Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1)
Read Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1) Online
Authors: Rayna Bishop
by Rayna Bishop
Shine: A Kentucky Outlaw Novel (Book 1)
© 2015 Rayna Bishop
All Rights Reserved
This story is a work of fiction.
All characters are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental.
Edited by F.L. Bradham
Advanced Read by Josephine Mason
Cover design by Yoly Cortez - Cormar Covers
Acknowledgements
This novel couldn’t have happened without the help of several people.
I want to thank my editor, F. L. Bradham, for all her wonderful comments and suggestions. I came up with the story, but she shaped it into the finished product.
Josephine Mason’s input
invaluable and helped guide me towards something better.
As always,
Davida Lynn’s
help was paramount to my success and I owe her more than a simple thanks in these pages.
Of course, I have to thank the people who have reached out and supported me.
You are the very best!
Love,
Rayna
This novel is dedicated to my very patient friends and family.
I absolutely could not have done it without your support.
It’s also dedicated to my fans.
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.
Also by Rayna Bishop
On an early and unexpectedly sunny day in March, Ethan Dalton was speeding down Interstate 65, the needle of the Mustang GT pushing just past 90.
The stereo was blasting soul music from the heart of Alabama, and Ethan felt the rhythm of the music beat with the rhythm of the road.
It was on the road he felt most at home, with the stereo loud and the engine rumbling.
He was just north of Indianapolis, and he estimated getting to the Kentucky border in two hours. He could have hit his father’s front door in just over four hours if he kept pushing, but he wasn’t going to.
His brother Ged had ordered him to return home and Ethan supposed he’d have to get there eventually, but he felt no rush — not when the sun was shining and the road lay wide open.
No, he’d take the long way and get there tomorrow.
Maybe the day after.
Just as he hit the city and traffic slowed, his phone buzzed.
He saw it was his brother calling so Ethan hit the silence button and kept driving.
At the last minute he decided against staying on 65 and headed towards Bloomington.
His phone rang again, but again he ignored it.
Ethan knew he’d pay for it later.
Ged, his brother, would yell at him about it, but that was fine.
He could add it to the list of disappointments he thought Ethan was guilty of.
Once the Mustang pulled into Bloomington, Ethan drove slowly through the town, taking in the sights and letting them fill his memory.
He passed through the square, then took a quick tour past Indiana University.
As he drove through the campus he pulled Carol Lynn’s number up on the phone and the call came through the car speakers.
He preferred talking on the phone while driving—it made it seem like he was in more control.
The phone rang a couple of times and he wondered if she’d pick up.
“Ethan Dalton,” she said, her voice coming through the car speakers.
“Hiya, Carol Lynn.
What’re you up to?”
“Not much.
I have to get into the lab at some point today, but I haven’t found the energy for it yet.”
She sounded good.
It was nice to know living so far north hadn’t robbed her of the slight southern accent that had attracted him to her in the first place.
“How about dinner?
We can hit up that bar on the corner you love so much, the one with the tenderloin sandwich.”
“You’re in town?”
“Just got here.”
She hesitated, but agreed to dinner.
She gave him her new address and told him to give her thirty minutes to get ready.
Ethan killed time by continuing his tour of Bloomington.
There wasn’t enough time to see everything in thirty minutes, but he could hit the highlights.
He drove past his old apartment, which was actually half of the top floor of an old house.
The place had been in such poor shape when he lived there that he was half surprised to see it still standing.
He had kissed Carol Lynn for the first time outside of this place.
It had been a starless night after they had returned from the bars.
He knew she hadn’t expected him to do it, but she didn’t resist when he pressed his lips to hers.
He invited her upstairs with him, but she turned him down.
Not in a way that made him think she was angry at him, but in a sexy way that told him to take his time and he’d get what he wanted.
Ethan had never had much patience, but he waited for her.
He pulled his Mustang up to Carol Lynn’s house, a little ranch house about a ten minute drive from campus.
Her car was in the driveway and he was happy to see she was still driving the Camry he’d help her pick out.
There was another car in the driveway as well and as he walked up to the door he wondered if it belonged to a roommate or something more.
He rapped quickly on the front door and a small, very pretty blonde answered the door.
“Don’t tell me you’re Dalton,” she said as he walked inside.
“Guess I have a bit of a reputation,” he said, looking around the place.
It was a nice house with wood floors and a lot of sunlight streaming through the windows.
A better place than he had expected from a second year grad student.
“Not much, but she’s talked about you before.
My name’s Mary.”
“How do?”
Mary wasn’t wearing much of anything, just a tight pair of shorts and a little tank top that she filled out very nicely.
She might’ve just been wearing her lazing around the house clothes, but her hair was done up and she was wearing a touch of makeup.
“Carol’s should be out in a minute, she’s just getting ready. You want a drink?”
“Got any bourbon?” Ethan asked.
“Are you kidding?
You think the Queen of Kentucky would run dry on bourbon?”
Ethan smiled.
“No, I guess not.”
She led him into the kitchen and he watched her walk away in the shorts.
Even though she knew Ethan was there for Carol Lynn, she still seemed to be putting on a show for him, making sure he noticed her, and he definitely did.
On top of the fridge there were bottles of Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and Pappy Van Winkle.
“The Turkey’s just fine,” Ethan said.
She poured him a healthy slug without ice, which he appreciated.
Mary got herself a beer out of the fridge, taking a little longer than she needed while bending over to grab the bottle.
Ethan leaned back against the counter and sipped his drink.
Mary took a long pull of her beer, her eyes not leaving his.
“So, if I don’t have much of a reputation why were you surprised it was me?” said Ethan.
Mary shrugged.
“She doesn’t talk about you often, but when she does she gets this kind of funny look in her eye.
Kind of talks about you like you’re a fairy tale or something.
Like a combination cowboy and white knight.”