by K.L. Bauman
Chapter Thirty Eight
Forever
He was dreaming of her the next morning. Her face smiled down at him, bringing the sun with it. He smiled back and slowly opened his eyes. Releasing a startled sound, Kayde jumped slightly. She was really there, looking down at him and smiling! “Whoa! That was freaky. I was just dreaming about you looking down and smiling at me, and then I opened my eyes and you were looking down and smiling at me!”
Becca giggled. “Ah, you’ve had a very powerful dream whisper. You brought me out of dream land into reality.” She sat on the bed next to him and leaned in for a kiss. They finally had to pull apart to catch their breath.
“That probably wasn’t a good idea while you’re lying there so temptingly in your bed,” Becca said.
Kayde chuckled. “Maybe you should kiss me again,” he teased.
Becca licked her lips, considering his offer. She shook her head. “Later. I have a surprise for you. Well, Chris, Toby, Ryan, and I have a surprise for you. Come on.”
She dragged him out of bed, forcing him along behind her. She shoved him in Chris’ truck and they drove to town. Kayde was thankful he’d worn a T-shirt and sweat shorts to bed--Becca hadn’t even given him time to get dressed.
Turning the truck near Glenville’s second grocery store, Becca rounded the corner and pulled up in front of Chris’ future motorcycle shop. The weeds had been cleared away and the windows polished. Paint cans sat ready and waiting by the door. “Wow. Chris has already started fixing his shop up!” Kayde exclaimed.
Becca jerked her head toward him. “How did you know this was Chris’?”
The next half hour, Kayde quickly explained his out-of-body experience. When he was finished, Becca waited for a long while, her brow crinkled in that adorable way. Finally, a radiant smile smoothed away the crinkles. “That really was you that Toby and Ryan captured?” He nodded. “So, you really were my guardian angel.”
Kayde laughed. “I guess I was, sort of. I really wasn’t much help at the time, though” Becca rolled her eyes as they stepped out of the truck. She made it to the passenger side swiftly, ready to help Kayde. He was feeling stronger today, but used the excuse to wrap his arm around Becca’s shoulders and pull her close to him. He’d never get tired of touching her.
Becca led him into the building. It took a moment for Kayde’s eyes to adjust to the light, but when they did, he saw his family, Chris, Toby, Tara, Ryan, and even GH the dog standing around a bulging tarp. “What’s this?” Kayde asked as all eyes turned to him and Becca.
“Well,” Chris said. “It’s, well, how do I explain? Maybe you should see for yourself.” Kayde’s dad helped Chris pull the tarp away. What had been hidden underneath nearly caused him to fall to his knees. The Shadow lay before him in a crumpled heap of metal, the floor around it cluttered with dismembered parts. Kayde had to fight back tears. I’m sorry, Grandpa!
Chris spoke, breaking the heavy silence caused by Kayde’s shock and sorrow. “We found it behind Caroline’s. It wasn’t harmed by the fire. Which means,” he placed a hand on Kayde’s shoulder, “If you’re willing to stick around and help me with this place, your Shadow will be the first project we tackle.” He gave Kayde a steady look as the corner of the left side of his mouth curled up.
When Kayde didn’t respond, his dad spoke, “Kayde, Chris is offering you a job--he needs a mechanic. I told him how well you did with this motorcycle, and he said he’s seen you work on it, too. You have potential here. I think we could even manage getting you into some mechanics classes so you could get certified.”
After several, overwhelmed, silent minutes, Kayde finally shook his head. “I don’t know what to say.” He didn’t deserve this. He felt guilty having been offered something so amazing.
“Say yes,” Becca said softly. Kayde looked into her shining eyes. He couldn’t deny her, he knew. He was helpless against anything she asked.
Keeping his gaze on Becca, he said, “Yes.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Kayde’s mom said gleefully, clapping her hands. Hugs were passed around, and Kayde made certain to give Chris an extra grateful pat on the back.
“There’s more,” Chris said. As Kayde and Becca, followed by the crew, trailed after Chris through the shop, Kayde could hear Ryan talking with Toby and Tara. “You want to do some hunting tonight? You’ve never gone, Tara. Did Toby show you the footage we got last time?”
Kayde couldn’t help chuckling as Becca rolled her eyes and spoke under her breath, “One track mind!”
They passed a pile of discarded crates and entered a smaller room. Kayde stopped short at the sight that greeted him, his pulse quickening. Mrs. K’s--or, actually, Henry’s--Indian motorcycle rested in the center of the room, polished and glistening under the fluorescents like a jewel.
“Mrs. K let me bring her down. I’m going to display her in the front window, just for show. But she instructed that I was to let you ride her whenever you wanted.”
Approaching the old motorcycle, Kayde’s trembling fingers tentatively touched it. It was a thing of beauty, although a newer model than what his grandfather’s had been. His grandpa’s, Kayde thought, had been much cruder, with a bucket/saddle seat that always seemed to him like it belonged on a tractor. Remembering that, he wished now his grandpa hadn’t sold it when they’d moved to Texas.
Henry’s bike, painted the color of its cherry condition, sported polished skirted fenders that glistened under the lights. The fringed leather saddle looked to have been recently oiled, and the tires appeared new. Kayde’s image reflected in the shining chrome handle bars. A wide smile spread across his face. He knew he didn’t dare to ride her yet, but when his body healed, he would take her out every day if Mrs. K allowed. I’ll have to get to you later, when my body is healed. But I promise, I will get to you! For Grandpa.
Kayde had been so involved with examining the Indian, he hadn’t noticed that everyone had left the room except Becca. She leaned against the door frame, watching him. “Your dad told me about your grandpa. I know now why the Shadow means so much to you. We’ll get her going again. In the mean time,” she said walking toward him, “you can ride Henry’s. Your grandpa would probably like that.”
Placing his arm around Becca’s shoulders, Kayde sighed contentedly. “ I know he would.”
Everyone spent several hours at Chris’ shop, making plans, helping him clean, and just hanging out. Kayde got tired easily, so Becca motioned for him to sit with her on a denim quilt she’d spread across the floor. She was leaning against the wall, so he lay down and placed his head in her lap, hoping she’d stroke his hair with her fingers. She did.
They sat in silence, listening to the others talk excitedly and to Tayla’s giggles as she playing with GH. Kayde was glad she’d been able to have a canine friend here. They’d had to leave her dog behind in their haste to get to Montana, and she was missing her poodle. GH seemed to be enjoying herself, too.
With Becca stroking Kayde’s hair, it wasn’t long before he drifted to sleep. He dreamed of riding the Indian, with Becca sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, her body snuggled against his back, the wind in their hair, their laughter trailing behind them. Sometimes, they were on his grandpa’s old motorcycle, other times, it was Henry’s. It was heaven.
But then, the dream changed. They were standing next to Henry’s motorcycle as Toby approached them. His face was dark and Kayde couldn’t make out his expression. But the energy rippling off of the boy was unmistakable; sheer terror. He was waving his hands, yelling for him and Becca to run. Two dark, ghostly forms were chasing him.
Then, the Indian, which had been resting quietly beside them, spontaneously roared to life.
Becca and Kayde jumped, staring at the motorcycle. The blurred form of a man appeared astride the bike. His hair was slightly gray, but Kayde couldn’t make out his other features. His voice trailed o
ut in an eerie echo, “Let’s go, they’re coming!”
Kayde and Becca both jolted out of their slumber as the sound of a roaring motorcycle engine echoed through the building. Kayde sat up, his heart racing. Another one of Becca’s dream whispers? Kayde looked at Becca and knew in that instant that she’d had the same dream--her eyes were as big as bike tires. But the last part wasn’t a dream. They could still hear the engine running.
Becca’s heart was pounding hard enough for Kayde to feel shock waves from it brush against his body. He was too afraid to move. Then, voices trailed from the small room where the Indian was stored. Chris was telling someone about the motorcycle, his tone youthfully excited. Toby’s and Ryan’s voices trailed out as they asked questions.
Relaxing, Kayde ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at Becca. She was slowly releasing her breath between her lips. She managed to smile as she said, “Dream whisper.”
Even though the Indian hadn’t been started by a ghost, and Toby seemed to be fine, the feeling from the dream clung to Kayde’s gut like a leech. Maybe it had just been their strong connection that had caused them both to experience the same dream, but Kayde wondered… He kept silent, though, not wanting Becca to worry.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close so that her music hummed through his heart and mind, Kayde smiled down at her angel face. “Thank goodness. I was ready to kidnap you and take you away from here again.”
Becca relaxed more, leaning against him so her warmth seeped into his skin. “You are welcome to kidnap me any time,” she said and giggled. She rested her head under his chin. “As long as we’re together forever, I’ll be happy.”
Kayde kissed the top of her head, feeling slightly intoxicated over her words. He vowed that, no matter what, forever was exactly how long he and Becca would be together.
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About the author:
K.L. Bauman grew up in the wide open valleys and badland areas of Eastern Montana. It was the perfect place to let the imagination run free. She now lives with her husband and two beautiful daughters in a small town in Eastern Montana ~ much like Glenville. She enjoys spending time with God and her family, writing, reading, watching movies, and nature.
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