Page 14 of Roughstock
I watched as she shuffled across the kitchen and began to pull out pots for dinner. She never let me help her cook, so I left her to do her task as I walked into the den and looked for my cousin’s phone number. After finding it on a notepad, I took a seat on the chair next to the phone and dialed her number. It rang twice before she answered.
“Hey, Granny. Did Cheyenne make it in yet?” she asked in place of a hello.
“Hey. I made it in about two hours ago,” I responded and heard her chuckle through the handset.
“Hey, girl,” she returned. “How’s life in Rapid with that sexy husband of yours?”
Jackie wasn’t interested in Trent, but the two times she came to visit last year, I had to keep my eye on her. She saw all the sexy bikers walking around the clubhouse, and somehow, she always managed to catch one of their eyes. She was naïveand inexperienced, so I threatened the brothers with death if they touched her.
So far, my threat seemed to have worked.
“Are you somewhere you can talk?” I asked, ignoring her question.
“I’m at home but can come over if you need me to.” She paused before lowering her voice and asking, “Is everything okay?”
“Can you come over?”
“I’ll be there in fifteen,” she replied, and I heard shuffling through the phone.
“I’ll meet you outside when you get here,” I said, and the line got quiet.
“Should I be worried?” she asked, and it was my turn to chuckle.
“No. I just need to ask you something and don’t want to talk in front of Granny. I’ll see you when you get here.”
“On my way,” Jackie replied before the line went dead.
I hung the phone up and exhaled deeply before picking the receiver back up and dialing another number from memory. Trent picked up and my heart felt lighter just hearing his voice. “Hey, darlin’. How was the drive? How’s the weather up there?”
“The drive was good, and the weather is turning cold, but so far, it’s just windy.”
“That’s good. You’re still coming home in the morning, right?” he asked.
“I’m leaving after breakfast and should be home by noon or a little after,” I answered, and I swear, I could hear him blow out a stressful breath.
“Good, darlin’. Call me before you go to bed and tell Granny I said hi.”
“I will.” Pausing briefly, I added, “I love you, Trent.”
“I love you too, wildcat. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye,” we both said before we hung up.
I sat in the den for another moment before returning to the kitchen. It wasn’t a fancy kitchen, but it was filled with loving memories and family pictures. There was a photo of my parents on their wedding day and seeing them both so happy made me a little sad. I never got to know my mother, and losing my father when I was a teenager was hard.
Nitro and Granny spoke and when he invited me to stay in Rapid City with the club, I was grateful. It took some convincing for Granny to agree, and I honestly didn’t think she would, but one day, a week or so after my dad died, she called Nitro and said Rapid and the Bastards were my home and she was happy they were giving me a home.
What changed her mind, I didn’t know, and I wouldn’t ask her now. It was in the past, and that’s where it needed to stay. Putting my parents’ picture back on the fireplace mantle, I placed my chilly hands in front of the fire and warmed them as I watched Granny work on something that already smelled delicious.
“Jackie’s on her way over,” I told Granny, and she smiled across the room at me.
“We have enough for her to eat with us if you can talk her into staying here tonight. We could have a slumber party like when you were kids,” Granny reasoned, and I liked the idea.
“That sounds fun,” I returned. When I heard a car pull into the driveway, I glanced through the window and saw Jackie’spickup truck pulling behind my SUV. “I’ll go see if she needs any help.”
Granny nodded as she continued to chop vegetables for dinner, and I slipped my warm coat on before walking outside. The wind was blowing hard from the north, bringing in chilly temperatures and the moisture that was going to feed the snowstorm predicted for tomorrow evening.
Jackie leaped out of her truck and bounced up to me before pulling me into a crushing hug. I was three months younger than her, and we always called each other ‘sister’. When she released me, she took my hand into hers and led me to the swing set we’d spent countless hours on as children. I took a seat on one of the swings, and she joined me before I spoke.
