Page 14 of Jake

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks. I just wasn’t expecting the beans to be sweet. It was a bit of a surprise.”

The other woman frowned. “Why wouldn’t they be sweet?”

“No reason for them not to be, I just wasn’t expecting it. They’re good I’m just not used to it, and didn’t think about them being any different than what I’m used to. Thanks for checking on me though.” She smiled and hoped the woman would take the hint.

Heather ducked her head and kept her gaze on her plate as she continued to eat. She’d been social and friendly all day and could use a few minutes of not talking to anyone to recharge, just a little. Not that she minded being around Matt, or even Aaron. She felt like she still knew him as well as she had way back when, even though they hadn’t seen each other.

Was that odd? Did he maybe feel the same way? She couldn’t tell, and she’d never ask, but she could hope.

11

Bytheendofthe day, Jake didn’t want to leave. Correction. He didn’t want to leave Heather behind. He didn’t want her to go three hours north while he headed a couple of hours west. He hated that there would be so much distance between them. Again.

But there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn’t like he even had a place to bring her, should he take her back to the ranch. He lived in the bunkhouse with the rest of the single men. Even if he could convince her to come be with him, he had nowhere he could take her. Nowhere she would be comfortable at least. And he was not moving her into the bunkhouse with a half dozen crude, rough men who, half the time, had the manners of the wildlife they sometimes encountered when dealing with the ranch.

And as much as he wanted her closer, he didn’t even ask. They’d only just reconnected and while he was far more confident than he’d been the last time he’d known her; it was too soon for that. No matter how badly he might want her closer. No matter how badly he might want to make sure she was safe. No matter how worried he might be.

No. He had no need to worry. Iceman and the Kings were watching out for her. He had no reason to believe they couldn’t keep her safe. But he could help, by looking into what was going on in Alabama. That he could do.

At the gas station, fueling up before leaving town, Jake pulled up his contact list and sent a message to an old buddy. One he hadn’t heard from in a while, but didn’t doubt would be there when he needed something.

Jake:Hey how you doing?

He stared at the screen while he waited for his tank to fill but didn’t have much hope. Maybe he’d have a response before he got back to the ranch.

Jake pocketed his phone, took one last long pull from the water bottle he’d snagged from the cooler as they’d loaded them up before leaving and tossed the empty bottle before putting the gas pump away and moving his bike so someone else could get to the pump. Ten minutes later, one by one the Souls pulled out of the station and hit the road. He was looking forward to the ride to get out of his head for a bit.

They’dbeenbackatthe ranch for nearly an hour before he had time to pull out his phone. He intended to call Heather and check on her. They should be getting close to Dickenson by now. But he found a response to the message he’d forgotten he’d sent. Hoping his old buddy would be available and maybe have some information for him, he opened the message.

Hex:Yo, man, how’s it hanging? It’s hotter than Hades here, but I don’t guess it’s any better in Tucson, huh?

Jake checked when the message had been sent. Less than ten minutes before. How had he not noticed his phone vibrating? He debated for a moment whether or not he should but then hit the button to dial the number instead of typing up another message. It only took a couple of moments before he heard a familiar voice come across the line.

“Yo, how are things in the desert?” Hex said in greeting.

“Hot I’m sure, but I’m not there. I left Arizona last fall.”

“I didn’t know. Where are you now?”

“Wyoming. You still in Mobile?”

“Yeah, not planning on leaving any time soon.”

“Still part of the Warriors?” Jake asked. Shortly after settling in the area, Hex had joined a club called the Savage Warriors. While Jake didn’t know anything about the Warriors, he knew Hex well enough to know the man wouldn’t be involved in what seemed to be going on around Heather.

“Yeah, you know how it is. You still with the Souls? Or was a split with them what sent you north?”

“I’m still with the Souls.” He debated how much to say. The second chapter was no secret, but the why, that was Tuck’s personal business and Jake didn’t want to advertise that. “We chartered a second chapter. I moved north with the new chapter.”

“Nice. You always swore you’d never go where it snowed, I guess that’s changed, huh?”

Jake couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “Yeah, after years of the heat I was ready for a change. I’ve been up here since last fall, and I realize I don’t mind it so much. Yeah, it gets cold, but you can always add another layer or a better layer. People start complaining if you remove too much when it’s hot. It’s not fun.”

Hex laughed. “You just looking to catch up or you need something?”

“I wish I could say I was just looking to catch up.”

“But?”

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