to make it more obvious than absolutely necessary.
    They drew close to their destination right around noon, just as Shane had estimated and Selena’s heart beat faster when she heard some of her friends’ voices in the distance. It took a lot of restraint not to bolt off in their direction. She politely guided the wagon out of the forest and into the little clearing where the others awaited.
    They had al grown silent as they heard the twigs snapping under the wheels and saw the white canvas wagon emerge like a ghost ship sailing through the trees.
    Selena waved. A quick scan revealed Cal, Bear, Shane, Gina, Ben, Blaire and her son Tim. Al of them were mounted and Cal waited out in front. Selena was crestfal en. Dan was not with them. No longer interested in nursing the wagon, she final y broke off and rode ahead to Cal.
    “Where is Dan?” she whispered, pul ing up alongside him.
    “Not back yet,” he answered quietly, his eyes fixed on the strange vehicle.
    “But how wil he know —”
    “Susan can fil him in if he comes back when we’re gone. She and Sara stayed with the kids.”
    “How was the trip?” Shane cal ed amiably to Jack as the wagon pul ed up. “Selena pick out a smooth path?”
    “She sure did,” Jack answered with a ready smile.
    “Everyone, this is Jack and his sisters, Loraine and Amy,” Shane announced.
    Selena looked between Cal and Jack, but Cal seemed more interested in Loraine than anything else. Selena sighed.
    “This is Gina, my partner,” Shane told the visitors.
    “She helps with provisions and supplies. Cal here works in what you’d cal ‘security,’ Ben is our engineer and farming genius, Bear takes care of our livestock and Blaire is our cook. You al know about Selena’s job and mine. A few of our people aren’t here.”
    Jack and his sisters offered their greetings graciously. When they climbed out of the wagon, everyone dismounted. Tim led the horses over to the dead tree where he could tether them easily, and Jack was already making conversation.
    Soon, Selena was having a hard time keeping track of what was going on. Everyone was talking at once. Gina was excited about the wagon’s contents, Ben was hunched underneath it, examining its structure, and Blaire was offering juice to the newcomers while explaining that it was made from plums and apples that they’d grown at home.
    Bear kept his distance and watched the proceedings calmly. Selena sidled over to him. She’d come to think of the big man as something of an uncle. He was general y quiet and very slow to anger, but his great size was intimidating and Selena had learned that he was a force to be reckoned with if his loved ones were put at risk.
    Bear was the one responsible for training the horses to fight off attackers. He had a way with animals. One of the things Selena liked about him was that she didn’t feel any pressure to talk when they were together – a quality shared only by Dan. She was enjoying it now.
    “Did he behave himself?” Bear asked her when a few minutes had passed. He nodded in Jack’s direction.
    Selena sighed. “Wel enough.”
    She couldn’t lie to Bear. Her answer was true in that Jack’s conduct was peaceful and her safety was never in question. That was al that Bear real y wanted to know. He nodded again.
    Jack and Amy were now passing things around from their col ection. Selena observed that none of what they handed out was smal enough to be pocketed.
    Gina and Ben seemed the most excited about the many treasures being shown around. Blaire was a grown woman at the time of the Crash, so she’d seen it al before and was much more interested in the health