by Jamie Begley
“Was that your first ride?” Raci asked her.
“Yes.”
“I remember my first ride.”
“I bet you don’t,” Jewell said sarcastically.
Cash threw Jewell a warning look, which she returned with one of her one. He wanted Rachel to get used to the women, not get run off by them. Cash had a suspicion the women wouldn’t be as friendly with even more new additions to the club, what with the most popular of them getting married and becoming monogamous.
He hadn’t participated in any of the club parties since Rachel’ had caught him with Bliss, and he knew several of the women weren’t happy with it. Hell, he wasn’t happy with it. It had been a long time since he had felt his dick buried in a warm pussy, but he was determined the next one would be the one he wanted.
“Do you want to dance?” Cash asked as Nickel turned on the music.
She quickly shook her head.
“You don’t know what your missing out on,” Jewell advised.
“No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” Jewell rose to her feet, stretching and showing off her body, running to the bonfire that had been made. The others got up to join in. Soon, the area was filled with the sounds of laughing and voices rose as they began to dance to the music.
“Sure you don’t want to join in?”
“I’m sure.”
Cash raised his brow at her response. “Since when did you become a prude? They’re just having a good time.”
And they were. He wanted to join, too. He missed the carefree days of taking a timeout just to play. It was why he hadn’t wanted to become involved with her. She didn’t fit in with his lifestyle, and the way she was acting was making it blatantly obvious she never would. He had been right to bring her here and see for himself that the sanctimonious side of her which wanted to change her brothers would want to change him, as well.
Chapter 19
Rachel let herself back into Mag’s house, trying not to watch as Cash drove off down the driveway. She didn’t have to be told he was going back to party.
Closing the door behind her, she went to her room, taking a long shower. She leaned her head against the shower wall, breathing deeply, getting her emotions back under control.
She had frozen when surrounded by the women in their sexy outfits, too self-conscious of her own tomboyish body to join in the fun. She had been raised with three overprotective brothers, who had never let her experience the typical girly experiences other woman were used to.
She dried off after her shower, dressing in a pair of faded denim cutoffs and a tank top. Trying to shake off the feeling she had let an important moment slip through her fingers, she went to work with her plants. They never failed to give her peace when she was upset.
She had several seedlings she wanted to organize. She was using her grandmother’s notebook to make notes.
There was one plant in particular she was interested in. She had been researching its genus but hadn’t been able to locate it. She had found a couple that were close, though. She took a picture of it on her cell phone, determined to ask a friend, who was a botanist, if he recognized the species.
When she was finished, she put the plant up, frowning when she saw a couple of the cuttings were missing. Rachel carefully looked around where the plant had been sitting and on the floor to make sure she hadn’t dropped them. She only had three cuttings of the plant left and she always took five.
She searched until she was sure they weren’t in the room then saw the broom by the door. Relieved, she believed Mag must have accidently knocked it over with her wheelchair in the tiny space and cleaned it up. Mystery solved, Rachel finished straightening her plants.
When she heard Mag in the kitchen fixing dinner, Rachel went out to help her. They ate the pot roast she’d fixed and watched television for the rest of the night, but Cash didn’t return. Rachel made herself go to bed when Mag did, although it took a long time to fall asleep.
When she dragged herself out of bed in the morning, Cash’s bedroom door remained open, his bed un-slept in.
She went into the kitchen, uncertain as to why she was disappointed he hadn’t come home the night before. It was why she had refused to go out with him on a date. His wanting to be with her had lasted a whole day. His record was four days with Missy Vines, his junior year in high school.
“I see Cash didn’t make it home last night.” Rachel poured Mag a cup of coffee to avoid her angry gaze.
“I guess I better go get ready for church.” Rachel set her cup down in the sink.
She donned a new dress she had bought. The pretty yellow highlighted the reddish sheen of her hair and set off the faint tan of her skin. It felt like spring, and she felt it in the dress. Rachel, for once, didn’t braid her hair back or put it in a ponytail, leaving it loose down her back.
The church was filled to capacity. After the service, Rachel was one of the first out of church, not in the mood to be forced to talk to Brooke as she stood at the door by her husband as the parishioners left. She never brought her son to church, telling the other women in the congregation the sound of a baby crying grated on her nerves. Rachel smiled as Razer and Beth brought their sons every Sunday.
Outside, Rachel went next door to the Sheriff’s department.
“Can I speak to the sheriff?”
“Sure can. He’s with someone right now, but when he’s done, I’ll tell him you’re here.” The older woman sitting behind the desk was wearing a leopard-print dress and at least a dozen bangles. Rachel was tempted to ask her where she’d bought it. It was a sad day when a sixty-year-old was more attractive than her.
Rachel took one of only four seats in the small lobby and stared out the plate-glass windows at the motorcycles lined up outside the diner. She wondered which table and women Cash was sitting with.
When the sheriff’s office finally opened, Knox walked out with Cash.
“Sheriff, Rachel is here to see you.”
The idea of blending into the woodwork vanished when both men turned to look at her.
“Rachel, you can come into my office.”
She slowly got to her feet, moving forward into Knox’s office while avoiding looking directly at Cash.
When she glanced over her shoulder as Knox closed the door, Cash was inside, also.
“I’d like to talk to you alone,” Rachel told Knox.
“Are you going to need me to do any investigating?” he asked, taking a seat behind his big desk.
Rachel frowned. “I don’t know exactly. Maybe. I suppose so.”
“Then he needs to be in here. He’s my investigator.” Knox leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his muscular stomach.
“He is?” Rachel’s confused eyes met Cash’s amused ones.
“Yep, I use him when my deputies are busy. Last night, he had to track down a stolen tow truck. Lyle left his keys in the ignition and a bunch of high schoolers took a joy ride.”
He hadn’t spent the night with the women at the clubhouse? Rachel’s thoughts whirled, but Knox quickly reminded her of why she had stopped by his office.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Willa. I’m concerned that Lewis is harassing her.”
“What do you want me to do about it?” Knox raised a brow.
“I want you to make it stop. I think she’s afraid of him and is too embarrassed to ask anyone for help.” She didn’t try to keep the anger out of her voice.
“I’ve already talked to Willa back in the summer. Evie had the same concerns and came to talk to me about them. She also had Shade talk to Lewis.”
“Well, it hasn’t worked. The other day, I stopped by her house and he was there. She was frightened, Knox,” Rachel insisted.
“I’ll stop by her house again and have another talk with her. But if she doesn’t want me to help her, there’s not a lot I can do,” Knox explained.
“You obviously don’t know Willa; she will not ask for your
help. Never mind, I’ll get my brothers to handle it.”
She angrily turned to the door, only to find Cash blocking it.
“Just a damn minute, Rachel. I said I would talk to her. If you set your crazy-ass brothers off on Lewis, it’s the Porters who are going to be arrested.” Knox lost his relaxed appearance, straightening in his chair.
Rachel placed her hands on his desk, leaning toward him. “If she were one of The Last Riders’ women, you wouldn’t be talking to her; you would be talking to Lewis. You wouldn’t give a shit about protocol. I’m not going to let that jerk make her scared one more day!”
This time, when she turned to leave, she moved toward the door.
“Move!” she ordered Cash.
“Rachel, calm down.” Cash’s voice tried to soothe her temper, which she wasn’t in the mood for, but he took her arm, leading her to the chair in front of Knox’s desk.
“Knox isn’t saying he won’t do anything, but he has to talk to Willa first. Give us a couple of days. I’ll keep an eye on Willa, and if I see Lewis doing anything to make Willa uncomfortable, we’ll get a restraining order and put a watch on her. If you go off and set your brothers on him, you could be escalating an already bad situation.”
Rachel took a deep, steadying breath. “Willa was a senior when I was a freshman. Even then, I saw Georgia tormenting her.” Rachel looked down at her work-roughened hands. “Georgia tried to pick on me a couple of times, but she wasn’t really brave enough to do anything with Dustin always watching out for me. Georgia didn’t get any nicer as she got older, though. Everyone, including Willa, learned the best way to deal with her was to stay away from her.
“You know the funny thing about it? Lily was the only one who ever had enough guts to actually confront Georgia.” Rachel ran her sweaty hands down the sides of her dress. “I stood by then, but I’m not going to ignore it anymore. I know he’s going to hurt her.” Every time she was near Willa, she felt the fear and terror the woman was dealing with on her own.
“I’ll make sure we all keep an eye on her,” Knox promised.
Rachel nodded. Getting to her feet, she went to the door. This time, Cash opened it for her and then followed her outside.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” Cash asked as she walked to her car.
“No, why?” Rachel answered absently, her mind still on Willa.
“Let’s get some, and you can tell me more about Willa.”
She couldn’t refuse if he was going to help with Willa; therefore, she gave in, crossing the street with him.
Inside, the diner was busy with the church members; however, The Last Riders had their usual large table. When she saw Lily, Beth, and Winter, she smiled, relaxing as she followed him toward the table.
She sat down at an empty chair beside Beth, whose twin boys were both sitting in highchairs, nibbling on finger foods Beth had placed in front of them.
They were beautiful, chubby baby boys.
“They’re gorgeous, Beth.” They had inherited their father’s dark hair and complexion.
“Thank you.” Beth smiled, handing one of the boys a toy he had dropped.
The waitress came and took their order. Rachel enjoyed playing with the babies while she and Lily argued over which one was the cutest.
“They’re identical,” Cash’s voice interrupted their good-natured argument. “Only a few people seem to be able to tell them apart.”
“I don’t know why.” Rachel wasn’t aware the large table had quieted as everyone listened. “Noah is larger than Chance.” There was only a slight difference in the weight, Rachel thought, but Noah’s cheeks were fuller as well as his chubby little thighs. “Chance’s hair is slightly darker, and he looks a little bit more like Razer.” Chance wasn’t as loud or playful as Noah, either. His beautiful eyes stared back at her solemnly as he sucked on the teething giraffe he had nabbed from his brother. “Besides that, Beth brushes their hair in opposite directions,” Rachel finished.
“I do?” Beth studied her children. “I didn’t even realize it. Noah’s hair is thicker and lies better that way.”
The waitress brought their food.
“I’ve been trying to figure out which was which for the last month. They look more and more alike every day. You’re very observant,” Cash stated.
“Yes, I am,” Rachel said. “That’s why I’m so concerned for Willa.”
Cash nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You better, or I will,” she promised.
“I get the message,” Cash said ruefully, studying her stubborn expression.
She was determined to take up for a friend, and she had noticed something about Razer’s kids he hadn’t. His parents would never have stuck up for another person, nor would they have paid attention to someone else’s children enough to notice the smallest detail of where their mother parted their hair. His little vixen had a heart. She might be a prude, but she didn’t place herself on a moral shelf that no one could reach.
The door to the restaurant opened, and two teenage boys and an older man came into the restaurant. Rachel observed them coming in, trying to decide if she wanted to make her presence known to her cousin. The decision was taken out of her hands when he was about to sit down and noticed her at the table with The Last Riders. He said something to the two boys.
Rachel set down her orange juice glass as she saw him approach, preparing herself for his disdain at sitting with the group. Although, Drake was much more laid back than her brothers. He didn’t share the same enmity for Cash since he was older and had never, to her knowledge, come into conflict with him over women. She was closer to Drake than he was to her brothers because of their refusal to get a regular job. Drake had tried to convince them, to no avail, to quit dealing their weed.
“Rachel, I’m glad to see you’re back in town.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you, too. How are you and Jace doing?”
“Fine, other than I had to bail him and his sidekick out of jail just now for joyriding in one of Lyle’s vehicles.”
Rachel looked at Cash in surprise that he hadn’t mentioned it was her cousin he had tracked down.
“Jace’s taking after my side of the family?” Rachel couldn’t help the small dig at her wealthy cousin. He owned a large chunk of the properties in and around Treepoint. He was the one who had sold the property of The Last Riders to Viper’s brother Gavin. When it came out that Phillip Langley was behind his murder, Rachel had worried Drake had been involved. However, the subsequent investigation had cleared him of any wrongdoing. He had sold the property to the investment group, and that had been the end of his part.
“Seems so.” Rachel noticed he kept looking toward Bliss, who was ignoring the conversation and talking to Train. “I’ve been letting Jace go hunting with your brothers so much I think they’re starting to rub off on him. He looks up to them, so when he hears about their exploits, it puts ideas in his head.”
Rachel blushed, remembering Dustin’s own joy rides he had gotten in trouble for.
“I’ll talk to them,” Rachel offered.
“Me and you both,” he said grimly, turning his gaze to Cash.
“Hello, Cash.” Drake reached out to shake hands. “I appreciate you driving the boys into town instead of calling Knox. Knox told me you talked Lyle into not pressing charges. I owe you one.”
“I hope my getting them off won’t lead to them trying it again.”
“It won’t. I plan to sell his favorite rifle to pay for the damages to Lyle’s truck.”
Rachel winced. To a country boy, guns were prized possessions. Given a choice, Jace would have probably picked jail time versus having his gun sold.
Cash’s lips twitched. “A fate worse than death.”
“He’ll survive,” Drake said without remorse.
“Would you like to join us?”
Rachel saw his eyes go to Bliss again before answering Cash’s question. “No, thanks. It would make those boys’ day to sit here.
They were admiring all the motorcycles when we came in. It will hurt like hell when I tell them you invited us to sit with you.”
“You don’t let him drive your bike?” Rachel teased.
“No. He lost that privilege when he got thrown out of high school and started going to the alternative school. I was going to buy him one when he graduated, but that’s not looking so good.”
Winter sent him a hopeful look. “He’s doing much better.”
Drake gave her a wry smile. “Not good enough to get that bike he’s wanting, especially not with this latest stunt. I better get back to the table. Again, it’s good to see you back, Rachel. Call me next time those asses give you a hard time.” His glance at Cash indicated that he grouped Cash in among the asses that had given her a hard time.
Cash’s lips tightened at the silent message, showing it had been received.
“I will, Drake.” Rachel smiled.
Cash wasn’t going to be winning any of her family’s hearts anytime soon.
She sent him a victorious look. He wouldn’t be cashing in on that bet she had made him. If Drake was warning him about her, then he stood a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting her brothers to agree to her going on a date with him.
Chapter 20
“What are we doing here?” Cash questioned why Shade had them sitting outside the movie theater.
“Trying to pay you back.”
Before he could say anything else, the movie let out and the moviegoers came through the doors. Cash observed the people leaving, wondering which one Shade was looking for. His question was soon answered.
“You sneaky son of a bitch.” Cash’s admiration of Shade’s skill grew. He wanted to kick his own ass for not thinking of it first. He could have held on to the favor Shade had owed him. He was going to have to find another way to get his vote for Rachel, and he hated owing Shade favors; he could be a bastard when he wanted his repayment.
The two boys drew closer to the bikers, sitting on their bikes. Their gazes were all for the bikes. Cash had to hide his grin, remembering when all he could think about was wanting a bike.
