Love Unclaimed

LOVE UNCLAIMED

Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Benson

All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Jennifer Benson, except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover design by Renee Ericson
Cover Photo by Vikki Marie Wiessner at Choose the Right Image Photography
http://www.ctrimage.com/main.asp
Cover models Dusty and Danielle Nourse

Interior Design by Little House of Edits
https://www.facebook.com/littlehouseofedits

Edited by Rebecca Cartee
https://www.facebook.com/EditingByRebecca

Dedicated to

My hubby and kiddos –

without you where would I be,

probably saner and less grey, but where is the fun in that.

I love you with all my heart – you are my home.

“Come on, Audree!” Clint shouted at her from outside of the truck. They were out in the pasture dropping feed for the cattle and Audree was supposed to be moving the truck while he spread the feed around. Usually Gavin would help, but he was late getting to the ranch, so Clint promised her ice cream when they got back to the house if she would help him get the chores done before his football practice.

“Shut up!” she shouted at him as she moved the truck up behind him. Audree had only driven the truck once before, but that was with Gavin in the seat next to her, telling her when to hit the clutch. Now, she had to figure it out for herself and she knew Clint didn’t have the patience to wait for her to remember what to do. Hell, she was eleven. What did he expect? She was just hoping not to get in trouble for driving the feed truck at all, not that there was anything to hit out here, but their father had insisted that Audree wait a few more years. Audree secretly thought her father knew she had been driving the farm truck, but it was an automatic.

“I got ya, Pip,” Gavin said, pulling the passenger side door open and scooting onto the seat next to her. “Hit the clutch,” he instructed her, still trying to catch his breath.

“You scared me,” she half-laughed and sighed, glad that he had showed up to help her. “Clint has no patience and is being a jerk.”

“That is why he didn’t teach you to drive in the first place, Pip,” Gavin commented with a chuckle. “One day, we’ll get you that old red truck Mr. Garver has at the feed store, and you can tell Clint he isn’t allowed to drive it because he was so mean to you today.” He laughed once more and tapped her thigh when it was time to move again. Clint and Gavin had a rhythm when they worked, and they had decided that they would break Travis and Audree in, just in case one of the older boys wasn’t around to help the other.

“I love that truck!” she screeched with excitement. “You’ll really get the truck for me?”

“You bet, Pip. I’ll get you anything you want, especially if you don’t hit your brother with this truck and get us all in trouble for letting you drive,” he mumbled, just as Clint tapped on the driver’s side window.

“Nice of you to show up,” Clint said, hopping in next to Audree and making her move closer to Gavin. “We gotta do the other side then we’re done.” He pulled around a couple of stubborn cows that wouldn’t move. “You making it to practice today?”

“Yup.” Gavin adjusted his baseball cap. “Pip, you coming to watch?”

“Nope, going out with Ruby and her grandmother, but we’ll be at the game tomorrow. Ruby has a crush on one of the players.” She giggled when Clint missed the clutch and made the truck jump.

“Yeah, who?” Clint chimed in a little too quickly. Audree giggled again, and Gavin shook his head. They both knew Clint had a crush on Ruby, but he was two years older and she was Audree’s best friend. She was just a kid and like a sister to him. In his mind she was totally off limits.

“Don’t worry. It isn’t you.” Audree laughed.

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes and drove to the next spot.

“Don’t forget the ice cream you promised me for helping.” She jabbed Clint in the ribs.

“Don’t think I didn’t catch you almost hitting me just before I got in the truck.” He turned his head, and Audree knew he was hiding his smile.

“She was excited; I told her we are going to get her old man Garver’s truck when she is old enough to have her own wheels.”

“You’ve been promising that to her for years.”

“It will be mine and if you don’t get it for me, Gavin said he would.” She beamed up at Gavin, and his face instantly turned red.

“Did he now? Well, that sure is sweet of ya, Gav.” Clint laughed at his friend’s obvious discomfort.

“She is the closest thing I’ve got to a sister of my own, so yeah, I’ll take care of ya, Pip.”

“I know you will, Gavin.” Audree smiled at him, then turned and stuck her tongue out at Clint.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this done and get her that ice cream so we can get to play some football.” Clint slowed the truck as they approached their next spot.

“Go ahead, Pip, keep practicing.” He tapped her thigh again. “Maybe one of these times you will actually hit him.” Gavin winked and they both laughed.

Fifteen years ago …

Gavin Montgomery had always liked Audree Edwards, in a ‘my best friend’s little sister’ kind of way, but today he realized it was more than
like
for her. Gavin was fourteen and Audree was twelve. Both of them were too young to know what anything other than familial love was. He knew he loved his mom. He loved his little brother, Travis, as much as he could love a little shit that drove him nuts. There was nothing Gavin wouldn’t do for Audree. Clint lived to tease and torture his little sister, but he also protected her from everyone, including Gavin and Travis. On more than one occasion, Clint had made it known that Audree was off limits to them, and, pretty much, every other boy on the planet.

Clint’s overprotectiveness landed him and Gavin in a huge fistfight one day.  Clint found out Audree had kissed Gavin, after he had protected her during an argument between the two siblings. Audree had spent the day with ‘her boys’, as she referred to them. Her best friend, Ruby, had been away visiting her grandmother so it was just Audree and the three boys. Clint had talked them into going out to the lake to go swimming, something they had been doing all summer, but today, Clint was in a mood and Audree had been his endless target for dunking and tossing across the water.

Unbeknownst to Gavin at the time, earlier in the day, Audree had some of her friends from school over and let it slip that Clint had been talking endlessly about one of them. Clint was quite embarrassed and decided he would get her back by torturing her in the lake. Gavin let it go for a while because he knew Audree was pretty strong for a girl. Hell, she had three boys teaching her how to kick ass, so she could hold her own, at least for a while, but Clint was relentless that day.

“Clint, don’t you think she’s had enough?” Gavin swam over to his best friend who was presently holding Audree under water.

“Have you had enough, Audree?” Clint lifted her up out of the water and tossed her a couple of feet away.

“I’m going to get you, Clint,” she called, ducking under the water and disappearing.

“She is a tough kid. She’ll let me know when…” Clint stopped as he was pulled under the water. “Get back here, Audree!” he shouted at his sister as she disappeared back under the water.

Audree was the best swimmer out of all of them and could hold her breath the longest. This, of course, came in handy when they played Marco Polo or when her brother was chasing after her to retrieve his swim trunks.

“Are you going to stop dunking me?”

“Hell, no! You opened your big mouth about something you know nothing about.” Clint grabbed at his swim trunks before they disappeared under the water again.

“I think she’s got you, Clint,” Travis hollered from the edge of the water, laughing.

“Shut up, Travis,” Clint yelled back at him.

“If you promise not to dunk me again and to leave me alone for the rest of the day, I’ll give them back. If not…” Clint, charging at her, interrupted her and she quickly made her way to the edge of the water near Travis.

“If you think getting out of the water will stop me from coming to get them,” Clint started toward her, “you are totally mistaken.” He took another step in her direction.

“Man, I don’t want to see your junk.” Travis laughed harder.

“Give me my damn trunks, Audree,” Clint growled, as he moved closer. “You better just drop them and run, because when I catch you, you will be sorry.” He took another step toward her.

“Leave her alone, Clint.” Gavin appeared in front of Audree, pulled Clint’s trunks out of her hand, and tossed them at Clint.

“Gavin,” Audree protested.

“I’m still going to get you, Audree.” Clint slipped his trunks back on and moved out of the water toward her.

“I said, leave her alone.” Gavin stepped closer to Audree, putting his hand on her waist and moving her directly behind him. “You’ve been going at her all day. Enough,” he said, now standing toe-to-toe with Clint. They were about the same height and had the same muscular build from working on the farm and playing football.

“Are you seriously protecting my sister from me?” Clint laughed as he eyed Gavin. “Step aside and get out of my way. I’m going to toss her ass across the lake.” Clint reached around Gavin.

“I said, leave her alone.” Gavin took a step back, holding Audree behind him.

“Are you kidding me?” Clint looked at Gavin and saw something in his eyes. “Get away from my sister, Gavin; I’ve told you to stay away from her! Don’t even think about it.” Clint gave Gavin’s shoulder a shove.