Page 50 of Dodge

My stomach fluttered. A ride with Dodge on the back of his bike. Yes, I would so do that.

I cleaned myself up but didn’t bother with makeup. In no time at all, I wore that same heavy helmet and was sitting behind Dodge on his motorcycle. The familiarity of holding and leaning on him struck me as we pulled away and he drove through town. Once we hit the highway, I heard his voice in my ear from the speaker in the helmet.

“Hold on, baby. I’m going to open her up a bit. Stay with me and follow my lead, okay?”

The next twenty minutes were the most exhilarating I’d had in a long time. He tore up the hilly, twisting road, the bike roaring as he switched gears and leaned into the tight curves. Inertia pulled at me, and I moved with him.

The early morning fog swirled around us as we drove along. We were the only two people in the world, just us and nature. Contentment washed over me. I could get used to this. From the moment I met Dodge, even under those weird circumstances, he’d been nothing but kind and caring toward me. What I wouldn’t give for this ride to last forever.

He pulled off the main road onto something that resembled a dirt path and slowed down. Tree branches made a canopy over our heads as he moved deeper into the forest. “I want to show you something,” his tinny voice sounded in my ear.

“Okay.” I hoped he heard me.

I expected the path to open to some magical clearing with a bubbling creek or pond. Nope. It came to a pile of rocks. That’s it. A pile of rocks.

“Have you ever heard of the Trail of Tears?” Dodge asked as he kicked the stand and dismounted the bike. He reached out a hand to help me off.

I took off the helmet and shook my curls out. One advantage to my hair was I only had to run my hands through it a few times to get it to settle the way I liked it. With the braids Tambre put in, plus her magic conditioner, I was set. “I remember hearing about it in school. Something about Native Americans being forced to leave their lands and relocate. A lot of them died.”

Dodge nodded. “Happened in a bunch of states. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina. Tsali, his family, and a whole bunch of Cherokee hid in the mountains to keep from being moved. The army tried for years but never found them. There’s a lot to the story, but it ends when Tsali and his sons give themselves up on the promise that the rest of the hiding Cherokee would go free to live their lives.”

He nodded to some markings on one boulder. “I found it years ago when I needed a break to get away from my life. Between Mallory and my dad, sometimes I got pulled into their drama whether or not I liked it. Hell, I still get pulled in now. There’s a peace in this place I needed and still need. I come out here and sit on the rocks where I imagined the artist sat. I listen to the sounds of the woods and think about my place in it.”

The crude pictures were faded but still clear enough. Three very realistic stick figures that depicted an adult and two children with bows and arrows drawn. They chased a deer that looked to be running. A bird flew overhead, wings out straight and beak pointed to a round sun. I was in awe. “That’s so cool. How old is it?”

Dodge shrugged as he pulled himself onto a flat area. I had the impression he’d done this many times. “No clue, sweetness. Could be from the time of Tsali. Could be some Boy Scout earning a badge. All I know is this is a good place to hide from the world for a little while.” He reached out a hand to pull me up next to him. “We can’t run from ourselves or the problems we face, but it doesn’t hurt to take a break when you need one. Just quiet down and listen.”

The smooth surface of the rock was cool with a light covering of damp moss. I sat next to Dodge anyway and took his advice.

Getting out of my head was harder than I thought. The conversation with my mother still rang in my ears, and that hurt continued to radiate through my chest. I closed my eyes at the remembered pain and let it wash through me.

Gradually, I became aware of other senses. A bird chirped somewhere in the distance, and another one answered. Wind whispered through the trees, making them creak. I inhaled the clean scent of pine, the earthiness of decaying leaves, the sweetness of pure air, and did like Elsa advised.

I let it go.

“Look up, baby, but don’t make any sudden moves or noise.”

I opened my eyes, not sure what he referred to, and saw it. A deer, standing not ten feet away. It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, though the pointy rack of antlers on its head made up for any lack of size, and its coat had a reddish tan color. It snuffled at the ground, then paused and raised its regal head to stare at us.

I held my breath. The animal’s velvety brown eyes looked into mine, and I had the distinct impression that I was in the presence of royalty. Then it licked its nose and sauntered off, white tail flicking as it moved.

Wow. Just wow.I blew out a slow breath and turned my head to see Dodge’s reaction to the forest visitor.

What did he do?

He kissed me.

Slowly.

Thoroughly.

Worshipfully.

His lips were warm and soft as they pressed gently against mine. Whatever this man’s status on paper, there was no doubt he was mine.

And I was his.

“Love is never a sin.”

---