Rebel Soul: (Rebel Series Book 1) ((Rebel Series)) (14 page)

“Okay, Beth-Anne.” Aiden nodded with determination. “I’ll win you the biggest bear there!”

Installing Aiden’s car seat took little to no time. Within ten minutes, we were on the highway heading back to the property so I could drop off Hunter.

I hooked the long chain up to his collar and left him with a lot of water. Hunter preferred being outside, but he tended to wander when given the opportunity, especially when I wasn’t around, and I didn’t want anyone to mistake him for a wild wolf.

Hunter lay down beneath the large maple tree resting his head on his paws and gave me a narrow, unimpressed look as I drove away without him for the second time in two days.

“Do you like horses?” I asked Aiden, watching his face in the rear-view mirror.

“Yeah, they’re okay. I prefer dragons though.”

I chuckled. “Well, the rodeo doesn’t have dragons unfortunately, but they do have horses and a petting zoo.”

“That will do.” Aiden sighed heavily, and I couldn’t help but grin.

* * *

The fairgrounds were packed, but we made our way in easily enough. Aiden’s tiny hand practically disappeared in my big one, but he didn’t try to run away. If anything, the crowd made him move closer to me. He was intimidated by all the people. I didn’t blame him, he was so small and everyone else probably seemed so huge to him.

One blue cotton candy stick later, we were making our way over to the petting zoo. Aiden loved the animals and they seemed to love his sticky hands. He giggled as they licked the cotton candy remains from his fingers.

When he grew bored of that, I took him over to the ride area. There was a section just for kids, and he tugged my hand the entire way there. He spotted the only roller-coaster, dragging me into the lineup. We waited our turn among the other little kids who were hopped up on sugar.

We waited a good ten minutes before it was finally our turn to board the miniature ride.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you’re far too big to accompany him on these rides,” the carnival worker said, stepping in front of me and blocking me from entering the tiny dragon rollercoaster that Aiden was hell-bent on riding. He was eyeing my build warily. I stood at just over six feet tall, and I had a lot of muscle from spending the majority of my free time working out.

Alberta had that in common with jail; there wasn’t much to do in the entertainment department, and working out was the healthiest option. Other guys I’d worked with got into heavy drugs just for a bit of fun. Me, I needed to keep a clear head. I would never fall into addiction the way my father had.

I couldn’t blame the carnival worker for his concern; I could probably snap the frame of that tiny little rollercoaster with my weight.

“Do you want to go alone?” I asked Aiden, crouching to meet his eyes.

He looked up at me fearfully, shaking his head.

“Sir, you’re blocking the rest of the lineup…” I could tell the carnival worker was uncomfortable. Instead of giving him trouble, I gently led my nephew away from the front of the line. I scanned the crowd, looking for a suitable replacement to take Aiden on the dragon rollercoaster. Luckily, at that very moment, my brother and his girlfriend approached.

“There you are!” Braden grinned, his smile softening when he caught sight of our nephew. For all that he wasn’t, Braden was a good uncle. He somehow managed to keep his arrogance at bay when Aiden was around. My mother too, for that matter. I had to respect him for all he’d done in my absence. He’d dealt with our sick mother, helped Becky out with Aiden and still managed to carry on a very active social life, from the looks of what I’d seen.

My eyes briefly darted to his girlfriend. She was thin and probably a good ninety pounds lighter than me. She was smaller than the mother I’d just witnessed climbing into a cart with her daughter.

“Elle, would you mind riding on the dragon roller-coaster with Aiden?” I asked, gesturing to the ride.

“Sure,” she said, freeing her hand from Braden’s. She crouched down, smiling at Aiden. “Do you want to ride with me?” she asked. Aiden nodded eagerly and reached for her hand. She smiled gently and led him back to the lineup.

“Guess you’re too big?” Braden joked, smirking.

“Not like you’d have that problem.” I snorted.

Braden frowned, his eyes narrowing. “Well fuck you too. I was going to invite you to go to the community bonfire tonight, but not after that douche comment.” He smirked.

“Why would I want to go to that?” I asked.

“It’s a good brother bonding experience.” Braden shrugged, watching Elle and Aiden on the ride with a bored expression.

“Nice try, Braden. Cough up the truth.”

“That
is
the truth,” he responded, giving me an arrogant grin. “And Tessa will be there. Who knows, you might catch a little tail tonight if you’re lucky.”

At the mention of her name, my stomach did this weird little flip thing and I instantly thought back to this morning. Braden’s next words sealed my fate.

“Besides, I already told Becky we were all going to take Aiden to the bonfire. She’ll be meeting us there after she gets off work,” he added as Elle and Aiden approached us, still holding hands. Aiden had the biggest grin on his face.

“Can we go again?” he pleaded, looking up at Elle for permission.

“Oh buddy, I’m sorry,” Elle said, crouching down to look at Aiden with her expression full of apology. “We have to go now. We’re going to watch the strongman competition.”

“What’s a strongman competition?” Aiden asked, his eyes going wide with astonishment.

“It’s when a bunch of muscly guys show off how strong they are. Do you want to watch it, Aiden?” Braden answered with a troublesome grin.

“Okay!” Aiden nodded eagerly, before I could intervene.

“Are you sure Becky’s going to be okay with this?” I demanded. Somehow, I couldn’t see her comfortable with the idea.

Braden shrugged. “She’ll get over it. Let’s go.”

It appeared my mind was made up for me as Aiden clung tightly to Elle’s hand and followed her towards the show ring. Braden kept smirking at me, as if he knew I was pissed off about it. I had to take several deep calming breaths so I wouldn’t get angry and say something I’d regret.

Elle shimmied her way into the stands, gently leading Aiden with her, while Braden and I followed behind them. She found us seats in the middle with a perfect view of the ring and pulled out her phone, quickly firing out a text.

The strongman competition was boring, but Aiden seemed enthralled with it.

“I want to go meet that guy!” he declared, pointing at one of the competitors.

“I’m sorry, bud. We can’t go see the competitors. Let’s go get some hot dogs and check out the tractors,” I suggested. “Want to ride on my shoulders?”

“Alright.” Aiden sighed deeply, as if he was doing me a favor. I couldn’t help but laugh a little as I scooped him up.

“See you at the community bonfire.” Braden grinned.

Tessa

It was the final evening of the rodeo and the fairgrounds pulsed with bodies and energy. Tomorrow, they would start to take down all of the midway rides and pack up the rodeo for another year. The final events were the chili cook-off and community bonfire.

Both events were pretty huge; it was the last hurrah, so to speak. People came from far and wide for a taste of Sue Thompson’s award-winning home cooked chili. When dusk fell, they would light the huge bonfire and set off fireworks. There was a wooden dance floor set up with a live DJ and there was plenty of booze for those who weren’t underage. 

I met Elle at the gates after the strongman competition. After going to Brock’s trailer (and successfully having my mind completely blown to smithereens by him), I’d continued on my job hunt quest. I’d returned home with little to no promise of any leads, feeling defeated. Then, I changed into a pair of torn, dark denim jeans, a cream tank top and grabbed a sweater from my desk chair. It was supposed to get chilly tonight and I didn’t want to freeze. Right now, even with the sun slowly setting, it was
hot
.

“Mom’s already set up. She just needs us to help serve it. Braden’s on dish duty,” Elle explained as we walked through the fairgrounds.

“How’d you manage that?”

Elle smiled secretly. “I have my ways.”

“Okay, ew.” I rolled my eyes.

Elle’s mom won the chili cook-off, again. No surprise there. Once the judging was over, we spent the next two hours ladling out and keeping up with the crowds that couldn’t get enough of Sue’s chili, all while I tried to keep my thoughts away from Brock Miller.

I filled the plastic bowl in my hand and looked up, passing it to the ridiculously large body builder in front of me; he was still wearing his competition number. He took the bowl and gave me a worn smile before leaving the lineup. When he left, the tall, dark and handsome object of my affection stepped forward.

Brock was smiling at me, his eyes roaming my body. His tongue darted out to sweep across his lips as if he was trying to taste something. With the hooded way he was looking at me, I could guess what he was thinking about. His stare was enough to unravel me and I nearly dropped the ladle into the chili pot.

“Tessa,” he drawled, his eyes finally finding mine. I swallowed and gave him a small smile in response. “Could we get two bowls, please?”

“Of course,” I murmured, my eyes finally dropping down to see that Brock was holding someone’s hand; a little boy, who looked no more than three years old. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes.

“This is Becky’s son, my nephew,” Brock told me, sensing the unasked question. I flushed; I knew his sister had a kid, of course, but there’s always that moment when you see the guy you like with a kid and you can’t help but wonder…

I ladled a large serving into one bowl and a child’s sized portion into another. I handed them both to Brock, then offered two buns to the little boy. “Here you go. It’s a little hot.”

“Thank you,” the little boy said, smiling shyly at me.

“Will you be at the bonfire?” Brock’s voice called my attention to him and I bit my lip when our gazes locked. It was funny that I’d thought he was so mysterious when I first saw him the other night. I supposed in a lot of ways, he was still mysterious. I didn’t know a thing about him, I didn’t know about his past or his plans for his future, but I could still understand him. His eyes were almost transparent. Right now, the need I felt within my core was echoing in those metallic eyes as he gazed at me.

“Yeah, I will,” I answered. I could feel Elle’s mom’s eyes boring a hole into us. She was listening, watching our every movement.

“I’ll see you there.” he smiled as Sue started towards me. He nodded at her in acknowledgement before he led his nephew away to the picnic tables.

“Seems like someone has an admirer. Who was that handsome devil?” Sue asked, smiling in that motherly way she had.

“Just a guy,” I muttered, dropping my eyes.

“That’s Braden’s older brother,” Elle supplied helpfully.

“
That’s
Brock? The same Brock that…” Sue let her sentence hang between the three of us. There wasn’t a need to finish it; we all knew she was referring to the bush party where Ezra’s cousin had attacked me.

“Yeah, the one and only.” I sighed.

“Tessa’s sad because her dad has forbidden her to be around him because of the whole ‘jail’ thing, but she
really
likes him. Like, a lot. She doesn’t like anybody so, it’s a big deal,” Elle added, again supplying more information than I was comfortable with. I shot her a look, but she shrugged. This was how Elle was; she could talk to her mother about anything and she never left her in the dark.

“Elle, take this empty pot back to Braden for washing,” Sue instructed, thrusting the pot at her daughter.

I waited until Elle had disappeared with the pot, worrying my lip. “Sue, you knew my mom. Do you think she’d agree with him? Do you think she wouldn’t let me see Brock because of…well, that stuff?”

Sue was thoughtful, pondering my question. “It’s hard to say, pumpkin. Your mom would have never wanted anything bad to happen to you, but your mom was also a
huge
believer in love. She was a lot like Elle in that regard. She believed in soul mates and eternal love and all that crap.”

“What, you don’t believe in it?” I questioned, taken aback by Sue’s rather cynical answer.

“I believe in love, sure.” Sue laughed lightly, her eyes crinkling when she smiled at me. “But I believe that there is all kinds of love out there and that it’s possible to experience love more than once. Different kinds of love, mind you.” She paused thoughtfully, her eyes regarding me. “I was the cautious one. Your mom, she was a genuine, loving person. She only saw the good in people and animals alike and she didn’t believe love should be rationed or calculated. It’s why she was so wonderful at rescuing broken horses… and people. Take your daddy for example.”

“What about him?” I frowned, absently ladling some more chili into a bowl for another person. I barely looked up when I passed it to them.

“He was what she called a rebel soul.” Sue smiled sadly. “He had been knocked around by life quite a bit. He was a troublemaker and as reckless as they come. But your mom…she saw past all that bad boy crap and saw the man underneath. The man he could be if given the opportunity, if he was given a little love.”

“My dad was
not
a rebel.” I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, you may not believe it now when you look at him; he’s as still as the calm before a storm. But he used to
be
the storm, and the only thing that tamed him was your mom. Falling in love with a good woman will do that to a man,” Sue added over her shoulder as she walked away, leaving me with my whirling thoughts.

* * *

I stayed behind to help Sue pack up, even after Braden and Elle had taken off. I was hoping she’d tell me more about my mom and dad, but she didn’t. That was Sue, though. She’d give you a little bit to get you hooked, and then she’d fall silent, leaving you frothing for more details. 

“Go on, get outta here. That boy isn’t going to wait all night for you,” Sue finally said as if she’d heard what direction my thoughts had taken. She smacked me with the towel she’d been using to dry off one of the huge pots that had housed her chili.

“Fine.” I dropped my towel and walked away from her table, leaving her to carry her dishes to her truck.

Workers were about to start the bonfire and the crowd was growing. I spotted Elle and Braden sitting on a huge blanket on the grass. She was resting between his legs, her head against his chest, and he was whispering something to her that made her smile. I paused, watching them for a moment, and realized just how happy my best friend was when she was with him. She glowed. She sparkled from the inside out. 

Braden tipped her chin up gently, bringing his lips to hers tenderly. They were completely lost to the world. Watching them made my heart ache a little.

I used to think that Elle’s romantic heart was just finding love where it didn’t exist, turning fairy tales into truth, but after watching the two of them together, it was obvious that she was living and breathing it. She was in love, and it was getting harder and harder to dislike Braden. He wasn’t the same guy when he was with her; he was a changed man. I couldn’t help but reflect upon the things that Sue had said about love.

Their quiet, stolen moment was interrupted by a little boy racing towards them. He dove onto Elle and she let out an audible gasp before they teamed up and started tickling him. He giggled, squirming around on the ground and pleading for them to stop.

“You’re going to make him pee his pants!” a female’s voice shouted from directly behind me, startling me. I turned, seeing Brock and Becky Miller approaching. She was dressed in jeans and a plain blue t-shirt, her dark hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. She looked exhausted. “Excuse me,” she said, brushing past me to join Braden, Elle and her son on the blanket.

Braden and Elle stopped tickling the child, but he kept giggling in Elle’s arms. She was laughing too and Braden was staring at her with a smile on his lips, like she was all he could see.

“Hey,” Brock muttered, stepping closer. His breath was warm on my neck, prompting Goosebumps to erupt on my skin, and I took a shuddering breath.

“Hi again.” I smiled timidly. I didn’t know how to act around Brock now that it wasn’t just the two of us alone, especially after the talk I’d had with Sue.

“Shall we?” he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the others. I bit my lip and hesitated, looking around. There were a lot of people here tonight; a lot of people who knew my family, a lot of people who would eagerly start flapping their gums about the Armstrong girl hanging out with ‘
that Miller boy
’.

I wanted tonight, and I didn’t want the possibility of my brothers showing up to ruin it. “How about we go somewhere…more private?” I asked nervously. The fear of rejection was lurking just beneath the surface. I took a deep breath, trying to drown out that fear with oxygen.

Brock’s eyes heated as he looked at me and then he nodded. “Alright, I know a place where we can still see the fireworks. Come with me for a moment.”

I followed him to the blanket, and we came to a stop in front of it.

“Becky, you know Tessa, right?” Brock questioned.

“I’ve seen you around.” Becky smiled warmly. “You’re related to Tommy and Gordon, right? I went to school with them.”

“Yep, I sure am,” I said, trying to keep my tone friendly and light. I glanced around the fairgrounds, trying to see if any of my brothers were going to walk over and ruin the night with their terrible attitudes. At least I didn’t have to worry about my dad finding me on a blanket with the Millers, he hadn’t been to the community bonfire since before my mom died. It used to be their thing.

“Are they coming tonight?” Becky asked, still trying to make small talk. I could feel Brock’s eyes on me, watching me, waiting for my response.

“Probably for the fireworks,” I answered, shrugging.

“Is your car unlocked, Becky?” Brock asked, cutting her off before she could say anything else.

“Yeah…”

“Okay, I’m going to put Aiden’s car seat in it.”

“You guys aren’t sticking around for the fireworks?” Becky asked, surprised.

“They’d rather set off their own,” Braden joked, smirking.

Becky shot him a dirty look over her shoulder and turned to face us again. “Alright, that’s fine. Thanks so much for watching him today, Brock.”

“No problem,” Brock said. “You should probably think about finding a more dependable sitter, though. I’m happy to help out whenever I can, but I’ll be busy this week milling with Grady.”

“I know.” Becky sighed, her face falling momentarily. I went to ask her what kind of hours she needed a sitter for, after all, I was in the job market, but Brock grabbed my hand. It felt like an electric current pulsed through our skin at the contact, and I couldn’t think about anything other than that feeling.

He led me away from them, weaving me through clusters of people until we reached the parking lot. Then he dropped my hand long enough to pull the car seat out of his truck and track down his sister’s car. Once he’d secured the car seat in it, he turned to face me. Anticipation and desire danced across his features.