Instead of shaking my hand, the man crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head at me. “What do you need with him?”
Something about the man’s guarded tone made me uneasy. “I, uh, his daughter, Willow, is in my kindergarten class. She’s missed a lot of days of school, and I was worried.”
My response seemed to appease the man because his muscular arms relaxed, and he finally offered me his hand. “I’m Nathaniel Malloy, Willow’s uncle.”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Same to you. Deacon, er, David is actually at the clubhouse. I can take you there.”
The thought of entering the roadhouse alone made my skin crawl, so I was very thankful that Nathaniel was offering to take me. After he came around the counter, he opened the door for me.
“Tiny, keep an eye on the shop, okay?” he ordered to the tallest and biggest of the guys. A nervous giggle escaped my lips at the irony of the man’s name.
As I walked next to Nathaniel, his towering presence somewhat overwhelmed me. He was all man from his large hands and feet down to the musky smell that invaded my nose and messed with my senses.
If I hadn’t been so out of my element, I would have been very attracted to him, even though his faded jeans, tight, black T-shirt, and arms covered in tattoos screamed bad boy. But even in the few moments I had been with him, I could tell there was much more to him. The way he carried himself was like a cultured gentleman, not a hardcore biker.
“Willow doesn’t say much, but I know she loves going to school.”
“She’s probably the brightest student in my class. Besides my attachment to her, I didn’t want her falling behind after missing school. Considering her potential, I think she could easily skip to first grade at the halfway point in the year.”
Nathaniel’s blue eyes widened. “Really?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“Deacon and our mom will be really pleased to hear that.”
“Who is Deacon?”
Nathaniel grinned. “That’s David’s nickname.”
“Oh, I see.”
A large pick-up truck rumbled into the parking lot. When a short, bald man got out of the cab, he waved a brown envelope in his hand. “Hey Rev, can you come here for a sec?”
“I’m busy. Get Tiny.”
The man shook his head. “This packaging needs a Malloy signature on it.”
Nathaniel gave a frustrated grunt. “Fine. I’ll be right there.”
When he turned to me, I gave him a slight smile. “Rev?”
He responded with a warm grin. “Just a nickname.”
“For what?”
“Reverend.”
My brows shot up in surprise. “Oh, are you a minister?”
He cocked his head teasingly at me. “Are you a teacher or a reporter?”
I laughed. “Forgive me, but I’m used to answering questions all day. I can’t help but ask some myself.”
“Well, Miss…I’m sorry what was your last name again?”
“Evans.”
