Raw Desire Read Online Free Page B

Don’t use Susan’s death as an excuse to reexamine the past.”
    Rob stayed put as Jackson threw some cash on the table, grabbed his jacket, and headed out the door. He let out his breath and finished his beer. Damn, that hadn’t gone as he’d wanted it to. Jackson was pissed and maybe he had a point. But Rob didn’t need a way back into Ally’s life. She’d already said she wanted to “talk” to him.
    With a curse, Rob ordered another beer and turned his attention to the baseball game on the big-screen TV. Jackson would get over himself; he usually did. And Rob would continue to investigate Susan’s death in whatever way he damn well pleased.

3
    A lly held her breath as the truck’s engine coughed and reluctantly turned over. For a second, she allowed herself to rest her head on the steering wheel and breathe a quick prayer of thanks. Her day was not going well. She’d been to almost half the businesses in the small town and asked for work, but no one was hiring.
    Some people were openly hostile, others polite but distant. It was her own fault. She’d run off and made no attempt to keep in touch with anyone from Spring Falls. It wasn’t surprising no one wanted to know her, let alone employ her. But, hell, with the way her finances were tangled up, she needed to keep her savings intact if she was going to follow her dream and go back to college in the fall.
    Her stomach grumbled as she backed out of her space and headed for the gas station. Ten bucks of gas went nowhere these days. If she didn’t get lucky soon, she’d be walking into town to save money. To her relief, the old guy who sometimes manned the pumps and liked to talk had disappeared. She got out of the truck and went inside the small cramped shack that smelled of oil, tobacco, and fish bait to hand over her money.
    â€œIs that you, Ally?”
    She looked up to see a vaguely familiar face smiling at her.
    â€œYeah, I’m Ally.”
    â€œI’m Jane Evans. Do you remember me?”
    Inwardly Ally braced herself for an attack. If she remembered correctly, Jane was the younger sister of Susan Evans, the girl Jackson had been going out with when Ally had hooked up with him. Just like in some cheesy soap opera, Susan had been right there, alongside Rob, to discover her and Jackson in bed together. The tragic consequences of that god-awful moment had haunted Ally ever since.
    â€œHey, Jane, what’s up?” Inwardly she winced. Now she sounded like some flippant teenager.
    â€œNothing much, thanks. I heard you’d come back.”
    Ally managed an awkward smile. “I’m not staying. As soon as I fix up the house and sell it, I’ll be off again. You don’t have to worry about bumping into me all the time or anything.”
    Jane looked carefully around the small space and then leaned closer to Ally.
    â€œI don’t mind if you stay. I’ve forgiven you, even if nobody else has.”
    â€œThat’s . . . very decent of you. I was really sorry about what happened to your sister.”
    Jane shrugged. “Susan was a fool to get so worked up over a man like Jackson. How weak can you get?”
    Ally took a small careful step to one side so that she had room to get around Jane if she needed it. So much for sisterly love and solidarity.
    â€œIt was nice to see you anyway.”
    Jane waved and walked toward the open door. “You too.”
    Ally paid for her gas and went back outside. Jane’s behavior was weird to say the least, but if she was willing to forgive, Ally wasn’t going to stop her. One less person to worry about in a town full of haters was a start.
    She pumped the gas, replaced the pump, and got back into the truck. The setting sun made the raindrops splattering her windshield gleam for an instant before they evaporated on the warm glass. Ally shivered as she started the truck. God, she was so tired of being afraid, of facing the