by Jamie Begley
“Cutting it is fine,” Willa said miserably, knowing she kept it in a bun most of the time, anyway.
“We’ll see what I can do. What color were you trying for?”
“I wanted blonde, but it washed me out and was hard to keep up. My brown is boring.”
“I’m going to give you a mix of the two. It’ll look hot when I’m done.”
Willa had been skeptical, but Sex Piston had come as close to hot as she was going to get. Her newfound confidence was sinking fast under Lucky’s gaze, though.
“You cut your hair?”
“Some. Sex Piston evened it and layered it for me.” She didn’t constantly have to brush it back from her face.
Lucky didn’t remark that he liked it like a normal fiancé would. Of course, there wasn’t anything between them, so why should he be considerate of her feelings?
“What did you want to talk about?” Willa prompted him, beginning to think he disliked her hair.
Lucky cleared his throat before taking a seat on her couch. Willa felt tactless for not asking him to sit immediately. Her mother would criticize her lack of manners, like she criticized most things she did.
“Would you like something to drink? A cup of coffee?”
“Coffee would be good.”
Willa went into the kitchen with Ria following behind her. She poured Lucky his coffee then went back into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table in front of him. Then she sank down on the couch with Ria sitting on her haunches next to her knees, and Willa absently rubbed the tense dog’s back.
“Knox told me you found a dog.”
“The kids have fallen in love with her. Leanne hasn’t been feeling well. I think she may be allergic. It’s going to be hard if we have to give her up.”
“We?”
“I’ve grown attached to her. It’s hard not to since she follows me everywhere. I’ve even started to let her go in the van when I make deliveries. She sits in the front seat. I never thought about owning a dog—”
“Knox found the children’s uncle. His name is Travis Russell, his mother’s second husband adopted him and gave Clay his name.”
Willa’s hand kept stroking the dog despite the shock of the bomb Lucky had just thrown at her.
The children would be taken from her. She had known deep down their relative would be located sooner or later, but she had hoped it would be after the kids were grown and in college. She had told herself not to become attached, yet each day that passed had made her love them more.
“When will he be here?”
Lucky looked down at his watch. “In forty-five minutes.”
“He won’t just take them, will he? Chrissy and Caroline will be frightened. Charlie and Leanne will be, too. They’ll pretend they’re not, but they will be.”
“The transition will be gradual. Travis has taken off two months so the children can become comfortable with him. Knox has checked him out, and the state will, too, before they give him custody.”
“What about Sissy?” Willa hadn’t seen the girl since she had gone to live with Knox and Diamond.
“Sissy turns eighteen in a few months, but I assume she’ll want to go to Tyler, Texas with her sister and cousins. If she doesn’t decide to live with them, she may decide to live nearby.”
“Tyler, Texas?”
Lucky nodded his head.
“Texas will be good for Sissy.” Willa bit her lip, deciding she would wait until tonight to cry. “There isn’t a reason for our engagement to continue. You must be relieved.”
“Let me know how much the dress you bought yesterday cost, and I’ll give you back your money.”
“It wasn’t expensive. I don’t need you to pay for the dress.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Willa could tell he wanted to keep arguing about the dress, but he had decided not to press her into accepting his money.
After Willa took the diamond ring off, handing it to Lucky, he placed it in his suit pocket. It seemed almost business-like the way he was talking to her, while her heart was being shredded by the second.
Willa wished he would leave. It would be easier to put up a front in front of Knox and Travis Russell.
“Willa, despite our engagement ending, I feel there’s something I need to tell you.”
What more was there to explain beyond the fact that she was losing the children and Lucky? Was he going to throw in her face again that he knew she was secretly in love with him and he didn’t return her feelings? Willa didn’t think she was strong enough to maintain her composure if he showed her any pity. Then another fear of hers struck.
“Did Knox find Ria’s owner?” Was she going to lose the only thing she had left to love?
“No, I wasn’t talking about the dog.” His lips firmed. “I want to tell you the truth about the night Sissy ran away.”
She stared at him in surprise. “The truth?”
“She made it to Rosey’s, but Mick didn’t find her in his car. He found her hiding in one of the back rooms. Jenna had let her in the back door and served her beer. Mick’s a friend, and we didn’t want him to lose his license.”
The bar’s owner attended the church, and Willa had sat with him several times. Mick was a nice man. She couldn’t imagine he would deliberately serve a minor.
“I won’t say anything. I like Mick.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about talking; it’s Sissy.”
Willa frowned. “If she’s not said anything before now, why would she?”
“To hurt you. She’s not going to open her mouth to the authorities about the liquor, but she hates you.”
Willa winced. “She’s told me several times, but how can she hurt me now? I don’t have custody of her any longer.”
“By telling you what Jenna told her and what she overheard the brothers talking about that night.” Lucky started to touch her hand but pulled back, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “Willa, The Last Riders allow women to become members.”
“Lily, Beth, Winter, Evie, Jewell, Bliss, and the other women are all members, I know.”
“Do you know how they become members?”
“No. Is there a process?”
“Yes, there is. Our club is different. There are eight original members of The Last Riders who formed the club and decided to let the women join. We use votes to make our decision if they will fit into the club, and there are three different ways to gain votes.” Lucky paused, his expression cautious as he waited for her reaction. “The women have sex with six out of the eight to become members. Each of the six counts as a vote. They don’t have to have sex. If the men come from watching them having sex, that counts as a vote. The third way is to earn markers from the original members. Each marker counts as a vote.”
Willa tried to comprehend what he was telling her. As she repeated his words in her mind, she began laughing. Leaning over, Willa buried her face in Ria’s dark fur.
“Willa?” Lucky’s hand touched her shoulder.
She raised her head, jerking away from his touch.
“Who are the eight original members?” She stifled her laughter, waiting for his answer.
“We don’t disclose that information to non-members, but Sissy found out, so I’m going to tell you. Razer, Viper, Knox, Shade, Rider, Train, Cash, and me. Viper’s brother was one, but he died. We recently voted for Crash to have voting rights.”
“Jenna told Sissy this?” Willa wanted to scream at Lucky. Thankfully, her emotions were becoming numb.
“Yes. Jenna knew because she had tried to become a member, but she couldn’t get enough votes.”
“She had your vote, didn’t she?”
Lucky didn’t look away from her. “Yes.”
Willa bit back the hysterical laughter that threatened to break loose again.
“There’s more.”
Willa held her hand up. “Please, don’t.”
Lucky ignored her, continuing. Willa wanted to cover her ears; instead, she listened to Lucky as he finished ripping the veil away from her eyes, exposing his and the club’s secrets.
“The club has parties on Friday nights. The best way to describe them is they are sex parties where everyone has sex and watches others. Moon and Rider had gone to Rosey’s, and Sissy overheard them talking about watching me have sex with Raci, Story, and Ember. They were also discussing how I use knives on the women.”
Willa paled. “You cut them?”
“I’m a master at knife play. I don’t cut. I use the knives to stimulate the women, not hurt them.”
Willa couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer, falling back against the couch. “Oh, my God. I was so jealous of Beth and Jenna when I wasn’t even competing against just one woman, but dozens.”
“You were jealous of Beth and Jenna? There was no reason for you to—”
“You’re exactly right. You have made it obvious you aren’t attracted to me. Our pretend engagement gave me no rights. You have been openly honest about your feelings for me. I was the one who fell in love with you, not the other way around.”
“Don’t.” Lucky tried to touch her again but she stood up, moving away from his touch.
Ria moved to stand next to her, and a warning growl had Willa glancing down at the dog. However, the sharp command that came from Lucky had the dog sitting again, relaxing against her.
“What did you do?”
“I told her to sit. Ria’s a protection dog. I bought her so you would be protected when we became engaged. Willa, I have enemies. I’m a—”
“How much did she cost? I’ll pay you back for her.” Willa skirted around him, going to the entry table to take out her checkbook.
“I don’t want your fucking money. I bought her so you would be protected—”
“I don’t need your protection; I can take care of myself. How much?” Willa practically screamed at him.
“Twenty thousand.”
A sob had her clutching her checkbook. “You paid twenty thousand dollars for a dog?”
“Ria is highly trained. Colt gave me a discount because we served together.”
“I’m surprised he’s not a member of The Last Riders. Maybe you should have let him in so he would give you a better discount.” Willa stared down blankly at her checkbook.
“I don’t want the money, and the dog is yours. I want to explain why—”
Willa set the checkbook down on the table. “Lucky, I’ve had more explanations than I can take in one day. I can’t give you the dog immediately; the children will want to say good-bye—”
“I’m not going to take the fucking dog.” He started toward her, but a knock sounded on the door, startling them both.
“That will be Knox and Mr. Russell. I would appreciate it if you left. I don’t need your help.”
“I’ll go. I know you’re upset, and I don’t want to make it worse by staying.”
Willa moved to answer the door. Her hand was on the doorknob when Lucky stopped her.
“I won’t take Ria back.”
“It’s not your decision to make. This time, it’s my choice that matters.” Willa had grown attached to the dog, but did she really want the constant reminder that Lucky had given her Ria every time she looked at her? Whichever choice she made, Willa worried it was going to be painful. After all, it was going to be difficult enough seeing Lucky around town.
Who would pay twenty thousand dollars for a dog? Obviously a man who wouldn’t know a good deal when it bit him on the butt.
Willa looked at the dog hopefully. “Would you bite him on the butt if I asked you to?”
Chapter 18
Travis Russell was a rugged man and nothing like his half-sister and brother. He was always polite and respectful and handled the children sternly yet fairly. Over the last month and a half, the younger girls had already fallen in love with him, and even Leanne and Charlie, though slower to accept him, were growing more comfortable in his presence. Charlie was especially excited when he found out his uncle was an adept video game player. They spent thirty minutes a day playing before Travis would grab the football he had bought Charlie and take him and the rest of the kids to the park. She would remain behind, giving them their alone time.
Each day, she felt them growing farther away from her as they began looking for their uncle when they woke up. Willa had, after the second day he had visited, invited him to stay at her house. He learned their schedules, and the last two mornings, she had awoken to find breakfast cooked and Caroline and Chrissy eating their oatmeal and toast.
Since he was at her house, Flora had gained permission for Sissy to return until their departure in two weeks. The girl wasn’t happy about it, but her attitude was checked by Travis, who would tell her to go to her room and then deny her the use of her electronics. The first time, she had smarted off to him, and he had given her a warning, telling her ladies her age should know how to behave. The second time, Sissy had smarted off to Willa, and he had picked her phone up, which had been sitting next to her at the kitchen table, and tossed it into the garbage disposal. Sissy’s mouth had fallen open, but she had been polite since, at least in front of Travis.
* * *
Willa pushed the buggy down the grocery aisle, looking sideways at the lean cowboy walking next to her, pushing the grocery cart that resembled a fire truck. The girls were buckled in, taking turns tugging on the rope to ring the plastic bell. Leanne and Charlie had remained at home after returning from having lunch with their uncle.
With Travis’s help with the children, it didn’t take long before they were checked out and rolling the carts filled with groceries to her van.
Willa turned her head when she recognized a truck that had pulled in and parked a few spaces from her.
Shade, Lucky, and Lily got out. There was no way to avoid them. It wouldn’t have bothered her not speaking to Lucky, but she couldn’t bring herself to be rude to Lily and Shade.
“Hi, Lily, Shade.”
“Hi, Willa,” Lily responded while Shade gave her a nod.
“Willa.”
“Lucky,” she returned his greeting without looking at him.
The three didn’t move on, and Willa was forced to introduce Travis.
Lily’s eyes didn’t budge from the tall Texan, who was wearing faded jeans, scuffed boots, a T-shirt, and a cowboy hat.
“Where are you from?”
“Tyler, Texas, ma’am.”
Lily’s eyes widened.
“He owns a ranch where the children will be moving with him in a couple of weeks. He’s staying with me and the children until they leave,” Willa explained.
“In your house?”
Lucky’s sharp question had Travis raising a brow in his direction.
“Yes. That way, he can get to know the kids better, and it won’t be as traumatic when they leave.” Willa was angry at herself for caring that he might get the wrong impression of Travis staying with her.
“Do you have horses?” Lily asked, breaking the tense silence.
“Wouldn’t be called a ranch if I didn’t.”
“We need to hurry, Lily. We don’t want to leave John alone for long with Raci babysitting.”
“It was nice—” Lily was tugged away before she could finish her sentence.
Willa started to push the buggy forward, but was blocked by Lucky.
“If you need any help packing their things, I could come by.”
“No, thanks. Travis and I have it under control.” Willa shoved the buggy forward, leaving Lucky to decide whether to get run over or move. Wisely, he moved out of the way, walking into the store.
Travis helped her buckle the girls into their car seats then load the groceries into the van before opening the passenger door for her then getting in on the driver’s side. As he pulled out of the parking lot, Willa saw Lucky staring out the window of the grocery store.
>
“He an old boyfriend?”
“No,” Willa choked out.
“Want me to go back and punch him for you?”
Willa had to think about it for a minute then decided the good, Christian girl couldn’t see Lucky get hurt.
“You think it would be that easy?” she teased.
“Ma’am, I chase criminals for a living, so he would be a piece of cake. No pun intended.”
Willa laughed, thankful he was sticking around for a while. He was good company, and while she still missed Lucky, at least Travis had kept her from moping around all day. By the time Travis left, she probably wouldn’t miss Lucky anymore. Unconsciously, she crossed her fingers in her lap.
* * *
Willa placed the cake carefully into the cake box just as the doorbell rang. Closing the box, she hurried to her door.
“Hi, Douglas. Come on in.”
“The cake’s ready? I can come back later if it isn’t.”
“I just finished.” Willa shut the door, motioning him toward the kitchen. “How are Angus and Myrtle doing this afternoon?”
“They’re so excited. I told Myrtle to take an extra blood pressure pill and gave Angus a beer. Their daughter is visiting and bringing her kids, and it has them excited. Myrtle said thanks for fitting her in on short notice.”
“They’ve been keeping you busy?”
“Myrtle always finds something to keep me busy.” Douglas was the older couple’s handyman, and he kept an eye on them since their children all lived out of town.
Willa pointed at the pink box on the counter. “Would you like a cup of coffee before you go?”
She didn’t give him time to answer, going behind the counter to pour him a cup.
“I really don’t have the time.”
Willa turned to glance over her shoulder as Douglas started to reach into his back pocket.
“No charge. It’s my present to them.”
“They gave me the money…” Again, he reached for his back pocket.
“Then you can give it back.” She gave him an unconsciously sad smile. “Are you sure you can’t stay for coffee? I could use the company.”
Douglas opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a scratching at the back door.