Reaper's Salvation: A Last Riders Trilogy by Jamie Begley (read a book TXT) 📗

Reaper turned back to Greer, forgetting the brothers were listening. “I don’t want to fail.”

“You’re not going to fail.” Greer set his beer down on the counter. “You failed when Slate locked you away. Do you see any of these asshole here going anywhere?”

Reaper looked around at the men who began to circle the bar closer to him. “No.”

“There you go then.” Greer gave him a hard smack on his shoulders. “If these assholes ever let you down, call Ginny’s brothers. Shit, there are a ton of them fuckers. ’Course none of them have my winning personality.”

“Not many do.” Reaper’s lips curled in laughter.

“Ain’t that the truth. If I could bottle myself, I’d make a fortune.”

“You going to give my two hundred back?”

“Fuck no. But, to be nice, I’ll give you a small piece of advice.”

“Free?”

Greer made a face at him. “Of course.” Wadding up his trash, he placed it back in the bag. “Don’t get addicted to the burgers at the diner. I’m gonna kill that motherfucker the next time he shorts me a hamburger.”

Chapter Forty-Seven

“Do you have the next tray ready?” Ginny asked. “The one in the oven is done.”

Willa hurried to the oven to take the French bread out.

Ginny wiped her hands on the dishcloth to place a trivet on the countertop. Then she went to help place the next sheet pan of bread in the oven, but Willa beat her.

“I’ve got it.”

Shrugging at her friend not wanting to help, Ginny went to the table in the kitchen and continued to make a list of supplies the club needed.

“Are there enough dishwashing tablets under the sink to get us through next month?”

Willa opened the cabinet. “Yes, the one under here is full. We’re good.”

Concentrating on the list, Ginny realized that Willa had stopped talking. Looking up, she saw that Willa had been staring at her. Had she said something? They were ahead of schedule for having dinner ready. She couldn’t think of anything that needed to be done or anything they hadn’t prepped.

“Did you need something?”

Willa walked across the room to take a seat next to her. Biting her bottom her lip as if she was hesitant to say something, she gave her a searching look. “Ginny … I know you were raised mainly in a male household, but you and Trudy spend together …”

Ginny placed her pen down on the table. “What are you trying to get out?”

“Ginny, you do know you’re pregnant, don’t you?” Willa blurted out.

Ginny picked the ink back up. “No, I’m not.”

Willa nodded to her protruding belly. “Ginny …” Willa nodded to her belly again. “You’re pregnant.”

“No, I am not. Do you think three cans of coffee is enough?”

“Add one can to the list.” Willa sighed in resignation, standing back up. “You know, if you need to talk, I’ll be more than happy to listen.”

“Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

Ginny was aware her friend thought she was a full-fledged Coo Coo bird. She didn’t care she was determined to win her battle with Gavin. The last two and half months had both Gavin and her engaged in a battle of wills to see who would break first. She was just as adamant about getting him to realize there was a part of him hurting as he was to get her to admit she was pregnant. Internally Ginny gave a frustrated sigh. Gavin’s nickname shouldn’t have been Reaper it should’ve been Stubborn Ass. How he could be so caring, thoughtful, and protective toward her, then be a blind ass where his own welfare was concerned drove her insane. No wonder everyone in the club, Trudy, and her friends thought she was just as Coo-Coo as Willa.

The battle of will she had gone on longer than she expected. But with Silas’s encouragement, she stuck to her guns. Her sympathy was running out the bigger her belly was getting. She was so angry at Stubborn Ass, she would’ve been happy if he just walked a quarter of a mile toward her, but now she was going to make him walk two.

Ginny continued working on the grocery list as she imagined Gavin walking those miles … would it be petty of her to make him walk them barefoot?

Willa started unloading the dishwasher before filling it with the lunch dishes. “How’s the house going? Were you able to get the plumber out there?”

“No. He had an emergency call and rescheduled for Monday.” Ginny felt the disappointment today just as keenly as she felt it yesterday. She was more than ready to get their house finished. The more they tried to rush things along, the more setbacks had come knocking on their door.

It had done nothing but freaking rain in the last two months. After they had the roof and the structure completed, they ran into one hitch after another when they’d inadvertently hired a flake to do the drywall and had to have three rooms redone. Numerous issues with the house inspectors delaying appointments and the kitchen cabinets that she had set her heart on were on backorder, it had Ginny thinking it would be another two months before they could move in.

Ginny smiled when Lily and Beth came in the back door shaking the snow off their coats.

“I’m ready for summer,” Beth complained, taking her hat off over the plastic mat by the door. Taking Lily’s coat, along with hers, Beth went to hang their coats on the pegs in the pantry.

“Aren’t we all,” Ginny agreed glumly.

“I’m not,” Lily said. “This is my favorite time of the year.”

Ginny smiled, her despondency lifting. She had enjoyed working with Lily, Beth, and Willa, all three pulling kitchen duty the same week.

Ginny finished the supply list, then volunteered to make the frosting for the cake Willa was making.

“Shade decided who’s going to be promoted to fill Jewell’s position at the factory?” Willa asked as she measured out the ingredients for the cake.

Ginny looked over her shoulder at Willa. “Is she tired