Page 102 of Maizy the Bear Charmer

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Cody tilted Maizy’s chin up and searched her warm brown eyes for some hint at her mood. Ever since arriving at their house late Friday afternoon she’d been less talkative than usual. His gut told him she was sad about something but that he should wait for her to talk to them. He glanced over at Heath and found that his brother was watching her, too. He made eye contact with Cody and shrugged, concern obvious in his eyes.

Ryan, Ben, and Quinten were handling security at the Twisted Bull that night and they were utilizing the rare weekend night off by taking her for her first motorcycle ride.

He leaned down to her, as she stood beside Spencer’s bike, and kissed her. She laid her palms on his biceps and her lips trembled under his. The urge was strong to demand that she tell them what was troubling her but he wanted to get her away from Divine first. She seemed like she needed the break. She looked up at him and he noted her misty eyes.

Spencer came out of the garage with his extra helmet and the seat rest and handed the helmet to Cody, all while watching her. Over her shoulder he lifted his chin at Cody, a slight but telling gesture. They were all reading her emotions.

“Do you think all of my hair will fit in that helmet?” she asked, trying for a bit of levity as Cody put the helmet in her hands and then turned her and started gently twisting her curly locks into a thick rope. She hummed softly and he smiled when he saw the gooseflesh on her arms. He liked touching and handling her hair but liked even more that she enjoyed it, too.

“It’ll fit just fine, baby,” Heath said as he took the helmet and slipped it on her head and then Cody tucked the jet black coil he’d created into the back of the helmet. “That may feel weird at first but it’ll keep your hair from getting knotted up in the wind.”

“I’ll braid it next time,” she murmured. Cody noticed when she quickly averted her gaze and worry settled in. “Where are we going?” she added quickly as Spencer secured the backrest for the rear seat on the bike for her and climbed on. He started the bike, stabilized it so she could climb on behind him, and reached over his shoulder to take her hand. Cody helped her onto the seat behind Spencer.

“We won’t go too far. We just want to get you out of Divine for a little while. Hang on to me and enjoy the ride,” Spencer said as Cody and Heath climbed on their bikes and started them.

She wrapped her arms around Spencer and scooted forward until her body was practically wrapped around his. Cody smiled, thinking that must feel good to Spencer, given the satisfied smile on his brother’s face.

Cody reached out and lowered the face shield on her helmet and saw her smiling eyes through the tinted covering. Whatever was bothering her, they could work on it together. He let Spencer take the lead down the driveway and watched as she laid her head against his back and seemed to relax a little.

They drew a few stares as they took it slow through Divine on the way to Bowie Lake. They had perfect weather for her first ride and a couple of hours of daylight left before they stopped for supper. They arrived at the turnoff to Bowie Lake and Spencer pulled over at the first unoccupied picnic area and cut the motor on his bike. The picnic table overlooked the water and provided a nice view.

Cody helped her take off her helmet and steadied her when she made her first awkward attempt at climbing off the bike. “Don’t worry, baby. It feels weird the first time but you’ll be an old pro in no time,” he murmured as she collided with his chest.

“I tingle all over from the vibration but that was…exhilarating,” she said, seeming happier as she looked up at him.

“Good,” Heath said as they walked over to the picnic table and she sat down on it, facing the water. “What’s troubling you today, baby?”

She looked off over the water as the breeze ruffled her hair. “Mrs. Dumphrey paid me a visit today.” She gave them a brief rundown on the conversation and then added, “When I returned to my classroom after taking care of the kids until they were all picked up, I found my father waiting for me.”

That explains a lot.

Cody sat down beside her on the picnic table and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and slipped her arms around his waist. She already understood how they felt about her and what they were willing to do to make the relationship easier for her. It seemed more important to just let her talk.

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