Iron Horse Rider
Book One
by Adelle Laudan
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2010 Adelle Laudan
This book is available in print through Author Website
Cover illustration by M E Ellis © 2010
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Editor: Faith Bicknell-Brown
Print ISBN: 978-0-9865413-0-8
Ebook ISBN 978 0 9865413-4-6
Dedicated to
a woman who never stopped believing in me.
My mentor, editor and friend, Faith Bicknell-Brown’
Thank you for being there,
no matter how silly my questions were,
or how many times I made the same mistake
over and over again.
You’re a rare gem, Faith.
I wish you much success in all that you do.
* * *
When Adelle explains Shane’s feelings while riding, you can see in your mind where he is, and you can almost feel the wind in your Face.
~ L J James – AmericanBikerX.com
RIDING IN THE RAIN
Some folks ride in the rain
To wash away their tears
Yearning for days of yesterday
Never shifting gears
They always ride the same old roads
Never venturing into the unknown
Cursing their life for opportunities missed
Crying as they head home
I don’t dwell on days gone by
I took a different route
I look forward to the open skies,
Riding free is what it’s all about
So, I bring to life my iron beast
As quickly as can be
I don’t want to miss a moment in time
There's still too much left to see
I want to feel the winds of time
Blowing in my face
I want to find many new roads
Not happy to be just taking up space
I want to see what's up ahead
Not where I should have turned
Life's too short to have regrets
Just long enough to learn
So when the rain is upon us
When you hear the thunder crack
Go for a ride and cleanse your spirit
Get your life back on track
It's all right to walk down memory lane,
That’s part of who we are
But, today is for the living
To chase a shooting star
The thrill is in the mystery
Not what you already know
In the wind is where it’s happening
Not knowing where you go
Life is riding all the twists and turns
Even when it starts to rain
It’s living in the moment
Ride on or go insane
You can’t see what’s around every corner
Sometimes you have to make a change
The world is yours for the taking
Even when it means riding in the rain
Chapter One
In the blink of an eye, a fully loaded log truck veered into their path. Experience enabled Shane to manoeuvre his motorcycle around the truck before it jackknifed, his vision blocked by the load of logs swaying precariously on the back. Above the screech of the truck’s brakes locking, a blood-curdling scream sliced through the very core of his being.
Shane dropped his bike, lunged forward, and rounded the back of the truck in the same instant his wife and her bike parted ways. He heard the resounding crunch of metal as her Ironhead bounced off the cab and tumbled down the side of the mountain. Kelly flew through the haze of dirt and debris, landed with a sickening crunch; her body slid down the road.
“Kelly!” Shane ran wildly after his wife. Sliding on his knees, he caught her crumpled body and held her head on his lap. Her glazed eyes held his for the briefest of moments before rolling back, her lids closing for the last time.
“Somebody help! You fucking bastard! You rotten, mother fucking, son of a bitch!”
Shane’s venomous outburst stopped the dazed driver who burst from the passenger side of the truck. The man turned and stumbled back to call for help. A spasm of coughing stopped Shane’s tirade. The acrid stench of diesel fuel assaulted his senses. Sobbing, Shane brushed his wife’s matted curls from her bruised and bloodied face. Hearing the familiar rumble of a motorcycle, Shane looked up to see a man wearing a wide-brimmed leather hat come out from behind the truck. The stranger crouched down beside his bike and tied something to his swing arm.
“Hey! Over here!” Shane waved his hand in the air.
Shane rubbed his burning eyes with the heel of his hand, only to see the man was no longer there. Teetering on the brink of hysteria, Shane covered Kelly’s mouth with his own. He blew long and hard in a futile attempt to fill her lungs with his breath. Gasping, he buried his face in her blonde curls, desperate to inhale her very essence.
The darkness erupted in a whirl of sirens and flashing lights. An attendant bolted from the rescue truck and fell to his knees next to Shane. He placed his hand gingerly on her limp wrist in search of a pulse. Finding none, the EMT sadly affirmed what he already knew with a nod. Shane hung his head. Slowly, he gathered his wife to his chest.
Another onslaught of blaring sirens signalled the arrival of an ambulance. The attendant beside Shane jumped up and halted their approach. After confirming Kelly’s demise, two men pulled a stretcher from the back of the ambulance and jogged over to where she lay crumpled on the road. One of the attendants placed a hand cautiously on Shane’s shoulder. He looked up in despair, allowing the other EMT to take Kelly from him and place her on the waiting stretcher. He took a white sheet and covered her broken body. Before the man had finished with her death shroud, Shane pulled the sheet away from her face and lovingly tucked it up under her chin. Puzzled, the young attendant looked at him.
“She doesn’t like anything over her face while she sleeps.”
The attendant simply nodded, and the two men lifted the stretcher, placing her in the back of the ambulance. Shane stood in the middle of the road, his hands hanging limply at his sides, vaguely aware of the scene before him.
The police arrived and exchanged a few words with the shaken trucker before placing him in the back of their car. One of the officers brushed against Shane as he eased up next to him. Lethal rage gurgled in the pit of his stomach as he listened to him say the driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel. Without making a conscious decision, he flung himself against the door of the cruiser, screaming obscenities at the driver. Two officers pulled him back and didn’t let go of him until another cruiser showed up to take the man away.
Shane insisted that he leave on his bike. He straddled his motorcycle and looked over the road’s edge. There, he spotted Kelly’s Ironhead wrapped around a tree growing between the deep ravines on the mountainside.
“I want her bike,” he said, his eyes trained on the wreckage. “If you can’t do it, I know a group of guys who can.”
The officer nodded. “It’ll be taken care of. I don’t think you should be riding, so why don’t you let us take you home? We’ll make sure your bike is safe.”
“It ain’t gonna happen.” Shane started his bike.
“I’ll be right behind you,” said the officer and walked towards his cruiser. Shane shrugged and kicked his bike to life. He took one last look back, twisted the throttle, and gunned it down the road. He rode everywhere and nowhere until the sun crept up over the mountain. The whole time, the cruiser followed at a safe distance.
After hours of riding aimlessly, exhaustion seeped into his bones and began to take its toll on his body. Where do I go? Home? He tilted his head back and let out an ironic laugh. Home, they just took my home away on a stretcher. How can I ever set foot in our house again? In the wee hours of the morning, Shane found himself in front of the Clubhouse. There were half a dozen bikes out front, but he didn’t want to go in there. He’d go to the shop instead. It’d be the last place they’d look for him on a nice day.
Shane got off his ride and swung the door back, rolling his Shovel inside and locking the door behind him. Once inside, he stumbled over to the old wood stove to start a fire. He stuffed kindling inside, reached out for a small log, and stopped, his hand in midair. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If the boys see smoke, they’ll know I’m here. With his heart heavy, Shane dropped the log and trudged over to his chair in a dark corner of the shop.
He laid his head against the back of the chair. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he closed his eyes. A small smile played on his lips; tears rolled from his weary eyes as he remembered the day he’d first laid eyes on Kelly.
* * *
On Shane’s thirtieth birthday, his adopted family of misfit bikers insisted on throwing him a party. He’d been standing at the window in his shop, mesmerized by the virgin snow drifting down from an ominous gray sky. He rubbed the goose bumps covering his bare arms. How long had he been standing at the window? He walked over to an old cast-iron stove. Every time he heard the door’s annoying screech, it reminded him he should oil the hinges. Shane threw a few sticks and another log on the dwindling fire and closed the door tight. He rubbed his hands together over the grate.
“Holy shit it’s cold!” The door opened with a burst of frigid air and Tommy stomped into the shop.
Shane looked over and laughed at Tommy’s cherry red nose and long dark mane dusted with snow. Bikers sure don’t fare well in the cold and snowy months of winter.
“What the hell are you still doing here?” Tommy took off his gloves. “You don’t think you’re getting out of your party, do you?”
“Don’t get your shit in a knot.” Shane chuckled. “I got plenty of time, don’t I?”
“If you call half an hour plenty of time, I guess you do.” Tommy edged past bike parts and stood by the stove, his nicotine-stained teeth chattering as he talked.
“No shit?” replied Shane. “I guess it’s a good thing you stopped in. It’d be a crying shame if I missed the party.” He failed to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He hated being the center of attention, but the only thing he hated more was obnoxious drunks getting in his face. Some of the other brothers tended to tip the bottle too much at such get-togethers. They’d either end up in a fight or slobbering over anyone who’d listen to their sad stories.
“Do what you like, brother.” Tommy scowled, his brow rising suspiciously. “I can always find a home for the Keenan carburetor elsewhere.”
“Hey now, a deal’s a deal.” Tommy punched his friend on the arm. “I expect my sweet carb to magically appear on this workbench by morning.”
Tommy shook his head. “Pretty bad when you have to bribe a person to go to their own goddamn birthday party!”
Both men laughed.
Another gust of cold air swirled through the shop. The massive frame of their brother, Barry, stood in the doorway.
“Ho, ho, fucking ho!” His deep baritone voice filled the shop. “Who the fuck ordered this white shit anyway?”
Barry stepped into the cluttered room and pulled a small blonde woman from his shadow. She stood next to him shivering, her face flushed. The odd wisp of honey blonde hair curled up and kissed her cheeks, sparkling with a light dusting of snow.
“This is Rita’s sister, Kelly. Meet Shane and Tommy,” the big man’s voice rumbled. He pulled a bandana from his worn leather jacket to wipe the sheen from his baldhead.
Shane turned, feeling his throat constrict at the sight of the woman before him. He marvelled at the overwhelming urge to push back a stray golden ringlet covering one of her powder blue eyes. He imagined her skin soft as brushed deerskin as his hand lingered against her glowing cheeks. Shane’s mother left a sour taste in his mouth when it came to women. Once a beautiful woman in her own right, she could now be seen stumbling down Main Street after spending all day on a bar stool. Sure, he liked women well enough; he just rarely let them get too close.
Shane grunted a hello and sat down on a stool in front of his bike he’d named Belle. It ain’t happening lady, you can bat them baby blues someplace else. He picked up a wrench and started taking off the bolts that held his seat in place and dropped them with a clink into a rusted coffee tin. He saw the glares Barry and Tommy aimed in his direction. Heavy tension hung in the shop.
Kelly shot questioning looks at Tommy and her brother-in-law.
Tommy moved over to her side and put his arm around her tiny waist. “Pay no attention to Mr. Congeniality here. Let me buy you a drink next door.”
Kelly pursed her heart-shaped lips, looking confused. She seemed even smaller than she was, standing between the two bikers. Barry took one of his gloves and smacked Shane upside the head and slammed the door shut behind him.
Shane let out a long, relieved breath. He dropped the wrench and stood. Throwing on his black leather jacket and flinging a long knit scarf around his neck, he braced himself against the swirl of snow that would twirl around his long legs outside. Luckily, the house he shared with a few of the guys sat just beyond the driveway.
Later, after he’d showered and changed, he found himself taking extra care in trimming his goatee and moustache. He finished with a liberal splash of aftershave on his smooth face before looking himself in the eye. The only person you’re fooling is yourself, asshole. Try as he might, he couldn’t erase the vision of her from his thoughts, or come up with one logical reason she’d be different from the rest. Shrugging at his reflection, he turned and left the bathroom. He took the stairs two at a time, jumped down the last three steps, and landed with a thud at the bottom. Shane put on his riding boots and tucked his long, shiny hair inside the neck of his leather coat as he slipped out the door.
Very aware of the monster lurking in every liquor bottle, Shane rarely drank. Usually, when a party kicked into high gear, he’d slip out the back door. He knew all too well his lack of tolerance for drunks so he figured it best if he just left rather than stick around to end up in a fistfight later.
Pickups and cars littered the parking lot. Shane grimaced at the thought of having to go inside. Maybe if he snuck in the back he could avoid the whole Happy Birthday ordeal. He trudged around back through the snow to discover the rear entrance locked.
“Fuck!” He crossed the yard to the shop, only to find himself locked out of it too. Shane kicked the door, and a heavy blanket of snow tumbled down on his head. With a clenched fist he drew back to punch the door, but thought better of it when he looked up and saw the remaining snow. He unzipped his coat in a futile attempt to stop the snow from further melting down his back.
Thoroughly pissed off, he stomped over to the front door of the clubhouse and opened it. Greeted by wall-to-wall bikers erupting in a collective shout of Happy Birthday, Shane shook his head in despair and headed for the bar.
Every impulse in his body cried out for a shot of liquid courage. He forced the desire from his mind and scanned the room. A gaggle of old ladies flocked around him with Birthday wishes. He reluctantly stooped to receive kisses, feeling extremely uncomfortable as the center of attention. He turned to find his usual mug of coffee sitting on the bar in front of him.
“Can I buy you a shot for your birthday?” The scruffy-faced bartender smiled a toothless grin and pushed a shot glass filled to capacity towards him.
“Coffee’s fine, thanks.” Shane raised his mug in cheers while the bartender lifted the shot intended for him and knocked it back.
Music blared so loudly that Shane grimaced. A huge array of food covered the capped pool table. In the center sat a massive cake with an artistically iced bike under the blue icing that spelled out Happy Birthday. Shane couldn’t remember his last birthday cake. A couple of the regular girls from the Clubhouse firmly planted themselves on each side of him. Regardless, he found himself searching the crowded room for Kelly.
The room thinned out as the night progressed, offering him an empty barstool. Much to his surprise, he turned to the seat next to his to find Kelly nursing a cup of coffee. He looked at her boldly and reveled in the intoxicating depth of her alluring blue eyes.
“Happy Birthday,” she said, matching his gaze.
“Thanks. How’s your coffee?”
“Cold.” Kelly frowned. In contrast, her blue eyes sparkled.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“If you’re offering a fresh hot coffee, I’d love one.”
Pleased with her answer, Shane excused himself and rounded the bar to put on a fresh pot. The bartender had long ago disappeared, leaving Shane to serve a few drinks. By the time he finished, the coffee pot let out a final gurgle. He filled two clean mugs and returned to his seat. Kelly sat with her feet up on his barstool, saving his spot.
Shane found himself talking about things normally deemed off limits. In exchange, he learned about her alcoholic father. “After my father rode off on his blue Indian, my mother developed a love affair with the whiskey bottle.”
“That must’ve been tough on you, especially at so young an age,” said Kelly, sympathy in her eyes.
He shrugged. “I learned to deal with it.”
In the wee hours of the morning, he warmed up his truck and drove her back to Barry’s. Sitting out front of the house, Shane struggled with himself not to kiss her. He couldn’t allow himself to fall for her. He said a curt good-bye, ignoring the puzzled expression on her face as she climbed out of the truck.
Days after his birthday party, Shane realized with dismay that he’d spent as much time with Kelly as possible. The fact that he felt as though he’d known her forever both delighted and frightened him. She was easy to talk to and a ready listener, so finding himself talking to her about anything and everything rattled him as well. Inevitably, Kelly announced she had to return home, and the bottom fell out of Shane’s heart.
He struggled to maintain the façade and feigned indifference while listening to her. Watching her lip tremble with disappointment almost broke him, but he convinced himself they were both better off parting ways.
They drove to the station in silence. Shane carried her bag inside and waited off to one side while she checked in. As she closed the distance between them, the intercom buzzed with the announcement her train was boarding. She’d quickened her pace, reaching up to cover his mouth with her lips in a hungry urgency. Shane instinctively pulled away, but stopped short and gave into the governing impulse to absorb her very essence.
The assault of the intercom broke the force binding them together. Kelly moved swiftly to the door of the train. Shane sucked in air between his clenched teeth and watched her leave. If I concentrate hard enough I can ignore that damn pain in my chest.
Moments later, he saw her in a window. Tears streamed down her flushed face. The pain in his chest grew to explosive proportions and robbed him of breath. You can do so much better than me. He smiled up at her and waved.
Chapter Two
Everyone steered clear of him after Kelly left. With Christmas just around the corner, festivities and goodwill surrounded him. A black cloud seemed to follow him around, befitting his growly disposition. Shane hadn’t heard a word from Kelly since he drove her to the station.
About a week before Christmas, Barry stopped by the shop. He pulled up a stool next to Shane’s. “So how do you really feel about Rita’s sister?” he asked.
Without looking up, Shane shrugged his shoulders. “She’s okay—for a broad.”
“You got to do me a favor.” Barry laid his thickly muscled arm across Shane’s back. “Kelly is coming home for Christmas. If you’re not interested in a relationship with her, then you need tell her. She’s a good kid and doesn’t deserve to be treated like a piece of yesterday’s trash.”
Shane looked over at his long time friend and realized that he spoke in all seriousness. He never intended to make Kelly feel like trash. He nodded his head.
“I’ll pick her up from the station.”
Barry patted him on the back as he stood. “Thanks, bro.”
“No problem. I really didn’t mean to treat her like that, man. She just gets under my skin.” A shudder rippled over Shane’s body. “I mean that in a good way.”
“Unless you want to spend the rest of your life alone, you’re going to have to put yourself out there on the market.”
“Truth? It scares the living crap out of me.”
Barry chuckled. “There are some things in life that aren’t worth fighting. I can think of worse things than having my woman next to me in my bed.” He winked and left Shane with his thoughts.
After their conversation Shane walked home and showered. Kelly’s train came in that afternoon. Barry promised not to tell Kelly who was picking her up. Shane wanted to see her reaction when she realized he was waiting for her.
He sat in the parking lot and chewed at his nails. You’re a damn fool for letting her get to you the way she does. The door to the station opened. He saw her struggling with her bags to get through the exit. The moment he laid eyes on her, all of his simmering anger dissipated. He jumped out of the truck and jogged over to help her with her luggage. The sparkle in her baby blues told him all he needed to know.
“Going my way, lady?” he smiled, taking the heaviest bag from her.
Kelly laughed, linking her arm around his back for the walk to the truck.
Shane threw her huge tote in the back and climbed in behind the wheel. He sat for a few minutes, staring at her just standing there by the passenger door before it dawned on him what she was waiting on. She’s waiting for me to open her door. I’ve never opened a door for any chick in my life. Shane laughed while climbing back out. He walked over, and with a grand bow, he threw open the passenger door and helped her into the truck.
She giggled like a young girl, and Shane’s heart sang with happiness.
* * *
Looking back, Shane hadn’t stood a snowball’s chance in Hell of escaping. He’d been hooked from the first moment he’d seen her. Shane often wondered if it hadn’t been a cleverly orchestrated plan from the start. On Christmas Eve, they mysteriously had the house to themselves. They sat snuggled up on the couch, enjoying mugs filled with hot apple cider.