Free Bound For Eden by Tess Lesue

watched she saw his eyes narrow.
    He swore. ‘They’re the last thing I need right now.’
    Alex followed his gaze and her heart stopped. Across the yard the Gradys were elbowing their way through the crowd. Silas, Travis and Bert were a walking wall of muscle, but it was their weedy little brother who made her break out in a cold sweat. She heard the phantom echo of his maniacal laughter as her home crackled and burned.
    She suppressed an urge to run. If she ran, they’d notice her for sure. Instead she tugged her hat lower and slouched, trying to look as boyish and un-Alexandra-ish as possible. She shoved Adam behind Luke. When he protested she pinched him into submission. ‘The Gradys,’ she hissed at him. ‘Remember what we said about hiding?’ There was such a crush of bodies around them that Adam was well hidden, even though he was in plain sight.
    Luckily, they were all the way across the fenced yard, and Jackson chose that moment to call for the stallion. All eyes, including those of the Gradys, went to the magnificent gray being led into the yard.
    The minute Alex saw him she knew what all the fuss was about. He was young and sleek, with an elegantly arched neck and a high tail. Alex had never seen an animal like him. He was a prince: high-stepping and regal. She could feel Luke tense beside her and she heard Adam take a breath.
    â€˜Ain’t he a beauty?’ Jackson declared proudly. ‘Purebred, with the papers to prove it.’
    â€˜Glory,’ Alex breathed, ‘a horse like that must cost a fortune.’
    Luke gave her a swift dark look, but refused to comment.
    Alex had never been to an auction before and was surprised by the terseness of it. No-one smiled. Every bid was made in a low, clipped voice or silently, with a wave of a finger. She couldn’t make head or tail of who was bidding. ‘Was that you?’ she whispered to Luke. ‘Was that last bid yours?’ He ignored her and she swivelled her head, trying to catch sight of wagging fingers. ‘Did he say one hundred dollars?’ she gasped. ‘One hundred dollars!’
    Luke’s face was even stonier than before. He looked kind of frightening, Alex had to admit. There wasn’t a trace of humour on the lean planes of his handsome face.
    â€˜One twenty to Slater,’ Jackson called, immediately following with ‘One twenty-five to Mr Jessop.’
    Alex saw a muscle jump in Luke’s jaw. By the time the price had doubled his finger had stopped wagging and the muscle had stopped jumping. His jaw was set in a hard, angry line.
    â€˜Another five to the stranger,’ Jackson called with a nod. Alex followed his gaze and gasped when she saw Gideon Grady, grinning like a cat with the cream. Every time someone bid, Gideon upped them by five dollars. Where did he get the money? she thought with dismay. For that matter, where had he gotten the money she’d stolen from him? She hadn’t even taken all of it – she’d only managed to grab one bag before Ma Grady came at her. It made no sense, swamp trash like the Gradys having a stash of gold like that. Not to mention the jewellery. And then there were the papers she’d found secreted in the lining of the bag . . .
    She shivered, remembering the look on Ma Grady’s mean old face. They were no good, the lot of them, and she couldn’t wait until she could forget about them and their gold.
    â€˜And another five!’
    The sound of Jackson’s voice startled Alex back to the present. Across the yard she could see Travis slapping his younger brother on the back and grinning.
    â€˜Aren’t you going to bid again?’ she hissed at Luke. She couldn’t bear the thought of Gideon getting that magnificent animal. Gideon’s animals had a habit of winding up lame, or blind, or just plain dead.
    â€˜Too rich for my blood,’ Luke said gruffly, and she could hear the disappointment heavy in