Page 6 of Love Unbound
“You’ve been gone a long time,” Shane said and raised his eyebrow pointedly. Free sighed heavily. It was the running topic of the day apparently. The two brothers were quiet for a long moment, then Shane grinned slyly. “You already went to see her, didn’t’cha?” he asked. Free didn’t have to ask who he was referring to. When Free ignored the question and continued to stare out the front window Shane chuckled and shook his head. “She’s damn pretty, isn’t she?”
“I always thought she was,” Free mumbled and finished his second beer. “But yes, I saw her. That woman makes me insane. Still just as stubborn as ever.”
“She learned from the best,” Shane laughed as he stood. He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and returned with two more beers. “You definitely taught her everything she knows about getting under people’s skin.”
The older man rolled his eyes.
“She’s gonna be at the wedding,” Shane said with forced casualness.
Free uttered a vile, four-letter word and took another sip of the cold beer. He nodded somberly and said, “I figured as much. Jodi and her parents have always been more like family to the both of us. I think you would have broken Seren’s heart if they weren’t invited.”
“Levi and Seren basically adopted us,” Shane chuckled, taking a drink of his beer. “Jodi… she’s the sister I didn’t have. I couldn’t believe it, but Levi and Seren gifted Cass and I our honeymoon. Jodi and Shaun are throwing Cassie’s bachelorette party this week.”
“They’re good people,” Free murmured appreciatively. “Idon’t know how we deserved to stumble into a family like that.”
“Sheer dumb luck,” Shane laughed out loud, shaking his head. Then, studying the label on the can of beer much too casually to be casual, Shane said, “You know, from what Cass said, Jodi doesn’t have a date.”
Free looked over at him. “Are we supposed to have dates for this?”
“I mean, you could always go stag and try to bag one of the single bridesmaids?” Shane muttered, shrugging his shoulders. “Or you could ask out the girl you’ve wanted for almost a decade…”
Free scowled at his brother. “The situation is the same as it was seven years ago.”
“I don’t think I will ever understand your logic on this, you dumb bastard. She’s not eighteen anymore, man. Your argument doesn’t have any footing,” Shane muttered darkly.
“It’s not just her age, Shane. It’s more than that,” Free snapped and blew out a sigh of frustration, squeezing his temples between his thumb and middle finger. This day was giving him a headache. “If Levi had ever found out I was lusting after his teenage daughter, he’d have skinned me alive. After all that he had done for us, taking us in after Mom died, building us that apartment, giving me a damn good job. I’m nine years older than she is for Christ sake. It didn’t matter that she was eighteen, it was stillwrong. I felt like a Grade A asshole. I betrayed that trust and respect he had given me. He’s always been one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and it still eats at me, Shane. I was old enough to know better, she wasn’t. I had to leave before I did something I knew I’d regret.”
Free watched as Shane took another drink of his beer. Shane nodded grudgingly. “Okay, I’ll give that to you. I just think it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.”
“What would be the point of that?” Free asked, settling backinto the cushions of the couch. “I’m only home for the wedding. I’m leaving in a week.”
“You could always move back home,” Shane suggested quietly. When Free gave him a withering sidelong glance, Shane shrugged, like it had at least been worth the shot. “Maybe you could stick around a little longer. My regular worker who was supposed to watch the farm while Cassie and I are on our honeymoon broke his leg last week, so I need someone to take over until we get back. What do you think? It would be a huge favor for us. As long as you don’t have anything pressing waiting for you in Texas.”
“Of course I can help out, whatever you guys need,” Free said and smiled. “It’s good to see you. I missed you.”
“Yeah, we all missed you, too. Next time don’t stay away so long, please.”
“Sure thing,” Free said and stood, stretching. “Mind if I shower? My body is stiff as hell from being cramped on an airplane all day.”
Shane stood too, pointing him down the hallway as he headed toward the fridge. He tossed a fresh can to Free, who caught it one handed and raised it in thanks. “Last door at the end of the hall is the guest bedroom, towels are in the hall closet. Cass will be home shortly, you hungry?”
Free shook his head vehemently, and at the same time both men laughed and said, “Seren.” Free chuckled and headed down the hall, depositing his suitcase on the full-sized bed in the center of the room. Unzipping it, he fished for his toiletries and a set of clean boxer briefs and a pair of well-worn flannel pants. He stopped at the closet to grab a towel, and then disappeared into the bathroom. He opened the beer Shane had tossed him, then turned on the taps of the shower, letting the water heat up.
Stripping down, he let his clothes fall to the floor and took a drink of the cold beer. He was glad he was in for the night; he’dhad enough to drink to give him a decent buzz.
As he stepped into the shower, closing the glass door behind him, he rolled his shoulders as he stood beneath the spray of hot water, letting the tension leave his stiff muscles.
Scrubbing the grime of travel off his body, Free’s mind wandered back to the first time he’d noticed Jodi as more than just his friend’s daughter. Jodi was oftentimes found hiding in the hayloft of the barn, where she could read without one of her four siblings finding her. Levi and Serenity had both warned her not to go into the loft after Levi had discovered a support beam that needed replacing. It was a large project, and Levi had hired out extra help for the following week. Free had walked into the barn that afternoon, striding to the back to gather tools. The stalls directly below the hayloft were empty of animals; instead, they stored some of the larger farming machinery and extra equine equipment. Levi had made a living for himself and his family by boarding horses, and it kept Freeman busy.
As he gathered what he needed, Free stopped and straightened quickly, as an ominous creaking sound caught his attention. The creaking got louder, and Free bellowed, “Oh shit!” as he realized the noise he heard was the wooden beams of the hayloft giving out, groaning as they shifted. He turned tail and ran toward the barn door, stopping again when he heard a startled scream come from far above him.
He knew what it was instantly, turning and cursing her beneath his breath even as he vaulted up the wooden stepladder to the loft above. “Jodi! Where are you?”
“Free!” he heard her scream, and suddenly he saw the top of her head over one of the lofts half walls. There was another wooden stepladder that led to the portion she had been hiding in, about seven feet above him. One section of the loft gave way, tumbling to the floor of the barn below, the snapping of the wood beams deafening. Jodi screamed again, losing her footing as theloft beneath her feet started to fail.
Free ran to the stepladder that was built into the wall, but as he started to climb, the supports below him gave out and he fell back, landing on his back with a thud. He groaned in pain, his shoulder throbbing where he’d landed on it. There was now a large hole in the loft flooring between them, and the wall that had the ladder was leaning at an angle. He stood and braced his legs to fight against the unsteady floor beneath his feet. “Jodi!” he shouted, and she turned, her eyes wide with terror. “I’m going to catch you! When I say jump, jump toward me! I’ll catch you!”
Jodi shook her head in panic, eyeing the seven-foot drop to him and the ten-foot drop to the barn floor. “I can’t!”
