Bernice angrily slid her chair back and wisely kept her mouth shut. Stitch chuckled. “She’s not gonna like it when you strip her of her jacket.”
“Like I give a shit,” Kenny said, puffing on a cigarette. “Let’s find out what the old man knows and take care of him. I want Garrett Johnson found. He needs to pay for sending us to the slammer.”
“We’ll find him, boss,” Stitch assured him.
“You’d better.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Riley glanced up from making bread to see Tara bounce into the kitchen.
“What’s got you excited?” she asked, smiling at the change in her sister since she found a friend.
“Kara asked me over for a sleepover. Before you say no, will you listen?” she begged.
“No sleepovers,” Riley said firmly. “You know the rules.”
“Awww, come on. You didn’t hear me out. It’s her birthday, and she’s asking a couple of people for tomorrow night. Rebecca and Julio will be there until Megan’s bedtime,” Tara gushed.
Riley sighed, hating to always be the bad guy. Why didn’t her father sober up and be the parent for once? Thinking about her time with the women, she imagined how Tara must feel. She gained three new friends, and Tara got one. What could one party hurt?
“Let me speak with Rebecca and Amy. I’m not promising anything, but I’ll think about it,” she said cautiously.
Tara squealed, making Riley cover her ears. “All right, all right, go do your homework.”
“Thanks, Riley. I promise I’ll do whatever you want. Please let me go,” she pleaded.
“I’ll let you know before dinner. Will you stop pestering me?” she said, laughing.
“Yes,” Tara said, hugging her. “Maybe I’ll meet new friends. Oh, what will I wear?” she said as she went into her bedroom.
Riley shook her head and went back to making her bread and setting it to rise. Garrett walked in and glanced toward Tara’s room.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s on the phone texting with Kara. She got invited to a sleepover,” Riley told him as he bent to kiss her.
“Oh, no. What will we do with a night all to ourselves?” he murmured as he nipped her ear, sending shivers down her body.
Riley grinned, thinking about how to put her new friends’ advice to good use. “I want to talk to Rebecca about it. Tara mentioned Julio and she planned on going.”
Garrett thought for a moment. “If it’s a sleepover, they don’t live far from the ranch. It’ll be almost evening, and we can have Tara lie in the backseat if anyone’s watching. I’ll ask Jared, Kara’s father, if I can pull into the garage. He won’t have any issues with it,” he suggested, solving almost all her problems. If the bikers didn’t see her leave and enter Kara’s home, what could possibly go wrong?
“I need to speak with Rebecca before I give her my decision. If her squealing when I say I’ll think about it is any indication of how tickled she’ll be, you might want to head to the barn,” she warned him.
Garrett chuckled. “She seems happier. I can’t believe almost two months have passed since you two started bunking with me. I no longer like sleeping on the couch. Ifyou let her go, I’m sleeping with you,” he said, adding his incentive.
“I get the hint. How’s Storm? Can we take her and Brutus out again?” she asked as he went over to the stove and removed the lid. “Damn, it smells good. What is it?”
“My mom’s spinach and cheese ravioli with homemade garlic bread,” Riley informed him. “We haven’t eaten it in ages.”
“Tonight, we’ll have a feast,” he said, hanging his hat. “We spent the day wrangling cows. I’m starved.”
“Oh, I miss wrangling. Next time, can I go with?” she asked, rising from the table and checking her sauce.
“When do you have a doctor’s appointment for your cast?” he asked. “It’s gotta be coming up soon.”
Riley hesitated. She didn’t want to lie to him about it. “I haven’t made it yet. I’ll add it to my list.”
“Why do I feel you have intentionally held off? Does this have anything to do with the money?” he asked.
