“Thank you, Daisy,” James said as he pushed back from the table. “If you keep cooking like that, I’m going to get fat.”

 

She smiled, his compliment warming her. “My pleasure, James. I’m glad you liked it.”

 

“It was excellent,” Dix chimed in. “First time I’ve ever had homemade tacos.”

 

She was doubly proud of these. Not only had she made them, but she managed to get to the grocery store and back in her own car.

 

Dix helped to clear the table as James retired to the office to do paperwork. “Are we still on for the ride?” she asked.

 

“What kind of ride?” he asked as he gave her ass a slow caress.

 

“I was thinking on the Green Hell, but if you’d rather do the other, I think I can be talked into it.”

 

He chuckled. “I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

 

“Even better.”

 

“I want to clean up first.”

 

“You want me to help?” she teased.

 

“Do you want to take a tour of the track or not?”

 

She twittered. “Okay, fine. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

 

He placed the last of the dishes on the sink for her to rinse then kissed her on the neck. “For now, anyway.”

 

***

 

They rode for about thirty minutes along country roads, delving deeper and deeper into the Siuslaw National Forest, before he slowed, then circled the bike in the road. “This is the start.”

 

She looked around. There was a natural widening in the forest with a large area where cars could pull off and enjoy the view across the valley. She didn’t know a thing about racing, but it made sense that they would need a place to stage the racers.

 

“Behind us about a quarter mile is the finish line. I’ll show you when we get there. You ready?”

 

“Yes, but not too fast, okay?”

 

He smiled at the apprehension in her voice. “Not too fast. Just a nice comfortable pace.”

 

At first she was nervous because he seemed to be riding the roads far too fast, but she soon relaxed when she realized he was in complete control of the bike, never crossed the center line, and his braking and acceleration were smooth and easy. He danced the bike along the road, leaning his way and that, the Harley’s song rising and falling in time with the road.

 

She now understood why Dix said the race wasn’t about straight-line speed. There were no straights, not long ones anyway. There were several places where you could straighten a series of curves if you didn’t mind riding into oncoming traffic, but even those were few and far between. They had to make one stop, which she assumed the riders ignored during the race, before making a hard turn to the right.

 

As they rode, she wondered if Dix had forgotten to stop and show her the finish line. All the roads looked the same and she had no way of knowing if the pull offs they passed were the same one they had stopped at or not.

 

Finally, Dix stopped by a large rock outcropping. “This is the finish line.”

 

“That whole ride was the track?”

 

He chuckled. “Seventeen miles of Green Hell.” He revved the bike and they rode the short distance before he pulled into the overlook where they started and switched off the bike.

 

She stepped off the bike and he followed. “How long did that take us?

 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t time us. Probably about forty minutes.”

 

“Wow! How long does it take on your bike?”

 

He grinned. “It takes a car almost an hour to make that same loop, like we did, at a normal pace. An under six hundred bike with a good rider can do it in about twenty minutes.”

 

“Twenty minutes? You’ve got to be kidding?” she squawked.

 

He chuckled. “No. The bikes in the seven-fifty class, they can do it in about fifteen. The over seven-fifty in about thirteen and the unlimiteds in about twelve.”

 

“No way! Twelve minutes?”

 

He shrugged. “The course record for the unlimited class is twelve minutes, thirteen seconds and change. That’s about eighty-five miles per hour on average. Your Bug will almost go that fast.”

 

“Not on roads as curvy as those!”

 

“No,” he agreed. “But on a bike, when you don’t have to worry about cars so you can use the entire track, you can straighten it out some. But like I said, the Green Hell isn’t about speed; it’s about being able to corner.”

 

“Who has the track record?” she asked. He grinned and looked away. “You?”

 

“Yeah. That was the one perfect run. I haven’t been able to get within two seconds of it again.”

 

“Two seconds? That’s nothing!”

 

“Two seconds is forever. We time to the thousandth of a second because two seconds may be all that separates the first five or six positions.”

 

“Wow!”

 

He took her hand. “Come on. Let’s walk.” He led her to the far corner of the parking area and she noticed a faint trail leading into the forest. They followed the trail, stepping over fallen trees and pushing aside undergrowth.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“A little place the locals know about.”

 

“Does James know you race?” she asked as they made their way down the trail.

 

“He knows, but he doesn’t come watch. It hits a little too close to home for him, I think.”

 

They walked for another half hour, making small talk, before stopping on a flat rock outcropping that overlooked the same valley as the public overlook, but with a much better view. He steered her across the huge rock to another short ledge perfect for sitting, set back from the edge and tucked under some trees. He picked her up as if she were no more than a bag of feathers and sat her on the ledge, then turned his back to it and hopped up to sit beside her.

 

“Some view,” she said as she slowly kicked her feet.

 

“Beautiful.”

 

She noticed he was looking at her when he said that and not the majestic scene before them. “Oh, would you stop,” she teased as she gave him a push on the shoulder, though she was secretly pleased by his attention.

 

He turned to look out over the forest below. “The scenery’s not bad either.”

 

She snickered as she shook her head. She reached over and took his hand, holding in in silence for many long moments, enjoying his company.

 

“Do you think we’ll find Riley?” she asked after a time.

 

“Yes.”

 

“How can you be sure?”

 

“Because we have the whole town looking for him, even if they don’t know it, and because I promised I would get him back to you.”

 

“But how?”

 

Dix thought a moment. “I don’t know. But if Leo’s in Douglas, or he shows up here, we’ll figure out a way.”

 

She sat, looking at the natural splendor before her. “Why are you helping me?” she asked quietly. “This isn’t your problem.”

 

“Because I said I would. We made a bargain. You help us, we’ll help you.”

 

She nodded. “Is that the only reason?” She didn’t know what she wanted him say. That he loved her? She snorted to herself. If he did, she knew it would be a lie. Nobody can fall in love in only three days. Because she was fucking him? At least she could understand that, but how long would it last? He could probably have all the free pussy he could handle.

 

He sighed. “No. I’m also helping because I want to.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Because, Daisy,” he said in exasperation that he was going to have to admit he felt sorry for her and Riley, “I feel sorry for Riley. I know what it’s like growing up with a dad you can’t depend on, a dad who doesn’t have time for his son. It pisses me off that Leo is doing that to his own kid. I want to take that son of a bitch by the throat and beat the shit out of him! I don’t even know Leo and I hate his fucking guts for what he’s doing!” He paused a moment then continued more softly. “If everything you said is true, I want to get Riley away from Leo because he deserves better.”

 

She looked at him as he stared across the valley, her eyes wide at the venom in his voice. “You okay?” she asked softly.

 

He met her eyes and his face softened. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s just every time I think of Leo and Riley, I see me and my father.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I thought I was past this, but guess I still have some issues to work out.”

 

“Thank you for leveling with me.”

 

He shrugged. “It’s my problem.”

 

“No, I mean for telling me why you’re helping.” She watched as the shadows of the setting sun moved gradually across the valley. “Can I tell you something?” she asked, not looking at him.

 

“Sure.”

 

She licked her lips, her heart thudding in her chest. “You’re confusing me.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, nobody has ever been so nice to me without wanting something in return. I don’t know how to take what you’re doing. I don’t know what you expect from me.”

 

“I don’t expect anything from you.”

 

“And if I said I wanted to go back to my motel tonight and not sleep with you anymore, that would be okay? You would still help me get Riley back?”

 

He frowned. “Is that why you’re sleeping with me, so I’ll help you with Riley?”

 

She could detect the threat of danger in his voice and she could feel herself tearing up. “I don’t know! I told you I was confused! I don’t think so, but…I feel like anyone else would! They might not say it, but it would still be expected. But you don’t seem that way, and now I can’t tell if I want to be with you because I’m so grateful or feel guilty, or what!” She began to sob. “I don’t know what I feel. I’m so twisted up by all this I don’t know what to do or how to act. When I’m with you I feel so happy, but then I feel guilty for being happy when Riley is still missing. I want to believe you want to be with me and are not just using me, but…”

 

“But what?” he asked quietly.

 

“But…I have a hard time believing it,” she said, refusing to look at him.

 

He took her chin and turned her to face him. “If you want to go back to your motel, I’ll drop you off on the way back. Will I be disappointed? Yes, but I’ll still help you get Riley. I’ll help you for as long as I can. Not because you’re sleeping with me, but because Riley deserves better. I might not be able to save every kid from a piece of shit father, but I sure as hell can try to save one.”

 

She watched his eyes as he held hers, refusing to look away. She could see anger and determination there…and she believed him. She tried to push her tears away, but couldn’t. She leaned over, wanting him to hold her, and when his arms surrounded her, she sobbed even harder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

 

“For what?” he asked holding her as pain poured from her.

 

“For doubting you. You’re such a good man. Can you forgive me?”

 

“Nothing to forgive,” he murmured, holding her tight and stroking her head until her tears stopped.

 

“I’m so fucked up,” she said with a wet laugh as she sat up, wiping at her eyes.

 

“You’re just confused. Do you want to go back to your motel?”

 

She laughed, still sniffing and wiping her eyes. “Only to get my things, if you’ll still have me.”

 

He smiled and pulled her into a gentle kiss. “We’ll take your car.”

 

She could feel her tears trying to start again, her face twisting as she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “Thank you.”

 

He kissed her eyes to dry her tears then pulled her into another embrace, holding her until there was just enough light left for them to safely make their way back to his Harley.