Secret Obsession by Olivia Linden

 
     
     
     
     
     
    PART ONE
    Introductions
     
     
    Finn was a country boy. One thing most country boys dislike is change. Change usually came along with something big or life altering. Marriage, death, or in his case his mother deciding to remarry . At twenty-four years old, he was a little bit too old to be in the market for a new daddy. His own father had passed away five years prior, and Finn still hadn't quite come to terms with it, as his mother suggested he do.
    So he wasn't enthusiastic when Harry Davis began coming around the ranch to help out. To make matters worse, Harry was far from a cowboy. He had roots in the Northeast somewhere but had spent most of his adult life in the military, moving from duty station to duty station. Finn was downright pissed when his mother announced that she and Harry were getting hitched. He understood that his mother might have the need for companionship. His practical mind knew that they needed help running the ranch, especially since it wasn't his plan to be there forever. He'd stayed by default, being thrust into the role of man of the house when his father died. But as the man of the house, he resented the intrusion.
    Once again, change was pulling into his driveway in a candy apple red Mazda Miata. Who the heck even drove a car like that in the country? All his friends drove pickups, ranging from old clunkers to souped-up monster trucks. Right off the bat, he knew the driver was the high maintenance type.
    He stood at his window peeking through the curtains his mother insisted would help block out the sun and keep his room cooler. Finn was fine with the decorative wooden blinds that he had installed to match the paneling of the walls in his room, but as usual Dorothy Walters wasn't satisfied until things were the way she wanted them. It didn't matter that she never even came into his room, or his side of the house for that matter. He could burn the curtains in his tub and she would never be the wiser.
    He contemplated taking the damn things down when the driver of little car opened their door. At the same moment Harry and his mother stepped off the porch in greeting. Finn stared in shock as a young woman hopped out. She was tall and slim, like Harry, but with shapely long legs covered by skintight jeans. Wild tendrils of tight dark curls swayed and bounced with her every move, obscuring her face. Even from a distance he could tell she was attractive. At least her body was.
    What the heck was going on?
    Finn vaguely remembered something about Harry having a daughter, but she was supposed to be away at school somewhere on the east coast. Maybe Pennsylvania? It was a bit early for summer vacation, so he couldn't make sense of her being there.
    A few light taps on his door alerted him that his mother was bringing him news. It probably wasn’t good if she made the trip into his bachelor domain.
    "C'mon in.”
    The door opened a crack, and his mother peeked her head in as if she were afraid to disturb him. 
    Something was up.
    "Hey, sugar. You busy?"
    Finn sighed.
    "You called me sugar? Either something's up or something's wrong."
    "Wrong? Nothing's wrong, silly," she replied with a nervous chuckle.
    "What is it Mama,"
    "Well you don't have to get that tone with me. I've been meaning to talk to you about a few things, but we've been so busy it kept slipping my mind. And now. Well now, I feel bad cause I wish I would have told you sooner."
    Finn was very familiar with this behavior from his mother when she felt guilty about something. He watched her do this with his dad about a million times in the past. Usually when she waited until the last minute to do something she didn't really want to.
    He took a deep breath, placing a hand on his dresser for support.
    "Just give it to me straight. You know I can't stand when you go ‘round in circles like this."
    "Well. Ok. Harry's daughter, Raven, is moving in with us. I think it's temporary, but it could be for a while, I don't have a