After we fueled in Murfreesboro, it was a three hour run for Colorado Springs.
“That’s about our maximum range,” Ryan commented as we left the Tennessee runway. “We’ll be pretty close to empty by the time we get there.”
“So you say you know some people out there, but you never said how.”
“I lived there when I was younger. My dad was an instructor at the Academy for about three years before he went back to flying combat missions.”
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. You’re mom doesn’t look that old, was your dad-”
“A little-ten years; he would have turned fifty one next month, he was forty seven when he was killed.”
I watched his brow furrow and I knew it was time to change the subject, “So you were living with your sister in Pensacola? I never met her, how old is she?”
“Dianna is twenty-two. Her husband, Clyde-”
“Clyde?” I was trying not to giggle, but it sounded funny.
“Yeah, I know and what’s even funnier is that’s his nickname. Did you ever see the movie ‘Every Which Way But Loose’ with Clint Eastwood?”
My smile got a little broader, “No, I’m afraid I never watched any of his movies.”
“You’re kidding, right? You’ve never seen a Clint Eastwood film?” He was genuinely surprised.
“I’m not a big movie buff, but go on and tell me what the connection is between them.” I was getting the feeling from the expression on Ryan’s face that it was going to be funny, however it ended.
“Eastwood’s character in the movie is a boxer named Philo Beddow who travels with an orangutan named Clyde.”
“He’s named after a monkey?” The laughter was beginning to roll up from somewhere in the middle of my stomach.
Ryan was trying to keep a straight face, but he was already chuckling, “Orangutans are apes, not monkeys. And no, his mom named him Philo after the boxer, but he had such shock red hair that everyone said he looked more like Clyde the ape and that’s how he got the nickname.”
“That’s awful! You’re kidding about this, right?”
“Swear to God, it’s the honest truth-his hair is redder than mine.”
“He’s at least a handsome redhead right; he doesn’t look like an ape in the face?”
“Hey, that’s a girl’s department to judge. I don’t rate guys, but it’s just the color of his hair that earned him the nickname. My sister likes his looks. Man, when we land I’ve got to get some Clint Eastwood movies for you to watch.”
“Finish telling me about Dianna and Clyde; you got side-tracked.”
“Oh, yeah. Anyway, Clyde is thirty and he’s a master sergeant with the 46th Test Wing at Eglin. They live off the base and Mom thought I needed another male influence in my life so she decided I should stay with them for a little while. Well, that and the fact I could be in the Air Force ROTC at Pensacola High.”
“I thought you said your mom is against the idea of you enlisting?”
“She is, but she said she can’t live my life for me, I’ve got to make my own choices, so she let me go.”
“She sounds like a good mom. Where does Palm Beach fit into all of this?”
“She is. Mom is originally from there. Her family is old money and no matter where we moved with Dad when he shipped around the states, Palm Beach was always home base. We moved back there when they sent him overseas.”
“So you still have friends out here?” I asked as we neared our destination.
“Yeah, I have a couple buddies that are already enlisted and a few that are finishing up high school-like us,” he emphasized, letting me know he still wanted both of us to get our diplomas.
“I don’t know how we’re going to do that, at least not for a little while until we make sure we don’t have to move again.”
“We’re going to be okay here, Leese. He only found us because of what happened at the airport.”
“You don’t know his family,” I said, trying not to let the pain hit me. “His mother is an expert when it comes to tracing people and finding out every detail about their lives. I wouldn’t be surprised if Micah knows every place you’ve ever lived.”
“Maybe, but until then we’re going to settle in and get comfortable here. If we have to go, we’ll pick someplace that neither of us has ever been.”
I was thinking if it came to that, I was leaving here without him. He looked at this as a game until this morning when we actually had a near encounter. He didn’t know Micah like I did. He’d never watched him empty himself of emotion and become the person he was trained to be. Ryan would hate me for running without him, but it would be one time I would leave a big enough trail that Micah would come straight after me and leave him alone.
We landed at COS and I gave Ryan a roll of cash to cover the costs for storing the airplane. He left me for a little while when he went to talk to the guys at the office. I dug into my duffle while he was gone, realizing I never even brushed my hair this morning, but it was so short I could straighten it out with my fingers if I had to. I looked in the mirror and still couldn’t get over how good of a job he had done. I put on my makeup. Then, making sure no one was around, I changed my clothes. I folded and repacked my bags and then sat there wondering what was taking Ryan so long. I considered opening his bags and folding his clothes, but I didn’t want it to appear that I was simply snooping through his things.
Finally, my wild redhead appeared at the door of the plane.
“Wow, leave you alone for a little while and you get all dolled-up.”
I smiled, “I’m not ‘dolled-up’ I just put on a little makeup and some decent clothes.” I passed him the bags as he reached for them. “Did you call for a taxi? I’m sure there are some hotels here at the airport that-”
“We’re covered. I’ve got a couple friends coming to get us, we’re going to stay with them tonight, and tomorrow we can start looking for our own place. And by the way,” he said as everything was unloaded and he put out his hand to help me down the stairs, “You are a doll with or without the makeup.”
He let go of my hand and placed both hands around my waist and lifted me off the stairs and set me gently on the tarmac, surprising me as I looked up into his happy expression. He was evidently enjoying our time together no matter the circumstances.
I heard a car approaching as Ryan reluctantly let go and grabbed up the bags, “Okay, here we go baby, get ready for some wild people.”
“What?”
“Just smile,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.
A white Chevy Caprice barreled toward us with two massive young guys in the front seat. They were built like Micah, wide chests, thick necks and burly biceps, but they both had crew-cuts and were whooping and hollering out the windows before the car even stopped.
“Who did you call?” I questioned through gritted teeth.
“Friends,” he gritted back. “Take off your rings,” he whispered and then stepped in front of me to provide a little cover.
I quickly pulled the wedding set off my hand and slipped them into the pocket of my jeans.
“Andy! Ty! How’s it going!” he shouted at them as they rolled out of the car and headed our direction.
They practically dog-piled Ryan, which isn’t easy to do to someone his height, but it was no problem for these two monsters. He got slugged a couple times, in teasing of course, but I could still tell it hurt. They were laughing and asking what happened to his hair as they roughed his head.
“My hair?” Ryan scoffed, “You guys are ones to talk. What happened to your hair?”
“We got ours cut, but someone didn’t turn our asses over and dip us in friggin’ pumpkin colored paint!”
“It’s red, not pumpkin,” Ryan rebutted, defending his color choice.
“It’s my fault,” I spoke up, causing all three heads to snap my direction. “I’m responsible for the color job, but we’re dying it back to black tonight.”
Both guys straightened up and big smiles came across their faces. “Damn, Ryan-you’ve done all right for yourself, son,” the largest one stated.
I felt the blush hit my cheeks.
“Andy, Ty, this is Leese, she’s-”
“A good friend,” I finished for him, reaching out to shake hands. I didn’t expect to get grabbed but the one Ryan referred to as Andy, pulled me next to him and wrapped his arms around me.
The smile fell off Ryan’s face.
“Well, girlfriend, if he’s just a buddy, I’m your new man,” he laughed and gave me a brief hug and turned me loose.
Ty reached out and took my hand and brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it, “Not if I have anything to say about it,” he quipped. “Nice to meet you, Leese. And don’t mind my brother, he’s a dipshit, but I know how to treat a lady.”
Ryan pushed them both away from me and stepped between, “Back off you idiots, she’s here with me and she’s not looking for a Romeo-or a pair of clowns.”
“Ah, man, you’re just jealous because we look better than you, Pumpkin Head,” Andy laughed.
“Maybe we’ll look for that apartment today,” Ryan growled, turning to me.
“The hell you say!” Andy responded. “Momma’s got a room ready for you and supper planned. She’ll kick your ass if you bail on us now.”
The trunk was opened and our bags were tossed inside. The guys tried talking me into sitting between them in the front seat, leaving Ryan alone in the back, but I politely refused. I think they were kidding, but it was a little hard to tell.
I wasn’t usually afraid in a vehicle, but Ty drove like a lunatic. I found myself clutching Ryan’s arm to stay upright as Ty took curves and corners too fast. Ryan wrapped his arm around me and braced his legs against the back of the front seats to keep us from sliding around.
“Do you guys know of any good cars for sale,” Ryan asked as we exited the airport. He could tell I wouldn’t want to ride any more than necessary with these two.
Andy turned around to answer and got a funny look on his face as he watched Ryan’s grip on me tighten, “I know a guy that has an awesome 1969 AMC Javelin. It’s all original with the 390 engine and a four speed, but he wants like ten grand for it.”
“Is it on the way?” I asked, my arms twining around Ryan’s waist.
Andy leaned forward and smacked Ty on the shoulder, “Hey, stop at Pearly’s house, they wanna check out the Javelin.”
The car took a sharp left and Ryan landed on me as we flopped over in the seat. He was grinning as we righted ourselves. “Ty, do you think you could drive a little less like Bo Duke? Leese’s gonna have bruises by the time we get to your house.”
“I don’t know,” Ty laughed as he slowed his pace, “I had a big crush on Daisy Duke. If you can talk Leese into a pair of short-shorts and high-heels I might actually drive civil.”
The guys laughed. I didn’t think it was that funny.
We pulled down a shaded street filled with older homes and drove down to the end and turned into a driveway. Andy went up and knocked as we waited in the yard. An older black man answered the door and then came outside.
“You interested in my car?” he asked Ryan.
“Yes, sir. Is it in good condition?”
“I’d say. I bought her back in ‘69 right off the showroom floor. I’ve put 78,000 miles on her and that’s all. Come on around to the garage.”
We followed him to a dilapidated detached building around the side of the house, but when the door was lifted, there sat a shining red Javelin with a black stripe.
“She ain’t got no rust. The seats are perfect except for one little burn hole in the backseat from my stupid cousin Clair. The floor is solid and the mats are original. She runs like a scalded-ass ape.”
“When’s the last time you cranked her up?” I asked.
“I crank her at least once a week and I take her out on the road about once a month. I’ve won a couple awards at the local car shows for her,” he added proudly.
“So why are you selling it?” Ryan asked.
“Why does anybody sell anything?” he quipped. “I could use the money and my pickup truck gets me back and forth to work just fine. She’s just for show.”
“Well, stop jacking your jaw, Pearly, and crank her up,” Ty said impatiently.
“You damn boys might be MP’s but you ain’t the boss of me, so you can just hold your high horse,” he said fishing around in his pocket for the key. “Besides, I see this lady here seems to have an eye for fine cars.” He watched me looking it over. “She might like to crank it. It’s stick though, honey, so you’re gonna have to push in the clutch and put her in neutral.
“I can drive stick,” I smiled, taking the offered key.
Andy and Ty made a collective noise like they were impressed that I could drive a manual. Ryan just laughed. He’d ridden with me and he knew what I could do behind the wheel.
“Give the gas one tap, before you turn the key,” Pearly stated.
I did as instructed and the engine came immediately to life. I liked the sound right away. “Can we test drive it?”
“I don’t know,” Pearly stated, giving me and Ryan a hard look, “can you afford it? I want eighty-five hundred for her.”
“Do you have a current tag on it?” I asked.
“Yup, just renewed it about five months ago.”
“Yeah, we can manage the price-if it runs good.”
“Well, come on, darlin’ let’s take her for a ride.” He motioned Ryan around to the passenger’s side. He looked at Ty and Andy. “You boys can wait here, cuz the trunk ain’t big enough to hold both of you!” he laughed. He had me lean forward as he tipped the seat up and crawled into the back.
I could see the disappointment written on their faces as they watched me drive away.
“Which way?” I asked reaching the end of the drive.
“Turn right and then I’ll show you where you can stretch her out a little.”
Within a few blocks we were in an area that had a few closed up warehouses, and basically no vehicles in the street.
“Okay, you’ve got about eight blocks of nothing, so check her out and punch her d-”
He didn’t get to utter the last word before I dropped the pedal to the floor and burned down the street. The transmission was in excellent shape and the engine responded like a dream. There was plenty of room in an empty parking lot as I neared the end of the vacant road and I slid her into it, spinning one-eighty and heading back down the way we’d come.
Pearly made no comment about my driving, but he was grinning from ear to ear when I looked into the rearview. Now I could see why they called him Pearly-he had the whitest teeth I’d ever seen. I slowed before turning onto the street that would take us to Ty and Andy. “Ryan, you want to give it a go?” I asked, unable to get the smile off my face.
“It’s your money, Leese. You’re the boss.”
“I’m paying, but I’m not getting the car for me, it’s for you.”
“How about I get to drive it to Andy and Ty’s house?”
“Deal,” I said, reaching over and squeezing his hand.
We pulled the car up behind the Caprice and followed Pearly inside to pay him and get the title. He pointedly told Andy and Ty they could wait outside.
His house wasn’t well lit and the curtains were drawn, but we made our way to the couch as Pearly left the room for the paperwork. I pulled out a pack of hundreds and tucked them behind my purse.
“Leese, how are we going to transfer the title and get insurance on the car?” Ryan quietly questioned.
“Let me handle that for now,” I whispered my response as Pearly returned to the room.
“Okay, I don’t take checks,” Pearly began.
“I’ll pay cash, but I need a couple favors from you.”
At this his eyebrows went up, “I knew you was gonna be too good to be true,” he said, shaking his head.
“No, it’s nothing bad. It’s just that we’re trying to stay out of my crazy ex-husband’s reach. Can I pay you ten grand and I get to keep the license plate? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t drop it from your insurance for several months, so we’ll have time to figure out how to insure it without sending up a red flag that says ‘here we are,’” I finished.
“Crazy ex-husband, huh?”
I could tell he wasn’t totally buying my story, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out my rings.
“Damn, he’s probably crazy ‘cause he wants those back! Not that you ain’t a package worth reclaiming yourself, but them rings cost a pretty penny, I can tell.”
I returned the rings to my pocket and took the bundle of hundreds that had been hidden by my purse, “So, do we have an agreement?”
“Is that his, too!” he exclaimed. “I don’t want him looking for me if he’s got that kind of dough.”
I laughed, “No, the money is mine.”
He reached into a drawer in a small table beside him and pulled out what appeared to be a magic marker. “Not that I don’t believe you, but I’ve been burned before,” he said, reaching toward me.
That was when I realized it was a counterfeit marking tool. I handed him the money as he put it under the light from the table lamp and marked a random sampling of bills.
“You got a deal, lady,” he chuckled, flashing his bright smile.
We shook hands and left with the title.
“Did you buy it?” Andy asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
“Sure did. We’ll follow you guys,” Ryan confirmed, taking the key from my hand.
I tried to talk him in to stopping somewhere so I could pick up some black hair dye, but he said we would do that later because he didn’t quite remember where he was headed and he didn’t want to lose the crazy driver in front of us.
Twenty five minutes later we pulled up to an older tri-level home with a stone façade and an ancient tire swing in the front yard.
“I used to live in that house there,” Ryan pointed to the large brick house next door. “These idiots were my neighbors.”
“I’m surprised you survived it.”
Our bags were in the trunk of the Caprice and Ty had already unlocked it and was pulling them out. “Which ones are yours, Leese?” he asked.
I tried to grab mine, but he slung them over his shoulder.
“I don’t want you to have to carry them, I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t carrying Pumpkin Heads,” he said, throwing the other two bags at Ryan.
I could hear the air leave Ryan’s chest as the bags smacked into him. “Thanks a lot,” he gasped. “You’re a real great host.”
We walked into the house and a familiar odor hit me. Garlic bread? Lasagna? It was some kind of Italian food being prepared.
“Ma, were home!” Andy yelled out.
A heavy set woman with a kind face and an oven mitt on each hand came around the corner. “Ryan? Is that you? Good Lord, baby, what did you do to your hair?”
“Hey, Miss Naomi.” He dropped his bags and gave her a warm embrace.
“I know it’s you, ‘cause it’s the same handsome face and those perfect blue eyes,” she said, with an oven mitt cupping each of his cheeks.
“Ouch! Hot, Miss Naomi,” he whined.
“Oh, Lord, I’m sorry. I forgot I just took a big pan of lasagna out of the oven with these dumb things.” She pulled off the mitts and tucked them under her arm. “You’ve grown a foot since I seen you last. How’s your momma?”
“She’s fine,” he replied. Both of his cheeks were as red as if he’d been out in the sun too long.
She looked at me waiting patiently behind him and she smiled, “Well, who is this pretty young woman you’ve got with you?”
“This is my good friend Leese. Leese, this is Naomi Saint-George, mother of thing one and thing two,” he said pointing to Andy and Ty.
“It’s just George,” Naomi corrected him. “I’m no saint.”
“Sure you are,” Ryan continued, kissing her cheek, “You’ve had to put up with those dummies for twenty-some-odd years.”
She suddenly seemed a little worried, “I-I only have one extra bedroom, unless we put you on the couch, Ryan,” she mentioned with a little flush to her cheeks.
“Leese and I can share a room.,” He said throwing a cocky glance at Andy and Ty.
“Sure we can,” I said, a little miffed that he blurted that out, “Pumpkin Head can sleep on the floor.”
Andy and Ty burst out laughing.
Pumpkin Head withered under my stare. Maybe I didn’t have to get that black dye tonight after all.
“Well come on,” Naomi said, “Let me show you to the room so you can put down your bags-oh, I know what we can do. Ty, go down to the garage and grab your old twin bed. We can fit it in there so Pum-Ryan doesn’t have to sleep on the floor,” she said, giving me a wink.
It was only four in the afternoon, but Naomi said the food was done and we might as well have dinner. The only thing Ryan and I consumed today was donuts and coffee at the Murfreesboro airport when we fueled up, so I was starving. She made a big pan of lasagna, which I thought was enough to feed ten people instead of five, until I watched Andy and Ty take their servings out of the pan. Wow, those guys could eat! When we finished they went back for seconds and wiped out the remainder.
I learned a little more about them around the dinner table. Ty had just turned twenty and Andy was twenty-one. They had lived in Colorado Springs all their lives and their parents were divorced. Naomi had been raising them, single-handedly, for the last ten years. Both joined the military right out of high school and they worked as MP’s at Peterson’s Air Force Base.
With the meal finished, I asked if there was a shopping plaza or a drug store nearby so I could get some dye to correct Ryan’s poor, color-flawed hair. We drove to a nearby Walgreens and grabbed a box of Just for Men black hair color and returned to Naomi’s.
I offered to help Ryan do it, but I think he didn’t want the guys to tease him so he opted to do it himself. It was five minute hair color and he was going to shower when he washed it out, but he must have spent an hour in the bathroom, and I was starting to worry what went wrong.
We were all seated in the living room watching the six o’clock news when he emerged. His hair was glistening black and damp. He had a towel over his shoulders, and just a pair of jeans, no shirt. It was the first time I had seen his bare chest and I now regretted I said one bedroom would work. He wasn’t thickly muscled like Micah, but he looked more like one of those guys you’d find carrying a surfboard down to the beach. He had softly defined six-pack abs and a light tan and I was considering he would be a great model, when he waved his hand in front of my face.
“Hello? I asked how you like the hair,” he had this big smile on his face because he knew I was checking out almost everything except his hair.
“N-nice job,” I managed to say.
“Yes,” Naomi spoke up, “you look better sticking with your natural black, honey.”
“I think he looked better as a pumpkin,” Andy smirked and then jumped up and said he called the shower next.
By the time eight o’clock rolled around, I was surrounded by shirtless bodies. Andy emerged from the shower shirtless, toweless, and practically pantless. All he had on was a pair of swim trunks. Next Ty took a shower and followed the example, coming out equally undressed. They were all really hot and I had a feeling that the parade was solely for my benefit. Andy kept catching me glancing over at him, but it was hard to help since he was the one that had the closest ‘Micah’ body.
“Is my air conditioner not working?” Naomi asked as she finally stirred from the movie on the television.
Ty rose up and looked at the thermostat, “It’s seventy-two, isn’t that what you normally keep it on?”
“Yes it is, but why the Sam-hell are all you boys practically naked?” she scoffed.
“Would it be okay if I used your shower, Miss Naomi?” I asked. I was ready to hit the bed, but I really wanted a chance to clean up first.
“Of course you can, honey, but I have to warn you we only have the one bathroom in the house so I can’t promise that these knuckle heads left it in decent shape.”
“That’s okay,” I replied, but inwardly I knew we’d have to find a place to stay real soon, because I loathed the idea of showering behind that many people.
“You can come out shirtless, too!” Andy yelled as I headed down the hallway. I heard the loud smack as he yowled, “Ouch, Momma! What did you hit me for?”
I smiled.
The bathroom was fairly small, but the troops had been decent about not leaving it nasty. I grabbed my shampoo and soap and stepped under the running water. It had been a long day and I was hoping I could fall asleep tonight without Ryan’s assistance. I was grateful he helped me last night, but surely I could manage tonight by myself.
I toweled off and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top and went back to the cramped bedroom. There was one queen-sized bed and the small twin they brought up from the garage. I decided Ryan wouldn’t fit so well on the twin, so I took it and left the larger bed for him. I could still hear the guys in the living room, laughing, talking and reminiscing.
I drifted off, but within an hour, my eyes were open. I grabbed an extra pillow off the large bed and tried wedging it behind me for a stand-in, but it wasn’t warm and there was no strong arm to slip around my waist. I heard Ryan coming down the hallway as he told everyone good night. He came into the dark room quietly, the only light being the red display on the clock and a seashell night light on the other side of the queen bed.
“Leese,” he whispered.
I tried faking sleep so he wouldn’t know I was struggling with it again, and then I tried not to crack a smile as he began to talk to himself. He was speaking lower than a whisper, but I could still hear him.
“This isn’t going to do,” he said. “She should be in the big bed, not me. If she wakes up, how am I going to fit on that little bed with her? All right, baby girl, let’s see if I can move you without waking you.”
I was ready to roll over and tell him I was awake, but his arms were already under me as I began to turn toward him. I guess he assumed he woke me.
“Shhh,” he breathed softly, “Go back to sleep, I’m just moving you to the other bed.”
There was no opportunity to argue with him as he had already lifted me. He turned to the other bed and realized there was a problem as my head was now pointed at the foot of the bed.
“Put me down,” I whispered. He was still shirtless and I was finding it unsettling to have my hands against his bare skin.
“Can you go back to sleep?” he asked as he put my feet on the floor.
“Sure,” I lied. I wasn’t prepared to argue the issues of who should be in which bed. I immediately felt a big difference between the thick pillow top queen mattress and the thin, uncomfortable twin that Ryan was now settling onto. “That bed isn’t very comfortable; sleep up here, but you don’t need to hold me.”
I didn’t have to ask twice as he rose and pulled back the covers, stretched out and sighed, “Much better. Good-night, Leese.”
“Good-night.”
I lay on my side watching the bedside clock tick by.
“You aren’t asleep, are you?” came a whisper in the dark.
I thought about ignoring him, but I finally whispered back, “No.”
His body came up behind me, warmth flooded my skin and his tattooed arm wrapped around my waist. I didn’t expect the kiss on my neck that sent shivers through me.
“Get some sleep.”
I really needed to be asleep before he attempted to replace Micah. It seemed though he found sleeping with me to be relaxing enough that he drifted off and within fifteen minutes, I could hear his deep, steady breathing, just short of trying to snore.
I laid there and wondered if Micah was sleeping right now? I cried silently. My heart ached to hear his voice, to feel his touch, and to taste his lips against my own. I was ashamed to be lying here in Ryan’s arms, knowing I wanted to roll over and let him have his first experience with a woman, but I couldn’t make that fatal mistake. It wouldn’t prove fatal to my physical body, but my heart and soul wouldn’t recover from the betrayal. Somewhere around four in the morning, I managed to fall asleep and, once asleep, I was comfortable and safe in Micah’s arms.