Free Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 1.3 - Riding Through Fire by Kate Sherwood Page A

young, and Jeff feels a flush of shame for

Riding Through Fire | Kate Sherwood
    his earlier impure thoughts. But this isn't about him, it's about Evan and Tat; Jeff can beat himself up later. For now, he walks carefully towards them, and Evan's face crumbles a little and then a little more. Poor kid has just lost his parents, and he's been trying to keep it together, trying to stay strong for Tat. So Jeff is needed.
    He eases down onto the floor next to them, and Tat notices him for the first time and flings herself at him, her arms wrapping tight around his neck as she sobs into his shoulder. Jeff bends one arm around her, hugs her back, and with the other he reaches out and grips Evan's shoulder. But the Kaminskis are not a reserved family, and Evan doesn't restrain himself, just edges in against the side of Jeff that isn't busy with Tat and wraps his own arms around Jeff, holding on like Jeff's a life buoy in a stormy sea.
They stay like that for a long time, and Jeff's tears flow down to join all the others.
     
*****
    "Tat, no joke, you need to get a move on! I'm not going to keep writing you notes for being late." Evan's voice is tight with annoyance, and Jeff realizes that he's hearing only the latest shots in what seems to be an ongoing battle.
    "You're not my father, Evan! You're not the boss of me!" Tat slams her backpack down on the kitchen table, ignoring Jeff. "Tia, I'd like French toast for breakfast, please."
    Evan slaps his newspaper down on the table. "You have two minutes to eat and be out the door, Tat. There's no time for French toast. Eat some cereal and take an apple for the car."

"You can't tell me what toRiding Through Fire | Kate Sherwood me. I'm not a
slave !"
    "Jesus, Tat, do you hear yourself? A slave? Nobody's a slave." Evan's voice shifts from angry to tired. "You're a spoiled little girl, that's all. Cut the drama and eat something, and let's get going."
Tia comes over with a box of cold cereal and a jug of milk. "I'll make you French toast tomorrow, sweetie."
    Tat's crying now. "You're always on his side," she sobs, and she pulls away sharply when Tia tries to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. Tia seems unconcerned, and shrugs at Evan before returning to the dishes she'd been loading into the dishwasher.
    Jeff's only been in the house for ten minutes, and he's already exhausted. How does Evan do it? But a quick look at the younger man makes it clear that Evan is tired, as well. When he speaks, he's trying to be calm. "Tat, you know the school rules on punctuality. You know what time school starts at. You know how long it takes to drive to school, and you know how long it takes to make French toast. If you want a big breakfast, get up earlier. For today, stop crying, eat the cereal, and let's get going." There's no response, although Tat's tears seem to be stopping.
    "Jeff's driving in with us," Evan tries, his voice deliberately cheerful. "He's got some stuff to do at the office, with…." He stops abruptly, and Jeff winces. Probably not a good idea to tell Tat that Jeff's going in because he's the executor of their parents' estate, and he needs to spend the day going over some of the more complicated provisions with the company's lawyers. It's been four months since the accident, and sometimes Tat can talk about her parents fairly calmly, but Jeff's willing to bet that this isn't one of those times. "With the lawyers," Evan finishes. Then he looks at his watch, and at Tatiana's unused cereal bowl. Jeff has no idea where he gets the nerve, but he jumps in. "I doubt

Riding Through Fire | Kate Sherwood
she'll pass out if she misses breakfast one time. She could take the apple, and maybe something else for a snack?"
    Evan doesn't seem to mind the intrusion into his parenting attempts. "Yeah?" He looks to Tia for confirmation, and apparently gets it. "Okay, good. Tat, let's go. Tia's got…damn, she's got a nice collection of fruit going there. Grab something to eat in the car." Evan