by Carol Lynne
He walked her out to the loaded pickup. “Take care of my girl,” he ordered Gypsy.
Gypsy took the suitcase from Stake and fit it into a tight opening in the bed before reaching for the duffle.
Stake shook his head. “This needs to go behind the seat.” He gave Gypsy a pointed look as he handed it over.
“What’ll you do now?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“I talked to Mad Dog about taking over for me with the girls. Corrine’s not too happy about it, but I reckon she’ll change her mind when she realizes he’ll bring home a hell of a lot more money. Plus, I told him I’d sell him the house for below market if he’d take over. Corrine definitely wants out of his single wide, so that helped sweeten the deal.”
She pressed her cheek to his chest and squeezed as tight as she could. “I took your cologne, by the way. You won’t need it, but I will.”
Stake tilted her chin up for a deep kiss. “I only have eyes for you,” he told her.
Gypsy started the truck. “We need to get on the road if we’re going to make it before dark.”
Her heart sped up at the announcement. She stared up at the man she loved. “Call me every day.”
He shook his head. “Morning, noon and night,” he corrected. He pulled away enough to open the passenger door. “You shouldn’t have any trouble with the truck, but make sure you always have your phone on you when you leave the house.”
“I will.” She climbed into the pickup and let him shut the door. Leaning out the window, she opened once more for his searing kiss, hoping the taste of him would last until they were together again. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Love you more.” He pounded the roof of the truck. “Keep her safe,” he told Gypsy.
“Will do.” Gypsy backed out of the drive slowly. “You’ll be fine.”
When he pulled out onto the country road, she turned in her seat and waved, watching Stake as long as she could. With a sigh, she turned around and reached for her seatbelt. “How long is the drive again?”
“Nine hours or so. Depends on how often we have to stop.” He grinned. “You’re not one of those women who have to stop and pee every hour are you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been further than San Antonio,” she answered honestly.
Those amber eyes stared at her for several seconds before going back to the road. “In that case, feel free to ask me to stop whenever you see something that interests you.” He winked. “We’ll make a traveler out of you yet.”
Approaching the interstate onramp, she spotted a lone figure leaning against a black Harley. “Oh my God.” She reached for Gypsy’s arm. “Stop.”
As soon as the truck was pulled to the side of the road, Santana jumped out and ran toward Tiny. “You came!” she launched herself at him, knowing he wouldn’t let her fall.
Tiny caught her against his muscular chest and swung her around. “I couldn’t do it,” he whispered in her ear. “I couldn’t let you leave knowing it might be the last time I ever get to hold you.”
She felt tears burn her eyes. “I know what you did.” She kissed his cheek. “As soon as you’re cleared, move to Arkansas with us.”
“I can’t move to Arkansas. What Stake’s doing is special on account of you.” He eased her back down to the ground. “But, if I make it out of this thing without getting caught, I’ll make that drive whenever you need me.”
She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. “I will always need you.”
Chapter Eleven
A few miles outside of Fayetteville, Santana could no longer hide her excitement. “It’s so green,” she said in awe. Everywhere she looked were varying shades of green in the trees, the grass, and the plants. “It’s beautiful.”
Gypsy grinned at her. She’d caught him doing that a lot on their drive, but she didn’t get a creepy vibe from him, more like he thought he was constantly indulging a child. She wondered if he thought she was too immature for Stake.
“In another week or two, the leaves will start changing. I can’t wait for you to see it. It’s quite a sight to behold,” Gypsy casually said.
“I can’t wait.” She continued to stare out the window. The drive had been exciting, and Gypsy had kept true to his word and had stopped each time she’d asked. She looked at the small snow globe that rested on the dash of the pickup. She’d found it in one of the souvenir shops they’d stopped at and knew it would be the perfect addition to Stake’s Harley collection.
“It’ll be too late to see the house tonight, but I’ve booked you a room in a motel not far from my place. I’ve already talked terms to the realtor. The house is empty, so as soon as the banks are ready to close, the place will be yours and Stake’s.” He glanced at her. “It’s going to need a paint job inside and out, and if it were me, I’d have the floors refinished before moving in.”
Santana had no idea what those things would cost. Although Stake was planning to bring the best pieces of his furniture, they would still have so many things to buy. She hated the thought of spending his savings and vowed to use as little as possible. “I’ll talk to Stake about it once we know how much money it’ll take.”
They rode in silence for several miles before she noticed Gypsy looking at her again.
“What?” she asked. It was the first time since they’d started the drive that she felt uncomfortable.
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “He used to talk about you,” he mumbled. “I’m not gonna lie, I never understood why he tortured himself over the situation.” He winced. “But, I get it now. Just thought you should know that.”
Curious, she prodded for more information. “What did he tell you about me?”
Gypsy turned his attention back to the winding road. “It wasn’t so much that he told me about you. Your name just seemed to come up in nearly every story he told. I always wondered what hold the girl with kaleidoscope eyes had on him.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “It tore him up when he was ordered to stay away from you.” He flicked his glance her way. “I hope you realize that. He even talked about going nomad over it, but I convinced him that his life would be nothing without the cut. I was wrong,” he admitted. “So very wrong.”
She took a moment for his words to sink in. Knowing that Stake hated not seeing her helped ease some of the hurt from the past. She didn’t blame Gypsy for convincing Stake to stay with his brothers. Hell, she knew what going nomad meant, and she couldn’t imagine him living his life without a family of brothers. “I’m glad you talked him into staying. Being a biker is who he is.”
“It’s good that you understand that.”
She stared at Gypsy longer than she should have. Except for the shorter hair, she could almost convince herself that it was Stake driving the truck. It was disturbing and comforting at the same time. “You should grow a beard,” she suggested.
He took a hand from the wheel to rub across his heavy five o’clock shadow. “I’ve grown one a time or two, but it takes more work to keep it up than to shave every day.”
She bit her bottom lip, wondering how truthful she could be with the man. She wouldn’t tell him that she didn’t like beards so the distinction between him and Stake would be even more apparent if he grew one. “It would better suit your name,” she finally said.
He chuckled. “Should I get a big hoop earring, too?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
“It’s okay.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “I know why you want me to grow a beard. I was just fuckin’ with ya.”
“You do?” Had she been so obvious?
“You’re afraid of being tempted by my stellar looks, right?” he asked, with a wide grin on his handsome face.
“I’m not tempted,” she snapped. “It’s just that when I look at you, it makes me miss him.”
“Relax. I was trying to rile you up. I know where your heart is.” Gypsy made a left hand turn and pulled to a stop in front of a small, but well-kept m
otel. He sat there for several moments without making a move to open his door. “My brother’s a lucky man,” he said before climbing out of the truck.
It was the first time he’d referred to Stake as his brother, and she wasn’t sure if he meant the obvious familial connection between the two or the club connection. Either way, it was obvious he had honest feelings for Stake. The realization made her feel much better.
* * * *
“It’s perfect,” Santana gasped as she threw open the passenger door. The pale yellow farmhouse was set at an angle from the row of trees that hid it from the road. Gypsy had warned her that it would need some fixing up, but she couldn’t see any imperfections in the two-story house. The wide front porch looked out over a small pond that, although overgrown with grass and cattails, would be spectacular once cleaned up.
She nearly floated toward the unruly red climbing roses that grew on a trellis attached to the side of the house. “It’s so much prettier than the pictures you sent.”
Gypsy moved to stand next to her. “The place has sat empty since February, so it’ll take a fair amount of cleaning up, but it’s a damn good buy.”
She spun to face him, tears burning her eyes. “Can we see the inside?”
He pulled out a set of keys. “The realtor dropped these in my mailbox this morning. I think it’s safe to say he’s excited about selling the place. He wanted to come and give you a proper tour, but I told him you’d want to explore on your own.”
“Thank you.” She took the keys before making her way to the front porch. Stairs. She grinned as she climbed the five steps to the tongue-and-groove porch, making a mental note to remind Stake to bring the porch swing with him. God, she wished Stake was with her to see it. That in mind, she pulled the phone out of her pocket.
“Hey, lady bug,” he answered on the first ring.
“It’s beautiful,” she said before filling him in on what the yard and house looked like on the outside. “I’m getting ready to go inside, but I wanted to hear your voice.”
“I love the drawing,” he told her. “I haven’t got shit done today because I can’t tear my eyes off it.”
“I’m glad you like it. I didn’t want you to forget what I look like.” She smiled to herself as she thought of him sitting on the edge of the bed with her portrait in his hands. “I wish you were here to see the house with me.”
“Tell you what. I’ll close my eyes and you can describe everything to me. It’ll be almost like I’m with you.”
Her heart melted. He always seemed to know how she felt without her having to tell him. “Okay.” She unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Looking over her shoulder, she called out to Gypsy. “Are you coming in?”
He shook his head. “Not this time. You go ahead.”
Smiling, she stepped inside. “Oh,” she gasped.
“What do you see?” Stake prompted.
“A staircase at the back of the entryway. It goes up about ten steps and there’s a small landing before it makes a ninety-degree turn and continues. I’d like to put a plant there because there’s a window right above the landing.”
Stake chuckled. “Okay, babe. What else?”
She turned to her right and peeked into what appeared to be a formal dining room. “A dining room with horrible wallpaper, but it has molding around the top. It’s pretty.” She walked through the dining room to the kitchen. “Oh, Stake, the kitchen is huge, and there’s a big old table that would probably seat ten people.” She ran her hand over the table. It had to have been built in the room because there was no way it would have fit through the doorway. “It needs to be sanded, but I can do that.”
“What about the rest of the kitchen? From the pictures, it looked like it would need some work.”
“The cabinets appear to be solid wood, so they can easily be stripped and stained or repainted.” She opened one of the cupboards to see how deep they were and screamed.
“What’s going on?” Stake asked, his voice full of worry.
“Sorry. It’s okay. Just a dead rat.” She heard the front screen door bang shut moments before Gypsy came running into the room.
“Are you okay?” Gypsy asked.
She nodded and pointed to the decomposing houseguest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Gypsy?” Stake asked.
“Yeah.” She felt her face flush. “I think I scared him more than I did you.”
“I doubt it,” Stake grumbled.
She was surprised by his reaction. “Is everything okay there?” she asked.
“You’re not here. Of course, everything isn’t okay,” he practically growled.
It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him that he was the one who’d sent her away. Her good mood from earlier began to dissipate. The line was quiet while she watched Gypsy use a piece of cardboard to remove the rat.
“Are you alone?” Stake asked.
“No,” she answered.
“Find the master bedroom,” he instructed. “I’ll wait.”
“Bedrooms?” she asked Gypsy.
“Three up and one down,” he informed her, pointing to a short hallway off the kitchen. “The one down is right through there, but it’s small and doesn’t have an attached bathroom.”
“And the master?” she asked.
Gypsy shook his head. “It doesn’t really have one. The three rooms upstairs are all roughly the same size and share a single bathroom.”
With the phone still pressed to her ear, she followed Gypsy’s directions to the first floor bedroom. She was surprised at its size although the proximity to the kitchen wasn’t ideal. “For now, I think we should use the downstairs bedroom for us. That way, we can shut off the upstairs. Once we have children, we can move up there to be close to them.”
“Kids?” Stake questioned.
She silently cursed herself. Stake had never mentioned getting married or having a family. “Well, you know, if we eventually decide to have them.”
“Maybe,” he answered. “Whatever you decide is fine.”
She wasn’t sure if he was referring to the bedroom situation or the children, but she let it go. She opened the small closet and noticed further evidence of vermin. “I think we’ll need an exterminator.”
“Have Gypsy set it up,” Stake ordered, his voice still gruff.
She finished the rest of the tour with less enthusiasm. “Well, that’s it,” she said as she walked back out to the porch.
“Is it the house you want?” he asked.
“It’s the house of my dreams,” she answered honestly. “But, I’ll be happy anywhere as long as you’re with me.”
“I need to go, but tell Gypsy to call me after he drops you off.”
“I will.” She was still kicking herself for mentioning children. Had she ruined everything?
“I miss you,” he said.
The warmer tone to his voice helped soothe her racing heart. “I miss you, too.”
“Call me before you go to bed tonight,” he ordered.
“I will.” She hung up and clutched the phone to her chest.
“Everything okay?” Gypsy asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so.” She held up her phone. “He wants you to call him after you drop me off.”
Gypsy’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her. “Okay.”
* * * *
By the time his phone rang, Stake was in a foul mood. The conversation with Santana earlier had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Gypsy’s overt display of concern for her had really pissed him off which didn’t make sense since he’d been the one to ask Gypsy to care for her. His anger went beyond normal jealousy. It felt like he’d ripped out his heart and had handed it over to another man. Once Gypsy had pulled out of the drive with Santana beside him, it had taken everything Stake had not to get on his bike and chase them down. Santana’s place was beside him not Gypsy. Santana’s mention of having children had totally knocked him on his ass.
He
had no doubt Santana would make a good mother, but he was a selfish bastard who’d waited too long to have her. Sharing her with rugrats didn’t set well for some reason. He’d heard the stories from his brothers on how their wives had changed after giving birth. He liked having Santana ready and willing to fuck anytime he asked and wasn’t about to give that up without a fight. Besides, he didn’t think he had it in him to be a good father, and he’d lived a life of subpar parenting. How the hell could he willingly take a job like that on, especially knowing how fucked up his own childhood had been? Yeah, he was definitely a selfish prick.
He dug the phone out of his pocket. “Hey,” he answered.
“What’s up?” Gypsy asked.
“See if you can fax the paperwork on the house to the club. Cecil’s called a meeting later, so I’ll swing by the club early and have plenty of time to get the paperwork signed and sent back before church.”
“All right.” Gypsy sighed. “Mind telling me what you said to Santana over the phone that upset her?”
“Don’t fuckin’ worry about what I said to my woman. We’re good.” Once again, Stake was second guessing his decision to send Santana to Arkansas without him. Gypsy was almost as bad as Iggy when it came to sex. How many times had he watched Gypsy pick up a stranger in a bar and fuck her against the wall within five minutes of meeting her? Not that he hadn’t had his share of quick fucks, but Gypsy seemed to need it every motherfucking day whether he had a girlfriend or not.
“I am going to worry about it. She walked into that house with the biggest smile I’ve seen out of her yet and came out looking like she’d been kicked. She didn’t say a goddamn word on the drive back to the motel.”
“I’m not sure I like where this is going. I asked you to watch over her, not crawl up her fuckin’ ass. If you need pussy, get it from somewhere else.” Stake gripped the phone so hard he was surprised the damn glass didn’t shatter in the thing.
