Free Wilde Riders (Old Town Country Romance) by Savannah Young Page B

the blue bathroom.
    My youngest brother, Hunter, is standing outside the bathroom, with his hand stuck to the doorknob. His normally pale face is beet red and he’s blinking rapidly.
    “I—um—I—I.” Hunter is an introvert and generally has trouble expressing himself but now he’s not making any sense at all.
    “Hunter, what’s wrong?” I ask. He looks scared out of his mind.
    “I—um—I—I.” He still can’t express whatever he’s trying to say.
    “He walked in on me naked,” I hear Riley say from behind the door.
    No wonder Hunter can’t speak. My youngest brother and I have never talked about sex but I have a hunch that he’s never seen a female naked before.
    “It wasn’t locked,” Hunter says softly. “I didn’t know there would be a girl in there.”
    I place a hand on my youngest brother’s shoulder. He’s filled out a little more since the last time I saw him but he’s still what you would classify as slender. Even at six feet he probably only weighs about one hundred sixty-five pounds.
    Hunter has Jake’s boyish looks minus the charm. He’s quiet, introverted and obviously still very unsure of himself.
    “It’s okay,” I say to try and calm him down. “I would have warned you but I didn’t know you were home.”
    “I was at school. Studying. I just got home.”
    “And how’s school going?” I ask. My youngest brother has been taking some classes at the local community college.
    He just shrugs. He’s never been a man of many words.
    “Still trying to get into the academy?” Hunter has wanted to be a police officer his entire life. I’ve never heard him talk about much of anything else except maybe playing the drums, which is his only other love.
    “I’ll be applying for the January class. As soon as I pass the background check and physical exam.”
    “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” I assure him.
    Worry seems to crease his otherwise unlined face. “That’s easy for you to say, Coop. When have you not gotten everything you’ve ever wanted?”
    Why do my younger brothers both seem to think life has been easy for me? This is a myth that needs to be debunked. “That’s not true,” I protest.
    Hunter’s eyebrows pop up. “Seriously? Why do you think Tuck and I call you Mr. Lucky?”
    I glance back at Tucker, who has been awfully quiet. He just shrugs.
    “I’ve worked very hard for everything I’ve gotten and things have not always been easy for me.”
    Tucker snorts behind me “Whatever you say, Coop.”
    “It’s the truth.”
    Before any of us can say another word, Riley pokes her head out from the bathroom. “Is it okay for me to come out?”
    When she steps out into the hallway, I can’t help but notice how much younger she looks wearing a T-shirt and sweats rather than a business suit. She looks no older than Hunter and he’s just barely turned twenty-one.
    “Is that my old Nirvana shirt and sweatpants?” Hunter asks.
    Riley puts her hand to her mouth and I can see that she’s turning red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she says. “Do you want them back?”
    “No,” Hunter says quickly. “It’s fine. They don’t really fit me anymore anyway.”
    “It’s my fault,” I add. “I should have asked before giving Riley your clothes. I didn’t think she’d fit into anything of mine.”
    “I don’t mind,” Hunter says. I notice that he can barely look Riley in the face. He’s still so shy.
    “You’re free to borrow my clothes,” Tucker adds.
    When Riley looks over at him, I can see she’s still a little hes itant around him.
    I glare at Tucker. I don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s bigger than me. The idea of Riley fitting into his clothing is ridiculous. 
    “Well, you’ve kind of met my youngest brother, Hunter,” I say , trying to add some levity to the tension-filled air.
    She gives Hunter a little wave. He gives her a barely-there smile in response then turns away.
    “Riley and I were thinking about fixing something to