Wild Heart (The Wild Heart Series)

by Culbreth, Jennifer

  Before long, Mr. Baxley’s son was out with the tractor and each of the guys were now taking turns trying to get their trucks stuck. She sat and stared into the fire from the back of her truck. Her head was fuzzy and she was tired of caring. Tired of holding back. This was her night to have fun and she’d be damned if she was going to sit here like a stick in the mud. She watched as the wood in the fire shifted, pushing hundreds of glowing embers up into the air. Slowly they floated up above the flames and then disappeared into the night. She needed to let go just like those embers, no longer holding on to the past. As the rest of the group made their way to the other end of the field, Ani walked around and hopped into the driver’s seat of her truck.

  “Whoa there. Where do you think you’re going?” Cash came up toward her door and grabbed it before she could close it.

  “Get in,” Ani smiled.

  “How about you scoot over and let me drive. You’ve been hitting the jar pretty hard tonight,” Cash looked up at her with a slight smile.

  “Ok.” She didn’t protest as she scooted across the middle console and into the passenger seat.

  As Cash climbed into the truck, she rolled her window down and pushed the number five CD button. Quietly, Willie Nelson and Ray Charles came crooning through the speakers singing “Seven Spanish Angels”. She looked over at Cash to find him staring at her with wild eyes. This was their song. The only song they’d ever made love to. The only song she knew every single word to. The only song that could still bring her to tears if she listened to it without him.

  “Ani…” he started, but she brought her hand up to his mouth stopping him.

  “Don’t, Cash. Not tonight,” she pleaded, pausing for a moment before dropping her hand.

  In that moment, she wanted him. She wanted him to consume her, to feel his hands travel along her skin as she lay underneath him. Before thinking, she leaned over and their lips met. She lingered briefly until he began to move. His hand traveled to her hair and tugged lightly on the loose strands at the back of her neck. Her lips parted as his tongue slid in, tangling with her own. She took a deep breath through her nose, trying to calm her heart from pounding straight out of her chest. She could feel Cash’s hands traveling down to her shorts. Their lips broke long enough for her to attempt to pull her shirt over her head.

  “Wait,” Cash’s voice was low and protective.

  “Cash?” Ani paused and sat back down in the passenger seat.

  “Not here.”

  Ok fair enough.

  He put the truck in drive and took off around the bonfire toward the trail they had come up. She could hear the faint shouts directed at their truck as they sped off into the cover of the forest. She leaned back in the seat as the warm Tennessee air came in through her window, blowing her hair in every direction. She could hear the faint sound of water falling from the mountainside as he pulled up into a dark back corner of the property.

  She looked over at Cash, her eyes on fire with hunger for him. This was their spot. The same place he’d made love to her for the first time on her eighteenth birthday. She was so naïve back then. She thought that he’d be her first and her last. But times had changed and she hoped, down to her core, that if she got tonight out of her system that she would be over this silly obsession with him for good. She knew there was too much hurt and disappointment to go back down that road for good.

  “Ani,” his voice pulled her from her thoughts as she looked over at him. His bright green eyes were shining in the moonlight that cascaded through the windshield.

  “Cash, I don’t want to talk about this right now,” she said, climbing into his lap with her back to the steering wheel. “Just take me, Cash. Now.”

  Again, her lips crashed down against his as his hand pulled the handle, letting his seat all the way back. Just this once. Just for tonight. His hands traveled back up to her shirt as the old memories flooded back into her mind, with each flickering thought she purged them out.

  chapter four

  hair of the dog

  Ani woke feeling as though her head would split in half at any moment. She blinked her eyes through the pain and took in the new teal and burlap curtains she had hung a few days earlier. How the hell did I get home? She sat up slowly on the bed as the room spun, causing her stomach to flip. She looked over at her clock to see that it was already past eleven in the morning. Damn, how long was I out? She remembered being with Cash last night.

  Cash fucking Roberts.

  She growled out loud at the thought of his name. All she had wanted was just one innocent hook up. No feeling, no emotions; but no he couldn’t do that. She rubbed her head as she thought back to last night.

  “Ani. Wait,” Cash’s voice was cut off by Ani’s sloppy kisses.

  “Shh. Cash stop talking.” Ani leaned up and ripped her tank top over her head and threw it into the back seat.

  As she came back down to taste more of his lips, he caught each side of her face and held her still just inches from his, staring deep into her eyes.

  “Ani. I can’t do this,” his voice was apologetic.

  “What the fuck, Cash?” she spat out, “You’ve been fucking me with your eyes for the past week and now all of a sudden you don’t want me?”

  “Of course I do Ani.” He sat up in the seat, wrapping his arms around her now shivering body. “I just can’t do this when you’ve been drinking. I can’t take advantage of you like that.”

  “I haven’t had that much,” she slurred as she tried to cuddle further into his warm body.

  “Yeah. You have.” He held her tightly as he handed her back her shirt, “How about we take you home so you can sleep it off and I’ll call you tomorrow?”

  “Whatever, Cash,” she rolled her eyes, pulling her shirt back on and hopping over into the passenger seat.

  She chanced a glance over at him to find a shit-eating grin that only irritated her further.

  “Just like old times, grumpy,” he chuckled, putting the truck in reverse.

  She remembered pulling back up to the bonfire, but shortly after is where it all went to a blur. She was glad Cash hadn’t drank last night because if so, they would have been sleeping in her truck in the field; that or she would have been walking her ass home. It might have taken her a few days, but she would have been happier doing that then cuddling up next to Cash all night.

  She slowly got up from her bed and made her way into the bathroom. Hot damn, woman. She was a hot ass mess, mud still clung to the ends of her hair, along with a few twigs and leaves mixed in with it. Her make-up was smeared across the side of her face and she was still wearing the same dirty pink shirt from last night. It felt like high school all over again; except this time she hadn’t had to sneak back in through her window. Her stomach rumbled as she got into the shower to wash off the fun from last night.

  Feeling almost better than she had when she woke, a clean smelling and dressed Ani made her way into the kitchen to find her dad cutting a sandwich for her.

  “Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he chimed, placing the plate down onto the table smiling. “Have fun last night?”

  “Morning, daddy. Yes, we had a good time. Thank you for the sandwich,” she smiled up at him before placing a light kiss on his cheek.

  “Surprised you remember any of it. You were passed out and snoring when Cash carried you in last night,” he let out a deep laugh, “No concern that you weren’t breathing.”

  “Gee, thanks.” She smirked as she bit into the sandwich; the bread immediately settling her empty stomach. She grabbed the soda her dad had sat next to her plate and took a big swig; the immediate burn of sweet whiskey flowed down her throat. It was everything she could do not to gag. “What is in this drink?” she asked with a half-full mouth, grimacing as she swallowed the remaining liquid down.

  “Hair of the dog,” her dad chuckled.

  “You put dog hair in this?” She looked up at him as shock spread across her face.

  “No you silly g
irl. Haven’t you ever heard the expression, the hair of the dog?” he asked as if it were something she should have known.

  “No, apparently not.” She could feel her headache easing away as she took another swallow.

  “After a long night of drinking, you should have a drink the next morning. I mixed a little of my good whiskey in with your Coke. That should put a little pep back in your step.”

  She smiled as he headed back down the stairs. As she finished her sandwich and let the last of the whiskey burn down her throat, she went to the fridge to see what groceries she needed to get. She grabbed the notepad and pen from the side of the fridge and began jotting down various fruits and veggies, taking note of some of the items that she could slip into her dad’s diet. No more zebra cakes are coming into this house. She grabbed the empty box from the fridge shelf and threw it into the trash. Who eats those cold? Gross.

  “Daddy, I’m gonna head into town,” she called out, grabbing her purse from the counter.

  “Ok, dear. Can you get me some more zebra cakes?” he asked loudly from down the stairs.

  “Nope,” she whispered to herself before calling out to him, “I’ll see what I can do. Love you”

  “Love you too.”

  Shortly after, she pulled up to the grocery store and parked. She kept her sunglasses on as she went in, hoping that she wouldn’t run into anyone from the bonfire last night. She grabbed a buggy and started milling up and down the aisles, grabbing things as she went. Just as she turned the corner, she noticed a woman with a familiar face. Ani caught herself staring and quickly turned the opposite direction. She knew this woman, but she couldn’t put her finger on where it was she knew her from.

  “Ani?” she heard the faint voice of the woman behind her and slowly turned, taking off her sunglasses.

  “Hey!” Ani tried to hide the uncertainty in her voice.

  “Ani, it’s so good to see you. It’s been what six, seven years since you have been home?” The woman’s warm smile engulfed her as she began to remember how she knew her. Her hair was different now, a fake shade of red, and curled as if she’d started perming it and Ani could see a bit more make-up on her face than what she used to wear.

  “Yes, Mrs. Williams. It has been a few years. How are you? Are you still holding the craft sales up at the Baptist church?” Ani could remember all of the crafting projects that her mother had taken up before she’d passed away. Mrs. Williams had been one of her mother’s closest friends.

  “I am, and it’s actually Mrs. Thomas now,” she smiled, flashing a very shiny diamond ring.

  “Well congratulations!” Ani embraced her.

  “Thank you. I didn’t think I would re-marry after Bill passed, but John came along and swept me off my feet,” she gushed, “You know I am the branch manager at the credit union now?”

  “No, ma’am I didn’t know that.” Ani felt as though Mrs. Thomas was trying to lead up to something, she just wasn’t sure what.

  “I am. I’ve been there for the past three years,” her southern drawl lingered even when she stopped speaking, “Your dad was telling me about how you were working for the Federal Reserve up in New York.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I started working there after I graduated. I left when daddy got sick and came back home about a week ago.”

  Ok, get to it already.

  “Well, we would love to have someone with your expertise over at the bank. Have you decided what you’re gonna do for work yet?”

  Ani actually hadn’t thought about work much since she’d gotten back in town. She knew eventually her savings would be spent and she’d find work before it was gone to insure that she and her father had a cushion. There wasn’t much work in this town, but she assumed she would eventually find something. Or if it was up to her dad, she’d be married off in the next few months and it wouldn’t matter.

  “No I haven’t. I would love to swing by next week and chat if you have anything open,” Ani grinned.

  “Sure! What do you say to coming in on Tuesday? Just swing by around nine and we can do an informal interview. It’ll be nice to catch up.” Mrs. Thomas’ smile grew as if she’d just found a prized possession.

  “Sure, that sounds great.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then. I gotta get going before my ham hocks thaw out. I will see you this coming week,” Mrs. Thomas patted her back as she headed off down the aisle.

  Ani grinned at how much Mrs. Thomas had changed, though her sweet southern demeanor was still there; that hadn’t diminished one bit. Now she’d offered Ani an interview and possibly a job. Ani knew the ins and outs of banking so she wasn’t intimidated by an interview at the local credit union.

  After finishing her shopping and talking to another handful of people she hadn’t seen in years, she pushed her buggy out towards her truck. As she walked out into the cross walk, she caught the faint glimpse of a black shape out of the corner of her eye. As she made her way over to her truck, the black figure transformed into the outline of a motorcycle and pulled in right next to her truck. For a second her heart skipped a beat. Was it the man from downtown the other day? She walked slowly, never letting her eyes leave the man as he un-snapped his helmet and set it down onto his motorcycle. His long hair was pulled into a tight bun on the top of his head as his long beard flowed down off his chin.

  What did Mrs. Bell call him? Oh yeah, Knox. Even his name was sexy. She jumped at the sharp sound of a horn honking to her right and waved in apology as she hurried the rest of the way across the street. Great, no way he isn’t going to notice me now. Just as before, when she’d walked across the street downtown, she could feel his eyes burning into her. Not a part of her was unaffected by his gaze. She smiled over at him as she made her way to the back of her truck. Her heart was pounding and she wasn’t sure why. It was something about his mysterious and dark eyes, mixed with the intrigue of knowing nothing about him, that sent shivers through her body. He was like a shiny new present at Christmas. You could see the beautiful outer layer but had no idea what lie beneath.

  As she lifted the gate on her filthy truck, she began grabbing bags and tossing them in. He came to the end of her truck and discreetly looked over at her before he took off his dark Ray Ban sunglasses. She looked over at him again, but this time his steel gray eyes cut down to her soul. She wasn’t sure how long they had stood there staring at each other when catastrophe struck. Before she could even react to catch it, the gallon jug of milk came rolling out of the back of her truck and landed on the ground, spewing up like a volcano. As the ice cold droplets rained down on her Ani let out a squeal, trying to dodge the liquid. Son of a bitch! She looked down at the front of her shirt that was now dripping with milk and then over at Knox who was also covered.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. This was fucking brilliant. No other way to describe it. Maybe it was partly the deliria from her hangover, or the anxiety this man gave her from his looks. As she saw the smile spread across his face, she reached her hand out toward him.

  “I’m Aiyana,” she smiled, “Sorry to splatter you with my milk.”

  Lovely choice of words Ani.

  He reached out and took her hand in his own. She could feel the rough skin that covered the palm of his hand as it rubbed against the soft skin of her own. “I’m Knox; and it’s ok. Not the first time,” his deep Irish accent sang through her ears, causing her to linger with his hand in her own before she let it go with an embarrassed look.

  She watched as he brushed the white liquid off his black leather cut. She looked up and took in the worn rockers over the left pocket that read “President” and underneath another that said “Brothers of Chaos”. His voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  “I can get you another jug of milk if you’d like. Yours seems crocked.” He reached down and picked up the empty leaking jug.

  “It’s what?” She smiled at him with a confused look.

  “Sorry, it’s broken. I can run in and get you another. I was just running in to stock u
p on brew.” He brushed his hand through the stray hairs around his face nervously.

  “Oh. You don’t have to do that. I can go get one,” she offered.

  “No bother. I’ll be right back,” he turned and headed toward the store, practically jogging across the parking lot.

  Well this is weird. For such an intimidating man, he was so reserved and quiet; almost as if he was trying to fly under the radar. She couldn’t help but want to know more about this man. She mulled over the different scenarios in her mind as she packed the rest of the groceries into her truck. Maybe he had moved here because he’d killed a man in the last town. Or, maybe he was helping to hide someone up in the mountains. Or, what if he was a kidnapper and the whole motorcycle gang was just a cover up. It was in that moment, that she decided she’d find out more about Knox no matter what it took.

  As she shut the back gate of her truck, she saw him jog back across the street with three bags. One with her milk and the other two full of various liquor bottles. He made his way over to his motorcycle and shoved the bottles of liquor into the bag on his seat before handing her the grocery bag with her milk.

  “Thank you, Knox. I’ll appreciate that with my cookies tonight,” she smiled, trying to coax one more out of him as well.

  “Your name. What is that?” he asked.

  Ok, we can change the subject. That’s cool.

  “It’s Cherokee. My mother was Cherokee Indian. It means eternal bloom.” She placed the bag of milk into the backseat of her truck.

  “It’s beautiful,” he looked up into her eyes and there it was. That smile, one more time. It drew her in like a moth to a flame.

  “Thank you.”

  “I haven’t seen you around before. Do you live here?” he asked.