by L. Wilder
“Somehow, I doubt it,” she grinned. “Have you thought anymore about the farm? Or reading the letter?”
“Trying to change the subject?”
“Maybe. You gonna answer?” she asked with her eyebrow raised.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I finally read the letters.”
“And?”
“I guess you could say I have a better understanding of some things.”
“Good. I was hoping you would.”
“Been thinking I might work out a deal with you.”
Her voice was filled with intrigue as she asked, “What kind of deal?”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow when you’re feeling a little better. For now, you just concentrate on getting better. The business with the farm can wait.”
“Not fair! Now I’m curious,” she laughed.
Her attention was drawn to the door when one of the nurses came in. She needed to check Marley’s vitals one last time so they could finalize her paperwork. Just as the nurse finished up her work and left, a man in his early thirties charged into the room. “What the hell happened to you??”
She held up her hand, trying to slow him down, and shouted, “Brandon, just relax! I’m fine.”
“If you were fine, you wouldn’t be in the damn hospital, Marley Jo!” he argued.
“True, I guess, but I’m fine now,” she smiled reassuringly.
He finally took a breath and started to calm down as he asked, “What happened this time?”
“I dislocated my shoulder when I fell off a ladder. The doctor said I was lucky and should heal really fast.”
“Why were you on a ladder?”
She looked over to me and explained, “I’d gone up into the loft, so I could talk to Smokey about his farm. We were trying to sort some things out, when I realized I was late to meet you. I got in a rush and fell off the stupid ladder. It was all my fault. You know I’m a klutz.” She paused for a minute and then motioned over to me as she announced, “This is Smokey, by the way.”
Brandon walked over to me, with his perfectly combed hair and freshly ironed button-up shirt and khakis, and extended his hand as he said, “Brandon. Good to meet you.”
I’d like to say that his was a sincere greeting, but it wasn’t. I could see the judgment in his eyes as he looked at my cut and tattoos. I’d seen it before from guys like him, but I ignored it and replied, “Good to meet you too. Sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
He nodded and then immediately went back over to MJ. “Let’s get you home.”
“Okay, but I need a minute with Smokey, first.” When he didn’t budge, she pushed, “Alone.”
He looked back over to me and hesitated before he told her, “Yeah… I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
We both watched as he walked out the door, and then MJ said, “Thanks for waiting for me. I’m really sorry you had to spend most of your night in a hospital waiting room.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, doll. Just glad you’re okay.”
“I want to hear more about this deal of yours,” she smiled.
“All in good time,” I told her as I leaned over, fully intending on just kissing her forehead, but those beautiful, supple lips were just too damn tempting—she was too damn tempting. Unable to resist, I placed my hand under her chin, gently lifting her mouth towards mine, as I settled my lips against hers. Pure perfection. Just one moment, one simple kiss, and I knew I’d never want another woman like I wanted her. It was like nothing I’d ever imagined. I felt whole with her, like the missing pieces of my soul had finally been found, and I wanted more, much more. The tips of her fingers brushed across the back of my neck as I deepened the kiss. Her soft, warm lips were like a magnet pulling me in with a force so strong, I thought I’d never be able to break free.
But unfortunately, I had to. Her brother was standing right outside the door waiting to take her home from the hospital. It was time, so I reluctantly broke free from our embrace and stepped back. I didn’t want to leave her, and I could see by the look in her eyes, she felt the same way. Sadly, I didn’t have a choice. It was time for me to get back to the club and talk to Cotton. “Take care of yourself, MJ. I’ll be in touch.”
She smiled. “I look forward to it.”
* * *
After leaving the hospital, I headed over to the clubhouse to find Cotton. I found him in the bar talking with Cassidy. I sat down on the stool next to him and asked, “You got a minute, Prez?”
Cassidy leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss before she offered, “I’ll grab you both a beer.”
Once she’d placed the beers on the counter, Cotton turned his attention towards me and asked, “How ya making it, brother?”
“It’s been a rough couple of days, but I’m hanging in.”
“Sorry to hear about your old man. Can’t be easy, especially the way things were between you two.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I started. “He left me the land. Wants me to take over the farm.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“Ah man, there’s no way to explain how I feel about it. It’s all fucked up, Prez, but it’s my old man. What the hell am I supposed to do?”
“No one can make that decision except you, but I’ll tell ya… running a farm takes a lot of work and a shitload of time.”
“It does.”
“You want to take that on?”
“I think it’s something I’ve gotta see through. I just need you to tell me the best way to make that happen. I don’t want to let the club down. The brothers come first.”
“How long are we talking about here? A couple of weeks? A couple of months?”
“I just need time to get things sorted. Going to hire a foreman to run everything, but for now, I’m gonna need a few weeks of going back and forth ‘til things get rolling.”
“I’m good with a couple of weeks. I’ll get one of the brothers to cover for you with the prospects ‘til then, but if it goes longer than that, we’ll have to have a sit down.”
“Won’t come to that.”
“Good to hear. We’re set to start moving cargo in two days. We can make it without you for the run, but we’ll need your help loading,” Cotton explained. Nitro delivered our first shipment to the warehouse a few days ago, and it was time for us to get it loaded and delivered to Salt Lake. From there, the Salt Lake chapter would move our shipment, along with what they’d been able to pull together, to the Denver chapter. The pipeline would continue until the Memphis chapter got the complete shipment to Louisiana.
“Whatever you need,” I assured him.
Chapter 8
Marley
“What was that all about?” Brandon asked.
I knew the question was coming. I was just surprised it had taken him so long to ask. We’d been in the car for at least three minutes before he’d even spoken. Even though I knew the questions would be coming, I just wasn’t sure how I wanted to answer them. I knew Brandon wouldn’t understand the pull I felt towards Smokey. He’d think I was insane or just looking for trouble, but I liked Smokey… a lot. I didn’t care what he thought, so I said, “I already told you.”
“I’m not talking about the fall, Marley,” he barked. “What was that look you were giving him?”
“What look?” I asked defensively. I thought I’d done a pretty good job of hiding my attraction to him.
“You know what look. The one you get when you are determined to get what you want. You were looking at him like he was the last piece of chocolate on the planet! Please tell me you don’t have a thing for this guy,” Brandon pleaded.
“He happens to be a really nice guy, and, this may come as a huge shocker, but yes… I like him. I’m not planning to run off and marry him and have his babies, but I’d like to get to know him better.”
“You’re asking for trouble,” Brandon warned.
“You’ve never been one to judge a book by its cover. Don’t start now.
”
He shook his head and conceded, “Just be careful.”
“I always am,” I smiled.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Dad is going to have a conniption fit when he sees you all banged up like this.”
“He’s been so busy with work, maybe he won’t even notice,” I told him hopefully.
“No such luck there. He already called and said he’d be home tonight. He’s probably already there, especially after I called him.”
“You called him? So now he’s going to be all freaked out! Thanks for that,” I scolded.
“You weren’t answering your messages! I had no idea where you were. What was I supposed to do?”
I knew I would have done the same thing if I were in his shoes, so I said, “I get it. Don’t worry about it.”
Dread washed over me as we pulled up in the driveway and parked next to my dad’s car. The lights were on, and I could see my father peering out the side window as Brandon turned off the car’s engine. I’d barely had time to unbuckle my seatbelt before my dad was opening my car door. He knelt down beside me and asked, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m fine. Just had a little fall. You know how clumsy I can be,” I said.
“You had your brother and I worried sick,” he admonished. “We had no idea what happened to you.”
“I know. I’m really sorry.”
He leaned inside the car and placed his hand under my good arm, easing me carefully out of the car. Once I was standing, I leaned on his shoulder as he led me inside the house. He walked me over to the sofa and once I’d sat down, he placed a pillow behind me and asked, “Your brother called from the hospital and said you had some kind of fall?”
“Yeah. It was pretty stupid of me. I was in a rush, lost my balance and dislocated my shoulder when I hit the ground.”
“You were lucky, Marley Jo. From what your brother told me, it could’ve been much worse.”
“You know how Brandon tends to exaggerate things. It was just a little accident, Dad. I’m just fine. No need for you to worry.” I smiled. “How are you doing? I feel like I haven’t seen you in days.”
“I’m sorry about that, sweetheart. I’ve just been swamped at work. Trying to play catch up, but I can’t ever seem to get ahead.”
“You work too hard,” I warned.
“We got a couple of new leads in tonight, so expect things to get better soon.”
“I hope so,” I yawned.
“She’s going to need her medication in a few minutes, but it’s probably going to knock her out,” Brandon interrupted. He looked over to me and said, “It’s in your purse.”
“Do you want me to help you upstairs to your room, or do you want to sleep down here?” my father asked.
“It’s my shoulder, Dad. My legs are fine. I can manage getting upstairs by myself,” I assured him. I pulled my legs over to the edge of the sofa and started to ease myself up. Once I had my footing, I reached for my purse. “I love you both. I’ll see you in the morning.”
After I stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of water, I hobbled upstairs and went to my room. I was too tired to try and change my shirt, so I just pulled off my jeans and sat down on the edge of the bed. I was just about to take my pain reliever when my phone started ringing. I grabbed it out of my purse to look at the screen and noticed it was a number I’d never seen before. I quickly answered, “Hello?”
“Hey there, beautiful. Thought I’d check in and see how you were doing.”
As soon as I recognized Smokey’s voice, a big smile immediately spread across my face. Thoughts of our kiss came rushing back to me. The tickle of his beard, the warm, minty taste of his mouth, and the electric charge I’d felt the minute his lips pressed against mine had me feeling giddy as a schoolgirl. I had no idea how he’d managed to get my cell phone number, but I was too excited to care. I finally gathered my wits and said, “That was sweet of you. I’m doing pretty good.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“There’s only one problem. I may never get this shirt off with this crazy sling.”
“Hmm… I bet I could help you with that,” he chuckled. God, I loved the sound of his voice—deep and soulful, yet playful at the same time.
“I bet you could! Something tells me there’s not a lot you couldn’t do if you set your mind to it.”
“You think you’ve got me all figured out?”
“No, not even close.” I laughed. “For the most part, you’re a complete mystery to me.”
“What you see is what you get with me, doll. Plain and simple.”
I eased myself down on the pillow and closed my eyes as I asked, “So, Mr. What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get, what are you up to at this time of night?”
“Came on back to the house early tonight,” he explained, sounding relaxed like he was also lying down. “I’ve got a long one tomorrow.”
“Some big decisions coming up.”
“I figured you might help me with that,” he said lightheartedly. “But for now, I won’t keep you. I know you need to get some rest.”
“I’m glad you called,” I replied softly.
“You’ve got my number, now. If you need anything, just give me a call.”
“Okay.”
“Sleep well, MJ,” he said sweetly.
“You too, Smokey,” I told him before I hung up. With a big smile on my face, I placed the phone on the bedside table and scooted down into the covers. I was sore, tired, and had my arm wrapped up in an uncomfortable sling, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so happy. Even with the pain medication, I was too wired to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Smokey staring right back at me, but eventually I zoned out as the exhaustion of the day took over, and I finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up with my dad sitting next to me on the edge of the bed. I tried to sit up, but every muscle in my body ached, making it difficult to move without wincing in pain. When Dad noticed the expression on my face, he ordered, “You need to stay in bed today. Get some rest.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve got to go to work,” I groaned as I forced myself up into a sitting position.
“I already called Tom and told him what happened. I told him it would be at least Monday before you got back to work,” he explained.
“Why did you do that?” I fussed. “The last thing I need is for those ass…”
“Marley,” he scolded. “You need to rest. They completely understood and were concerned about you.”
“Um hmm,” I mumbled as I rolled my eyes. “I will rest today, but tomorrow, I’m going to work.”
“Just see how you are feeling first. Don’t push yourself so hard,” he urged me as he stood up to leave.
I could see the worry in his eyes, so I said, “Okay, but I’m sure I will feel much better by tomorrow.”
“I’m heading to work, but I’ll be by a little later to check on you. Call me if you need anything.”
“You know I will,” I replied sweetly. Just before he walked out of my room, I asked, “Have you started a pot of coffee?”
“Yep. I’ll go grab you a cup.”
“No, I’ll get it. I need to get up and move around a bit.” I waited until I heard him walk out the front door before I headed downstairs. If I had a hard time walking, I didn’t want him to see. I knew it would only make him worry even more. Once I heard the door click shut, I pulled my aching body out of bed and slowly made my way downstairs. I poured myself a big cup of coffee and shuffled into the living room.
I was hoping that after one day of resting, I’d be able to get back into the swing of things, but it didn’t quite work that way. By the third day, I was much better, but I was still pretty sore. With each day, I was steadily growing more impatient. Being cooped up in the house was driving me nuts, and I couldn’t stop worrying about getting behind at the office. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to tough it out and went upstairs to get dressed for work. Miraculously, I wa
s able to take my shirt and bra off fairly easily with minimal pain. Taking a shower and washing my hair wasn’t that bad, but when it came time to put on my bra, I hit a wall. I couldn’t get the damn clasp closed, much less get my arm through the strap. I tried it ten different ways.
I was reaching my wit’s end when I heard someone knocking on the front door.
“Coming!” I shouted as I put my robe over my shoulders and headed downstairs. I stopped at the door and tried to pull my robe closer around me as I asked, “Who is it?”
“MJ, it’s Smokey.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I unlocked the door. I peeked through the crack in the door and said, “Hey, Smokey. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Thought I’d come by and see how you were feeling.”
“I, um… I’m doing good. Really good,” I told him as I pulled at the fabric of my robe. He looked so good standing there wearing his dark jeans and boots, in his cut with a tight navy blue t-shirt underneath. His hair was pulled back away from his face, making it easier to see those beautiful eyes of his.
I was still trying to pull my robe around me when he took a step closer and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Uh… Yeah. I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just… Why don’t you come in and have a seat while I try to finish getting dressed?”
I opened the door a little wider and when he started walking towards me, I turned and rushed for the stairs. I’d just taken a few steps when he smiled and asked, “Need a hand?”
Remembering our conversation from the other night, I smiled as I shook my head and said, “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve got it.”
I hurried up to my room and stared at the clothes that were scattered over my bed. Since Smokey was waiting for me, I decided it was time to get creative. I tossed my robe on the bed and reached for my bra. After studying it for a minute, I clasped the hooks together, then dropped it to the floor. I wobbled around a bit as I tried to step inside the small circle I’d made with the straps. Once I had it in place, I bent down and pulled it up over my hips.