Little Red: An Everland Ever After Tale Read Online Free Page B

from everything. They’d only been riding for a few hours.
    This was a dumb idea, and she didn’t know how much more she could take.
    Finally steeling herself to push back the hood of her lovely cloak to look at him, she was disconcerted by the slight frown that pulled at those hard lips. His brows were soft, and darn it if he didn’t look… concerned. It was the same look he’d given her that morning, when he’d lifted her into the saddle—she couldn’t manage to climb in herself, and had figured that would’ve been something else he could be nasty about. But when his big hands had wrapped around her waist and lifted her so easily, she’d gotten a bit light-headed. He certainly was strong, wasn’t he?
    And not too bad to look at, either. She found that out this morning, lying on top of him. Oh, she’d gotten an eyeful last night, especially when he’d squatted beside her and at least pretended concern, but in the daylight he sure was handsome. Not too big, but well-built. His dark hair—covered now by his hat—was going a little silver at the temples, and silver hairs dotted his short beard. But the only lines on his face were the faint ones at the corners of his eyes, and she figured that he wasn’t too old.
    Yeah, he was a looker—as Max DeVille would say. Unfortunately, it was obvious that Hank didn’t think much of her. She told herself that it was okay, that he didn’t need to like her; he just needed to get her to Everland. Despite her best intentions, it was becoming apparent that she just wasn’t cut out for life on the range, which was irritating.
    So she’d lied to him, told him that she could pay him that exorbitant fee if he helped her, and was feeling no little amount of guilt.
    Shoot, he was still looking at her, like he genuinely cared about her well-being or something. Rojita turned her attention stalwartly to the back of Lobo’s horse’s head, determined to ignore him.
    “Hey Red, I asked—”
    “I’m fine.”
    He snorted, letting her know that he wasn’t buying her assurances. Well, it didn’t matter what he believed, only that he got her—and Abuelo’s will—safely to Everland.
    It felt like forever before he spoke again, although that might’ve just been because Rojita was feeling absolutely every bounce in the saddle and dip in the road. “So, why’d you get off the train, Red? You feel up to explaining to me why we’re riding all this way?”
    The way he asked that last question managed to climb under her skin and irritate her further. He’d managed to sound concerned and like he was making fun of her. “There was a man…” And then the horse—demon-creature, really—put its foot down extra-hard, and she couldn’t contain her gasp at the pain that radiated from the center of her back. To think! She’d been so, so comfortable this morning when she’d woken up cradled by his warmth, and now felt like most of her body was on fire.
    It’d probably had something to do with the way he’d smiled at her when he’d found her draped all over him like a hussy. It’d just been a little grin, one he probably hadn’t even known he was making, but it had been… nice. It made her feel safe, and that was surprising and comforting all at once.
    But now, now she was just miserable, and he was sitting over there waiting for an answer. “I… I have to get to my grandmother’s house.” There. That was surely the most important—Rojita groaned again when the blasted animal apparently began to practice calisthenics under her.
    “You ain’t a real horsewoman, are you?” And then he was beside her, and Rojita didn’t have the chance to figure out how to tell her animal to move away or speed up or anything, before she felt his arm around her waist. She didn’t even have time to be angry at his high-handedness or his tone, which she would’ve, if she’d had the breath. But instead, she was flying through the air, the reins slipping from her fingers, in a way that