****
Kendra didn’t show it, but she was secretly pleased with his suggestion of a hummingbird tattoo. How could Flint possibly know that hummingbirds held a special significance to her? Her recently deceased grandmother adored the tiny birds and had told Kendra to watch for her on the wings of a hummingbird after she died. In her memory, Kendra had hung at least fifty hummingbird feeders on her farm the previous summer, spread out among all of the flowering bushes and trees.
Flint settled back on his side of the couch and stretched out his long legs. He tapped the toes of his black leather boots together. “Do you live close to the clinic?”
Kendra smiled. “I own a place not too far from town,” she replied. “I live in an old farm house with a big front porch. The house is tiny, barely big enough for one person. I love it though. In the evenings, I can sit on my porch and watch the sunrise go down over the mountains. It’s relaxing.”
“Do you have a lot of pets? I bet you have about ten. Or twenty.”
“Believe it or not, I don’t have any pets of my own. The hours are so long at the clinic and I never know when I’m going to get called out on emergencies. There’s always a baby or injured animal of some kind that I end up dragging home with me most nights. What about you? Do you live close by?”
“I live about ten miles away. In a big house with Jesse and Sam.” He laughed at her dubious expression. “I know, I know. I hate to admit I’m living with my brothers and about half of the crew on a temporary basis. We have what we like to call an open door policy. Their old ladies have a tendency to throw them out of the house occasionally.”
Kendra made a face. “I’m picturing a big frat house with keg parties and drunk sexy girls in tight shorts. Am I right?”
“Why don’t you come over some time and find out for yourself?” he challenged.
She shook her head slowly. “No, I don’t think so. The party scene isn’t for me. I like it quiet and peaceful.”
“Who says I don’t? Something tells me you’re making presumptions about me based on the MC.”
Flint was right. She had been making assumptions about him based on his involvement with the motorcycle gang. She was stereotyping him without giving him the benefit of getting to know him first. It wasn’t like her to be so judgemental. She wasn’t giving him a fair shake and he’d called her out on it. She respected him for that.
“You’re right,” she admitted grudgingly. “I probably have been doing that.” She shrugged, unsure of how to explain it to him. “You’re in a motorcycle gang and even though I don’t know much about them, what I do know isn’t great.”
Flint drew in a deep breath before explaining. “For starters, we’re a motorcycle club, not a gang. A big, big difference there. The MC is a way of life and more like a family to me than a club. They took Jesse and me in after Mom died and gave us a place to feel secure. Like we belonged somewhere. When I look back on those times, there were a million bad places I could’ve ended up if it hadn’t been for the MC. I owe them so much.”
She nodded. “I get that. I really do. But what about the other stuff? The illegal things?” There, she’d said it. The elephant in the room was now sitting right between them. She needed an answer to the one thing that had been bothering her since she walked into the cabin. “How do you explain that?”
A troubled, dark cloud came over his face. Instantly, Kendra regretted her words and wished she could take them back. She’d stepped over the line with him.
“You know I can’t talk about any of that,” he answered regretfully. “All I can tell you is that the people on my crew are good guys.” He touched his chest above his heart. “Deep down inside. We’re not perfect by any means, and maybe not by other people’s standards. But they’re loyal and they would protect my back. I would do the same for them. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Flint stood and walked over to check the pile of firewood beside the hearth. “We’re running low. I’ll go get some more logs from the woodpile on the side of the house.”
Kendra started to offer to go help him and decided she would be better off not to. Flint had shut down the moment she mentioned the MC’s illegal activities. She felt like kicking herself. She was surprised at how he had really opened up to her about his brothers and his dad, especially since she got the distinct feeling it wasn’t something he shared with just anyone. There was so much more to Flint than she realized or expected. He had trusted her and she’d thrown it back in his face.
After a moment’s hesitation, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Flint’s keys. She placed them on the table so that it would be the first thing he saw when he walked back in.