Ride Her Hard (The Hard Boys 1)

“Ah, we’re doing the whole catching-up routine. We really are grown-ups now.”

Eliza laughed and he loved the sound. “It’s been a long time. I don’t know how all this goes. I think it’s polite to ask people about their life, right?”

“I’ve heard it helps.”

“Please tell me to fuck off if you really don’t want to know any more,” she said.

“Look at you using all the curse words now.”

“Don’t tell Aunt Betty. She’ll have me dusting her plants back at home for the next week.” She winced. “I think I’ve got a good enough reason to not be, you know, eloquent. She always told me a lady holds herself in high standards. This coming from a woman I heard curse out one of the known asses in town.”

James laughed. “I’m not married. No kids. My brother is the mechanic. I own the DIY store near the library. I’m also the resident plumber and electrician. I’ve been known to help with building projects as well.”

“Ah, okay. Which brother is the mechanic?”

“Caleb.”

“The rebel.”

He burst out laughing. “Yeah, the rebel. I do like that.”

She snorted. “What about Rome, is it? Isn’t he the youngest of you Hard boys?”

“He’s doing good. He’s an accountant.”

“I’m not going to lie. That sounds so boring.”

“It is, but whenever we’re around, he doesn’t start talking about numbers so dinners aren’t sleepy.” He looked back in the rearview mirror. Her hair seemed more blonde than he recalled, almost as if she’d put a dye on it, but he knew that wasn’t the case. She’d always had the lightest and softest-looking hair.

Every time he looked at her, he just wanted to run his hands through the locks.

Of course, he never had. That had stalker and all kinds of weirdo attached to it, and he wasn’t about to make her uncomfortable.

“I hate my leg.”

“I’m sorry about your leg.”

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have stopped to check my lunch. Force of habit.”

“So, tell me about yourself,” he said. “We’ve talked about me, what about you?”

“Ah, yes, the whole sharing thing. Let’s see, college didn’t stick. I stayed for two years, and I just couldn’t hack it. I tried, I really, really did. So, I worked in loads of different jobs. Waitressing, bartending, I even took up a position as a legal secretary for a couple of months. No boyfriend or husband waiting for me. No kids either. For the past ten, no, twelve years, I’ve done nothing. I’ve accomplished nothing.”

He heard the sadness in her voice. All he wanted to do was hold her and let her know it was going to be okay.

“Now, I’m back home. Living with Aunt Betty, and I’m sure she has a boyfriend but she won’t tell me because she doesn’t want me to feel like a complete and total chain around her neck.” She ran her hands down her face and groaned. “I really shouldn’t have unloaded all of that crap on you, should I?”

“No, it’s fine. Really.”

“Do you live with your parents?”

“No. I don’t live with them, but I do have to enjoy breakfast with them every weekend. Both days. They won’t accept that I’m a grown man and can make my own breakfast.”

“I eat with Aunt Betty. She makes the best pancakes ever. I love them so much. She has even perfected my scrambled tofu.”

“Scrambled tofu?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, it’s a thing.”

“I’ll believe you.”

She smiled. “This is nice, James.”

He pulled up outside of the doctor’s office. The one and only nurse was waiting. “I know.”

“It looks like my aunt got them prepared.”

“Nothing can happen to her girl. You should know that by now.”

“I’m starting to get it.”

James parked the car and helped her out and into the wheelchair.

“I don’t think it’s broken.”

“You’re not the doctor,” the nurse said. “You’ll know what has happened when we tell you. Can you wheel her in?”

Before James had even said he would love to, the nurse was gone.

“I don’t recognize her, but she’s got a stick up her ass,” Eliza said. “You don’t have to stay.”

“I ran you down. The least I can do is make sure you’re taken care of.” He pushed her into the building, using the wheelchair access to help. He noticed Eliza had a cut on her forehead. Part of her face also had a bruise, but the cut on her leg was the worst.

The doctor was already waiting. “I’d hoped to see you under better circumstances,” David said.

“Not my fault this time. James ran me down,” she said, looking back. “I’ve got to get myself some street cred.”

He laughed. “It was an accident.”

“I know that. Come on. Let’s have a look.” He pulled out a little light and shone it in Eliza’s face.

She winced. “Ouch! Seriously.”

“I see you still don’t like doctors.”

“I like doctors just fine. You like to test the limits of what’s nice and what’s not.”