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  Zeke got out of the truck and walked up the drive to his side door. As he reached for the screen he heard a woman’s voice in what sounded like the throes of passion. Throaty moans, a grunt here and there between the breathless words, “Oh God, Tuff, give it to me.” Zeke’s hand froze. One eyebrow went up. What. The. Hell. He turned to the fence but couldn’t see anything through the wooden pickets. Without even thinking, he moved closer to the sound. He heard another grunt and another groan and then that beautiful voice, a little louder this time, “Give it to me Tuff. You’re such a bad, bad, bad boy.” He couldn’t resist peeking over the fence at that, even if it made him a creepy voyeur.

  Zeke’s new neighbor, not much taller than 5’, with pale blonde curls bouncing all around her face was locked in a tug of war with the biggest, ugliest dog that Zeke had ever seen. She was barefoot, wearing a pair of loose, faded jeans and a long sleeved, purple top. Since Zeke was so tall, he didn’t even have to tip toe to get a good view of the woman’s backside as she bent over trying to get the beast to open his mouth. The jeans were no longer loose. Zeke’s left eyebrow joined the other one up on his forehead.

  “You little fucker. I swear I am going to make you listen to boy bands on repeat for a frickin’ week. I’m going to take you to the groomers and make them give you two baths, with the blow dryer both times. By the time I am done with your ass you’ll be wishing you were back at the shelter.” She was trying to pry his huge teeth apart with her small hands, and it looked like the dog was actually smiling. “I’m going to make you watch me eat bacon every morning for a month. I am not going to give you a single bite.” The dog stopped smiling and dropped the purple flip flop to the grass. The smiling dog knew what was important and wasn’t willing to push his mama to extremes. Smart guy. Apparently, she was used to his antics and bent down to drop a kiss on his head and give him a scratch behind his ears. “You little shit. You make me crazy, you know?” The dogs big head swung and bumped her legs and she fell down into the grass with her arms around him. Once again with that soft, raspy growl, “Who’s my big man? You’re my big sweetie.”

  Zeke backed away from the fence quickly and bumped into his truck. He spun around on his foot and went into the house. He gave himself a little pep talk, “Got shit to do, man. Not that shit. Probably married. No way that shit is available.” He once again put visiting his neighbor on his to do list. He had seen her a couple of times before he left on for his conference but both times, just like today, he was in the middle of something or just about to leave. Tomorrow. Right now, he needed to make a quick run to the bathroom, change his clothes and get on the bike for more searching. The weather was good. No sense in wasting it in a car if he was going to be out on the road anyway.

  ~*~

  “Tuff is an asshole.”

  I was standing over Lisa who was laid out in the grass next to Tuff. His body was almost as long as hers. He was on his belly with his legs stretched out behind him. His head was laid up on her chest and she had both hands scratching up and down his long back.

  “Well, he stole your shoes, and look at how horrible you are to him, doling out the abuse like that. It’s no wonder he picks on you like he does.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a sucker he is never going to stop. You get your shoe? Ready to add a smaller more manageable fur baby to our family?” Lisa dropped another kiss on Tuff’s head and hopped up.

  “You’ve never owned a cat, have you?” She asked with an odd look. She scooted her foot to get her flip flops on, pulled a hair band out of her pocket and reached up to draw her hair back to put it in the tie. “Remind me in a week or two that you said this would be manageable, okay? Let’s go find me a baby, sister!”

  ~*~

  Sam held a long blade of grass in his fingers. His forearm rested over his knee, his other leg was straight out in the grass. The granite was cold where his back rested against it. He twirled the grass in his fingers and let it go on the breeze.

  Sam came here often to talk to his father. Sometimes he would sit quietly and relax with the sun on his face. Sometimes he would talk about things going on with his siblings or the business.

  Bill Duke’s death had left a hole in his children’s lives, the lives of the people who worked at the shop and also the brothers in the motorcycle club that he had started before his children were born. Bill wanted a place to belong with men who shared his interest in motorcycles, cars and family. He had spent enough time around other bikers at rally’s and bars to realize that most of the motorcycle clubs didn’t have the same values he did. Yes, they believed in loyalty and brotherhood, but Bill believed even more in his need to make the world better for his wife and the kids they would have some day.

  Bill expressed this to his four closest friends. They had been together since grade school, through love and loss, rebellion and then finally finding women to complete their lives. Each one of them owned a bike and rode it as often as possible. After finding the women that they loved, they brought them into the fold of the brotherhood they had together. The friends decided to start a club with just the four of them and soon after other men decided to join them in their love of family and pride for their town and state.

  The men decided to call their club the Knights when Bill’s wife Janet told him he always had to be the “Knight in Shining Armor” to every lost soul he encountered. Bennie, Bill’s best friend, heard her comment. He knew that she meant it as an insult to Bill, but he realized that Janet was right. The four brothers wanted to make the world around them better so that they could raise their children to be happy.

  From the beginning the Knights took on causes to help their neighbors at home, businesses around Duke’s garage and Benson’s restaurant and other organizations around town that helped people. The club raised money, helped repair buildings and homes for people in need, watched out for neighbors and helped raise their sons and daughters to be loving and good people.

  No drugs were allowed around the club but drinking beer and sitting around a fire together was a favorite pastime. Bill and Janet had their children in quick succession while Bill grew his garage business from a one bay shop to the larger building it still worked in today.

  When the children were small Janet suddenly decided that Bill’s life and vision for the future were not for her. She wanted excitement and shopping and to spend money on herself, rather than working to help others who needed it more. She left Bill one morning while he and the children were asleep in their home, taking every dime from their accounts, leaving no note or any sign that she would ever be back.

  Bill raised his children by himself, never trying to replace Janet in his life or theirs. He groomed his sons to be good strong men and taught his daughter to be a strong woman. Sam and Zeke were Bill’s oldest children and had spent so much time, blood, sweat and effort to help the Knights in their endeavors that when Bill found out he was sick he put it to a vote at the club that Sam and Zeke take over his position as President together if he didn’t win his fight with cancer. The vote was unanimous.

  Watching Bill waste away as the cancer took him had brought Sam and his siblings even closer to each other, but when their father passed he took pieces of each of his children’s hearts with him. Without a mother to lean on the siblings only had each other and the men and women in the club that Bill had created with his children in mind. Every day when Sam woke up his first thoughts were of his Dad. And Carlie. Both of whom were gone from his life. Until today. Carlie had come back. He put his head down and closed his eyes.

  “The club’s good Dad. We had a meeting last week and we are going to continue with that fund raiser to help the children’s home this year. Kari’s good now. She’s got her women and her place and they are coming along smooth. We help all we can. All the brothers work to help her keep things going, the wives do their part too.” Sam plucked out another blade of grass. “Thing are good. Moving along. The shop is good. Got a new mechanic. He’s wanting to join the Knights. Probably gonna give him
some shit first, but then we’ll vote on him.”

  Sam twirled the grass between his fingers before he let it go. He leaned his head back again and looked up at the clear blue sky.

  “She’s back Dad. I’ve tried to tell myself for years that I hate her for leaving. But now that I know she is here it’s not anger or hate. I don’t know whether to run to her or run away.”

  7.

  The pet store was quiet when we arrived to get supplies for Lisa’s future kitten. She picked up a small bag of kitten food, a few small toys and a tiny collar with bells. While she was in the zone with her tiny cat stuff I wandered over to the big dog aisle. I grabbed a bag of tennis balls, a couple of frisbees and started investigating chew toys that were labeled ‘indestructible.’ Sure, they may think they can’t be torn up but they never tested them on my dog. I chose a few and turned to join Lisa with my haul.

  Sandra was standing just a few feet away at the end of the aisle holding a toddler in her arms. I stopped and waited for her to speak. She bent to put the little boy down and pointed as she said, “Go get mama.” The little boy took off in the direction she guided him.

  “Why are you here?” she asked. Not one to ever beat around the bush, Sandra always went straight to the heart of the matter.

  “I’m buying my dog some stuff. Why are you here?” I knew what she meant but I was not going to spill to her. She was wonderful to me when Sam and I were together, but I knew she could be tough and ruthless when crossed. I owed her no explanation.

  “You know what I mean, girl. Why are you here?” she pointed her finger to the ground as she growled at me.

  “If you close your eyes and think about home, what do you see? Me, I see this town. I see the people I love and the place I want to stay. You probably don’t agree with me, but I don’t care.” There I go, straight to the heart of the matter.

  “You showed up at the shop today and breezed in like you belong there and didn’t like what you saw. Of course, you ran off before anyone could talk to you. Seems to be your way.” She got closer to me.

  “You don’t know shit about me Sandra and I get you are protecting your boys. I do. But this has nothing to do with them. My life has changed and I came to the only place I considered home. It’s been long enough that all of them have their own lives and don’t need you to mama them as much anymore, I’m sure. We can all live in this town separately, and since I have to be I am okay with that. I’d like to be able to smile and nod at you if I see you around again.” I realized in that second, I was not okay. A smile and a nod would not work for me. I wanted to run into her arms and ask her a million questions about ‘her boys’ and Tink and the club and if her kids were grown and who was that toddler. I needed to get out of here before I made a fool of myself.

  “The only shit I know is that you hurt them. All of them. Sam the worst. Kari a close second. You just got shut of everyone in this town with not a single look back. Broke their hearts. Broke my heart and broke my heart again to watch them deal with it. How long before you leave this time?” She had walked even closer and now she was within just a few feet.

  “Everything happens for a reason and some suck worse than others. I see you don’t care to know my why, just want to stay with what happened before. I get it. But just know, I’m not going anywhere. Until I die I am going to stay here, my home.” I pointed at the floor in front of my feet. I looked her in the eye when I said it, hoping she would see that I meant no harm but I was not going to leave again.

  “You hurt my boy again and that might happen quicker than you think, girl.” she spun around and turned to follow where the toddler went earlier.

  “Did that old lady just threaten to kill you, Carlie?” Lisa asked quietly. I turned to her.

  “Yeah, and she meant it too. You ready? Let’s go let you love on some kittens and maybe rainbows and glitter will shoot out of them and cover me in happy.” She was still staring at where Sandra had been. “Don’t worry, sister, it will all work out. She can’t hurt me. Stronger people have tried and failed.” I grasped my purchases closer to my chest and walked to the register as she turned to follow me.

  We arrived at the shelter out at the edge of town and met the woman at the desk that could see a new friend in Lisa. A friend that would take one or all of the ‘sweet little kitties’ she wanted to see. It was like watching a shark who just realized that prey had dove into her waters.

  Within minutes, Lisa sat in the floor covered in baby kittens, tears in her eyes, telling me that they all needed to come home with us. I didn’t see any glitter or rainbows, thank God, but what was left of the peaceful part of me had hit a wall. The lady at the shelter could see an easy mark and was telling Lisa all about each kitten and how sweet and docile each was. She mentioned more than once that a kitten needed others around it to be happy. Lisa was beside herself at the plight of the unloved, poor, lonely, defenseless kitties. Lisa looked up at me with her bright blue eyes, big tears streaming down her face and hit her mark.

  “Look at these two. They belong together. They are snuggled up and already love each other. I need to take them home with me, Carlie. I really do. I need something to love.” She blinked her beautiful eyes and one more tear escaped. Jesus. She is good.

  I threw my head back and stared at the ceiling. “Ohmygodwoman! What are you asking me for? If you want two then get two. But I am not gonna love either one of them. Cats are your gig.”

  I looked toward Lisa and saw a little grin, and the smooth-talking cat lady wasn’t even trying to hide her smile. Points to her in this match. Good play.

  I left them to baby talk and coo the kittens for a minute and walked toward the door at the end of the aisle. My plan was to sneak a cigarette out by Betty while Lisa wasn’t looking my way. I needed something. Two little baby kittens with their razor-sharp claws and my furniture was about to be my life. Awesome. I shook my head. Something in a cage to the right caught my eye and I turned my head. I had was staring straight into the face of evil. I screamed, jumped back and bumped into the other side of the aisle.

  “What the fuck?” I yelled. “It’s a...it’s a …..what is that?”

  “Oh oh oh. Ma’am. That cat is also for adoption. A female. Already fixed and current on her shots, of course. She’s wonderful! Look at the coloring! Such beautiful smokey gray fur, and those eyes! She’s got a mane like a lion. Don’t you just love her?” she was so excited as she rushed down the aisle to me.

  “I think she just ate my soul.” The beast cat still hadn’t blinked. She tilted her head just a fraction and kept eye contact. “She’s huge!”

  “We are pretty sure she is fully grown. Unfortunate circumstances, but her owner passed away and none of the family wanted to take her on.” She had a sad smile.

  “Did she eat her owner?” She thought I was joking, she laughed at my question. I was not joking.

  “Of course not!” she smiled again. “She will make a wonderful pet.”

  Lisa hurried down the aisle, one kitten in each arm.

  “What the….is it part dog?” Lisa asked, confused and a little scared. At that, the beast slowly blinked while turning her head to look at my friend. She stared at her a second, looked at the kittens in her arms, raised her eyebrow in disgust and then moved her head to look back at me. She looked into my eyes and once again slightly tilted her head.

  “Oh, man. Tuff’s gonna kill me.” I put my hands to my face and shook my head. “Tuff is gonna riot.”

  “Oh no no no no. You cannot take this….this….thing home with us, Carlie. She might eat my kittens. Or me. Or small children from around the neighborhood. Or me. Or maybe even Tuff. And probably me.” She looked horrified at the thought of that cat anywhere near her house.

  “Freddie?” I said quietly.

  The beast cat blinked and I swear I saw her nod her head just a little bit.

  “Who is Freddie?” the worker asked.

  “This is Freddie. The closest any cat can come to being a regal Queen. Am I
gonna need to fill out some paperwork to take her home?” I looked at the worker and she smiled. Damn she was good. She should be in car sales.

  “No no no. Oh my God, Tuff is going to be so pissed.” Lisa spun around and walked back to the kitty room. I watched as the worker grabbed a thin leash from the wall beside the cage and opened the cage door. Why does she need a leash, I wondered.

  After the door was opened and the worker took a step back, Freddie jumped out of her little space to the ground and stepped in front of me. She sat down on her butt, tail curling around her large front feet and looked up at me. I watched the lady put the leash on her collar and start to hand it to me. Then it hit me. I just got a cat. A huge cat. A cat with creepy yellow eyes. A cat so big it needed to be walked on a leash. Oh well, I’m in it now. I took the leash and reached to pet my new friend. She moved her head to the side a fraction and then started into my eyes before looking away. I think I just got a cat eye roll, I thought to myself before I stood up and pointed my feet to the door.

  “Let’s go, Freddie.” I started to walk and heard a purr. A very loud purr. I felt the leash go slack when she got closer to my legs and followed me down the aisle to the front. Lisa was already in a chair with her kittens. “Lisa, we’re gonna have to go back to the pet food place.”

  “And we need to find a church and a priest. You don’t need cat food, sister, you need God on your side in this one.” She was staring at Freddie while she clutched the kittens to her chest. “Why can’t anything you do be normal? We go to get you a dog and come out with the laziest, biggest, and don’t forget stubbornest, beast they have. We come to get me a sweet kitten and you decide that Satan herself needs to come home with us and now you are walking her on a leash! Just why?”