Stepbrother Bastard by Colleen Masters Page B

and never want from her. “ We
need to support Mom in trying to move on. We need to try and move on ourselves
too, Maddie. Especially you. ”
    “ It ’ s
not like I haven ’ t been trying, ” I say softly, my voice
cracking with emotion. I feel the fight go out of me as anger gives way to
upset. Fat, salty tears start to roll down my cheeks, and I feel Sophie ’ s
arms enclose me.
    “ Hey
now, ” she says, her voice warm
and soothing, “ I know you ’ ve
been trying. I know. Just breathe, Maddie. ”
    “ God,
I miss him, ” I
whisper, letting my head rest on my little sister ’ s
shoulder.
    “ We
all do, ” she says, brushing the
hair away from my face. “ And we probably always
will. But we ’ ve still got to try our best to be
happy, right? ”
    “ When
did you get all rational and wise and shit? ” I ask her, laughing
through tears.
    “ Drama
school is basically one carefully controlled nervous breakdown, ” she says,
matter-of-factly, “ I ’ ve
worked through a lot of shit. You should try taking a clown class — it
does wonders for your world view. ”
    “ I
have no idea whether you ’ re joking or not, ” I say, shaking my head.
    “ Me
either, ” she smiles, brushing a
tear off my cheek. “ Now pull yourself
together. I think we have company. ”
    My
ears perk up as the sound of a revving engine floats across the lawn. Sophie
and I look over toward a wide path leading off into the woods — the
sound seems to be coming from over there. As we watch, a cloud of dust starts
advancing on us from afar, at the center of which is a black ATV.
    “ Bet
that ’ s
one of John ’ s boys, ” Sophie says, narrowing
her eyes.
    “ That ’ s
hardly a boy, ” I
point out. I ’ d been assuming that his sons would
be kids for some reason, but the person atop that growling machine is a grown
man. And that hardly puts me at ease. “ Have
you met them yet? ”
    “ No, ” she says, rolling her
eyes, “ I
guess they don ’ t care much for the company of women.
They ’ ve
been making themselves scarce since I got here yesterday. This one showed up
just before you, hopped on an ATV, and took off into the woods. ”
    “ Charming, ” I mutter, crossing my
arms as the ATV roars our way.
    “ He
doesn ’ t
seem to be slowing down …” I hear Anna say from over my shoulder. I
jump at her sudden appearance behind me.
    “ We
need to get you a cowbell or something, ” I tell her, watching as
the loud machine comes charging out of the woods, headed our way.
    “ Is
he going to stop? ” Sophie asks, backing away as the ATV bears
down.
    “ I
have no idea, ” I
reply, grabbing Anna ’ s hand and yanking her
out of its path. She may be a legal adult, but I ’ ll
never stop thinking of her as a kid I need to protect.
    The
three of us let out high-pitched shrieks as the vehicle turns sharply in our
direction. It skids out in a clear arc, tearing up the cultivated grass in its
wake, sending pebbles and dirt flying at us as we cover our faces. I glare up
heatedly as the engine cuts out, displaced bits of lawn settling all around us.
    “ What
the hell was that! ” I cry out as the towering figure swings
himself down from the ATV. “ Last I checked, running
over your houseguests isn ’ t exactly good manners. ”
    John ’ s
son turns his helmeted face in my direction, though I can ’ t
see his eyes through the visor. He ’ s
nearly as tall as his dad, and wears a simple black tee shirt with dark jeans.
For a long moment, he stands perfectly still, just staring at me. What is this,
some kind of intimidation technique? Trying to show me who ’ s boss around here? I lift my chin defiantly, unwilling
to give any ground. He raises his arms to lift off the helmet … and
it ’ s
only then that I notice his full sleeve of tattoos. Before I can process
another thought, he removes the helmet and shakes out his dark curly hair,
backlit by the crystal blue lake. His unmistakable hazel eyes bore mercilessly
into