“Had to. I developed it. I wasn’t going to have some other fucker naming it something stupid.”
Liam opened his car door, asking, “Why Kentucky Gold?”
“Wait until you try it. Nothing compares. Not even that fake shit the Colemans are selling. I could sell it all day long, but I only grow what I give to the people in town who need it.”
“Why not sell to everyone?”
“Because it would sell so fast I wouldn’t have enough for those who need it. My regular customers act like they’ve got a tick up their ass when I tell them I run out. It’s easier not to let them know what they’re missing out on.”
Liam finally turned to Sutton. “Sutton, I could take a long weekend in a couple of weeks and drive your things up here to you.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose—”
“No imposition. I’ll take a rental car back.”
“If you’re sure …”
“I’m sure. Some friends are worth their weight in gold.” He winked.
* * *
While Sutton remained silent on the drive home, he wondered what he had said or done that had pissed her off the most.
“Did you really mean that you would have moved to California?” Her soft question had him cutting her a quick glance.
“I don’t say shit I don’t mean,” he told her as they got nearer to Rosie’s bar. “Want to stop in and get a beer?”
“I’d like that. I haven’t seen Mick since I’ve been back.”
Tate turned into the parking lot. As usual, there were plenty of bikes parked there, and Greer’s truck was parked in his usual spot. When he spotted the large, black Chevy truck, he almost turned around to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Greer without back-up, even if the stupid fucker was stupid enough to stay with The Last Riders and the Hayeses there.
Parking, he turned off the truck. “Stay by my side. There might be trouble.”
She shocked the shit out of him when she gave him an anticipatory grin. “Really, who with?”
“The Hayeses. Greer won’t pick a fight with The Last Riders. We owe them for fixing me up and Knox not turning me in. The Hayeses are always looking for trouble, and Greer likes to give it to them.”
“Why doesn’t he like the Hayeses? They were always nice to me, even though we only saw them during football and basketball seasons,” she said, sliding out of the truck and slamming the truck door.
Tate waited for her at the front of his truck, holding out his hand. A warm feeling struck him when she immediately placed hers in his.
“Jessie was as good in sports as her brothers.”
“You aren’t their biggest competition in the county,” he answered.
The Hayeses were the most clannish in town, keeping to themselves even when it came to school. The two brothers and one sister were allowed to participate in the school’s sports activities, but remained homeschooled until they graduated.
“Jessie should be; they treated her just like one of the boys, and still do. She can out hunt and out shoot them, and she wouldn’t wear a dress if someone threatened her life.”
“She’s sweet,” Sutton argued.
“That’s what you said about the possum, and it nearly ripped my arm off when I set it loose.”
He held the door open for her to enter the bar. It was already filled, though it was still early. He saw Greer standing at the bar with his hand on Diane’s ass. The local woman was the biggest slut in town. She was constantly promising Greer he was the only one she was seeing, and inevitably, she would be found out to be lying when one of her lays would brag to Greer. He was constantly getting in fights and paying out for the damages the fights caused. Tate was getting damn sick of bailing him out of jail over the lying bitch.
Greer grinned at him when he and Sutton took the bar stools next to him. “You finally decide to come out and have some fun?”
“Been having plenty at home.”
Greer gave Sutton a smirk. “My brother keeping you busy?”
“Watch your mouth,” Tate warned his brother. He could tell from the dazed look in his eyes he had already had one too many beers.
Greer held his hands up in the air. “Didn’t mean any disrespect. Sorry, Sutton.”
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not,” Tate cut in. His brothers were going to treat Sutton right, even if he had to knock the hell out of them.
“I’ve been waiting for Greer to pick a fight with someone. Didn’t expect it to be his own brother,” Mick quipped, coming to stand in front of them behind the bar.
“Hi, Mick,” Sutton broke in, diverting the tension between him and his brother.
“Heard you were back in town. Good to see you, girl.”
She gave him a sweet smile that, if Tate didn’t know Mick wasn’t interested in her, would have made him jealous. He had only seen that particular smile a couple of times, and he wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else.