Page 1 of Riding Wicked

Chapter One

Oakley

Six Weeks Ago

Booths nestle against smudged windows overlooking the sights of Main Street and the woods that surround it. There’s a long counter with stools equally spaced and people talk and laugh as forks and plates scratch against each other. This diner is known for its mile high apple pie and people come from far away to get a taste. I, however, can’t get enough of the strawberry rhubarb pancakes with cinnamon swirl icing. It’s an indulgent treat, but given I’m six months pregnant, I figure I’ve earned it. If nothing else, I’ll give my baby boy my taste for the sweeter things in life.

“Can I fill you up, sweetheart?” The waitress is a twenty something whose family relocated to Rugged Mountain for an escape. Apparently, I frequent the diner enough to make friends. I know everyone’s life story.

The cook, Arnie, is an older veteran who used to feed a battalion of soldiers. He’s in his late forties and I think he’s got a twin brother out in Whiskey Falls. From what he’s told me, he’s never been married and doesn’t plan to be.I respect that.The other waitress I see all the time is Leanne. She has three kids at home. Her husband ran off with some flight attendant from the Springs. She moved out here for a fresh start.

May, the long-haired server I usually see, settles down in the booth with me and blows out a breath. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, that MC guy isn’t here with you, but your bag is, and it’s stuffed to the gills.” Her brows narrow sympathetically. “Please stay. I could get you a job here. We could bake together and—”

“Thanks, but my father was really clear about me going back to Amarillo.”

“No offense,” her face contorts, “but I’d pick that MC guy over my dad any day. Have you seen his abs?”

I laugh under my breath. May has good intentions, but she doesn’t know who my father is. Disobeying him isn’t an option. Not unless I want everyone around me to suffer. “Knight is pretty great. Hopefully, we’ll catch up again one day.”

Her thin brows narrow. “Great isn’t really the word I’d use to describe Knight. The man has the body of a god. And what do you mean…someday?”

I take a bite of the sticky sweet pancake and chase it down with some decaf. “Someday.As in... a day in the future.” I know she understands what I mean, but it’s probably best if I speak vaguely. The less she knows, the better.

Her eyes roll. “You’re killing me here.”

“Sorry. I probably should’ve done the whole disappearing thing, but with all the pancakes I’ve been downing the past few months, I figured I owed you a goodbye.”

“So it’s true? You’re not coming back?”

I shrug. “There’s no reason for me to stay. The baby’s father is out of the picture and I’m…” I run the tip of my finger along the outer rim of the cup. “I’m homesick.” It’s a lie, but it’s also a path to the least number of questions.

“What about Knight? Does he know?”

I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I left him a note.”

She laughs. “A note? Have you met the man? He’s going to go after you. What then?”

“He won’t come after me. He’ll be relieved. Trust me. I’m a pain in the ass.”

“That’s not what he’s telling people around town. Arnie said he’s into you.”

“Yeah, and I’m on my way to the moon.” I rub my stomach. “I don’t thinkthisis attractive to a man like Knight. Besides, we barely spoke. He was busy with that lodge build, and I was busy hiding. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear I’m out of his hair.”

She huffs out a heavy breath. “Yeah, well, he and Arnie are getting pretty close now that he’s going to work nights at the lodge.”

“Why? He’s not happy here?”

“It’s not until November. Our business dies down come winter and we close early. Arnie’s going to cook for all the tourists up on the hill.” She slides up from the booth as another family walks in. “Please think about staying, or at least coming back. I promise you Knight won’t let this go. All those MC guys are protective as hell. And me,” she grins, “what about me?”

I chew the inside of my cheek as she walks away. I’m going to miss her most. Our morning chats over coffee and carbs quickly grew to be the best part of my day. Though, her most recent information about Knight being interested in me is a clear ploy. He’s at least fifteen years older and he could have his choice of women. Even before the pregnancy, I was extra‘curved’and now I may as well have someone tip me over and roll me back to Amarillo. I can’t believe I have months of this.How big will this baby be?With my luck, the baby will be six pounds zero ounces, and the rest of me is pancakes.

I grab my bag, slide out of the booth, and head out the back door. It’s best to avoid some big goodbye with Arnie and May. What I’ve said is enough already. Besides that, there aren’t enough words in the world to describe the relationship I have with my father. Up here, in Rugged Mountain, the ranchers are all like family. They help each other out. They give and take. It’s a community. In Amarillo, ranching is big business, and big business is dirty. So dirty, that my pregnancy causes trouble, and no matter what I tell my father, he’s convinced that adoption is the only option.

I stand in the warm sunshine and stare up at the cloudless sky. The mountains rise and fall in the distance and there’s a crispness in the air that screams autumn. For a second, I consider running after Knight, asking for his help, begging him to hide me a little longer. But the hard truth is, my father would find us. He’d find us, he’d take the baby, and he’d have Knight killed.

---