Chapter 19
Monday afternoon, Riley sat at her desk with her head in her hands. Trying to organize all the scattered paperwork had turned out to be a real nightmare. She couldn’t believe how convoluted the person before her had been in their record-keeping. No wonder this terminal didn’t perform to its potential. She’d sat in on a staff meeting first thing this morning and had spent the next six hours working on unwinding the electronic records.
She stretched and stood. It was time for a break. Ben had texted that he was working through lunch, so she’d not seen him since this morning.
Smiling at the memory of watching the sun come up with him, laughing a little more at the way his big body had jerked when she’d touched his arm again, she felt immensely lighter.
She stopped at the cafeteria and grabbed a sandwich and water for them both before heading over to the shop. Her dad was gone, visiting their terminal in Virginia. He wouldn’t be back until next week.
Her stride hitched a little when she walked into the shop. The first shift guys were gone. Second shift was not as busy. She nodded to several guys she recognized, but her eyes kept going back to the woman’s boots which stuck out from under the truck that was parked in Ben’s bay. Ben’s boots were right beside hers. Neither one of their torsos was visible, hidden by the big steer tire and motor.
Riley forced her feet to keep moving. She’d been enjoying time with Ben, but they weren’t really married. There was no exclusive agreement between them whatsoever. This pressure in her chest was uncalled for.
“I didn’t realize you could do it that way.” The woman’s voice drifted out from under the truck.
Ben grunted.
Some clanging and sharp bangs sounded. Ben’s feet moved like he was exerting pressure.
“Oh, here. Let me.” The woman’s voice came again.
Riley tried to remember the woman’s name. She’d seen it on the shop reports. Fran. She was pretty sure that was it.
Suddenly Ben’s body shot into sight, like he’d grabbed the truck and pushed off in frustration. The thunderclouds in his eyes eased as he saw Riley. He sat up, a wrench in one hand, the other hand running through his hair.
Get rid of her, please, he mouthed.
With pleasure, Riley mouthed back.
The woman slid out. Her jeans were tight. Her t-shirt tighter. “Why’d you leave?” she pouted. Her expression changed as she caught sight of Riley.
Riley smiled. “Hi, Fran. I’m here to do a spot inspection, and your number came up. Can you take me to your workstation and show me your daily maintenance and equipment log, please?”
The woman’s brows drew down, and her lips pushed out. “I thought Ben did the inspections.”
“I’m Ben’s boss, and I report to the company owner. Inspections are Ben’s job and my responsibility. Lead on, please.”
Ben mouthed, “Thank you,” as she followed Fran to the other end of the shop. Riley held the sandwiches and drinks up as she walked away. Ben jerked his head in acknowledgment with a grin.
Twenty-five minutes later, Riley was back. Ben had a cracked air to air lying beside the truck, his boots sticking out as he lay on the creeper, and Riley could only assume he was under there putting the new one on.
Riley looked down through the frame rails. “If you need help, I can get Fran to come on back.”
“And I can go lie down on the hammer lane of the closest interstate.”
“Please, no. I need you.”
Ben grunted and slid out. “Not ‘Ben, I like you and don’t want to see anything happen to you.’ Nope. I get ‘turn the company around first, then jump off a bridge.’”
“You’re fishing for a compliment? I’d have thought you’d have your ego stroked with Fran down here lying under the truck with you.” She handed him a sandwich and water.
“I know it’s often the other way around. Men harassing women. I’ve seen it, but man, I wish she’d find someone else to bother. I spent half my time today running from her.” He took the lid off and took a deep drink.
“Looked like she caught you when I walked in.”
“I was sick of not getting anything done.”
“I can transfer her.”
“I can too.” He lifted a brow at her. She tilted her head to acknowledge the truth in his words. Officially, he wasn’t allowed to deal directly with employee movement. Unofficially, she’d bowed to his decisions for years. How was she to know who worked well and who didn’t?
“I ran the numbers for last week. We’re already seeing improvement here.”
“Here?”
She sighed. “Yeah. Here in the shop. Upstairs, not so much.”
“What’s up?” He took a bite of the sandwich.
“Just still trying to untangle the records mess.”
“That bad?”
“It’s worse.”
“It’s looking good here. I’ve got a few things I want to implement, but I’m waiting until I’ve been here a bit and people have accepted me.”
Riley nodded. It was technically against company policy for a supervisor to do the work of a mechanic, but the guys accepted him a lot easier and faster if he worked. Not to mention it made sense.
“You’ve never had a problem with people liking you.”
He shrugged. “Guys respect a hard worker. I found it out by accident back when I didn’t had a choice about working hard.”
Riley nodded. It had become part of his character.
He changed the subject. “I have two trucks sitting down there that could be fixed and on the road, except we’re out of the parts I need, which we should have known and they should have been automatically ordered, but the parts aren’t being checked out. That’s definitely a time-waster that needs to be changed immediately.”
Riley’s brain was calculating. “You need a whole new system?”
“No,” he said firmly. “The computer system is great. I need the guys to use it properly. Some guys forget to check their parts out. Which also means that we’re not getting paid for them if it’s an outside job.”
“I see.”
“Right. Anyway, I know exactly how I’m going to take care of it, I just don’t want to rock the boat too soon.”
“Yep. That gets people upset.”
They finished their sandwiches in silence.
“What time are you quitting today?” Riley asked.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the drives. “I can quit anytime. This truck’s done. I have one coming in on the hook, needs to be rebuilt, but night shift can steam it off.” He looked her in the eye. “I think we can get rid of night shift, to be honest.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. That would be a big savings.
“We might have to have some second shift guys stay or cover occasionally, and maybe we’d need to reinstitute it if other shops’ work got dumped on us like we did in Maine, but for now, it would solve the employee shortage. Nothing much gets done at night anyway.”
“No supervision.”
“Basically.”
She looked down, picking at her nail.
“I’m ready to go whenever you are. Just give me a fifteen-minute heads-up to clean up my tools and wash up.”
Her face broke out in a smile. The heat from his seeped into her bones.
She balled up her trash and finished her water. “Let me know if you need me to rescue you from Fran again.”
“I have plans for Fran. I just have to implement them slowly. She’s going to be part of the big shake-up.”
They smiled together. “I’m going to work another couple of hours. Maybe cut out at six?”
“Perfect. I’d like to visit Gram.”
“Of course.”
Chapter 20
Riley had texted Ben and let him know she wasn’t going to be able to quit, and if he wanted to see his gram before she went to bed, he’d need to leave without her.
He was glad he did, because all three of his brothers
were outside with their wives and children when Eve and Eden and he pulled in. The trailer’s backyard wasn’t very big, but there was a small swing set for the kids.
Gram was set up in a lawn chair, a blanket tucked around her legs even though it wasn’t cold out.
“She looks like a queen holding court,” Eve said as they walked back.
That was true. Ben’s heart tugged in his chest. Harris sat in a lawn chair beside Gram, one hand on the gentle swell of her belly. Turbo was sprawled at her feet. Occasionally one of Torque’s twins would come over and jump on him, and he’d wrestle easily with them.
Torque sat on the ground facing Gram, Cassidy leaned back between his legs, watching the kids and laughing, his arms around her.
Tough lay on his side, one hand propping his head up, his body curved around Kelly who sat on the ground and leaned against his stomach.
“There’s Ben and the twins,” Turbo called out. “Come on over. We’re out of lawn chairs, so you’ll have to find a spot on the ground.”
Eve and Eden walked over and kissed Gram on the forehead before heading to the swing set to push Torque and Cassidy’s dark-haired twins. Ben sat on the ground, leaning back on his hands. He couldn’t quite meet Tough’s eyes. He’d thrown the note on his dresser but hadn’t seen Tough much since. He couldn’t believe that Tough had seen right through everything.
“Where’s Riley?” Cassidy asked.
“She got caught up in some work at the terminal and told me to come without her.” He hadn’t realized how much he wanted a wife—not just any wife, but Riley—until he’d started spending time with her. But seeing his brothers and their wives together made the longing so much worse. Why couldn’t he have that happiness? Not that he begrudged it of his brothers. He certainly didn’t. After the childhood they’d all had, he deserved to be happy.
“How are you feeling today, Gram?”
“Like I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she said with a snap in her voice. Ben grinned. She hadn’t lost her spark.
The talk turned to shop, and Ben enjoyed the easy camaraderie of men who worked with their hands for a living.
He’d been there an hour and dusk had fallen when a car pulled in. From his position, he could only see headlights, but he was talking to Torque about fuel-to-air ratios in the new CAT engines, and since he wasn’t expecting anyone, he didn’t pay much attention. Not even when his sisters hurried past to greet the newcomer.
Then Riley walked around the corner of the trailer, Eve and Eden on either side of her, their arms around her narrow waist.
Ben’s heart stopped, and longing ripped through his chest. What if their marriage were real? He closed his eyes. He had to stop thinking like that. Just because his little brothers all were happy in their marriages didn’t mean that he needed the same thing.
He opened his eyes to find Riley’s gaze sweeping across the yard, taking in the domestic couples sprawled on the ground, the kids on the swing set and playing in the sand, and Gram in her chair. Lastly, her eyes rested on him. She smiled, and his heart catapulted straight up into the sky. He didn’t move. He didn’t trust himself to not get up and go right to her and take her in his arms.
“Hey, everyone,” Riley said. She moved away from the twins and bent down to kiss Gram on the cheek. “How are you doing, Gram?”
Ben listened to her talk, his heart thumping in his chest. Where was she going to sit? If the couples weren’t arranged the way they were, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But if they were the only couple that wasn’t together, it would be obvious.
Ben leaned his head back, looking up at the stars that were just starting to shine. He turned his head. Tough stared at him. When Ben met his gaze, his brow moved a fraction of an inch. Whatever that was supposed to mean.
Maybe a reminder that he was supposed to tell Riley he loved her. Like he even knew what love was. He hadn’t seen much of it in his life. His sisters and his mom.
Loving his mom had hurt. Loving his sisters had meant a lot of tough decisions. Neither scenario was how he felt toward Riley.
Something brushed one of his raised knees. A moment later, Riley settled between his legs, her posture confident. Only he could see the insecurity on her face as she waited to see his reaction.
His whole body buzzed and ached. He’d wanted this for so long. Even if his entire family was watching, he would still savor and enjoy finally holding her close.
He sat up and wrapped her in his arms, nuzzling her ear. “Thank you,” he said, gratitude flowing like a river in flood stage through his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered back. “I didn’t realize it was a couples’ thing tonight.” She turned her head so their lips were almost touching. He breathed her air.
“It didn’t matter.” But he lied.
“You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m not.”
She smiled.
“You guys are acting like newlyweds, all whispery,” Turbo said.
Eve choked.
Eden cleared her throat. “They’re always like that.”
Ben’s eyes shot to her. When did she become such a good liar?
He felt Tough’s eyes on him again. Funny how that brother could say a whole speech with just a look. And even funnier how nothing missed his observation. He turned, just to make sure that Tough wasn’t going to rat him out.
No worries there. Tough had a small smile on his face. Ben held his gaze, leaning forward a fraction and kissing Riley on the temple. He returned the small smile.
If it felt this good to hold her, to have her walk over and choose him, how good would it be if she really meant it? If she actually did choose him over everything, including her dad and his company?
Even as he sat there, enjoying the closeness and warmth of Riley, he knew that was the only way he’d ever completely trust her after what she did.
A couple of kids had come over and settled down beside their parents. The adults were chatting soft and low when a rumble vibrated on the ground.
“Sounds like a Harley,” Ben said.
A headlight flashed.
“It’s Dusty,” Torque replied
Some dude on a bike.
Did Riley like motorcycles? Funny that’s the first thing that entered his head. He’d wanted a bike back in his twenties, but it wasn’t practical with the twins, and he’d never gotten one.
Maybe he’d buy one when he left Riley. A consolation of sorts. But until then, he was going to enjoy every moment with her, memorizing the feeling of not being alone anymore.
The bike pulled up to the edge of the trailer and shut off. Ben glanced over at it—some skinny guy in black leather sat on it, feet braced on each side. He turned back to Riley, gauging her reaction. If he bought a bike now, they could ride around together for the rest of the summer and fall. They couldn’t talk like in a car, but she’d be snuggled up against him every day.
But her brows were drawn together, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
He nuzzled her ear. “I love that look.”
She stiffened. “Yeah, most guys do.”
He pulled back at her annoyed tone, ignoring the greetings of the adults around them. “Huh?”
She was looking in the direction of the bike but cut her eyes to his. “The girl-biker look. You didn’t have to tell me. Most guys dig it.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed. He glanced over at the Harley. Sure enough, the slender boy had taken his helmet off, revealing long blond hair and delicate facial features. “That’s a girl.”
“You keep stating the obvious...” Riley tilted her head. “You weren’t talking about Dusty?”
“That she’s a girl? Yeah.” He was missing something. But he couldn’t figure out what.
“That you love the blond-on-a-bike look, taking her helmet off and shaking her hair out.”
Oh, she thought he’d been talking about Dusty. “Missed it. I was looking at this.” He used one finger to stroke the lines between her eyes. “You l
ook like that at work sometimes when you’re trying to figure out a really tough problem. It’s that super-intelligent woman look that really drives me crazy.” He hadn’t meant to let all that come tumbling out of his mouth, but it was too late.
Riley smiled. “You really weren’t looking at her.”
“I don’t know why you find that so hard to believe. There’s only one woman I’ve ever been interested in looking at.” And that really wasn’t supposed to come out, either.
She stared into his eyes, and he couldn’t look away, like their gazes had been welded together. The sounds around them faded away, and he hung on her every breath, waiting to see what she’d do with his declaration. Would she brush it off? Would she make one of her own?
“Ben, Riley, I don’t think you’ve ever met Dusty.” Turbo stretched out a booted toe and nudged Ben’s knee, effectively breaking the spell between them.
“No, we haven’t,” Ben said, reluctantly moving to stand.
“Don’t get up,” Dusty said, with her hand out. Ben liked that she held it out to Riley first and spoke to her. “You two look too cozy down there to move.”
“I feel too cozy to move,” Riley said, her smile genuine. She shook Dusty’s hand. “It’s great to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Dusty’s blond hair contrasted with her black leather jacket.
Ben reluctantly took his hand away from Riley to shake Dusty’s. The callouses on her palm surprised him a little. That’s when he noticed the slight droop of her eyes. Despite her smile, she seemed sad. Maybe she felt the same way he had when he walked back, alone, into all the happy couples.
Dusty moved on, and Ben tucked his arm back around Riley.
“That’s the kind of girl I’d always pictured you with.”
“Funny, since I could never picture you with anyone but me.”
She snorted like he’d made a joke, and he was a little glad she took it that way, although he hadn’t meant it as a joke.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Dusty rides a Harley for goodness’ sake.”
“So?”
“Isn’t that something you’re interested in?”
Bring Me Back Page 14
