Halley
There was silence for a bit.
“All those kids and mamas and only one father. Y’all must’ve had home births, right?”
“Yeah, that sure did come in handy.” He reached over and caressed the baby’s cheek, melting my heart.
Cowboy and I talked the whole ride to Arizona or we listened to the radio. I recognized most the songs. He told me hardly any stations played new music anymore, on account of people downloaded it onto their phones.
“I’m going to have to get me one.”
“Good luck. Your brother won’t use a smartphone and suggests we don’t, either. In other words, don’t mention mine to anyone. I’m supposed to stick to flip phones and burner phones. It’s a security risk, but most the time, normal times, I’m not getting my hands dirty. Well, not figuratively.”
“What do you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like in the club?”
“Oh, I’m Tail Gunner for the Shreveport, Louisiana chapter which means I’m at the rear on a run.
Not all chapters have one but ours is large enough.
See you put the most experienced rider in the last position to monitor the group, to look out for the others.
To be a good Tail Gunner, you need to be good at first aid and be a mechanic and such. ”
“I know you’re good at first aid. You’re a mechanic, too?”
“By day,” he joked, and I actually got that one.
Cowboy talked more about his life in Shreveport. It kept my mind off the possibility of being kidnapped again. He hadn’t said, but I was sure the SOS had found us. Between talking, he searched his mirrors for motorcycles.
I swore, a black Cadillac car I kept seeing—I was sure it was tailing us.
Cowboy tried to prove me wrong, turned another direction.
I didn’t see the car again. Although I still worried, I didn’t press him because I was also certain I’d made a mistake by sending him to Big Mike’s Pies in Snakebite’s car in the first place. But, it was damned good pie. What he’d done for my birthday, well, I couldn’t get over how sweet it’d been.
“Have I thanked you…?”
“Yes, Darlin’”
At dusk, we stopped for Cowboy to sleep, got a hotel room.
When we were tucked in to the Beaumont Inn, him and the baby sound asleep, I lied awake thinking of all the things I couldn’t do.
Listening to Cowboy talk about his life, made me think about how much time I’d lost. We were here, taking the risk of stopping because I couldn’t even drive a car.
I’d been an expert when it came to riding motorcycles, but at fifteen, I’d never been behind the wheel once.
To beat all, I didn’t even have a high school diploma.
When I was thrown into the basement, I’d only been a year away from graduating early since I was taking High School online.
How would I get a job and support my baby once we got to Arizona?
I didn’t want to be beholden to any bikers.
Cowboy moved in his sleep, rolling over.
The blanket slid off him, exposing his chest and a bit of thigh.
If I were honest, hearing Cowboy talk about his life so far away, made me jealous of it.
Made me wonder if he’d leave that life for me.
I wondered if he’d ask me to join him. Then I decided not to think of Cowboy at all and dwelled on the fact I had to hold the baby in the car because I didn’t have a car seat until I was up pacing.
Suddenly, I was suffocating. I stepped outside and saw the bright lights shining. There was a 24-hour Walmart across from us. On impulse, I stepped back inside and took Cowboy’s wallet. I walked across the highway to go purchase one.
Thankfully, there hadn’t been any traffic.
Inside, I grabbed a cart and walked like a woman on a mission.
I didn’t need Cowboy waking up and finding me gone.
It was easy enough to do. Being late night, the store was near deserted.
Great for me but the fact that no music played made me feel like I’d entered the twilight zone.
Wandering by all the pretty things, I became keenly aware I had nothing of my own, besides the baby.
And the card and stuffed Unicorn from Cowboy.
Every stitch of clothing I wore Snakebite had picked out for me, even my underwear.
Though tempted, I didn’t pick up anything, even for the baby, not wanting to spend someone else’s money on myself.
Even in five years, Walmart hadn’t changed much.
I found a child safety seat in no time. Chose the cheapest one because I planned to pay Cowboy back sometime, somehow.
However, when I reached the checkout lanes, not one was open.
Not one of thirty lanes. No one was there.
I walked up and down the front of the store a couple of times, thinking maybe I’d been wrong, maybe the store wasn’t 24 hours, until I spotted someone else with a cart.
I followed them to Self-Checkout. This was a big change.
I was supposed to check myself out? I’d be damned.
This was new to me. And to beat all, once I figured out there was a hand scanner, and I didn’t have to lift the big box up out of the cart, there was no cash in Cowboy’s wallet, only a bunch of credit cards.
I tried one, and the screen read declined.
Okay. I tried another. It was declined, too.
Crap, a cashier walked over to me, asking if she could help. While I debated on whether I should just leave or try another card, a lady stepped over from another register.
“Let me,” she said, swiping her own card.
“Why, thank you,” I replied, as she pushed the receipt into my hands.
A stranger just bought my car seat. Being somewhat embarrassed by it all, I’d barely even looked at her.
By the glimpse I did get as she walked out, she was older but spry.
The woman reminded me a little of LuAnn if she had had a bit more class and wasn’t long dead.
I brightened as I put the car seat in the buggy. Maybe it’d been LuAnn’s angel.
“Hey, are you going to get the next shopper’s bill?” The cashier asked me as I was leaving.
“Um, no… why would I?”
“Paying it forward. She pays for you, you pay for the next person.”
“I can’t,” I replied, barely believing this was a thing. I left as quick as I could.
Paying it forward? I’d looked and the lady behind me had a whole cart full of groceries. No way. To think, I thought LuAnn’s ghost had helped me out. There was so much I didn’t know about how things worked nowadays.
By the light of the street lamps, since the light in Snakebite’s car didn’t work, I read the directions and got the seat installed. Afterwards, when I crawled in bed next to the baby who was laying in the middle of the bed with Cowboy on the other side, I could finally sleep.
In the morning, I took extra care getting ready.
Today, I would be reunited with my brother.
Snakebite had packed me a white, lacy, off the shoulder summer dress.
Although, I was pretty sure it was fall, it was hotter than hades out.
It’d be perfect. Cowboy took a few extra looks at me when I stepped out of the bathroom.
“What do you think? Do you think my brother will approve?”
“I think… Scar, he’ll think you’re beautiful.”
“But there’s no shoes to match it. I’ll have to wear these old chucks.”
“Believe it or not, that’s completely in style,” Cowboy told me.
“I think I like the future.”
Cowboy didn’t find out about my late-night trip until we finished our continental breakfast. “How could you put yourself in danger like that? What if…?” He was fit to be tied, but he kept his voice steady and calm because of the baby. He didn’t know how much I appreciated that.
“I couldn’t help it. It was an instinct or something. I was like an animal. A mama bear. I couldn’t sleep. I just couldn’t ride in this car any longer putting my baby in danger.”
“Halley, if the Sons had gotten to you, it’d leave your baby all alone.”
“No, it wouldn’t have. He had you.”
I think he finally understood. “Next time just tell me. I could’ve gone with you. We all could’ve gone before we got to the hotel.”
“You want to keep me safe?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Of course, I do.”
Cowboy’s hand landed on my bare knee, and I scooted over to sit real close to him and sort of laid my head on his shoulder.
“Have I thanked you? I’ve always wanted a Cowboy to come, take me away.”
He still hadn’t even tried to kiss me. Figuring he was waiting for my brother’s permission or something, I was being patient for now. When we pulled onto the lot in Tucson, I couldn’t believe my eyes.