Free Strike by Jennifer Ryder Page B

smiles. My whole body freezes and I forget how to walk.
    She throws her arms around Mac.
    Why is she doing that?
    He kisses her loudly on the cheek and squeezes her tight, lifting her off the ground. “Hey Peaches, how’s my girl?” he says, in the happiest tone I’ve ever heard from him.
    “Great, Daddy. It’s so good to be home. And I haven’t been Peaches in a long time.”
    Daddy?
    Peaches?
    No fucking way.
    April is … Mac’s daughter?
    Heat prickles in my cheeks and the urge to vomit becomes pretty fucking real. I lean down and start unclipping my boots. My brain starts back-pedalling.
    “You’ll always be Peaches to me, girl.” He chuckles and nudges her with his elbow. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the team.”
    I dare to glance up. Mac puts his arm around her small waist and leads her closer to Stone. “I think you already met Aidan Stone a year or so ago. Aidan this is—”
    “April,” she interrupts, offering her hand to him. Stone smiles like he’s on drugs as they shake. “Nice to see you again, Aidan. Daddy tells me you’ve gotten married and had babies. Congratulations.”
    “Yeah, two beautiful boys, Josh and Grady. My wife, Eevie, is arriving here today. I’d love you to meet her. I think you’d get along real well.”
    “Sounds great. You’ll have to show me some pictures of the kids later.”
    “Will do.”
    “This is Billy,” Mac says, moving down the line. Billy runs his hand over his short black hair, his eyes feasting on her as he takes his sweet fucking time shaking her hand. My skin crawls. I wish he’d stop touching her.
    I give up fiddling with my boots and decide to secure them back on.
    “Hey,” Billy mutters. I think he’s too cock-struck to spit out more than one syllable.
    “Hi Billy, good to meet you,” she says and I catch her winking at him as I stand. I’m instantly jealous.
    When her beautiful grey eyes meet mine, that gorgeous smile slips straight from her face.
    “And last of all, this is Jones,” Mac says, the tone in his voice almost a warning.
    She blinks a few times, and stares right through me. “Good to meet you, Jones ,” she says, her cheerful voice faltering.
    I extend my arm. Reluctantly, she places her hand in mine. I squeeze it, not wanting to let go, but she fights me and pulls back sooner than I’d like.
    Stone does his best to hide his blinding smile behind his hand. The fucker knew I was checking out Mac’s daughter, and now he’s enjoying watching me squirm. I should have beaten it outta him while I had the chance. I would’ve been more prepared.
    April’s eyes flit around nervously, and she turns to Mac. Her ‘daddy’ .
    “If you’ll excuse me, boys, I need to get some coffee. Anyone want one?”
    The others reply with something, but I’m too busy focusing on what to do next.
    “Can I borrow your truck, Daddy?” she asks. Mac scrounges in his pockets, and then hands her a bunch of keys. April is out of camp before I can blink. I hope I haven’t fucked this up. I knew it was wrong keeping it from her, but I have no fucking clue how to build something, a relationship I guess, with a girl that I like. Not. One. Clue.
    I storm off in the direction she left. I have to talk to her and sort this shit out.
    Stone grabs my upper arm, drawing his mouth close to my ear. “Where you goin’, mate?” he says, low enough for only me to hear.
    “I need coffee,” I bark, pulling out of his grip.
    “I really don’t think you do. If you’re smart, you’ll switch to drinkin’ somethin’ else.”
    I glare at him and walk past him like a man on a mission. Stone isn’t gonna tell me what to do. I barely catch her before she gets to Mac’s Ute. She must have run once she was out of sight.
    “April, wait.”
    She turns, hands on hips. “Sorry, Jones , is it?” she accuses.
    Yeah. She’s pissed.
    “I was going to tell you about the riding. It’s … it’s just the one thing that seems to get me into strife.”
    I don’t