Page 65 of Rolling Thunder

At last, he cranked the bike and roared out of the parking lot of the little shithole motel. He made up his mind. She’d be home tonight, he was sure. She wouldn’t leave the horses alone.

As he turned back onto the state road that led to Little Ranch Road, he saw another motorcycle approaching.

Without so much as a biker wave, Canyon Bill blew past Evan on the highway. His saddle bags were on his bike, and he had a heavy pack slung over his shoulders. It looked like he was leaving town, taking with him any chance Kayla might have of reconciliation or closure. It solidified Evan’s resolve. He’d had keys to her house since the whole Trent blowup. He would go and wait for her to come home. He’d sleep on her porch if he had to, but he wasn’t going to leave her now.

Evan was in her kitchen when she got back. He stood up when she walked in. They stared at each other for a long moment. She came home fuming mad, but now, looking at him, the fire faded to hot coals in her belly. A horse snorted somewhere in the pasture near the house.

“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me,” she said bitterly.

“You’re right.”

“Goddammit, you’re supposed to fight back and then storm out.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Got any other secrets you want to tell me about?”

“Not tonight.”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and threw up her hands. “That’s just great.”

He stalked toward her. “I love you,” he said, pinning her in his gaze

“Fuck you.”

The merest hint of an evil grin quirked at the corner of his mouth. “If you didn’t kind of understand why I did it, you’d have already chased me out the front door.”

“You’re right. I should go talk to Bill, but I have no idea what to say.”

“You told him not to be here when you got back, remember? I saw him riding out when I was coming back.”

“Great, so he just bailed when things got tough like always.”

“Maybe he did, but I’m not.”

“No, you just keep secrets and decide what’s best for me.”

“You know who I am. I thought it would be cruel to drop that on you after everything else you’d just gone through.”

She glared at him.

“Fine. What else, Evan? Let me have it. No secrets.”

He shook his head.

“Fuck you. Get out.”

He sighed.

“That girl at the police station parking lot posted a picture of us, and it’s been blowing up on social media. All the little keyboard sleuths are theorizing that I’m in trouble with the law. The show wants to know what I was doing at the police station. They’re putting out a statement to calm things down.”

She looked like he’d struck her.

“This is exactly why I didn’t tell you,” he said, as she deflated and withered into a kitchen chair.

“Are you going to lose the show because of me?”

“No! Because we reported a crime? No way. It’s just drama.”