Chapter 9
The weekend passed swiftly. Hawk’s was always busy. It still amazed her how well the mixed clientele got along. Everyone from bikers to attorneys enjoyed the food and atmosphere and seemed to blend well together.
Hawk kept his promise, and on Saturday they printed out flyers with Crystal’s picture and a bold font asking if you’ve seen this girl, adding Robyn’s phone number as a contact point. They placed them around the bar, in the restrooms, and on the porch. The first couple days stirred some talk, but no concrete information resulted. Still, Robyn had hope that someone would know something soon.
When Monday afternoon arrived Robyn was a bundle of nerves. Not only was she nervous about being alone with Hawk, she was really worried about the fishing itself. She was an animal advocate. What was she doing going on a trip that involved impaling innocent fish on a barbed hook?
Despite her doubts, Robyn dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a pink t-shirt. They say redheads shouldn’t wear pink, but Robyn like the contrast. Besides, it looked great next to her tan.
When she pulled up in front of the restaurant and bar she saw Hawk outside on the porch, talking with a couple of customers. For just a moment she sat in her car and watched him as he leaned against a post. Damn, he was so hot. That cat-black hair, those rippling back muscles outlined by his black t-shirt, and the long, long muscular legs clad in tightfitting denim all combined to rock her senses. This was not a good idea.
But before she could turn tail and run, Hawk’s gazed shifted and he caught sight of her in the parking lot, waving his arm in greeting. He excused himself and headed straight for her car. Too late to back out now.
Before she knew it they had hiked down to the edge of the lake. A twelve-foot john boat waited at the dock, equipped and ready to go.
“Milady, your carriage awaits. Complete with eight horses… or rather an eight-horsepower trolling motor.”
Robyn couldn’t contain her laughter. Hawk looked intimidating but his sense of humor was contagious. “What more could a lady ask for?” she asked as she took his hand and let him help her into the vessel.
The boat suddenly rocked beneath her feet and Robyn lost her balance. She stumbled and fell, landing up against Hawk’s solid chest. His arms came around her automatically and she froze, trapped in his embrace.
“Don’t rock the boat, silly.” His voice brushed her ear, his breath stirring the loose curls escaping from her ponytail.
“I… I’ll try not to. I’m a landlubber, remember?”
“In that case, we better sit you down.” Hawk took her hand and helped her to sit in the middle of the boat, gave her a lifejacket to put on, then took his seat facing her on the back bench. He tinkered around for a moment or two then fired up the small motor.
They moved so slowly, so gradually, Robyn didn’t feel scared at all. The breeze stirred by the boat’s motion was a gentle kiss upon her cheek, and she raised her head to take in the fresh scent of the air. Before long they were trolling along the edge of the lake and Robyn was entranced by the scenery. As they motored westward, she began to relax and enjoy the lulling motion of the boat.
“Oh, look,” she squealed as they rounded a bend and came across a family of ducks. The mama led the way with a dozen baby ducklings trailing behind her. “Oh, they’re so sweet.” She watched them as they paddled their way to shore, the sound of quacking echoing over the air.
Hawk guided the boat towards the end of the lake then turned and crossed over it into a tiny alcove then cut the engine.
“This is my favorite fishing spot. Now, you can’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”
“Okay. I feel honored to be let in on it.”
“Now we’ll get down to some serious fishing.”
Robyn’s heart clenched at his words. She didn’t think she was going to like this.
Hawk grabbed a fishing rod from where it was lying on the floor. “This is your pole. I’m going to set you up with a bobber. That’s this red and white thing here. After you cast it in the water, if you see it jerk downward, that means a fish is on.”
“Okay,” she answered doubtfully.
“First, we have to bait the hook. Do you want me to do that for you?”
She nodded enthusiastically. She did not want to touch a worm.
Robyn squeezed her her eyes shut as he threaded the worm on the hook.
It only took him a moment to get her pole ready. “Now you have to cast it out. See that log sticking up there? We’re going to aim next to that.”
He demonstrated, drawing his arm back. “You release the line when you’re just about even with your ear.” The line whistled out and plopped into the water directly next to the log. He reeled it back in and handed the pole to her. “Now you.”
Robyn was so tense she completely blew it. She didn’t let loose of the button on time and the line landed directly in front of the boat.
“Let’s try again.” Hawk’s voice was full of patience, not at all irritated like she was sure so many men would have been. “Here, I’ll help you.”
The next thing she knew Hawk had moved over to sit next to her and his arms were around her, his hand on top of hers as she clutched the reel. He shook her hand a bit. “Not so tight. Relax.”
Relax. That was a funny one. How could she relax when she could feel his body all around her? His hip was nudged up against hers on the boat seat and his arms wrapped her shoulders in warmth.
She let him guide her arm back and released the button on the reel at the exact moment he said to. She watched with shock as the bobber plopped into the water just a few feet from the tree.
“I did it!”
“You sure did. Now just keep your eye on your bobber and wait. You’re in what we call a honey hole right there. If they’re biting, you’ll get something.”
Hawk moved back to his seat and tossed out his own line, then they sat together quietly for a moment. At first Robyn stayed tense, ready for a fish to strike any second, but slowly she began to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The sun shone gently on her back and a soft breeze tickled her cheeks. She heard the occasional splash of a fish jumping, and a dozen different birdcalls made background music.
“This is so peaceful.” Her voice was almost reverent.
Hawk grinned at her. “This is why I fish. It gives me an excuse to be out here enjoying the serenity. Whenever I have a problem, it seems like it gets a lot smaller when I’m on the water.”
Before Robyn could answer she felt a tug on her pole and watched in astonishment as her bobber bounced under the water.
“I’ve got one,” she shouted. “Now what do I do?” She leaped to her feet with excitement, both hands gripping the pole.
“Start reeling him in, not too fast, slow and steady. And sit down if you don’t want to take a swim,” he added, steadying the rocking boat. “That’s it, keep playing him.”
The fish felt like a big one, tugging and fighting against the line. She kept winding the knob on the reel, drawing the fish ever nearer, then he’d pull away again. “I think it’s a big one.”
“You’ve almost got it.” Hawk’s voice was calm as he moved over beside her once again. Keep it coming. I’ll get the net.”
“Okay, okay, I got it. I got it!” Hawk reached out and scooped her catch into his net. Much to her amazement the fish wasn’t very large. It lay in the net, gasping for air, its metallic skin glittering in the sunlight. “Oh, the poor thing.” She suddenly felt ashamed, watching the fish flip helplessly, the hook protruding from its mouth. Her face turned downcast and her cheeks paled. She didn’t have any use for this fish. She didn’t even know how to clean it.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Hawk watched her, an odd expression crossing his face. “We won’t keep him. I usually catch and release anyway. Watch.”
She kept her eyes glued on his hands as he gently held the fish and removed the hook. “Look, I’m putting him back.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, just studi
ed the man beside her as he let the fish slide back into the water. It disappeared in a flash, swimming away.
“Will he be okay?” She asked the question in a small voice.
“He’ll be fine.” Hawk turned to face her and took her hands in his. “Unless I plan on eating the fish I always let them go. It lets me keep an old tradition like fishing alive… and it’s a pretty good lesson for the fish, too. It’s a win-win situation.”
At last a real smile lit her features. “I see what you mean. And it is a great excuse to come out on the water.”
“Now you’ve got it.” He grinned at her and she couldn’t help it. Her heart skipped a beat. She found her gaze locked with his, unable to look away. How could such a big man be so gentle? He’d handled that fish as tenderly as if it had been a kitten. Most of the big guys she’d known before were rough, clumsy. But not Hawk.
Oh, she knew he could be tough when he had to be. Just last night she’d watched him “escort” a man out of the bar who had gotten hot and bothered about a pool game he lost. He was quick on his feet, a no-nonsense kind of guy when the occasion called for it. Yet at other times he seemed gentle and compassionate, like when he put up Crystal’s posters.
He confused her. He looked so rough but he had that golden voice that seemed to stroke her every time he talked to her. He was popular with his customers, a hearty, friendly guy, yet he appreciated the stillness and solitude of the lake, all the tension seeming to drain out of him.
Suddenly she realized they were still looking into each other’s eyes. Hot color infused her cheeks and she fought to find something casual to say.
“Well, I guess we should get back to fishing then.” Geez, what the best she could come up with?
“Okay. Want to bait your own hook this time?”
The look of horror on her face was answer enough for him.
Chapter 10
They stayed out on the lake until the sun was beginning to cast copper shadows across the sky, fishing and talking about all kinds of different things. Hawk told her he’d been in the service, served in combat overseas, then was wounded and sent home. Once he’d healed up he bought a Harley and started riding around the country.
“So how’d you end up here, with all this?”
“Well, now, that’s kind of a long story.”
“Oh, are we in a hurry?”
“I guess not.” He told her his real name was Jameson Hawkins. He was the son of a cartoonist and an author of children’s books, but his mom died when he was nine years old. His dad was killed in a car crash the day after Hawk’s eighteenth birthday. As far as he knew, he had no other relatives. That’s when he decided to join the Marines.
“I served in Afghanistan, three deployments. The last one didn’t end so well. Anyway, after a stay in Walter Reed Hospital, I got out and bought my Harley. I just rode around the country for a couple years, checking out places that interested me. I knew my mom was born in Brown County, so I came here to visit and sort of fell in love with the place.”
“That’s when the lawyers finally managed to track me down. Turned out, I did have a living grandfather, my dad’s dad, Jameson Hawkins the first. I wasn’t a junior, but a third. My dad and his had parted ways years before. Dad didn’t want to join the family business, a pharmaceutical company that made its money by charging high prices for medications they controlled the patents on. My grandfather didn’t like my mother—thought she wasn’t good enough for his son. Fortunately, my dad thought different. He and mom ran off and got married, and the old man disinherited him. Mom died ten years later, but they were truly happy for a decade.”
“Wow. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I had a great childhood. My dad worked from home so he always had time for me. We did all kinds of things together… fishing, flying kites, science experiments. I didn’t miss having a grandfather because I’d never known I had one.
He stopped talking for a moment and she leaned forward to encourage him.
“When the lawyers found me and told me who my grandfather was, how much he was worth, and that I was his only heir, I laughed. I couldn’t believe it. Me, a billionaire. And all because of a man I never knew. A man who threw my father out and never claimed him again until the day he died. But he knew about me. Seems he’d had a private investigator keeping an eye on my dad the whole time.”
Robyn just sat there trying to take it all in. She couldn’t imagine how he must have felt.
“At first I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t want to know anything about my grandfather; I didn’t want anything to do with his dirty money.” A scowl pulled his dark eyebrows down, a dark shadow playing in his eyes.
“After a while, though, I got to thinking. Why should the fat rats at Hawkins Pharmaceuticals get to enjoy all that wealth? So I sold the company and divided most of the money up between veterans’ organizations, children’s hospitals, domestic violence shelters, and animal rescues. I kept enough to buy this place and tide me over through any hard times the future might hold. That’s about it.”
Robyn sat there stunned into silence. This man had been a billionaire, heir to Hawkins Pharmaceuticals.
And he’d given it away. Or most of it, anyway.
She couldn’t imagine having so much… and keeping so little. After the hardscrabble existence she’d grown up in, she didn’t know if she could have been so unselfish.
Hawk looked rough, hard, and unmovable. But in reality, he was a big softie. A shrewd softie, admittedly, but a softie nonetheless. She couldn’t help but feel her admiration for him soar.
“Wow. That’s quite a story,” she murmured softly. “You are amazing.”
He shot her a glance, a look like… was that embarrassment?
“No, I’m not. I’m just one man doing what I can. Hey, look, we’re back home.”
Sensing their conversation was over, Robyn turned her head to watch the approaching dock. Hawk cut the motor and they floated up next to the pilings. He tied the boat up and got out first, then turned to help her up onto the dock.
“So how did you like your first fishing trip?” he asked, still holding her hands in his.
“It was great. I don’t like the fish catching part so much, but you’re right. I love being on the water.”
“We’ll have to do it again.” The look on his face was serious, his amber gaze resting on her eyes.
Oh, God, was he going to kiss her? A premonition swept through her mind and she didn’t know whether to turn tail and run or give in to the moment.
“Hey, boss, been watching for you to get back.” The spell was broken by the sound of Brady’s voice approaching. “We got troubles in the kitchen.”
Hawk still didn’t look away for a long minute. He finally broke eye contact with her and said over his shoulder, “Okay, Brady, I’ll be right there.”
“Got it,” the burly biker cum bartender answered then turned and began to walk back to the house.
“Well, duty calls. Why don’t you have a seat in the bar and let me buy you some dinner? Being out on the water all afternoon always leaves me starving.”
Robyn was hungry, but she was too wary to spend any more time with Hawk today. She didn’t like the way he made her feel; she didn’t want to fall for this man.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll go on back to the motel. I’m pretty tired.” She knew it sounded lame but it was the best she could come up with.
He shot her a curious look then nodded. “If you’re sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, when you come to work.”
Of course that’s what he meant. She was an idiot.
“Oh, right. Good night, Hawk. Thanks for taking me out on the lake.”
“You’re welcome. Drive careful.”
And then he was gone, hustling up the path towards Hawk’s Nest.
Robyn sighed, watching him go. Damn, he was one fine specimen of manhood. Too bad she needed to keep him off limits.<
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With that thought she took the path that meandered towards the parking lot, breathing in the sweet evening air. Everything smelled so good out here. Not like Indianapolis at all.
As she followed the path past the employees’ porch, a female voice called out to her.
“Hey, Robyn. Been out in the boat with Hawk?”
Robyn looked up and saw Lacey Baker standing on the porch, a cigarette dangling from her scarlet-tipped fingers. As usual, she had a scowl on her face.
Robyn didn’t really know how to answer her. It wasn’t a secret, but she really didn’t want to discuss it with Lacey. Turned out, Lacey didn’t wait for an answer.
“Oh, he takes all the new girls out in the boat. It’s his way of getting you alone.”
Robyn stiffened at her words.
“I enjoyed being out on the water. Hawk was good company.” She made to move on but Lacey spoke again.
“Oh, so he’s using his good boy line on you. Did he tell you all about his grandfather and his money?” Lacey leaned her hip on the railing and blew smoke in Robyn’s direction. “That’s one of his favorite lines.”
A flare of temper sparked in Robyn. Maybe Lacey was right, but Robyn wasn’t going to let her blow her shit about this.
“Look, Lacey, I know what you’re implying but you are wrong. Hawk was a perfect gentleman and I don’t think we ought to be discussing our boss like this.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Hawk takes all the new girls for a ride. You’re no different than any other woman. He’ll use you then walk away. And you’ll be left with a broken heart.” She tossed her cigarette at Robyn’s feet then turned and walked back inside.
Chapter 11
Robyn tried not to let Lacey’s words bother her, but in reality they echoed through her mind all the way back to the motel and long after. She busied herself with doing her nails and eating some yogurt, but her thoughts kept circling back to what Lacey said.
Well, so what? Robyn already knew Hawk had a reputation as a player. This was just more proof of that fact. She needed to remember that and stay away from him. She’d never met a man she’d been really drawn to, not like she was to Hawk, but he reeked of danger.
Bad Boy Series: Hawk's Call (Bad Boy Romance Book 1) Page 4
