by Harley Wylde
Every hand around the table went up. A ball of tension eased in my stomach. I might have told Danica the club would vote our way, but a small part of me had worried a few might say no. It was good to see my club had my back, even when it came to choosing my old lady.
“It’s unanimous. Congratulations, Ranger. You officially have an old lady. I’ll have a property cut made for her,” Beast said.
“Thanks. I’m sure Danica would like the chance to get to know everyone better, but I’d like a few days to help her get settled. I’ll be needing a bit more help with fencing and a barn, though. Since she’ll be staying, her horses will need more room and better shelter.” I smiled a little. “She’s also mentioned getting a pony in the future for our kids.”
“Damn. Already trying for a baby?” Brick asked.
Beast shook his head. “Of course, he is. At least our kids won’t be too far apart in age. They can grow up together.”
“Oh, hell. I think the Pres just jinxed the rest of us. Watch. One after another, we’ll end up settling down,” Snake said.
“Like anyone would put up with your cranky ass for a lifetime,” Crow said.
“Enough!” Beast banged his fist on the table. “Church is dismissed. Get the hell out of here.”
I stood, wondering if anyone would show up to help with the fencing. Forge stopped next to me, as did Hatchet and Satyr.
“We’ll help with the fence,” Satyr said. “Just tell us when you want to do it.”
Beast paused in the doorway. “Figure out how much lumber you need. The club will foot the bill. Consider it a welcome gift for your woman. Whatever you need to make her more comfortable, make the place feel like home for her, let me know. Lyssa will like having another woman around, especially one she already knows.”
“I’ll get a list together in the next few days. Thanks, Pres. I’d like to have today with Danica without interruptions, but tell Lyssa she’s welcome anytime from tomorrow onward. I’m sure Danica would like to see her.”
Everyone filed out of the room, and I went out to my bike. In the past, I’d have lingered at the clubhouse for a drink. With Danica waiting for me at home, I had a good reason to leave. I pulled up into the carport and shut off my bike, listening to the horses in the small pasture. I hadn’t realized until now how much I’d missed that sound. It had been a while since I’d been home to visit my mom. I couldn’t wait for her to meet Dani. The two were going to get along great.
I walked up to the front door and let myself in. The sweetest smell greeted me, and I followed my nose to the kitchen. Dani stood in front of the stove, wearing my shirt. I saw a platter of cinnamon rolls on the counter, but it looked like she was cooking something else. How much food did she think we needed for breakfast?
“Morning, Dani girl.”
She whirled to face me, a smile on her lips. “Hey. I woke and you were gone. Wasn’t sure when you’d be back, but I didn’t see breakfast dishes, so I figured you’d be hungry.”
“Thought we were going to the diner this morning.”
She waved the spatula. “We can do that any day. The cinnamon rolls should be cool enough to eat. The eggs and bacon are nearly done. Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Where did you find all that stuff? I didn’t think I had anything like that in the fridge.”
She glanced at me over her shoulder as she worked on the eggs. “Lyssa stopped by with a bag of groceries. She said you most likely have the kitchen of a bachelor and thought we might need some food. There were a few cans of cinnamon rolls, two dozen eggs, a pack of bacon, and a few types of meat for dinners, as well as some rice. We’ll still need to make a grocery run soon, but this should hold us for today and maybe tomorrow.”
So much for the Pres’ old lady not visiting just yet. I should have known she’d stop by while we were in Church. The question was whether or not Beast had known what she was up to. It had been a sweet gesture, and it seemed to have made Danica happy. That’s all that mattered to me.
“Breakfast smells great, Dani.”
“There’s some orange juice and milk in the fridge. Lyssa brought those too. I also made a pot of coffee. I noticed it was the one thing you did have stocked.”
I leaned back in my chair and watched her. “Yeah, I can’t survive without caffeine. I usually have enough stocked to last a month.”
“I’m a bear without my morning coffee. I had a cup while the cinnamon rolls cooked. Thanks for taking care of the horses.”
“No problem. I didn’t realize until I came home from Church how much I’d missed having horses around. I don’t mind helping you with them. Are those the only two or do you need to go back and get more? What about the trailer? Do we need to return it to your dad?”
She scooped the eggs out of the skillet and into a bowl, then placed the bacon on some folded paper towels. She blotted the grease before putting them on a platter. Danica carried everything to the table before pouring us each a cup of coffee, then she claimed the spot next to me.
“The trailer is mine. As for the horses, we buried Champ the day you came with Beast and Lyssa. The other horses aren’t solely mine. My dad has more than enough land for them. If there comes a time when he doesn’t want to take care of all of them, I’ll need a place for a few more.”
“All right. When I put in the new barn, I’ll make sure we have at least four to six stalls. Better to overprepare than not have enough and need more.”
She reached over and placed her hand on my thigh. “Thank you, Parks. No one’s ever understood my love of horses. Well, not outside my family or my friends at the rodeo. I certainly didn’t think I’d have a boyfriend who accepted that part of me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for my equine best friends. They’re my family.”
“I’ve asked everyone to give us a day or two so you have time to settle in. The club will want to meet you. I know you’ve already met a few over the years, and you know Lyssa. Are you familiar with Hawk’s old lady?”
“Not really. She was a few years behind me in school. I think she’s friends with Mariah, though.”
“I didn’t see her during our visit,” I said.
“The club sent her to the Devil’s Fury. Savage agreed to claim her.”
Agreed? As in Venom had asked him to? Something seemed off about the situation. My confusion must have shown because Danica gave me a smile and sighed before explaining.
“Mariah was hung up on a young cop. Venom didn’t handle it too well. When the Devil’s Fury needed assistance, Casper VanHorne offered to help if the club took Mariah. Savage said he’d claim her as his old lady. I haven’t heard anything about it since. But knowing Mariah, she wasn’t very happy about it.”
The club’s VP had a right to worry. The Dixie Reapers were pretty legit these days and not into many illegal activities but having a cop sniffing around wouldn’t be good. Especially if they had any bodies buried on their property. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with something like that. If we had a kid who fell in love with a cop, shit would hit the fan.
“Do we have plans today?” she asked.
“Nope. I don’t have anything I need to do for the club right now. I’m yours to command for the day.”
She arched an eyebrow at me. “Really? I’m in charge?”
“Well, within reason.” I grinned. “Anything you’d like to do around here? Want to explore your new town?”
“If I ride on the back of your bike, I won’t see much of anything. I’ll be too busy enjoying the ride to look at the sights.” She twirled her fork in her hand. “I should probably call my parents today. I’ll need to make arrangements for the rest of my things to be sent here.”
“You know as well as I do your dad will show up on our doorstep with his truck loaded down with boxes. He won’t just mail it, or have a Prospect drop it off.”
“Is there a problem with him coming?” she asked.
“No. Your family is welcome anytime. I’d prefer they stay
in the guest house Beast put in when he claimed Lyssa. Might be a bit awkward for your parents to stay in the room next to ours.”
Danica smiled. “I agree. I want to see them, and want them to feel welcome, but I’m more than fine with them staying in a different house. Except… what if Torch and Isabella decide to come too so they can visit Lyssa?”
“They’d bring the kids, and there wouldn’t be extra room in the guest house.” I leaned back in my chair. “Might need to talk to Beast about putting in another guest house. Or maybe a duplex.”
“Your club is growing,” she said. “I’d imagine it was like this for the Dixie Reapers when the first old ladies were claimed. They went from a club of bachelors to several men starting families. Before long, you’ll be talking about playgrounds, picnic areas, and family events.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. As much fun as I’d had since joining the Reckless Kings, I looked forward to starting a family with Danica. The things she’d just described sounded pretty good to me. I didn’t think my club would feel the same, except Beast and Hawk who’d both already settled down. A few others, like Brick, I knew were eager to have a woman at home. The younger ones liked being single and having their choice of women.
“Let’s call Beast before we call your family,” I said.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the Pres, putting the call on speaker. He picked up almost immediately.
“I didn’t expect to hear from you, Ranger. Shouldn’t you be spending time with your woman?” Beast asked.
“You’re on speaker and Dani is right here. We’re about to call her family, but I wanted to speak with you first. I have a feeling when she asks for her things to be sent, Cowboy will want to bring them to her. We’d prefer they not stay at the house with us, but if Torch and Isabella decide to visit at the same time, we won’t exactly have the space for everyone. There’s only one guest house right now.”
“I discussed that with Hawk not too long ago,” Beast said. “We’ll work on more guest housing in the upcoming months, after your woman’s horses are settled. For now, I’ll ask Torch to not visit the same time Hayley’s family, or Danica’s, decide to visit. Although, with Hayley’s dad being the Chief of Police, I prefer he not linger inside the compound for very long. He’s sworn anything he sees while here will be forgotten. Go ahead and invite Cowboy and Jacey for a visit.”
“Thanks, Pres.”
“And, Danica? Welcome to the family. Let Ranger know when you’re ready to meet everyone. I’ll have Lyssa and Hayley put something together at the clubhouse.”
“Thank you, Beast,” Danica said.
I ended the call and slid the phone over to her so she could dial her dad’s number. I’d need to program it in, now that he was family. Hell, I should probably add quite a few Reapers to my contacts. Danica might be a Reckless King now, but she’d always be a Reaper’s daughter first.
She put in the number and pressed the call button. I reached over to put it on speaker. I didn’t think Cowboy would let it ring for long, but I was wrong. It went to voicemail. I glanced at Danica to see her reaction. It didn’t seem to bother her, which made me wonder if it was common for Cowboy to not answer his phone.
If I had a daughter, one who’d just went off to possibly move in with a man, I’d damn well answer the fucking phone. What the hell was wrong with him? I barely listened as Danica left a message, letting him know she’d be staying here and would need her things. After she ended the call, I took my phone back and added Cowboy’s name to my contacts, saving the number.
“So… the town is rather small. We can take your truck if you’re all right with me driving it. I’ll back the trailer into the yard for now to get it off the road.”
“And long-term?” she asked.
“I’ll expand the driveway and add a covered parking area large enough to house your trailer.”
“You know, you offered to take me on a tour of the town, but you haven’t even shown me around my new home. I had to check things out on my own this morning. It’s a bit bigger than it appears from the outside. I’d have never guessed one of the doors off the kitchen led to a sunroom.”
“And you also noticed it’s empty.”
She smiled. “I did. Are you a vampire, Parks? Have an aversion to sunlight?”
I snorted. “No. I just don’t particularly want to sit in a room with the sun beating down on me. It’s only been me up to this point. The living room was sufficient. But if you want to put some furniture out there, you can. This is your home now too, Dani. Change whatever you want. Don’t like the wall colors? I’ll paint them. Hate my couch? We’ll get a new one.”
“I do want to decorate the sunroom. Maybe turn it into a room where I can relax and watch the horses out the windows. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I use my money for it, and before you protest, you should know I’ve been saving up most of my rodeo money. Dad covered the expenses at home, and any vetting and food for the horses. I did take out some to buy Pharoah last year when I realized Champ wasn’t going to be around much longer. Dad had bought Champ and Sunny for me. Other than that, I only use my money for clothes, motel rooms, and any expenses I incur on the road.”
I wanted to protest, thinking she couldn’t have made very much from barrel racing. I’d seen the big PBR events and knew bull riders could cash out quite a bit if they made it to the main event, but I’d always thought of barrel racing as more of a sideshow while everyone waited for the bronc and bull riders to come out. Maybe I’d been wrong all this time. I couldn’t deny she had an athlete’s body, and her horses were good stock. I didn’t need to see their pedigree to know that much. Their conformation was damn near perfect.
She rolled her eyes at me, and got up from the table, only to return a minute later with her phone in her hand. She held the screen up in front of me, and I realized she’d opened her banking app. While her checking had a little under five thousand in it. Her savings had nearly three hundred grand. It seemed she’d made more than I’d realized. What the hell? Had she entered every rodeo available to her over the last several years? Or did barrel racers make more than I realized?
“Let me guess. You thought I was the fluff for the rodeo? The eye candy?” she asked.
I winced, thinking of Scott’s words the first time I’d seen Danica. “I can admit I was wrong. I didn’t realize you could make that much in an event like barrel racing.”
“The average barrel racer can make anywhere from forty thousand to eighty thousand per year in prize money. Those of us who are better than average can top out closer to two hundred grand. I only rodeoed full-time for two years. The last year and a half, I realized it seemed more like work than something I enjoyed, so I backed off. I didn’t really need the money.”
“So you gave up the spot to someone who did?” I asked.
“Something like that.” She smiled. “So, I have plenty to furnish the sunroom. No arguing about it. But I don’t want to blow through my savings either. The horses are my responsibility now, and their vet bills and feed aren’t cheap. I’ll need to research the best place to get hay around here too. The small bales you have right now are fine, but they’ll need a big round bale pretty soon.”
“We’ll get them everything they need, including the best equine vet in the area.”
She leaned down and kissed me. “I’m going to shower and get dressed, then you can drive me around town.”
I watched her sashay from the room and decided I’d give her a two-minute head start. Then I’d be joining her in the shower.
Chapter Seven
Danica
Instead of drying my hair, I’d braided it and left it wet. By the time I’d dressed, Ranger was waiting outside. The moment I stepped outside, I knew he’d found the balled up notes in my floorboard. He’d clutched them in his hand as he stared off into space. The tense line of his jaw told me how pissed he was right now.
“Parks,” I called so
ftly.
“Thought you didn’t have a boyfriend,” he said. The glare he cast my way nearly made my knees buckle. “What the fuck is this shit?”
I licked my lips and shoved my hands into my pockets so he wouldn’t see how badly they were shaking. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Really, Danica? Because they look like love letters.”
I felt bile rise up the back of my throat and I shook my head, taking a step back. He thought they were love letters? Had he bothered to read all of them? I stared at the pieces of paper, feeling like a monster had just reared its ugly head. In a way, it had.
“His name is Lewis,” I said, my voice barely audible. “He’s a champion bull rider, and those aren’t love letters.”
“Then what the fuck are they?” he asked, throwing them into my open truck door.
“I’m not sure when or how I ended up getting noticed by him. I found the first note in my truck on my way home from a rodeo about six months ago. I’d locked the doors and gone inside to grab a burger to eat on the road. When I came back out, the note was on my seat.”
His brow furrowed and he looked at the letters again. “He broke into your truck?”
“Yes, but it’s worse. It means he was following me. Or had someone else do it. He’s been leaving those in my truck ever since. I found another the day I left to come here. Someone put it on my seat while I was in the barn with my dad, or maybe when I’d gone into the house to get my bags.”
“So he’s stalking you. Why the hell didn’t you say anything before now?” Ranger asked.
“I was going to, but I haven’t really had a chance. I didn’t even know I’d be staying at first. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, Parks. I’d planned to talk to you about it.”
He nodded and came closer, tugging me against his body. He gripped my hair with one hand and settled the other on my lower back. I snuggled into him. Now that he knew, he’d keep me safe. Lewis may have only been leaving letters, but I had no doubt things would be escalating soon enough. He wouldn’t be happy leaving me notes.