Ride Free Read Online Free PDF Page B

she’d fall into his arms.
    She ran into the crowd, away from Reefer, and searched out Bill Crowley. She spotted him over at the food table, sitting in a lawn chair, a blanket thrown over his legs.
    She weaved through the crowd, sharing smiles with those she knew, and hurried over to Bill’s side. She squatted down beside his chair and rested her hand on his arm. She hated to ask, but someone needed to take care of her father.
    “Bill, I ran into Da earlier. I’m afraid I didn’t help matters. Can you have someone check on him tonight?” Sarah bowed her head. She wished her da’s condition improved, and that he could handle having her around. Asking for help never sat well with her, especially when it came to family.
    “Of course, Sarah. You know I will. Don’t worry your pretty head. Enjoy the night and say an extra prayer for little Browntail.”
    Bill patted the top of her head, reminding Sarah of all the times in her childhood he did the exact same gesture. Like years past, she appreciated knowing the leader of the tribe cared about her.
    “Thank you.” She kissed his cheek and rose. “I’ll come back, and you have my number…”
    Bill nodded. “Drive carefully, my child.”
    Sarah stopped at one of the contribution boxes placed out for the Browntail family. She extracted the cash she’d shoved into her pocket earlier and slid it into the slot on the box. Her problems seemed silly compared to a child fighting for life. Deciding to call it a night, she patted the box and sent a wish for the powwow to have been a success.
    She kept to the outside of the crowd and hurried over to her car. She didn’t glance in the direction of the motorcycles or try to catch a glimpse of Reefer. He needed to sort out what he wanted in life, without any pressure from her.
    Once on the main road, she drove automatically, her thoughts replaying the day and the surprising turn of events. He’ll find me one day. That’s all there is to it.
     
    ***
     
    Reefer stood beside Knuckles, the man who’d raised him after his own dad passed away, and gazed out to the parking lot. Why did he have the desire to sprint across the gravel and beg Sarah to stay with him? He narrowed his eyes and studied her every step.
    Away from him, she hurried about her business. Those beautiful shoulders of hers pushed back to bear the weight he imagined she carried with having a drunk for a father. Earlier, he’d wanted to whisk her away from her father’s house and erase the moment of embarrassment from her mind.
    Family should stand together, support one another through good times and bad. But, if she lived in a home where alcohol abuse happened daily, who supported Sarah? His gut tightened at the thought that she relied only on herself.
    Knuckles laid a hand on his back. “You doin’ okay?”
    Reefer shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, no worries.”
    “Where did your pretty lady go?” Crowbar sidled up next to Reefer. “Thought you’d be gone for the night.”
    “Nope.” Reefer backhanded Crowbar on the chest. “Should have stayed away in the first place.”
    He still gazed out at the parking lot, although Sarah’s car had left a few minutes ago. “Look, I’m hitting the road and going back to the motel. I’ll see you all on the sunrise.”
    He marched to his bike and shoved the memory of Sarah snuggled up in front of him, her hair flying wild, and her cute little ass pressed against him to the back of his mind. No, what he needed was a good night’s rest and to forget about a certain sexy Native American lady.
    He pulled out onto the highway back to Astoria, kicked the bike into fifth gear, and let the speed blow away his discomfort. This late at night, except for a car or two going the other direction, he owned the road.
    Four miles outside the reservation, he passed a lemon-colored car pulled over to the side of the road. He swung into the nearest lot, hung a quick Louie, and got back on the highway. Sarah drove a car