Rachel blushed, remembering Dustin’s own joy rides he had gotten in trouble for.
“I’ll talk to them,” Rachel offered.
“Me and you both,” he said grimly, turning his gaze to Cash.
“Hello, Cash.” Drake reached out to shake hands. “I appreciate you driving the boys into town instead of calling Knox. Knox told me you talked Lyle into not pressing charges. I owe you one.”
“I hope my getting them off won’t lead to them trying it again.”
“It won’t. I plan to sell his favorite rifle to pay for the damages to Lyle’s truck.”
Rachel winced. To a country boy, guns were prized possessions. Given a choice, Jace would have probably picked jail time versus having his gun sold.
Cash’s lips twitched. “A fate worse than death.”
“He’ll survive,” Drake said without remorse.
“Would you like to join us?”
Rachel saw his eyes go to Bliss again before answering Cash’s question. “No, thanks. It would make those boys’ day to sit here. They were admiring all the motorcycles when we came in. It will hurt like hell when I tell them you invited us to sit with you.”
“You don’t let him drive your bike?” Rachel teased.
“No. He lost that privilege when he got thrown out of high school and started going to the alternative school. I was going to buy him one when he graduated, but that’s not looking so good.”
Winter sent him a hopeful look. “He’s doing much better.”
Drake gave her a wry smile. “Not good enough to get that bike he’s wanting, especially not with this latest stunt. I better get back to the table. Again, it’s good to see you back, Rachel. Call me next time those asses give you a hard time.” His glance at Cash indicated that he grouped Cash in among the asses that had given her a hard time.
Cash’s lips tightened at the silent message, showing it had been received.#p#分页标题#e#
“I will, Drake.” Rachel smiled.
Cash wasn’t going to be winning any of her family’s hearts anytime soon.
She sent him a victorious look. He wouldn’t be cashing in on that bet she had made him. If Drake was warning him about her, then he stood a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting her brothers to agree to her going on a date with him.
Chapter 20
“What are we doing here?” Cash questioned why Shade had them sitting outside the movie theater.
“Trying to pay you back.”
Before he could say anything else, the movie let out and the moviegoers came through the doors. Cash observed the people leaving, wondering which one Shade was looking for. His question was soon answered.
“You sneaky son of a bitch.” Cash’s admiration of Shade’s skill grew. He wanted to kick his own ass for not thinking of it first. He could have held on to the favor Shade had owed him. He was going to have to find another way to get his vote for Rachel, and he hated owing Shade favors; he could be a bastard when he wanted his repayment.
The two boys drew closer to the bikers, sitting on their bikes. Their gazes were all for the bikes. Cash had to hide his grin, remembering when all he could think about was wanting a bike.
“Hi, Shade, Cash.” Jace and his friend came to a stop at the bikes.
“Hey, Jace, Cal.”
Cash was surprised Jace and Cal were friends. Cal came from one of the poorest families in town while Jace was from the wealthiest. It was a mismatched pair, but the two had been firm friends since preschool.
“Can we talk?” Shade’s expression made it seem important.
“Sure.” The boy’s chest puffed up that someone like Shade had deliberately sought him out while Cal’s expression became impassive and watchful.
“Your dad will be here any minute.”
Cash had to admire the kid for trying to watch out for his friend.
“This won’t take long. I have a favor to ask. Cash here wants to make friends with those cousins of yours. I was hoping you could hook him up with a helping hand. Of course, I could help you out with something you’re wanting real badly, too. I have an extra bike I don’t need any more. You would have to get your dad’s permission and get your motorcycle license, but it would be yours, free of charge.”
Of course the boy was a Porter, and he was suspicious of their motives, despite the gleam in his eyes when the motorcycle had been mentioned. “Why do you want to become friends with them? They hate your guts.”
Cash winced at his blunt question. “I was hoping you could help me out with that problem. I’m going to be straight with you: I don’t give a shit about your cousins, but Rachel won’t go out with me without their permission.”