Silverbow (2 page)

“Come on then, let’s head to the house. I’ll make dinner tonight,” he said as he collected his keys and leaned forward, reaching for me. I gave him my hand but I didn’t budge from my chair. He bit at the inside of his cheek and examined me with a narrowed brow. “What’s with you,” he asked in a hushed tone. Another thing I liked about the man, he could read me better than most.

“I need another beer,” I replied and cut my eyes up at him; my ever-shifting mood in full swing. He seemed to sink into thought and then turned to check out the work schedule behind the bar that was written on an oversized Budweiser calendar. He recognized the date and his brow ironed out. He nodded and squeezed my hand. October twenty-third was a single day of each year to come that I would want to be left alone. It was the anniversary of my dad’s death. Greyden understood. He released my hand and leaned down to kiss me. His blonde stubble was rough against my chin as his warm lips pressed to mine. For a split second my tension eased and I kissed him back. My hand lifted to the side of his neck beneath his silky blonde hair and I held the kiss just a moment longer.  That man could cure all that was evil with those lips.

He pulled away and straightened up. Tossing his keys into the air and catching them again, he turned and headed for the bar to check on Laney. While they chatted and her attractive laughter chimed, I emptied the bottle of beer that I had been ignoring for the last fifteen minutes and winced when I found that it was warm.

Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes for a moment. I let myself slip away to memory lane to the day my father told me the truth about my mother. We sat at this very table. The place was empty except for Laney behind the bar. I had just turned twenty-one and he was assuming that I would want to spread my wings and fly the coupe soon. Up until that day I had always thought my mom and dad had been married for a short period of time and she passed away after giving birth to me. There was no easy way for him to let me down. Sometimes, I wished he still hadn’t.

Pops topped off my glass from a plastic pitcher and bluntly came out with it, “Your mother was a whore.” My jaw went slack as confusion and shock set in and I had no words for him. “I met her in Reno at a strip club. I think she was looking for an easy ticket out of that shithole. I walked in and she was booked on the first train out. We did our deed that first night and many after. I tried to romance her and do it the right way but I quickly just became a tool to her. We fought like cats and dogs after she moved in. I tried to kick her moody ass out but then she told me she was knocked up.”

I sucked in a deep breath and he began speaking again before I could, “We had a bad fight the week before you were due. I had a feeling she was getting homesick and I didn’t understand why. She was just a paid whore out there! I wanted her to settle down and raise the baby with me. I woke up one night to find my favorite pickup gone and my money jar empty. The bitch took it all and vanished. I was worried sick.” He sighed heavily and rocked back in his chair for a moment. “Then, out of nowhere, my truck was back; parked in the middle of the front yard. I opened the door and in a bundle of pink blankets tucked in a car seat was you. I never heard from her again.”

The beer pitcher hit the wall and my father stood from his chair with tears threatening his golden eyes, so sure he had probably just driven me away for good. I was angry that he had lied all that time. He never dated another woman after she pulled that shit. I always thought he had been heartbroken over my sweet dead mother but come to find out that he was just a jaded man who would never trust a single woman with his heart again; other than me.

He was scared I was going to leave him too. I guess he felt that he needed to explain away any urge I had to pick up and leave him as if it were hereditary. I didn’t talk to him for two weeks. Two weeks I would kill to have back now. Eventually I came around and forgave him. I never left. I never had any plans to leave in the first place.

I drew in a deep breath and opened my eyes. I witnessed the door swing shut with only the slightest glimpse of Greyden’s backside. A smirk tugged at my lips and then my train of thought was interrupted by Laney’s sweet violet scent and the arrival of a new beer. I smiled and she simply patted my shoulder and walked away.

My attention whipped back towards the bar to find the stranger still there. His cigarette hung loose at the corner of his mouth. His lips weren’t full like Greyden’s but they were very well defined and still extremely inviting. They pressed together as he took a long drag and then removed the cigarette and stamped it out in the red plastic ashtray. There would be no outlawing public smoking in Silverbow unless Nevada wanted an explosion that would put their testing site to shame. I was sure I was the only person in town that gave a shit about their lungs; the bottle was my vice.

Those arctic grey eyes turned to take me in as if he could feel me watching him. The taunting curl at the corner of his mouth appeared again. I didn’t shy away this time. I found myself seduced by his mystery and wanted to know what his story was and why he came to Silverbow. My short nails tapped on the side of my beer bottle as we stared one another down.

I wasn’t startled when he suddenly stood, collected his things and headed in my direction. I shoved a chair out for him with my boot and he sunk into it as if he had expected me to do that. No words were exchanged as we finished our beers and he motioned for another round. When the beers arrived and Laney was out of earshot, he spoke.

“Jack,” he said as he offered his hand. I wasn’t convinced. He was lying. Living in a town of ex-cons made a young woman wiser than those in their protected little storybook worlds. I had learned to pin point those I could trust and those I couldn’t.

“Jill,” I replied and curved my hand into his. If I could have heard the sound of our flesh meeting it would have had a low static hum. I fought the urge to retract my hand as the electricity between our touch buzzed. His grip was rough and engulfed mine. The heat of his hand made my palm begin to sweat and his stern grasp made me wonder if he planned on letting go anytime soon. I watched his eyes flicker to our hands and then back up. He had noticed it too. Worry or confusion wrinkled both of our brows for a moment. He forced a smile and as he leaned back in his chair our hands slid apart. Rubbing his hand on the thigh of his jeans he shook his head. My guess was that he knew I was lying too.

“What brings you to Silverbow,
Jack
,” I asked, speaking his offered name with a sarcastic tone.

“Business,” he replied. He was being vague but this time I was sure he was being honest. There was a lot of business here in Silverbow. Not everyone had been cured of their corrupt ways once they left prison. Illegal guns, drugs and stolen merchandise flowed through Silverbow like the fucking Nile. Once it hit the trucks here it was quickly shipped to Reno and Las Vegas for a big payout. I was sure a good fraction of the cars I worked on were stolen as well. With no serious law enforcement here it was easy to be a criminal.

His eyes dropped to my breasts where I watched him take notice of the logo on my shirt. “Mechanic,” he said with the tilt of his head and his eyes snaked over me once more.

“Literate,” I labeled him back with a sarcastic smile. “Marshall’s Motors,” I added with a nod. I wasn’t exactly the best welcome committee for Silverbow.

“Was that your partner,” he asked and nodded his head towards the doors. I knew he was asking about Greyden.

“Depends on what type of partner you are referring to.”

“Ah, I see,” he replied. I didn’t need to elaborate.

“I’m the sole owner. It’s a family business and I’m all that’s left,” I informed him. He nodded, seeming impressed. Not that I cared if he was or not.

“Need any assistance?” He rolled the beer around in the bottom of the bottle before finishing it off. “I’m going to be in town for a few weeks and I’m pretty good with restoration. I could teach you a few tricks.” He spun his empty bottle and I watched as it made its final circle and stopped, pointing at me. He winked and cleared his throat. Slick. Real slick. “I could use a little cash,” he smirked. “I’m cheap.”

“I can tell,” I replied as I eyed his big black sunglasses on the table. They were obviously nothing special. He smirked and I mirrored it. “I may be able to find a little work for you. Are you staying with someone here in town?” If he had said “yes” I would have called to see if he was trustworthy. Though, for whatever reason, I wasn’t aiming a gun under the table at him just yet.

“No, I’ll be at the Desert Inn,” he replied. There was only one inn in Silverbow.

“So I call and just ask for…Jack,” I asked. He flashed a big smile. His teeth were perfect, his eyes wrinkled at the corners and I noticed that his chin dimpled. The more I looked at this rugged man the better looking he became. Maybe it was the beer.

“Sure,” he coyly responded which made me wonder if he would need to go change his name with the clerk when he got back. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, bringing him closer to me. He smelled like old leather, cigarettes and some faint woodsy cologne. He smelled like a man. I liked that. My eyes sauntered from one side of his shoulders to the other, wide and strong. I liked that too. He’d be good for some heavy work around the shop. I was no weakling but a heavier hand in the shop would be an advantage.

His nostrils flared and then relaxed, he was catching my scent. I probably smelled like a mixture of the shop and the cheap jasmine wash and lotion I liked from the country grocery store we had in town. I didn’t bother to take offense to the fact that he was sniffing me out. Some people were scent driven and I was one of them. His scent would have surely driven me back to his room at the inn but I had a good man waiting at home for me with a hot meal on the table. I suddenly wondered why I was still here trying to sink my misery over my dead father when I knew that bitch could swim. Instead I should have been at home rolling around with Greyden between my silky blue sheets.

“So tell me,
Jill
, why are you in Silverbow,” he asked. I was assuming that he already had a good idea about what goes on in this town and it’s past. He wanted to know if I was here by choice or because I wouldn’t fit in with the rest of society. I would have to say it was a little of both.

“My great grandfather helped revive Silverbow. My family has been here ever since. I don’t think I would like the rainbows and lollipops of the outside world. Things here are real. I like that. I love my shop. I respect a lot of people here. I may not trust them, but I respect them.” I finished my beer and slid it across the table. His eyes followed the bottle and examined my hands. I waited while he studied me and I found myself wondering why he was doing it. I smirked when I reminded myself that I had been doing the same thing since he walked in the door.

“Understood. Ever been to jail,” he inquired and leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head.

“No. Have you?” I arched a brow and waited with my own assumptions.

“No,” he responded, proving to me that I should never assume anything. I could tell he was speaking the truth and to me that only meant one thing. This was a sick slick bastard that did as he pleased and just never got caught. One would think twice about hiring such a man but my thick skin kept me from cowering away.

“I won’t bother with a criminal background check before hiring you then,” I taunted and he released his gravelly chuckle. His eyes wrinkled again and his flawless grin peered out from his inviting lips. If I hadn’t already been spoken for, I would have wound up in his bed. I knew that. I tugged at my lower lip. My own personal tell-tale that I was getting turned on. I adjusted myself in my chair and the look in his eyes told me I was easy for him to read. It took me a few seconds to remind myself that I wasn’t that easy either. Damn hormones.

It was time for me to leave. Trouble was seducing the air and I may love a good time but I had never been a cheater. My beer was empty and my heartbeat was growing rapidly faster. He tilted his head as curious eyes met mine. I smiled and slid my hand into my pocket, removing my card and my keys. I slowly collected my red hooded sweatshirt jacket and tugged it on. A wicked smile crossed his lips and that deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. Arching a brow I offered him my card and he accepted it.

His eyes slid from mine, to my hand and over the red letters on the card. My real name was printed boldly along with the company’s name, logo and phone numbers. His wide smile relaxed into a satisfied smirk as he stood to bid me farewell and extended his hand to me once more.

“The name is Murphy,” he spoke. His voice was deep with a faint growl that taunted my hormones that I had been trying to keep under control. I smiled and laced my hand into his. Again our touch had a life of its own and my bottom lip was held prisoner between my teeth. My gaze fell upon his lips as he began to speak, each word molesting my condition, “It was a pleasure meeting you…Dakota.”