Warren had no idea what to think of the woman curled up in the seat across from him. She was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. He almost felt like Dustin should have given him some kind of heads up on that note.
"Hey, by the way, this gal is an absolute gorgeous babe."
It didn't change anything, he'd still bend over backwards to help her, just now he'd also have to fight back any desire to make a move on her. Which would be damn hard.
She had thick wavy blonde hair that was braided back for them most part except for some stands in the front that had come loose and settled around her face. She had fine bones and large hazel eyes set above a mouth that was beautiful in the tired frown it held now and would be stunning in a smile he imagined.
He'd been shocked by how tall she was. She'd been sitting in the grass beside the road when he'd pulled up. When she'd unfolded herself she'd came clear to his chin. Warren was 6'4" and not used to having anyone near seeing him eye to eye. He'd guess she was 6 foot easy. He also liked that she was a nice healthy, curvy girl, by no means fat, but not a stick either.
She was a skittish one, that was for sure. Warren had made a point of trying to be friendly but matter of fact once he'd seen the wary look she'd given him through the window when he'd pulled up. He got the distinct impression this was a woman who'd been on her own a lot and wasn't quite sure she wanted to intermingle with others.
If Dustin hadn't called him he was sure she'd have simply walked the bike into town before asking anyone, or trusting anyone, to help her. She was only in the pickup now because Dustin had given him the seal of approval.
She relaxed visibly as the miles passed beneath his tires and before long they were pulling into town. He drove directly to the shop.
"We're here. The owner's name is James. We'll go in and talk directly to him."
He unbuckled his seatbelt as she did the same. He noticed the almost imperceptible wince as she turned to lower herself from the raised pickup.
"Hey!" She turned to face him and he tossed her a small plastic bottle of Aleve. "He'll have soda, water and coffee inside." She smiled slightly and nodded a thank you his way.
*************
Forty five minutes later they'd deposited her bike into the safe keeping of James who promised to delve deeply into rooting out all its damage in the morning. His quick assessment hadn't sounded good. The older man had stared in astonishment at the woman who'd been riding the bike and stood before him for all intents and purposes unmarred.
"You're one lucky lady."
"I know. So you'll call tomorrow when you know how much and how long?" The older man assured her he would and he could see the relief in her eyes that their business was done. He guessed she was in a lot more discomfort than she was willing to admit.
Warren reached down and shouldered the leather bags they removed from her bike and the small backpack she'd had attached to the back rack.
"I can get those." She protested.
"Not on my watch you're not." He put them in the bed of the truck. When he turned he caught her running her hand lovingly along the seat of her bike.
"I'll see ya soon babe." She turned and looked a little embarrassed he'd caught her emotional parting with the machine. Neither of them said anything.
Back in the truck she leaned back into the heated seat again with a sigh.
"I really appreciate all your help. I'll get out of your hair now. Any Holiday Inn or Super 8 will do. I don't need luxury, just a clean, safe place with a shower. I'd like to at least cover your gas and pay for your time if you'll let me?"
"No way. Don't even think about it. I have a request; saying yes to it will make us even." She eyed him warily but not overly so. "Trust me, I'm not that guy. I owe Dustin big and I really want to do right by his friend. I've got a spare room at my house. It's on the complete other side of the house so it'll be like you are on your own. Let me lend it to you."
She continued to search his face with those hazel eyes as the wheels turned in her head. With a heavy sigh she turned her eyes back to the road ahead. "Do you have a bathtub?"
"Yup, a big deep one." A wistful smile graced her lips.
"Ok, deal." She agreed.
"Great. Now before Dustin called I was trying to decide whether beer and tacos or beer and steak sounded best for dinner. Which one sounds good to you?"
"Are you any good at grilling?" The cab was warm now and she carefully shrugged out of her heavy leather coat. She had a long sleeve thermal on underneath and light bloody discoloration marred her left shoulder.
"I'm a grill pro! Looks like you got it a little on the shoulder there."She gave it a tentative poke and sneer of disdain.
"Ya, I'm finding little surprises everywhere. Steak sounds amazing honestly. I don't want to put you out but I missed lunch and lost my breakfast so I'm starving."
They pulled into his driveway and waited for the garage door to finish its ascent. Warren pulled the pickup inside and ran around quickly to grab her bags before she could.
"Got em!" he smiled at her confused look. "My momma raised me right."
She smiled slight before a ghost of pain fluttered across her features. Before he could question it she was already distracted by his own Heritage Softail Harley parked in the second bay of the garage beside an old Jeep.
"I see you've met Maddy. She's my girl. So you see, I'm not gonna look crosswise and anyone patting their bike when parting." He gave her a wink. "This way." He motioned her to a door and at the back of the garage.
"Welcome to casa Maier." He made a sweeping gesture. "This is the living room; the kitchen as you can see is attached. Down this hall is the laundry room, your very own bathroom and this will be your room."
She surveyed the room as he placed her bags on the floor. It was medium sized and plain like most guest rooms but clean.
She remembered her old home and how they'd tended to use the guest room as a storage area in between guests. Whenever someone game to visit she'd always gone into a tizzy trying to get it in order and he'd always just sat back and laughed.
The memory hurt and she locked it away again before she did something embarrassing like cry. This day had been way too emotional.
"Thanks" She gave a grateful smile. The bed looked super inviting.
"Awesome. Towels are in the bathroom. You are welcome to the laundry room, soap, any of that stuff. Just yell if you need anything, otherwise there should be delicious food awaiting you after your shower."
He backed out and closed the door behind him leaving her alone. Wearily she unzipped her damaged chaps and laid them over the back of a wooden chair and did the same with her coat. Next her heavy boots thumped to the ground and her cold feet were freed from their confines. She rubbed them appreciatively in the soft rug covering the oak floor.
She dug her shower things, a pair of flannel pajama pants and a clean shirt from her pack before heading down the hallway to the bathroom.
The bathtub called to her but more than anything she wanted to be warm and clean so she turned on the shower on full hot.
Each layer of clothing removed provided a new injury for her inventory. Overall her left side had taken more of a hit than she'd thought but it would all heal in time. She'd be pretty sore in the days to come though. She pulled the band from her hair and shook out its thick waves.
Jolie stepped into the hot water with a sharp hiss as it found all of the little abrasions her wreck had left behind. For a moment she just stood still and took deep breaths until they stop smarting so much. The hard hot spray beat on her tense muscles as she thought about her day.
It was her birthday, she was 27 today. Without family to remind her she'd almost forgotten the day had any real significance. It had started in a scenic campground in northern Colorado with a large cup of cowboy coffee and a day old muffin. She'd wound her way south and into the panhandle of Oklahoma where everything had gone to hell. Now she found herself standing in a kind stranger's shower washing away blood and road grime.
Finishing up her shower she took a good long time drying herself off and applying antibiotic ointment to the open abrasions. It was amazing what clean clothes could do for the soul, she felt refreshed and relaxed as she did the best she could with her unruly hair.
A quick check of her phone showed 5 text messages. Three birthday well wishes, a request for update from Dustin and a frantic demand for information from Jake.
She quickly sent Jake a text with a brief summary and assurance that she was fine then updated Dustin that she was safe, warm and the bike was getting fixed. She shut the phone off after that. She knew Jake would want more information and she didn't want to deal with his mother hen ways. He meant well but she just didn't have it in her tonight.
She gathered her things and opened the door to be assaulted by the warm, mouth watering smell of garlic and butter. She dropped her things off in her room and followed her nose to the kitchen.
Warren was standing in the kitchen stirring something sizzling in a skillet. He'd changed from the hoody into a t-shirt and Jolie became aware he was a very fit guy. If she hadn't already known he'd been in the service she'd probably have been able to guess from just watching him.
His hair was a little longer than military spec but not much, he had the tall upright bearing of a man ordered through boot camp and the house was fastidiously clean. He noticed she was watching him and looked up. Those eyes, they were his best feature. They were a warm, meadow green under his dark brows and nestled in the strong, sharp lines of his face. He almost looked dangerous if it weren't for those eyes that bespoke nothing but kindness.
"Perfect timing! Potatoes are done. I just pulled the steaks off the grill and put them in the oven to keep warm. Sit down." He gestured with the spatula toward a wooden table.
Jolie sat and placed a plate before her steak, fried potatoes, corn on the cob and a thick slice of butter slathered French bread. Her stomach growled appreciatively.
"I have amber ale, iced tea, milk and water?"
"Amber ale please." He popped the top off a dark bottle of Fat Tire and placed it before her before taking his own seat.
"To new friends!" He angled his own bottle toward her.
"To new friends and 27." She smiled, touched her bottle to his and took a long pull.
"Twenty seven? Is it your birthday?" He looked surprised when she nodded. "This is a pathetic birthday dinner. I don't even have cake. I'm sorry."
She finished chewing the piece of steak and swallowed. "Are you kidding? This is delicious. Seriously, it is really good. I'd probably have just had a deli sandwich before bed in a campground. This is a very welcome deviation."
"Been on the road a while then?" A shadow passed between them and he wished he could take back his question. "Disregard. It's none of my business."
"No. It's fine. I've been travelling around about 18 months now I guess. I left Idaho the spring before last. Travelled around the western states and wintered in Arizona. I had the plan to do that in Alabama or Georgia this year but now it looks like it will be Oklahoma." She kept eating, it really was amazing. He was a great cook.
"Sounds like an adventure. How do you know Dustin?"
"I worked as a dispatcher for the sheriff's office and told him where to go." She smiled to herself at the unintended joke. "He started just a little while after me so we had the new people bond. Then I met Maria at the Christmas party and... well that was it."
He was certain there was something important she had cut on, something else about that party she didn't want to talk about that made her sad but he wasn't going to pry.
"He's a good guy. He saved my life; pulled me out of a bunker when I couldn't walk after being shot in the leg. Drug my ass a mile until we could flag down a ride. Bunker got bombed not long after that. If he'd left me there to find help, I'd have been a goner."
"Were you at the wedding? I don't remember seeing you?"
"No, we got out at the same time but I wanted to wander around Europe a little before coming back. I didn't figure I'd ever get the chance again. I would have been back in time but I got detained in Amsterdam and missed my flight."
"Detained hmm...?" She smirked and he almost forgot to swallow.
"Ya, some drunk started walloping on a woman and well.....like I said, my momma raised me right. By the time we got the facts straight it was too late to make my flight."
She leaned back from her empty plate. "Wow. I really packed it away but it was so darn good."
"I'm glad you liked it." Warren went to the fridge and brought them both back a second beer and a Little Debbie box of Ding Dongs. "It isn't a proper cake but it's something sweet to end the meal with."
She laughed and ripped open the cellophane wrapping. She took a big creme filled bite. "It's delicious!" She announced.
"You don't drink often do you?" She shook her head to confirm his suspicions. This was the loosest he'd seen her since he'd pulled up beside her on the freeway. "How about you go relax and I'll clean up here?"
"I can help." She stood but he stopped her.
"No, you're my guest and you've had a long day."
She looked a little irritated but conceded. "Alright, well I'm going to go to bed then. I'm pretty tired."
"My room is all the way down at end of the other hall if you need anything. I work pretty early in the morning but I'll try to keep quiet so you can rest up."
"Thanks." She wandered down the hallway and left him alone in the kitchen with his beer and his thoughts.