by L. Wilder
We were all talking amongst ourselves, when the backdoor flew open, and Blaze walked in with a big smile plastered on his face. As he sat down beside us, he announced, “We got good news. Wyatt’s remission is still holding, and his stats are better than ever.”
“That’s awesome, brother,” Riggs told him as he patted him on the back.
“Yes, it is.” Blaze chuckled as he added, “Wyatt was pretty pleased with himself.”
I smiled as I replied, “I bet he was. He’s just like his old man … taking credit where credit is due.”
“You got that right.” Blaze looked over to Gus and said, “Sorry for holding y’all up.”
“No need to apologize, brother. We’re just glad to hear that everything turned out okay.”
Blaze nodded, then asked, “So, what’s the plan for the run tomorrow?”
“Same as last, only this time, Rider will be filling in for Riggs.” Gus looked over to Riggs as he told him, “I know you think you’re up for it, but I’m not sending you on a run like this until I know you’re at a hundred percent.”
I could tell from Riggs’s expression that he wasn’t happy about Gus’s decision, but he knew better than to argue. “Whatever you think is best.”
“I think you all will agree that Rider has proven himself to be an asset to the club. If he’s able to step up to the plate tomorrow, I think we should consider patching him in.”
“Agreed,” I replied without reservation.
“Plan to start loading tomorrow morning at five. That should put you on the road well before six and in Mobile by noon.” He then turned to Shadow and said, “As always, I’ll expect you and Blaze to have all artillery checked before nightfall.”
“You got it,” Blaze answered.
“Good deal.” As Gus stood up, he announced, “I’ll see you boys first thing in the morning.”
Once he was gone, I pulled out my phone to see if I had any messages from Riley. When I saw that she hadn’t texted, I quickly returned my phone to my pocket. As soon as I looked up, I found Blaze and Riggs smiling at me like two schmucks who were up to no good. “What?”
“You expecting a call from someone?” Riggs taunted.
“No.”
“You sure about that?” T-Bone taunted.
Blaze had a mischievous grin on his face as he snickered, “You looked pretty disappointed when you checked your phone. Did your girl, Riley, forget to touch base?”
“You guys got nothing better to do than give me a hard fucking time?” I complained.
“Nope.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” I groaned.
“So, what’s the deal? You got a thing for the farmer’s daughter or what?” Blaze asked.
“And if I do?”
“Then, I’d say it’s about damn time,” Riggs scoffed.
As I stood up, I looked over to my brothers and said, “I’ll see you boys in the morning.”
“That’s all we’re gonna get?” Blaze fussed.
“Yep, so stop acting like a bunch of girls and let me get out of here. I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”
As I started for the door, Riggs said, “You should take her some flowers.”
“No way. It’s too soon for fucking flowers,” T-Bone argued. “You start that shit now and you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Blaze shook his head, leaving no doubt that he disagreed with their suggestions. “Just take her somewhere cool … like Graceland or the Brooks.”
“I’ve got it covered,” I shouted as I walked out the back door.
As I started towards my bike, I wondered if I should’ve taken the time to listen to my brothers’ advice. Over the years, I’d had my share of hookups, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a woman for a second time, much less actually taken them out. There was always the possibility that Riley wouldn’t like what I had planned for our afternoon together, but I decided to go with my gut and take a chance. When I arrived at the address she’d given me, I found her waiting in the parking lot. I was pleased to see that she was wearing a jacket with her jeans and boots. I pulled up next to her, and when I offered her a helmet, she asked, “We’re taking your bike?”
“If you’re up for it, I thought we’d take advantage of this nice weather.”
A smile crossed her face as she lifted the helmet to her head and started to fasten the strap. “Yes! I’m definitely up for it.”
“I was hoping you would say that.” I extended my hand and helped her get on behind me. Once she was settled, I asked, “You ready?”
“Wait … give me some pointers first.”
“You ride horses, Riley. Just do what comes natural.” I gave her a wink as I said, “You’ve got this.”
She placed her hands on my hips, and seconds later we were out of the parking lot and traveling towards Mississippi. The wind was brisk, but it wasn’t too bad with the sun shining. Riley’s grip tightened as I sped through busy streets, letting me know that she was nervous, but it didn’t take her long to relax and loosen her hold. As we started towards the interstate, Riley leaned against me, resting her chin on my shoulder. “This might be better than horseback riding.”
“You think so?”
“I don’t know. It’s pretty close.” When we started down Riverside Drive, she turned and looked out at the Mississippi River and sighed. “The views are just incredible.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
When I eased off the main road and took the Mississippi exit, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
As we continued towards our destination, she became more and more curious. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on this road.”
Considering it was the only road into Tunica from Memphis, I was hoping she hadn’t ever been. “I’ve only been on it a couple of times.”
“How long will it be before we get there?”
I smiled to myself as I asked, “Do you need a break? We can stop at the—”
“No,” she stopped me. “I was just curious.”
“It won’t be much longer. Maybe fifteen minutes or so.”
She remained silent for the next twenty minutes, and then, suddenly, she tapped me on the arm. “Wait! Is that one of the casinos?”
“It is.”
“You’re kidding me! I’ve always wanted to go, but I’ve never gotten the chance!”
Hearing the excitement in her voice was like music to my ears. “So, this will be your first trip to a casino?”
“Yep. My very first!”
I could feel the excitement rolling off of her as we pulled up to the Horseshoe Casino and parked. Once we’d removed our helmets, I reached for her hand and led her inside. I was thankful to see that it wasn’t very crowded, so we wouldn’t have to worry about waiting in any lines. I glanced over at Riley and smiled when I saw the wide-eyed expression on her face. She looked spellbound as she studied the various slot machines. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze as I asked, “Where do you want to start?”
“I have no idea. There’s too many to choose from.”
I reached in my pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. As I offered it to her, I said, “Why don’t you start with one of the slots?”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s why I brought you here.”
She hesitated, but she eventually took the twenty from my hand and carried it over to one of the machines. Once she inserted the money, she looked over to me and asked, “Okay. What do I do now?”
“This is a penny slot, so just choose the amount you want to bet and push the button. If the lines match up, then you win.”
“That seems easy enough.” She chose her wager, then pressed the button. The music started playing and different colored fish started jumping around on the screen. When the fish all lined up and the machine fell silent, Riley looked up at me and asked, “What happened?”
I chuckled as I told her, “You lost.”
> “I did?”
“You did, but it happens.” I motioned my hand towards the machine. “Give her another go.”
“Okay.” She tried again and again, hoping for a different result. Unfortunately, she wasn’t having any luck. After losing fifteen out of the twenty dollars, she looked up at me and said, “I’m losing all your money.”
“It’s not mine anymore. As soon as it touched your hand it became yours.” I reached in my pocket for another twenty. “I’m about to give it a go myself, so don’t stop on my account.”
She watched as I sat down at the machine next to her and inserted my money. Once I started playing, she turned her attention back to her game and started playing once again. She nearly leapt out of her seat when all the fish finally lined up. “Look! I won six dollars!”
Before I could respond, she was back at it, and after a few more hits, she was up forty bucks. Just as I’d hoped, she was having a great time, but something told me, she wasn’t hard to please. Riley was one of those women who appreciated the small pleasures in life, and it was a characteristic that I was growing fond of very quickly. After several more rounds, I looked over to her and asked, “Do you want to try a different game?”
“Sure!”
Once we’d cashed out, Riley followed me over to the high-stakes slots and watched as I entered my credit voucher into one of the ten-dollar machines. I was up a couple hundred bucks, so I decided to go for it. I placed my bet and immediately lost. I tried again, only to lose once more. I was about to hit it again, when she asked, “Wait … are these ten dollars a bet?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re betting five lines at a time. Doesn’t that mean you just lost fifty dollars?”
“No. I lost a hundred.”
“Murphy! That’s crazy,” she fussed.
“You gotta play big to win big.” I hit it again, and this time I won. “See. I’m up three hundred.”
“Holy cow!” She went over to one of the five-dollar machines beside me and inserted her voucher. After her first try, she squealed, “Look at that! I won a hundred dollars!”
As we continued to play several more rounds, we won some, then lost some more. I played a few more bets, then walked over to see how Riley was doing. “How’s it going?”
“I was up a hundred and twenty, and now I’m back to eighty.” As she hit the cash-out button, she said, “I think I’m gonna stop while I’m ahead.”
“You sure? We could go over and hit the blackjack table or roulette?”
“You can play whatever you want and I’ll watch with bated breath, but I’m good.” She held up her paper voucher as she announced, “I’m tickled with my eighty-dollar win.”
“All right, then. How about something to eat? There are several restaurants to choose from if you’re hungry.”
“Yeah, I could go for a bite to eat.”
“We’ll need to redeem our winnings first.”
She followed me over to the cash kiosk and got in line behind me. I had gotten my cash, and when I turned around, I quickly noticed that Riley was no longer behind me. Apparently, she’d decided she needed to give it one more go and hit one of the machines close by. Just as I was heading over to her, the machine she was using lit up and music started blaring, announcing that she’d gotten a big win. I had no idea how much she’d won, but from the look on her face, I thought she’d won a million or more. With an animated gasp, she asked, “Are you seeing this?”
“I am. How much did you just win?”
“I have no idea!” she shrieked.
With all the noise and flashing lights, it was hard to tell. I took a step closer and noticed that she was playing one of the penny machines. For a moment, I was worried that she might be disappointed by her winnings, but she wasn’t. Not even close. When everything finally stilled and her final total flashed on the screen, she jumped out of her seat and cheered, “I won three hundred dollars!”
“How about that.” I couldn’t get over it. By the expression on her face, you would’ve thought she’d hit the jackpot. I couldn’t believe that a girl who’d grown up the way she had would be so tickled over so little. There was a lot more to Riley than I ever imagined, and I looked forward to finding out everything about her. I smiled as I told her, “You’ve got beginner’s luck working in your favor.”
“I can’t believe it! I’ve never won anything like this before.”
Seeing that smile got me right to the core, and I knew right then, I would do everything in my power to see it again and again. “Do you want to give it one more go?”
“Not a chance!” She pressed the cash-out button, and as soon as she had her voucher, she headed straight for the cash kiosk. Once she was done, she looked down at the money and studied it for a moment before offering the whole wad to me. “It wouldn’t be right for me to take this.”
“You won that money fair and square, Riley. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna take it from you.” I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her closer. “I would’ve paid that and a hundred times over to see that smile on your face.”
“Thank you for all this. I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.”
“Right back at ya.” I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. I’d intended on the kiss being brief, but the moment our mouths met, I ached for more. Feeling that same deep longing, she wound her arms around my neck, inching closer as we both got lost in the moment. Just as I was about lose all self-control, I heard someone behind me clear their throat. I quickly pulled back, breaking free from our embrace. When I looked over my shoulder, I found an elderly lady who was five feet tall at best. She was wearing a pale-pink sweater with a strand of pearls, and she was scowling at me like I’d just kicked her poodle. Apparently, we were blocking her path to one of the games she wanted to play, so I eased Riley out of the way. I took out a five-dollar bill from my winnings, and as I offered it to the lady, I said, “Sorry about that. Have a round on us.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She took the money from my hand, and Riley’s mouth dropped open in surprise when the lady shuffled past us, grumbling, “You kids need to get a room.”
I figured we’d caused enough of a scene, so I reached for Riley’s hand and, hoping they’d have something quick and easy we could eat, led her into one of the smaller restaurants. It wasn’t much, just your typical café, but Riley didn’t seem to mind as we made our way over to one of the tables in the back. We hadn’t been sitting long when a waitress came over to us. Once she’d taken our order and left, I looked over to Riley and asked, “How did your test go this morning?”
“I think I did okay. I won’t know for sure until my professor posts the grades.”
“I don’t think you ever mentioned what you were getting your degree in.”
She grimaced as she replied, “Finance. I was thinking that I could use it to help my dad out at the farm, but with this degree, I’ll have options. I could be a financial planner, a financial analyst, or an investor relations associate.”
“Not sure I know what any of those are, but they sound pretty impressive.”
“I don’t know about that,” she scoffed. “It can be a little boring, but I thought if I could find a new company … one that really speaks to me, then it would be kind of cool to help them get off the ground.”
“I think that would be very cool.”
Before I had a chance to respond, the waitress brought our food and drinks over and placed them on the table. As we ate, Riley explained how torn she felt. Even though a lot of things had changed over the past few months, she still felt obligated to help her father at the farm. “I’m not sure what I’ll do. I won’t graduate until this summer, so I still have some time to figure it out.”
“You’ve gotta do what makes you happy, Riley. I’m sure that your father would agree.”
“I know. I just need some time to figure things out.” After she took a bite of her sandwich, she asked, “What about you?”
“What about me
?”
“What do you do for work? You do have an actual job, right?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I got a job. Several, in fact. The club has a garage where we do small renovations and engine repair. I work there mainly.”
“Is working on engines something you learned from your brothers, or did you pick it up somewhere else?”
“A little of both, I guess. I’ve always had a thing for engines.” I shrugged. “It’s just one of those things that came easy to me.”
“I’m impressed. I wouldn’t know the first thing about fixing an engine.”
“And I wouldn’t know the first thing about finance, so we’re even.”
When we finished eating, we got back on the bike and rode back to Memphis. The sun was just starting to set as we pulled into the parking lot at her college campus. When I parked, Riley got off and quickly removed her helmet. She wore a somber look as she said, “I had a great time.”
I pulled off my helmet, then tugged her close. “I did too.”
“Well,” she shrugged, “I guess I better get going.”
There was something about the hesitation in her voice that made me think she wasn’t ready for our time to end any more than I was. Hoping she might be up for staying out a little longer, I told her, “It’s still early.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Stay.”
Her brows furrowed as she asked, “I guess I could … if you’re okay with that.”