“Head up to the road. I’ll ride it out.”
Turning around, she walked the cleared path the bike had carved when it slid through the snow.At least Cree wouldn’t have to dig the bike out, she thought.
Chapter Eleven
After Cree rode the bike slipping and sliding out of the field, they had gotten back on the road. Instead of clipping along, they took their time, not wanting to get thrown into another field. Kennedy knew Cree was struggling to keep the bike upright with the way the fierce wind pushed at them. They hit patches of ice and managed to manoeuvre over them with ease. She was so cold, she had no idea how she would make it the rest of the way. Her pants had ice clinging to the damp patches from where she had landed earlier. If she didn’t have frostbitten spots, she’d be amazed.
As they drove through the reservation, Kennedy let out a breath. For the first time since leaving South Dakota, she felt like she could breathe. Amazed is what she was at seeing the town. Shoving open the face shield, she asked Cree about the town. According to him, there were multiple towns on the reservation. She didn’t know what she had expected, but it wasn’t this. If she wasn’t freezing, she would’ve asked to stop and walk around for a bit.
As they passed through town, a police cruiser lit them up. Going on high alert, Kennedy worried what they could have possibly done. The last thing they needed was for them to run her ID. That could be tracked. She’d seen it on a crime documentary once.Breathe, Kennedy, breathe. In and out. Nice and slow.
Pulling into a store parking lot, Cree parked the bike away from other vehicles. Tapping Kennedy’s leg, he felt her ease off the bike. Dropping the kickstand, he shut down the engine and climbed off. Turning to face the cop, Cree smiled. “Maliki, thanks for making a scene.” Cree laughed as Kennedy watched a man of equal size hug him.
“I couldn’t have some outlaw go unchecked on the reservation.” Maliki chuckled, slapping Cree on the back. “This your woman?” He pointed to the dark-haired woman standing by the bike.
“Yes.” Cree held out his arm for Kennedy to come to him. They needed to be seen as a couple and not two strangers travelling together. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders when she moved to him, Cree did the introductions.
“Kennedy, this is my cousin, Maliki. He’s an asshole and a deputy on the reservation.”
“Aren’t all cops assholes?” Kennedy tried hiding her smile when both men looked at her shocked.
When Cree said they were going in a new direction, she had no idea they were heading to a reservation Now, they were there, and Cree’s cousin was a cop. She was thankful he had thought of it. Putting out her hand, she shook Maliki’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Maliki. I bet you have some stories to tell about this one.” Smirking, she loved the look on Cree’s face. The fact he appeared uncomfortable with her suggestion made her smile bigger.
As they stood in the parking lot talking, the snow started falling. “Looks like the storm’s gonna hit us early today. I didn’t have time to stock the house for you guys.”
Cree looked at Kennedy and back to Maliki. “You can give us the address and we’ll find it after we grab a few things from inside.”
“It’s cool. I need to grab my own stuff.”
“Okay, let’s go grocery shopping.”
The warm interior of the store wrapped around Kennedy like a blanket. Following Cree and his cousin, she dusted at the pieces of ice on her jeans. She appreciated Cree asking for her input on what they should purchase. It didn’t much matter to her, she was just happy to be off the road and inside where it was warm. For all she cared, they could stay there all day.
Kennedy had prayed silently that the house was only a few miles away. But no, she had to get back on the damn bike and ride another thirty miles outside of town, to the opposite side of the lake, with the wind beating at her.
Snow had started to fall as they arrived at the property. The house appeared to be a rustic cabin sitting right on the edge of the lake. It was one out of a dozen spread out over the space of a few acres.
Cree barely had the bike pulled into the drive when she tried hopping off. She clamoured off the iron beast so fast, the heel of her boot got caught on the saddle bag.
“Kennedy, hold on a fucking minute.”
Yanking her foot loose, she glared at Cree. She had no idea why her mood was deteriorating, but it was in the shitter. And she was done. Done with being on the bike. Done with hurting. Done with being cold. “I’m fucking done,” she shouted back at him.
Calmly turning off the bike, he put the kickstand down then eased off. He’d told her not to use that word in any form, and he had meant it. Cree went to turn around but got hit with Kennedy’s backpack. She’d managed to get the damn thing out in the seconds it took him to get off the bike. When she swung the bag again, catching him off-guard, he grabbed the backpack and snatched it from her. “Stop!”
“Keep it!”
Cree heard Maliki laughing as he stood off to the side. Looking at his cousin, Cree pointed to the house. “Can you open the house, please?” Cree pointed toward the house, making sure Kennedy followed behind his cousin. Opening the saddle bag, he pulled his own bag out then closed it back up. “Crazy ass woman,” he grumbled.
While Cree and Maliki stood outside on the porch talking, Kennedy took in her surroundings. The only word that could explain how she felt was isolated. She knew this probably was the best place for her to be, but still, she felt uncomfortable being out in the wilderness. Staring out the bedroom window, she watched the snow fall on the icy waters of the lake.
Walking back into the living room, she looked out the windows, watching Cree. He was pushing the bike into the small garage next to the house. Paying attention to the damn man, she tripped over the bags he’d dropped inside. “Damn it!”
And that was when everything caught up with Kennedy and she went into a complete meltdown.
Cree entered the house at that precise moment to see Kennedy flipping the shit out. For a minute, he thought the damn woman was doing a war dance with the sound of her screaming and the way she was stomping around the living room. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the closed door. Keeping his mouth shut, he let her continue the tantrum until she ran out of steam.
Without a word, he moved across the room and went to find the bathroom. Turning on the water, he left it running to go and get Kennedy. He found her right where he’d left her. Picking up the backpack, he handed it to her. “Go soak in the tub. I’ll put the groceries away.”
