AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey.”
Drew glanced over Beth’s shoulder. Seth was striding toward them.
“I need . . . I need to think,” she whispered.
He felt her start to back away. Instinct made him grasp her hands tighter, but then he let go. Whatever was going through her mind, they wouldn’t be able to discuss it with Seth there. So like it or not, Drew watched as Beth turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone as his brother drew closer.
Seth tilted his head in the direction of Beth’s retreating back. “Lovers’ spat?”
“Not exactly.” Drew returned to what he’d been working on before Beth’s arrival—securing their tent.
His brother surprised him by pitching in to help.
They worked side by side making sure everything was set up properly. Seth was keeping his own counsel for the time being, but Drew knew that wouldn’t last. His brother had an opinion about everything. He was sure Beth was no exception.
Finished, Drew tossed their overnight bags inside the tent and began scrounging the area for kindling. It was a warm day and should be a nice night. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t want a fire if they decided to sit outside the tent after the sun went down. It was always good to be prepared.
Seth followed him over to the line of trees, but made no move to help with the gathering of wood. “A little soon to be bringing someone home to meet Mom and Dad, don’t you think?”
“Nope.”
“Mom says she owns a business.”
Drew shot a glare in his brother’s direction. “Yes. A café.”
“Is it solid? Have you seen her financials?”
That brought his progress to a halt. Drew turned around to face his brother. “Why in the world would I ask to see the financial records of my girlfriend’s business?”
“To make sure she and her business can stand on their own two feet.” The way Seth said it made it sound as if that should have been obvious.
“It’s her business, not mine.”
“I can do some digging when I get home. I’m sure I can find—”
“No.” Drew was getting angry.
“No?”
“That’s right. No. You stay out of her finances and anything else of hers. It’s none of your business.” Drew didn’t even want to hazard a guess as to how it would look to Beth if she found out his brother had been digging around in her private life. Not to mention the very real possibility that his brother could make a connection with Serpent’s Kiss. Katrina was good at keeping the nature of the club under wraps but he wouldn’t put it past his brother to stake out the place.
Seth frowned. “You can never be too careful. It’s always good to err on the side of caution in these—”
“I said no.”
He pressed his lips together in displeasure.
Drew didn’t care. All he wanted to do was go find Beth and get her to talk to him. Instead he was here listening to his brother spout off some insanity about Beth and her money.
“Mom wanted me to ask if you and your girlfriend would be joining us for dinner or if you were planning to fend for yourselves tonight?” Seth’s voice was tight, but Drew was happy that his brother was dropping the subject.
“We’ll be there.” At least, Drew was hoping they would be. That, of course, had a lot to do with Beth.
The sound of retreating footsteps was the only indication that his brother had left. While Drew continued to gather sticks, Seth’s line of questioning lingered. Why would he care if Beth had money or not? It wasn’t as if Drew was wealthy. He made a good living and had some savings, but that was about it.
Eventually he became frustrated with that line of thinking—it wasn’t getting him anywhere anyway—and his thoughts drifted back to Beth. She said she needed to think. In his experience, when a female said that it was rarely a good thing. Granted, Beth wasn’t like any of the other women he’d had in his life, but he wasn’t willing to sit by and watch her fear convince her that they shouldn’t be together.
He dropped an armful of wood near the campsite, cleaned the dirt from his hands, and went in search of her. There were a lot of places to hide on the farm. During his childhood, Drew had explored them all. He knew he’d be able to track her down one way or another.
