by Debra Kayn
"Me, too." Hazel let the little guy go. "We could always hide him."
"No." Scarlett shuddered. "I'll take him back."
Neither one of them volunteered to do the job for her. She looked at the dog, not wanting to touch it. "Hang on."
She went upstairs, searched through her closet, and came out with a belt, a scarf, and a shoelace. Picking the scarf, she went back downstairs.
"Here, tie this on the dog." She threw the scarf at Hazel.
"Are you afraid of the dog?" Hazel laughed. "It's a puppy. He's not going to bite you."
"Even puppies have teeth." She crossed her arms.
"They do nip," said her mom. "But you can stop him. He needs to learn not to use his mouth."
"No, thanks. Not my job." She took the end of the scarf from Hazel and held her arm out straight, not giving the dog a chance to bite her ankles. "Come on."
She pulled the dog toward the front door, and her mom said, "Tell Nelson Steel, I think his dog came through the gap in the fence."
Scarlett stilled. "What gap?"
"There's an opening. I never noticed it before. Right in the middle of the fence."
She turned around and navigated the dog back through the house to the sliding door. In the back yard, she looked at the section that was nailed shut. The three boards that made up the gate were cocked at an angle. Her breath caught in her chest. Nelson had reopened the gate, not sealed it shut permanently.
With the dog in tow, she had no time to think about what gaining access to Steel Mechanics meant. She stepped beyond the fence, shuffling her feet to keep the puppy from pouncing on her shoes.
"Nelson." She squealed as the dog got ahold of her shoelace and growled, shaking its head. "Nelson!"
Jerking back her foot, the dog wouldn't let go. Her adrenaline spiked. Leaning as far as she could without losing her balance, she tried to pull the dog away from her.
Hysteria built the more the dog tried to rip her shoe apart. Her chest quivered, and a sob escaped.
Arms wrapped around her from behind. She let go of the scarf and turned into Nelson's chest, her whole body shuddered violently.
"I've got you." He held on to her.
She glanced over her shoulder. The dog was pulling on the scarf in the opposite direction.
Moving behind Nelson, putting him between her and the dog, she gasped for breath. Butch had acted the same way, always lunging for her and growling.
She couldn't convince herself how ridiculous it was to be afraid of a puppy. The dog didn't know her. She couldn't trust the animal to leave her alone.
"I'll tie him on his lease." He never moved. "Will you stay here until I'm done?"
She glanced between him and the dog. "Okay."
He scooped up the puppy and walked to the back of the building. Squatting down with his back to her, he picked up the thin cord on the ground.
There was no reason to stay, and she moved over to the fence to wait to see what he wanted so she'd have a quick exit. Looking up at the treehouse, she was surprised to see all the new boards and a beefy new ladder going up the trunk of the tree.
During their time apart, Nelson had stayed busy. Working on cars, fixing the place up, getting a dog. All he needed was a wife, and he'd have everything he wanted.
She swallowed. Was that his plan?
Imagining him over here, loving another woman, devastated her. If that was what he planned to tell her, she'd move into an apartment on the other side of town the second she got a job.
It would be impossible to be his neighbor if he loved someone else.
Nelson straightened, carrying her scarf back to her. The puppy ran after him and came to a jarring stop, reaching the end of its leash.
Overwhelmed, she stared at Nelson's chest, unable to meet his eyes in case she'd guessed the truth of what he wanted to tell her.
He stopped in front of her. "Thanks for bringing the pup back. I must not have clipped the clasp on his leash when I put him out to do his business. He gets excited when he can come outside and wiggles a lot."
Nervousness replaced her upset at dealing with the dog. Her eyes burned with unshed tears being close enough to touch him. Her skin remained warm from when he'd held her, and she wanted to crawl into his arms and beg him to let her back into his life.
She waved her hand in dismissal. When she went back to her yard, she'd put a rock in front of the gate and make sure the dog couldn't push it open again if he got loose.
"Why'd you get a dog?" she asked, trying to distract herself from reaching out and touching him.
"I like dogs." He hooked his hands in his front pockets. "Honestly, I thought..."
She looked at him, meeting his gaze. "What?"
"I thought if I got a puppy, you wouldn't be scared of him. You could get to know him and see how he only wants to play."
Her skin tingled. She swallowed. "You bought the dog for me?"
He dipped his chin. She glanced at the pup again. It was small, young, and playful.
"It's not a Doberman," he said.
No, no, it wasn't. She rubbed her lips together. The dog looked nothing like Butch had.
"I fixed the treehouse." He stepped back, out of her view of the tree.
Her heart pounded. He was going to stomp her heart to pieces by telling her his plans for the future.
"If you ever want to climb up there, it's safe now," he said.
If she wanted to...? Lightheaded, she hugged her middle. What was he doing?
"I guess since you're over here now, you noticed I fixed the gate." He paused. "It's open. Anytime you want, you can come over."
She was going to cry, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Blowing out her breath slowly, she glanced at him. She could never settle for friendship with him. She loved him too much.
Her pulse pounded. "What do you want from me?"
Nelson's gaze flinched. He looked away.
Her pulse pounded at the base of her neck. She rocked back on her heels, ready to flee.
Chapter 37
Nelson
NELSON'S LIFE HUNG from a rope. It wasn't his freedom in jeopardy. He had one opportunity to convince Scarlett to take a chance with him, and he was scared to fucking death that she would walk through the gate and never come back.
No dog.
No treehouse.
No offer of friendship.
Nothing would prove his love for her. She wasn't the kind of woman to fall for unimportant promises. For her, it was all of him or nothing.
He should've known because when it came to her, he couldn't live without her love.
He toed the ground with his boot, not knowing where to start to convince her he loved her. He always had.
Even when he'd sent her away, it was for her safety. Not because he wanted her gone.
"You're it for me, fox. For as long as I can remember, you were the only person to love me, and I took that love and held onto it every single second of my life. There is nothing you could do, or I can do, to change that. I tried." His throat closed, and he swallowed hard. "I've probably done everything I could think of to prove that you deserved better than me. The whole time I sat in prison, I convinced myself that you'd found someone else to love, and I had to let you go. But I couldn't. It's hard being out. With all the shit happening, I tried to protect you and keep anything bad from touching you. In the end, all I did was show you what an asshole I am."
She blinked faster.
"I'm sorry for hurting you," he said softly. "I don't ever want to lose you."
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"I had this big plan to show you how much I wanted you back in my life." He pointed behind her. "I opened the gate."
Another tear fell.
"I made the treehouse safe." He swung his arm toward the building. "Bought a puppy, so you wouldn't be afraid, and the dog would grow up loving you. I haven't even named him because I wanted you to do that."
Her chin quivered.
"I want you to help me run Steel Mechanics. If you want." His throat burned. "I'd love to have you with me all the time."
Her gaze never wavered.
"It's not going to be easy, fox. You're going to be judged for my crimes if you're with me, and I wish I could say it won't hurt you, but it will," he whispered. "I wish more than anything to spare you of that. But you have to know that I will always love you, and I'll do my damnedest to make you never regret loving me."
She never moved. He wasn't sure she was even breathing. Hell, he felt like he was dying.
Losing her wasn't an option.
"I love you," he said, barely hearing the words come out of his throat.
Her whole body shook. "If I step forward so I can touch you, I'm going to fall," she whispered.
He took the step for her and caressed her face. When she remained in front of him, he bent his knees, wrapping his arms around her, and picked her up. "I'll never let you fall."
She kissed him, cradling his head in her arms. He closed his eyes, overcome with hope.
Warmth filled him, and he absorbed the tremors rocking her body. Or, maybe he was shaking. It no longer mattered.
Scarlett was right where she belonged.
She cupped his face and pulled back a few inches. "I love you, too. I've always loved you."
"Move in with me." He rubbed his lips against hers. "No more sneaking."
She nodded without stopping the kiss.
His chest expanded, and he held her tighter, more determined. He swallowed her sobs of happiness, deepening the kiss, and captured her sunshine.
He pulled away abruptly. "I need to do something first."
"Later." She leaned in, kissing his lips again. "I can't stop...loving you."
He groaned. There was nothing more he wanted to do than take her inside and show her exactly how he felt, but he needed to do the right thing for Scarlett.
Setting her down on her feet, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the gate. "I need to talk to your mom and sister."
"Now?" She gawked at him. "Can't it wait?"
"No." He inhaled deeply. "They need to know what really happened to me and why you believed in me my whole life."
"Everything?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter to me."
He kissed her hard. "It does to me. I'm not coming between you and your family."
Scarlett never doubted him. When the whole city of Missoula labeled him as a killer and charged him for distributing drugs, she never questioned his innocence. But it was important for her family to understand that he would never harm her and that Scarlett had saved him more times than he could count.
Scarlett dug her heels into the gravel underneath her, and he stopped. "You better bring the dog along. It'll soften them up."
"Huh?"
She stroked his jaw. "Trust me."
He glanced over at the puppy. Looked at Scarlett. Not making the connection, he took her advice. He needed all the help he could get.
Epilogue
Nelson
TWENTY-SIX BIKERS PARKED outside the garage bay. Nelson stepped out from under the car on the overhead jack and met them outside. Handshakes and congratulations were thrown at him from the members of Tarkio Motorcycle Club.
Last night, he'd sworn in as a member. He swore his loyalty to the club a week after he'd sworn to love and cherish Scarlett for the rest of her life at the courthouse in Missoula. It'd been the first time he'd stepped into the courtroom since being sentenced to the Montana State Penitentiary for ten years.
It was worth the trip across town because now Scarlett was officially his. Though he needed no paper to tell him that she'd always been his.
Pepper barked. He glanced over his shoulder at Scarlett, holding the energetic dog at her side with the lease.
She'd been there with him when he'd received his patch. A decision he'd taken as seriously as his wedding vows.
"Congratulations, brother." Curley lifted his chin as he walked backward to his bike. "It was about time."
"I hear you." He lifted his hand.
It'd taken him a long time to realize he wasn't alone in life. He had Scarlett, Tarkio, and over the last six months, Scarlett's mom and sister.
It was a rough ride for a while. The people of Missoula wanted to believe there was a killer amongst them. The only thing he could do was keep moving forward and let the talk die down to a low hum.
People still looked at him funny, always waiting for him to lose his fucking mind. With Scarlett beside him, he concentrated on her.
Nobody else mattered.
The members of Tarkio rode away. He went back inside the garage.
Scarlett let Pepper loose. The dog ran toward him, sniffed his pants, and scrambled back to her side. She was training the puppy to stay on the property. So far, Pepper was doing okay, unless others showed up. Then, he got excited and liked to jump on them.
"You nut, Pepper." Scarlett laughed. "Go find your toy."
Once the dog ran to the back door, Scarlett walked over to the desk. While his work schedule could be busier, he also couldn't complain. He'd had six customers in the last four days needing everything from a block heater installed before winter to a new transmission. Plus, he had one of Roddy's motorcycles waiting for a new paint job.
Knowing he had time, he walked over to the desk and stood behind Scarlett's chair. He leaned down, cupped her breasts, and kissed the side of her neck.
She leaned back, her feet coming off the floor. "I thought you wanted to work."
"I'm working on loving you." He left a mark on her skin.
She tilted her head back. He kissed her lips. There were not enough hours in the day for what he wanted to do.
"Better be quick. The truck is coming by in twenty minutes to drop off the transmission, and Hazel will be here at quarter after five. She's bringing pizza with her." She looped her arms around his neck, bringing him down for another kiss.
Pepper jumped on the arm of the chair and barked. Scarlett laughed when Nelson groaned.
Reaching down to scratch the dog, he kissed Scarlett one more time and straightened. "Why's your sister coming over?"
"Mom's new boyfriend is moving in, and she doesn't want to be there when that's happening." Scarlett turned in the chair and faced him. "Honestly, I wouldn't want to be there either, so I told her she could hide out here with us for the evening."
"I thought you liked Denny." He moved underneath the jack and clipped the extra wire hanging off the car.
"Oh, I liked Denny, but he's been gone two months. This guy's name is Joe. He works over at The Slots by the gas station on Exit 61 in Superior. There's something skeevy about him."
The hair on the back of his neck stood, recognizing the name of the casino. "Like what?"
"I don't know. He's secretive about what he does when he's not with mom. Hazel gets the same gross feeling from the guy. I imagine sooner or later; we'll find out what's bothering us about him. Or, mom will, and he'll get kicked to the curb." She grabbed Pepper's collar. "I'm going to take the dog upstairs, so we don't have to tie him up when the delivery comes."
He watched her go, warmed by the smile on her face and her one-sided conversation with Pepper as they both navigated the stairs.
The bond between woman and dog hadn't happened naturally or easily. The terror Butch had caused inside her ran deep. It wasn't until Pepper got fixed a few months ago and Scarlett had gone to pick up the dog with him that her whole demeanor changed.
Pepper had walked out from the Vet's kennel, looked at both of them, and came and sat at Scarlett's feet as if they were best friends. Little by little, Scarlett took over the training and care of Pepper, and the bond grew.
He went back to work, clearing out the area underneath the vehicle. Then, he wheeled over the hoist. By the time he finished, beeping from the delivery truck backing up to the bay filled the garage.
He motioned his hand, guiding the truck into spot. Then, he held up his fist, stopping the driver.
Pushing the hoist, he lifted his chin at the man. "Right on schedule."
"I'm making good time today." The man rubbed his hands together before lowering the tailgate door out of the way. "I'll wheel it out, then we can put it on the hoist."
Five minutes later, Nelson had everything in place for tomorrow. It would only take him a couple of hours to install the transmission.
He closed the garage, locked the front door, and jogged up the stairs to the second story and caught Scarlett wiping down the table.
She looked up with a smile. "All done?"
"Yeah." He swooped in and hooked her around the waist. "We've got twenty minutes."
Scarlett shrieked as he lifted her off the floor. Pepper jumped on him, trying to get some attention.
"That won't be enough time." She laughed.
"It's enough time for a warm-up for later." He carried her to the bedroom and shut the door, leaving the dog in the other room.
DEAR READERS ~
With many, many motorcycle club romance books in my backlist, I wanted to venture into "before club life". There's a story for every man who has slipped on a leather vest and worn a patch. Living an MC life isn't one that is made willy-nilly. Something in each man's past pushed him into being a biker, and I believe their stories deserve to be known. When you have time to think about it, the reason behind why men join MCs is more important than the "club life" story after they pledge their life to the brotherhood.
I hope you enjoyed Nelson and Scarlett's story.
If you'd like to keep up on my book releases, chat with me, and see pictures of my life in the Bitterroot Mountains, I would love to have you follow me on social media. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and have a website with links to a huge backlist of books.
Love,
Debra
Author Bio
Debra Kayn is published by Grand Central Publishing, Simon & Schuster Publishing, Carina Press - Harlequin Enterprises Limited, and repped by agent, Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management.
