Pole Position (Country Roads 2)

“Yeah,” Colt said. The lone word was about all he could manage. His mind was somewhere else.

“I’ll make some sandwiches,” Brant offered, walking toward their cabin.

“Okay.”

Brant disappeared inside their temporary quarters, and Colt sat on the steps leading to the tiny front porch. Black Mountain in November looked like a chilly forest with bare trees capped in white, and winding trails sparsely covered in ice.

The wildlife, somewhat scarce around their campsite, gave the outdoorsmen plenty of hunting opportunities, just like the fishing found in the various streams and nearby lakes. But even with all its beauty, there was a sense of despair hanging over the place.

There was practically no way of escaping the desperate history the place was known for. It was if the ghosts of yesteryear stood at the county line and made sure those who entered Harlan felt their presence.

The desperation lingered in the eyes of the locals, too. Colt noticed it when they’d greeted a few of the others joining the ride. He certainly detected it in many of the blank expressions of the men he saw there. Children, some of them anyway, weren’t dressed appropriately for the cool November day. Several of the younger kids didn’t wear shoes to speak of, since they typically lacked soles or were opened-toe and torn to pieces.

There was no excuse for that, not in the South, certainly not in the United States of America.

What the hell was Harlan County anyway? A third-world country?

Pushing away from the plank boards beneath him, Colt went inside. Brant’s back was to him. “When we first decided to come here, what was your main reason for accepting the invitation?”

“It sure wasn’t the promise of great company,” Brant teased. A few seconds later, he spoke in a more serious tone, “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to see this place again. My grandparents lived here. When I was a kid, I used to visit them. The only thing I remember about the area is what you see now in the faces of the people who live here. The poverty…that’s what I recall whenever I think of Harlan County,” Brant said, dropping the already-made sandwiches into a brown paper bag.

There were three of them, and that fact didn’t go unnoticed.

Colt closed his eyes for a second, which only made things worse. All he could picture was the little girl who lived in a box. The precious child who thought she was blessed because the current cardboard flaps held up in the worst of weather. Clearing his throat, he hurried for the door. “Guess we need to get down the hill if we’re going to make this Jingle Bell Ride.”

“We need to find that kid first. I don’t want her going hungry while we’re here.”

“And I think you owe her a few dollars for tea time, too.”

“Oh no,” Brant said. “She’s supposed to provide us with some travel consulting while we’re here. She needs to earn her keep.”

“How’s she supposed to do that if we’re riding all day?”

Brant shrugged. “I figured we’d have her over for supper and see what she tells us. You know, after the ride.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Come on. We don’t have time to mess around.”

Colt grinned, tossed a banana in the top of each lunch sack, and said, “We may not have time now, but later, we need to take a moment to scout around. We might find a pretty Kentucky woman who doesn’t mind being sandwiched between two guys in the dead of winter.”

“You won’t find one around here. The women in these parts have principles.”

“Me too,” Colt said, slapping his buddy on the back. “I have plenty of those. I just misbehave every now and again.”

* * * *

Brant and Colt were late joining the crowd, and they almost missed the start of the first ATV ride. Fortunately, Brant had the pleasure of bringing up the rear, which meant he could check out the sexy chick riding in front of him.

She had long red hair, a tiny waist, and an ass she could shake in his face any weekday, and several times on Saturday.

Colt looked over his shoulder and caught him staring at the woman who’d caught and held his eye. Brant winked, gave him a meaningful stare, and returned to his own fantasies, quite vivid after the woman with bright shiny locks turned and shot him a quick, wicked smile.

Brant had been without a woman for so long, he wondered if he and Colt would be missed if they convinced the saucy woman riding nearby to steer her vehicle off the beaten path. Finding a more secluded trail would certainly lead him to do what he’d longed to do for some time—bend a worthy woman over the seat of his ATV and claim her shapely ass.

Reaching between his legs, he adjusted things so his hard-on wasn’t obvious. This trip might shape into something more than he ever expected.

“Hey! Watch it!”