Page 15 of Rafe: Sins of the Father

I hit the accelerator. I can’t get off campus fast enough.

The screen door creaks and slams when I walk in off the front porch.

“Ruth? I’m home.”

She comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Hello, child. How was your first day?”

I shrug. “Not great. Hopefully, it gets better.”

“I’m sure it will. Your father called. He had meetings in San Francisco. He’s bringing someone home for dinner. He wants you to dress up. It’s someone important, apparently. Someone he’s trying to work some deal with, I guess.”

“Great. Dinner with some stranger. The perfect ending to a bad day.”

“I know what will change your mood. I think you have time for a quick dip in the pool.”

“We have a pool?”

“Yes. It’s out back. Your father’s doctor recommended he get more low-impact exercise, so he had the pool put in last spring.”

“A dip in the pool sounds like just what I need. It’s not within sight of the mill, is it?”

“No, honey. You’ll have complete privacy behind the house.”

Fifteen minutes later, I’m relaxing in the warm water. Everything that happened today fills my mind. Connor and his little bully squad made my first day miserable. If this continues, there’s no way I’ll stay at Huntington. There’s no way I could take it. There’s no way I shouldhaveto take it. No matter how much my father had to shell out for tuition. Huntington was never my dream; it was always my parents. Surely, they’dunderstand my reasons for wanting to withdraw and find another school. Maybe I could even return home to where all my friends are.

I blow out a breath. I’ll give Huntington a shot, but if things don’t change in the next few weeks, I’m not going to put myself through more bullying.

I know it will break my father’s heart, but he’ll have to understand.

I feel better knowing I’ve made a decision on how to handle things, and I begin swimming laps.

When I come out at the concrete stairs on my third lap, I grab a towel and wipe my face. When I open my eyes, I gasp at the sight before me.

A man is clipping hedges. Not just any man. One of my father’s employees from the mill, and not just any employee—Rafe, the biker gang member.

He’s not paying attention to the shrubs. Instead, he’s staring at me.

Then he emits a low wolf whistle, his eyes trailing down my bikini-clad body—mydripping wetbikini-clad body.

“What are you doing here?” I snap.

“Boss ordered me to come clean up the landscaping. Apparently, there’s an important guest coming.”

“Except you’re not working. You’re just standing there, leering at me.”

“Leering? That’s a big word. Is that what I’m doing? Well, I guess the saying goes, when you’ve got it, flaunt it, and you’ve certainly got it, Miss Sawyer.” His eyes drag down me with a smirk.

I snatch the towel around my body and point toward the mill. “How dare you. Get out of here this minute.”

“Sorry, got a job to do.” He turns away, but I hear him mutter under his breath. “Snooty bitch.”

“What did you say, you trash?”

He turns on the power hedger and pulls the earphones that were wrapped around his neck up over his ears, smirking. “Sorry, can’t hear you.”

I stomp into the house and up the stairs.

“You okay?” Ruth calls after me, but I march into my room and slam the door.

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