Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) by Rivi Jacks Read Free Book Online Page B

Shotgun Shack. Sawyer told me he’s not hurt, just banged around a little. Diane, are you okay?” I glance at her again.
    She turns to me with wide eyes. “Sofie…” She busts out crying.
    I slow the Jeep, and reaching over, I lay my hand on her shoulder. “Honey, Sawyer assured me that Jake’s okay. He wouldn’t lie to me.”
    With tears streaming down her face, she says, “We’ve been seeing each other... and... I love him.” Then the floodgates truly open.
    My mouth drops open, but I don’t say anything right off. “You have?” I shoot her a quick glance. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I’ve been trying.” She sniffs.
    I think about what else she’s said. “How long have you been seeing each other?”
    “About six months.” She blows her nose on the tissue I hand her. “We’ve been real careful that no one find out. We didn’t want someone else telling you.”
    “Why didn’t you just tell me?” I’m downright puzzled here.
    “Because you told me, years ago, to stay away from him,” she wails.
    I slow the Jeep to turn onto the lane leading to the barn. “When you were sixteen years old, and he was a crazy wild-ass!”
    She sniffs. “So, you’re not mad?”
    “No, I’m shocked you kept something from me this long.” I drive the Jeep to the barn and cut the engine. Sam meets us at the door.
    Jake sits at one of the tables by the bar with his left leg propped and an ice bag on his knee. He has numerous scratches across his face and arms. Nick and Sawyer sit with him, and Taylor leans against the bar. They’re talking quietly as we hurry in.
    I hug Jake, asking him, “Are you sure you shouldn’t go to the doctor?”
    As Nick stands, Jake reaches over and pulls Nick’s vacated chair next to his. He smiles at Diane, patting the chair for her. Sawyer pushes me into the one he’s been sitting in.
    “Thanks, Sawyer.” I give Nick and Taylor a smile in greeting. Jake drapes his arm over Diane’s shoulders and pulls her close. I smile at them. “Diane told me.”
    “Good,” he replies. “I knew you’d be okay with us, but Diane didn’t think so. Something about you telling her to stay away from me?” He raises an eyebrow.
    “I’ll... tell you later.” No one else seems surprised by Jake and Diane sitting together. “What happened, Jake?”
    “That’s what we were discussing when you came in,” Sawyer says.
    Jake takes a long drink from a beer bottle, which I think is not such a good idea. “I rode the four-wheeler up to the second hayfield to check on the herd.” He pauses, recalling his actions. “Across the field, at the edge of the woods, I saw a cow down and something else kinda humped up by it. Whatever the thing was... it looked up as I started across the field.” His face reflects what he remembers. “I’m not clear on what the face looked like because it ran off into the woods so fast.”
    What? “Was it a bear?” I ask.
    “No.” Jake glances at Nick. “I followed it right up the hill, on that trail leading up to the old Walker homestead. I caught a glimpse as it ran through the trees, but there was no way to keep up, and it was... gone. I rode on up to the meadow, shut off the engine, and sat, listening and watching.” He takes another drink.
    I’ve gotten goose bumps, thinking of him up there with—who knows what. However, I’m not altogether sure it wasn’t a bear. Old Percy Walker, who lives over by Panther Creek, had trouble last summer with a black bear around his place. Lucy told me the whole story.
    “I headed back down the hill. When I reached the remains of that old gnarly tree, you know the one hit by lightning?”
    “Yeah,” I answer, knowing where he means. We’d covered every inch of that farm as kids.
    “I went on that path the cows and critters take to the creek, and halfway down, I caught sight of it again. Gave chase, and that’s how I got most of these scratches. I decided to head across the holler, where all those