Read The Fire Still Burns for Free Online

on.
    “Outside.  Dang it, young lady.  When are you going to admit it?”
    “Admit what?  I already told you nothing bad happened last night.  Keep your voice down before Nate hears you.”
    “That's not what I mean and you know it.  I'm talking about you confessing to the truth about your boy.”
    Brynn gulped as she looked at her mother.  Linda Harlow, a mere five-feet-three inches with a slight build, was a typical girlie-girl all the way down to the red highlights and pink toenails, but the green-eyed glare she gave Brynn as she stared her down with her small fists firmly planted on her fuzzy pink- robed hips was lethal.
    “You were pregnant when you left here but you weren't carrying Cal's child.  Maybe you weren't sure who the daddy was—”
    “I have to go.”  Brynn stood and attempted to walk past her mother before the woman further insulted her character, but Linda grabbed her tight around her elbow and yanked her back.
    “The point is…I know Nate is Adam's son.  He has his eyes…and quite a bit of everything else to tell the truth.  Adam deserves to know.”   
    “Adam knows all he needs to know.”  Brynn moved past her mother, unconcerned with hair and makeup.  She needed to get to Adam and get him away from the house before Nate decided to peek out a window or worse, go outside.
    “Why can't you just tell the truth about things, Brynn?  You used to be such a good girl…”  The pleading, exasperated tone in her voice made the insult even worse.
    Brynn paused in the doorway, a cold bitterness crept through her veins.  “I'm not a girl anymore, Mama.  I'm a woman and what's the point of telling the truth when you've already made up your mind about me?”  
    Not waiting for an answer, Brynn turned and left the room, running smack into Nate in the hall.  “Nate, baby.  Are you all right?  What do you need?  Shouldn't you be studying?”  The questions tumbled out of her mouth rapid fire as she tried to recall everything that had been said between she and her mother.  “How long have you been standing here?”  She studied the blond pre-teen’s cool blue eyes for any sign he’d heard the discussion between her and her mother. 
    Nate shrugged nonchalantly.  “I just came up to see what was keeping Grandma so long.  I had a question about something.”
    Brynn peered closer at Nate, studying for signs of anger or curiosity but there were none.  Satisfied he hadn't heard anything about his questionable paternity, she ruffled his hair and ushered him into her room before heading downstairs to get rid of the imminent danger lurking outside.
    Adam stood in the yard, half leaning against the hood of his truck.  The Harlow family had a narrow driveway, but Adam had never used it.  Like most visitors, he simply pulled up in the yard and parked under the huge elm which towered over the property.
    His arms were folded in front of his broad chest, the muscles bulged beneath the thin navy blue fabric of his T-shirt.  The morning sunlight illuminated the few flicks of golden blond remaining in his hair and caught the shimmer in his eyes, which bore into her with a lethal intensity.
    When Brynn first saw him, her mind went back to one of those spring afternoons when she would run outside to find him just like that, waiting on her.  They would always have a plan, whether it would be to catch a movie at the drive-in, head down to the pond or hang out with friends.  But they always ended the nights the same way…with the windows of his truck fogged up and their clothes mostly off.
    The pain of regret cut deep inside her, spreading an ache through her chest as she walked down the porch steps toward the older version of Adam, the version that would never touch her like that again.
    That way of thinking wasn't going to help her.  It definitely wasn't going to help Nate.  Forcing her bittersweet memories into the back of her mind where they belonged, she squared her shoulders and