by Sable Hunter
While drying his hands, Jonah heard the unmistakable rumble of a Harley. Nothing else on earth sounded just like it. Curious, he moved closer to the outside to see who was coming up his drive. The black clad figure wore full motorcycle regalia, so he could tell next to nothing about the person. He watched as black gloved hands removed the helmet and then a waterfall of long golden hair came tumbling out. Damn, he recognized that hair. “Tressie. What in the hell is she doing here?” He stood in shock watching the tall, graceful woman come toward him. “Here comes trouble.”
“Well, hello, Jonah. Long time, no see.”
* * *
I told you not to worry about the doctor. It’s not going to be a big deal.”
Delaney’s assurance fell on deaf ears. John was still upset. “Easy for you to say. I know what will happen. This time they’ll probably try to put me in a home.”
“That’s not true.” Letting out a huff of remorse, she wished she’d handled the situation better. “I’m not going to let that happen.” Slowing down, she put on her blinker. “Okay. We’re home. We’ll take Jonah his blizzard, then I’ll go fix us some lunch.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You will be. This ice cream was a treat, not a meal.”
“You’re bossy.”
“Yea, I can be.” Making the turn, she eased into the driveway. As if drawn by a magnet, her eyes went directly to Jonah’s shop. What she saw made her stomp on the brakes so hard that her blizzard fell out of the drink holder onto the console.
“Crap, Miss Margaret!” John began to wipe ice cream off his knees. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong with me.” Lie. Lie. Her heart plummeted in her chest to see Jonah kissing another woman. A tall woman dressed in black leather. A biker. Jerking the wheel, she aimed for the bungalow. Again, she jammed her foot hard on the brake, then cut the engine. “Let go inside.”
“You trashed your blizzard, but Jonah’s is good. Aren’t we going to take it to him?”
Apparently, John hadn’t seen what Delaney saw. Or if he did it didn’t register. “Jonah doesn’t need a treat right now, he’s already got one.” Damn him. This was just great. Let her heart get involved in the slightest and life would come along and knock the props out from under her.
“My ice cream is good. I hate you lost yours.”
“It’s okay.” She’d lost her appetite. “I’ll go in and get some rags and come back to clean this up.” Seeing him struggling, she picked up his newspapers. “Let me help you. Straighten your eyepatch, it’s about to fall off.”
“All right.”
Together, they made their way into the house. Delaney was blind to anything around her. She didn’t even acknowledge the dog and cat who crowded near waiting for the attention she usually gave so freely. Going to the kitchen table, she laid down her purse, the newspapers, and the truck keys. Mechanically, she gathered some paper towels and a wet dishcloth to clean the spilled ice cream from the truck upholstery and the floorboard. “I’ll be right back,” she told John.
Delaney stepped quickly to the truck, careful not to look in the direction of the shop. She didn’t think she could take seeing the woman in Jonah’s arms again. Opening the truck door, she hastily wiped up the mess, cursing herself for being so vulnerable. “You knew better,” she whispered.
Returning to the house, she threw away the used paper towels before depositing the dirty dishcloth in the washer. Seeing it was full, she added detergent and put on a load. When she returned to the kitchen, John was nowhere to be seen. “Hey, Duke! Where are you?” With the animals at her heels, she checked in the living room and the dining room. “John! Are you upstairs?” With growing concern, she ran up the steps, calling his name. “John! What are you doing?” When the second story of the bungalow proved to be as empty as the first floor. Delaney felt panic creep into her chest. “Maybe he stepped outside.” She dashed through the lower floor one more time. When she came to the kitchen, her eyes fell on the table, and she saw the keys to John’s truck were not where she’d left them. “Oh, God. No.”
Grabbing her purse, she dug inside for the keys to the Camry as she ran for the door. With her heart racing she flew to the car, climbed in, and looked toward the shop. By all rights, she should tell Jonah what was up. However the sight of the strange motorcycle sitting out front changed her mind. He was busy and she didn’t feel up to interrupting him. Delaney thought she knew where John might be.
…Inside the mechanic shop, Jonah had had enough. “Tressie, you need to go home. Go back to Trick. There’s nothing for you here.”
“You don’t mean that.” She slinked toward him, her hips moving sensuously with every step.
Jonah wasn’t blind. Tressie was an exceptionally sexy woman. There’d been a time when he’d given his eyeteeth to bed her, but those feelings only led to trouble. Truth be told, he’d have ended up leaving the MC compound even if his father hadn’t fell ill.
“I do mean it. I’ve moved on. You have a good man. Go home to him.”
“Oh, come on, Jonah. Relax. I’m here. You’re here.” She came close enough to drape her arms around his neck. “We might as well have a good time.”
“No.” Taking her wrists in his hands, he disengaged himself from the embrace. “I have someone else in my life now.”
Tressie’s jaw dropped. “No, you don’t.” She stood her ground for a moment, then she began to unbutton her blouse. “I rode all this way. I need something for my trouble. I need you.”
Instead of being aroused at her display, he was turned off. Big time. “Oh, hell no.” He picked up her helmet and pushed it right into her chest. “Hit the road, Tressie. Now. And if you go back and tell Trick some untrue shit – you’ll have to answer to me. Do you understand?”
“You kissed me, Jonah. I know you want me.”
“No. I don’t. And you kissed me.” He raised one hand up to keep her at bay.
“Fine.” She turned on her heels and headed for the exit. “You’re probably not a good lay anyway.”
“You’ll never know.”
Following her outside to make sure she left – Jonah noticed that both Delaney’s Camry and his father’s pickup are missing. Right away, he knew something was wrong. “Oh, hell.” Heading to his wrecker, he passed close to Tressie as she straddled her Harley.
“You’re going to be sorry, Jonah. Mark my word. Real sorry.”
He dismissively waved her off. “I already am.”
…Worried sick, Delaney drove to the ramshackle trailer where John’s friend lived. When his truck came into view parked alongside the road, she breathed a sigh of relief. Pulling behind it, she jumped out and began the difficult walk up the overgrown, impassable drive to the trailer itself. “John! John!” She couldn’t believe she actually had to push eyelevel tall grass aside to make it up the path. When she came to the steps, she mounted them carefully, then tapped on the door. “John! Mr. Cletus! It’s Delaney!”
In a few seconds, she could hear heavy footsteps and the door swung open. “I figured you’d be here in a minute or two. He’s hiding in my bedroom.”
“Sorry about this.” She stepped inside of his home and her eyes widened. There were actual holes in his floor covered by street signs – there was actually a stop sign wedged between two rugs.
Seeing where her eyes traveled, he pointed a finger. “Watch your step. Try to stay on the main center beam. I need to put down some new sheets of plywood or a yield sign or something.”
“All right.” As she moved further into the dim interior, she noticed other strange things. Really strange. Like there was a cage, a trap of some kind, sitting in the kitchen. And the freezer had what looked like a padlock on the door. “What’s the trap for?” Of the two anomalies, she felt the first one was safer. Delaney didn’t really want to think about why there was a padlock on the freezer.
“Oh, the live trap’s for possums. They get in here somet
ime. Snakes too. Hope you’re not skittish.”
“Only mildly.” Her eyes widened as she watched every step she took. “So, you turn the opossums loose?”
“Oh, yea. They’re handy to have around. I’d just rather have them outside than in. The little rascals eat their weight in ticks every season.”
“I did not know,” she muttered as she noticed the new recliner, a fancy laptop, and the huge television on the wall. Oh, well. A man had to have his priorities.
“In here.” He directed her into his bedroom. Sitting on the bed was John.
“There you are. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“I’m not going to the doctor. I’m fine. I’m crazy, but I’m fine.”
“Oh, John…” She didn’t know what to do to convince him. “Come on. Let’s go home. We’ve missed lunch.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“John, you probably need to go home,” their host muttered. “I’ve got some errands to run.”
“You trying to get rid of me, Cletus?”
Cletus shook his head, then glanced at Delaney. “What’s wrong with him? Besides…you know.”
“He has a weird rash, and his lymph nodes look swollen.”
“Hmmm.”
“I suggested a local doctor. I think he’s afraid of going to the VA.”
“I can understand that. It’s a zoo.” He walked over to his friend. “John, Delaney isn’t going to let the doctor do anything to you but do an examination. At the most, he’ll give you a pill.”
“Is that true?” Jonah asked Delaney.
“Yes.” She hoped she wasn’t lying. “No one will do anything to you that you don’t want done.”
About that time, a hard knock sounded on the door.
“Ye gods, what is this? Grand Central?” Cletus stomped from the room.
Delaney went to sit next to John, taking his hand. “You can trust me. I’m here to help you. No one is sending you to a home. I promise.”
Two pair of footsteps could be heard navigating the path to the bedroom. She looked up to see Jonah standing in the doorway.
“What the hell, Delaney? You let him get away! I told you this could happen. How could you be so careless? Why weren’t you watching him?”
She didn’t try and argue. Her only defense was that she’d been distracted…by him and that damn kiss.
“Why didn’t you call me as soon as you realized he was missing?”
“I don’t have a phone.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have any money.”
Jonah started to say more, but just shook his head instead.
Even though she could see Jonah’s face was pale with worry – his peppered questions stung like fire. Still, she really had nothing more to say to him. Standing, she held out her hand to John. “Let’s get you home. Come ride with me.”
“I’ll drive his truck over tomorrow.” Cletus offered. “How about that, buddy? We’ll sit and talk a spell.”
“Sounds good. I’ll count on it.” John told him as he edged by his son.
Seeing as everyone was ignoring him, Jonah knew he’d messed up. Distraught with concern and disturbed over Tressie’s visit, he’d lashed out at the one person he shouldn’t have. Delaney.
Which was stupid. He knew very well what his dad was capable of doing. This certainly wasn’t the first time he’d made an escape.
Following along behind an ambling Cletus, Delaney and John were already in her Camry when he made it out the door.
“Your mind’s all mixed up, ain’t it?”
“Yea,” Jonah agreed. “You can say that again.” He stuffed his hands in his pocket and started down the drive. “Thanks for bringing the truck over tomorrow.”
“No problem.”
“And thanks for being my Dad’s friend.”
Cletus cleared his throat. “That’s not a hard thing to do, Jonah. Your dad’s a good man. There but for the grace of God go I. You know what I mean?”
“Yea. I do.” As he made it to the wrecker, Jonah felt a cold chill run down his spine. If he thought about it long enough, his fear of ending up like his dad would paralyze him. Shaking off the terror, he started for home.
…As soon as they arrived at the house, Delaney returned to work in the kitchen. Although John wanted to watch television, she persuaded him to stay with her. If he left this time, however, he’d have to walk. She’d taken extra precaution and hid the keys to both vehicles in the bread box. Hopefully, she wouldn’t forget where they were.
As she readied their next meal, beef stew and a salad, she listened for Jonah’s arrival. When he didn’t show up after the expected length of time, she figured he’d returned to the shop.
Good enough. She wasn’t ready to see him anyway.
When all the meal prep was done, she made herself and John a sandwich to tide them over. If circumstances were different, she’d carry a plate out to Jonah. No chance of that now. The image of him kissing that lady biker was indelibly imprinted on her brain.
Taking a sip of water, she fumed. Who was she kidding? She was as mad at herself as she was at him. He didn’t owe her anything. They weren’t married or engaged. They’d shared a few kisses, that’s all. He’d handed her a line about getting to know her and she’d fell for it. Who knows? He probably did the same thing to any woman who didn’t give in to his initial advances. Probably worked too. It sure as hell would’ve worked on her. She’d been head over heels for him. Now, she just wanted to avoid the man at all costs.
…Needing to repair what he’d so carelessly damaged, Jonah took steps to make amends. First, he went to town and bought a phone for Delaney. Now, he was taking a walk by the river. Not only did he need to clear his head, he was on a mission of romance. As he strolled by the beautiful creek, he picked fall wildflowers – golden ones, pink ones, red ones, all colors – until he held a rainbow bouquet in his hand. He owed Delaney an apology for his attitude. Instead of haranguing her about his dad’s joyride, he should be getting down on his hands and knees and thanking her for taking them on. So far, she’d been nothing but nice, kind, and capable. If he hadn’t already been upset, he wouldn’t have overreacted.
The ugly truth was that Tressie got under his skin. Was he attracted to her? Maybe…on a purely physical level. Did he understand he was better off without such a complication? Oh, hell yeah. The woman was conniving, manipulative, and self-serving. She had no one’s best interest in mind but her own. He didn’t understand why Trick put up with her. His old friend was a decent sort. Fair-minded. The only reason they’d clashed was because Tressie wanted them to. She loved playing the men against one another, telling lies to first one guy, then the other. In his case, she’d wrecked a good friendship by the time she was through. If he returned to the lifestyle now, it wouldn’t be to ride with the Raiders.
Bottom line, he felt guilty for feeling anything when Tressie arrived. The kiss hadn’t meant a damn thing, but he’d responded to it – for just a millisecond. He thanked God in heaven Delaney hadn’t witnessed the fiasco.
Arriving at the back door, he entered the screened-in porch to take off his boots. He could see Delaney inside, setting the table. He tapped once on the door and entered to greet her. “Hey!
She cut her eyes toward him. “Hey,” she mumbled, then went right back to what she was doing.
Understanding her reticence, he stepped closer, holding out his offering of flowers. “These are for you.”
She didn’t take the bouquet, she didn’t even look at them. “Why are you bringing me flowers?”
“Because I wanted to. And I brought you a phone. It’s an android, but you can use your old Sim card, it should be compatible. That way, you won’t lose your contacts.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
“No, you won’t. I owe you.” He put the box containing the phone on the table. “And…I’m sorry for getting upset about Dad. I was wrong.
I was just distracted by some other stuff, or I wouldn’t have gone off on that tangent. He’s escaped under my watch more than once.” Jonah continued to hold out the flowers and she continued to ignore him. “I was looking forward to our walk tonight.”
Delaney touched her chest to ease the ache. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“What?” Going to the cabinet, he filled a glass to make a vase. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. I think we should keep things professional between us. Employer and employee.”
The pain of her rejection speared through his chest as he lowered the flowers into the water. “Really. Why? What’s changed between now and that kiss we shared this morning?”
Delaney folded and refolded a dishtowel, her lips pressed together tightly.
“Delaney, talk to me.” He touched her arm. When she winced, he jerked his hand back like she’d burned him. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t want to talk to him, but he wasn’t going to leave her alone. “A lot has changed between now and that kiss we shared this morning.” Delaney pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to further embarrass herself. She attempted to push past him. “I need to check on your father. He’s my responsibility.”
“Let me apologize again. I’m sorry about earlier, Delaney. I shouldn’t have blamed you. I was already upset. I didn’t mean to snap at you or imply you weren’t doing a good job watching Dad. I know I was wrong.”
“I understand that. Let’s just forget it.” Her throat was so tight, she could barely speak.
When she attempted to walk past him again, he touched her arm. When she jerked it out of his grasp, he was surprised. “I said I was sorry. What more can I say?”
A wave of ire and hurt washed over her. “I understand you’re sorry at yelling at me in front of John’s friend. But…are you sorry for kissing another woman?”
