Free Dead Man's Bluff by Adriana Law Page A

sink and covered her eyes with a hand.
“Where will I go? I’m too old to start over someplace new.”
    Oh Goodness. Megan felt awkward and unsure of what
to say as she went to stand next to the old woman. She placed a comforting hand
on Birdie’s rounded shoulders. “Shh…you’re not going anywhere. That’s why I’m
here. It’s not the same as last time; You, Emma, Griffin, Ms. Susan…you all
come first.” She realized she had purposely left him out.  He was no longer a
part of it. Was he? “No one is getting this place without accepting that it
comes with a built-in family. The right person is out there…I promise. Then you
all can stop living in fear that tomorrow might be the day.”
    As soon as she saw some resemblance of hope on
Birdie’s face, Megan sagged against the counter top. Her voice came out low, “I
have to ask…how is he? Has he tried to talk about any of it with you? Has he
mentioned Tink?”
    Birdie cut her gaze out the window, towards the barn
knowing exactly who Megan was referring to. “No. You know he’s not a big
talker, Meg. But I don’t think he would have come home if he wasn’t ready to
face it.”
    Home.
    Home’s
a place where you feel safe, a place where the people there love you
unconditionally.
    Birdie
was right. The ranch did pull in wounded souls, wounded souls who had no home.
Megan had always thought that was her: lost and drifting. But getting to know
people who truly had nowhere else to go, she’d realized she was lucky to have
her mother and even Stratford. ♠
     
    Ten
     
    “So, where’s the happy couple?” Drew sneered swiping
a can of soda from the refrigerator. The soda hissed as he popped the top and
sank down in the kitchen chair across from Emma.
    “I don’t know. Think I overheard something about you
being a jackass and them getting the hell out of dodge.” Emma settled her five
perfectly painted pink toes on the floor, wiggled them so she could admire her
work, then pulled the opposite foot up into the seat of the chair. She leaned; chin
resting on her knee as she touched the pink tip of the wet brush to her
unpainted toenail. Her blonde hair cascaded over one shoulder and her snotty
attitude reminded Drew of someone else.
    He took a chug. “Funny. Now where are they?”
    She dipped the brush in the bottle. “In your room.”
    “My room?”
    “Well, what used to be your room. You’ve been
relocated to Tink’s old bedroom.”
    His stomach clenched. “They’ve lost their freaking minds
if they think I’m sleeping in there.”
    All finished, Emma twisted the lid on the bottle of
polish and swiped the soda from his hand. She took a sip. “Don’t tell me this,
tell them, but I think it’s pretty much settled.” Her lips twitched as she
fought hard not to smile. “It seems like you don’t get a vote. And are we
trying to cut down on using our favorite F-word? Because honestly Drew… ’freaking’
sounds kind of weird coming out of your mouth. What’s next? Cigarettes?” Her
gaze narrowed on his stony expression. “Oh my God! I just now noticed! I
haven’t seen you smoke since you’ve been back! WoW! Next it’ll be kids and a
minivan.”
    In the two years Drew was gone, Emma had grown up.
He wasn’t the only one who noticed, Griffin had noticed it too, but poor Griff
was in way over his head with this one and luckily the guy knew it. He’d seen
Griff do his best to fight going there. Drew swiped the soda out of her hands
and smiled, taking back control of what was his, like he was going to take back
control of his room. “Emma, have I told you how much of a bitch you’ve become?”
    She turned in the kitchen chair to face him and
drummed her nails on the table top, studying him. “Drew, why did you come back
here?”
    It wasn’t like him to be short on words, but
honestly he didn’t like where this conversation was going.  
    She continued, “I’m assuming you came here for a
fresh start? Am I right?”
    He took another