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Fuck!she thought. “You might want to rethink how you wait on a woman,” she called out, making her way to the car.
“Why? Are you going to use that nine on me?”
“Don’t think I wouldn’t,” she told Bones as she walked toward him.
“Never.” Bones chuckled, shoving away from her car. “I like your car,” he told her.
“Me too.” Riley closed the distance. She looked at Bones and saw more pirate than biker. His long hair was loosely tied back, and the way he moved was more swagger than strut. “You should have a sword.” She heard him laugh and realized she had said that out loud. “Sorry. You look like a pirate more than a biker.”
Leaning toward her, he smirked. “Pirates were just bikers of their time.”
The damn man was too cute for his own good. “Is there something I can do for you this evening?”
Bones realized Riley James was indeed a hard sell. “Actually, yes. Would you be interested in making some extra money?”
Money always got her attention. Keeping Bones in her sights, she unlocked her car and tossed her backpack on the passenger seat. “How much money, and what do I have to do?”
“Name your price.” Bones let that sink in before telling her what she had to do. “I need someone to sit with Preacher a few hours a day. The others and I have been sitting with him, but we all have work schedules to keep up with. You have medical training. I would feel comfortable with you being around him.”
“And Gypsy? How does he feel about this idea of yours?” The President of the club might have an issue with an outsider being so close to one of their own.
“Preacher’s my family. I don’t care what Gypsy thinks about my idea,” Bones said flatly.
“Don’t you have any other family?” Riley asked as she shoved her hands into the front pockets of her jean cutoffs.
“No.” Standing in the open field with the moon high and full, Bones wished he could say there was someone else they called family. Other than the other brothers and their families, he and Preacher had no one.
Seeing the distant look in the guy’s eyes, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to make some extra money. “I need an address and a time for tomorrow.”
Bones swapped numbers with Riley before leaving her standing in the field. She stood there watching as he rode off on his Harley and wondered why she had agreed to be Preacher’s babysitter. Surely, the man would be pissed when he found out what his brother had done.
Shrugging, Riley didn’t care how Preacher felt about it. It was extra money, and she never turned that down.
ChapterNineteen
Riley parked her car in the driveway. According to the address Bones had texted her, the house she was looking at was Preacher’s. It was a modest California hacienda ranch.
She sat there staring at the house. The front courtyard gates laid open, making it appear welcoming. The simple white stucco exterior with its clay tile roof and arched windows created a feeling of coming home. Riley had never thought of a house as being welcoming, not even her own.
A house was just a house. It was the people inside the house who made it a home. That’s what Riley believed. The question that danced in her mind was did she want to know what it felt like inside? Screw it, she’d let Bones know she changed her mind.
Two things happened simultaneously. A car pulled up, blocking her in, and Bones walked out the front door waving at her or possibly the car behind her. Either way, she was stuck. Opening the car door, she stepped out, smiling at Bones.
“Hey, Riley,” he said. It wasn’t the friendliest of hellos. Riley looked at him, wondering if she had the wrong day. Then she heard the next comment Bones made and closed her eyes.
“Gypsy, what are you and Quinn doing here today?” Bones called out.
Okay, she could handle this. Glancing over her shoulder, Riley waved at Gypsy and who she thought must be the man’s wife. Then she turned her attention to the trunk of her car. “Bones, could you give me a hand?”
“Sure thing.” Bones hugged both Gypsy and Quinn as they walked past. He didn’t miss the curious look Gypsy gave Riley. If he’d known half the club would be stopping by today, he would’ve set this ‘meet cute’, as Conlyn called it, up for another day. Even Wrench was inside hanging out, and the brother barely left Frisco and Eve unless he had to. “What’s in the trunk?” he asked Riley.
Riley glanced across the trunk lid to make sure Gypsy was out of earshot before answering. “Dude, what the hell?”
“I didn’t know half the club would be here today,” Bones grumbled quietly as he checked for anyone lingering . . . Gypsy, to be exact. The man was suspicious of everyone lately.
Riley dropped the keys at hearing Bones. Bending over, she lost her ball cap but retrieved the keys. “Wait, half the club’s inside?”
“Some of them already left, but Wrench, Doc, Tool, Hammer, and Angel are here.” Bones thought about who was left visiting to ensure he didn’t forget anyone.
