Wolver's Reward by Jacqueline Rhoades Read Free Book Online Page B

supposed. He'd stopped to
help and she'd whomped him with a bat. She'd whomped him again,
because she didn't want to hear him ask,
    "What kind of wolver are you? How could you
do this to a perfect stranger who meant you no harm?"
    "Needs must that the devil drives," she
consoled herself with the Shakespearian quote. She'd had no choice.
Necessity compelled her to do what had to be done.
    "That devil could drive me
anytime." Celia squirmed in the seat beside her. "My poor body, madam,
requires it: I am driven on by the flesh." She giggled
again.
    Reb had forgotten the beginning of the quote.
It wasn't really relevant, or was it? No, it couldn't be. The
leather jacket, worn no doubt, to show off the breadth of his
shoulders; the heavy boots that drew attention to his muscular
legs; the chain hanging from his waist that directed the eye to his
hips, the high, rounded buttocks at the base of his tapered back,
and yes, fine, the fly of his jeans at the front; it was perfectly
normal to speculate, but those weren't things she would find
attractive. No, it had nothing to do with the way his tee shirt
clung to his chest, or the slight slouch to his shoulders as he
sauntered up to offer his help. No, she wasn't driven on by the
flesh.
    Reb wasn't, but her wolf was. It yipped and
rolled and spun around inside her.
    "I thought he was dreamy."
    Reb was distracted from her thoughts by
Rosemary's whisper. "What?"
    "I thought he was dreamy," Rosemary said, a
hair louder than the first time. "He had one of those looks you
read about in books, dark and menacing, but not, if..."
    "Well, what would you expect?" Arnold
interrupted. "We attacked him. I'd look the same way if I was in
that position."
    "No you wouldn't. You'd squeal like a
pup."
    Darla's insult stung. "I thought I behaved
admirably."
    "He didn't retaliate when I hit him,"
Rosemary offered.
    "That's because he thought you were a
mosquito." Celia flicked her hand at Arnold's shoulder to
demonstrate.
    "Ow. Be careful. I have a bruise there. And
I'm driving," he added lest anyone think he was squealing.
    That was Reb's observation as well. When
Rosemary hit him, he'd looked at their little mouse with surprise.
She'd half thought he was going to laugh. He could have hit her. He
would have hurt her, but he didn't. He could have hurt Darla, too,
but Darla swore that wasn't his intent, and Darla knew about these
things.
    He wasn't dark, though. His skin was
burnished copper and freckled. His hair, she thought, was brown,
but it was hard to tell as wet as it was from the rain. His eyes
were brown, though, so deep and dark they were almost black. Those
eyes would haunt her for days.
    "I'm glad you thought he was dreamy."
Lawrence was saying. He patted Rosemary's knee. "And good for you,
too. It's about time you sat up and paid attention. Maybe by the
end of the festivities you'll find someone else to dream
about."
    "Wouldn't that be wonderful," Celia said on a
sigh.
    That was the dream, wasn't it? Reb stated it
aloud. "Maybe everyone will find what they're looking for." She
added the source of the quote that gave her the excuse for her
awful behavior and which also included her hopes for the Chase.
"All's Well That Ends Well," she said, but she knew in her heart it
was unlikely to end well for her.
    She turned her head to the back seat to
include them in her smile, but the smile died when she saw Darla
staring at her with a look she'd never seen in her nursemaid's eyes
before. Darla blinked and the look was gone, but not before Reb
recognized it for what it was.
    Her best friend in the whole world had looked
at her with pity.
     

 
     
    Chapter 5

    After dropping the others off to clean up the
evidence of their wrongdoing, Darla drove the truck to the
designated place of the Chase. It was an area in the wildlife
preserve that had been closed off to the public. A heavy chain
blocked the access road and on it hung a metal sign that read KEEP
OUT. When she stopped to remove the barrier, Reb