“Holy crap,” she said. “Is this really happening?”
“Listen, Mel, I need a change. A temporary if not permanent one. If you find me qualified, I’ll see you right after Christmas.”
She was speechless for a minute. Then she said, “Ho-ho-ho.” And he laughed.
Eleven
The cold and windy days of November made way for an unseasonably warm, clear Saturday with a bright sun—a perfect day for Luke to work on the outside of his house or cabins. Or a perfect day for something else.
He put on his leather chaps, donned a well-worn leather bombardier’s jacket over his sweater and checked on Art to be sure he had enough to do to keep him busy most of the day. Shelby should be getting a day off from the clinic. It was still early when he took his Harley down the road to the general’s house. He went to the door with the rider’s helmet in his hand. Shelby answered in her jeans and sweater, stocking feet, hair loose. “Wanna try my ride for a change?” he asked her. “It’s not too cold today.”
She looked around him. “On that?”
“Just you and me, Shelby. Want to take a chance?”
She gave him a soft smile. “Am I safe with you on that thing?” she asked.
He presented the rider’s helmet. “Well, I’ll drive carefully. You should get a jacket and something to wrap around your neck. Boots and gloves. And you might want to tie up your hair.”
“Why not,” she said. “Come in while I get ready.”
He stepped into the house and looked around, impressed. The general had done a good job remodeling this place for his retirement. He heard a baby fussing down the hall in the direction Shelby had gone. Luke walked across the great room to the large picture window and looked across the general’s land. The horses were in the corral and not too far in the distance was the home under construction that Paul was building for himself and his wife. There was still a lot of construction mess around the building, but it looked close to finished from the outside. He also saw what looked like a gravestone atop a small rise not far from the stable. He had no idea what that was about.
“Morning, Luke.”
He turned to see Vanessa behind him, baby on her hip. “Hey,” he said. “Looks like the house is coming along great.”
“We’ll be in before Christmas, hopefully. You should come out and take a look at it sometime. Paul’s a genius.”
“I’ll do that.”
“How’s your place coming?”
“Better than I expected,” he answered. “I’m taking Shelby out for a ride on the Harley. The general will be okay with that, won’t he?”
“Shelby’s a big girl,” Vanessa said with a smile.
“Ready,” Shelby said, popping into the room. She had put on a tan suede jacket with fringe on the underside of the arms, fringe that would slap in the wind. “This will be warm enough, won’t it?”
He smiled at her; she was so damn pretty. “You should be fine.”
“I have no idea when I’ll be back,” she told Vanessa. “I hope no one needs me for anything.”
“You’ve been working so hard, just go. Enjoy yourself,” Vanni said. “And be careful on that thing.”
She has no idea how right she is to warn Shelby, Luke thought. The danger is not on the motorcycle.
Shelby tucked her braid into the helmet and climbed on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and off they went, down the road toward the highway and up through the redwoods. It was cold back in the tallest trees, but when they broke through, he drove into the sunny foothills, up on some of the craggy knolls where sheep grazed. The bike always made Luke feel exhilarated; the cold wind on his face refreshed and energized him.
Luke liked the feeling of her small arms holding him; a cross-country ride with those arms around him was definitely better than one alone. Sometimes she laid her head against his back while he drove them into the country, past the vineyards that lay fallow in winter, past orchards naked of their fruit. The hills were brown now, but in spring this place would come alive in stunning green. When the weather warmed, he’d like to take her to the coast and across the craggy headlands above the ocean. Would she be here in the spring? he found himself wondering. Would he?
They had been riding for a little over an hour when he took the bike up a dirt road that wound around a small hill where livestock grazed. He parked the Harley there, swung his leg over and raised it on the stand. He pulled off his helmet and reached for hers. She took it off and her braid tumbled down her back. Putting one helmet on each of the two handlebars, he mounted the stationary bike backward to face her. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold wind and her eyes glowed. He reached his hands behind her knees and pulled her toward him, draping her legs over his thighs. Then, with his arms around her waist, he leaned toward her, pressing his lips softly to hers. She leaned into his kiss, opening her lips for him at once, so trusting. Besides a few stolen kisses outside Jack’s, they had had little contact lately. The demands on Shelby’s time had been heavy since Doc’s death.