Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) (2 page)

Chapter 2

T
he
aroma of fresh baked treats filled the hallways, drawing me into Josie’s
breakfast room in the Inn, a welcome respite that over the last few days we’ve
fondly called home. There, I found the ‘Marines,’ Frank, Ron, and Terry
finishing up a five course breakfast while Josie refreshed their drinks and
warmed their coffees. “You’re spoiling them, Josie,” I announced, giving her a
morning hug from behind. “Vic, will be down soon. Better give us the light
version,” I mused, looking over the scrumptious fare spread across the table, “we’ve
got a long ride ahead of us today.”

“
You let her be the judge of that, young man,
”
snarled our host.
“
When will you learn, you can
’
t think for a woman when it
comes to food, clothes and
—”

“
Sex, don
’
t forget the sex,
”
interjected Frank, with a smile.
“
You
’
d think D would have learned
something from all that
’
s happened. Because once again, he did try to think like he
thought a woman should or would
…
and
lost big time.
”

“
Boys, there is more to life than just sex with a woman,
”
Josie continued undaunted.
“
You keep her pleased with
the peripheral things and you
’
ll have all the sex you can handle.
”

“
Peri-if-feral what?
”
asked Ron.

“
You know clothes, jewelry, fine cars, expensive stuff,
”
offered Terry.

“
Pardon my French, Ms. Josie, wouldn
’
t it be cheaper on us men
folk if we just hired a high priced hooker occasionally,
”
quipped Frank.

“
Boys, someday you
’
ll want to settle down and it will be the unselfish
pampered things you
’
ve done for the woman in your
life that will keep her around. It sure won
’
t be those shriveled up little sausages you
’
ve got down there between your legs that makes her
want to wake up beside you each morning for the rest of her life.
”

Watching
the Marines squirm uncomfortably, I shared this morning
’
s tension wholeheartedly,
“
I take offense to that,
Josie. There are some of us here that don
’
t have little
ones
and there are even a few
who
can still refrain from lust.
”
I
heard footsteps approaching from behind. Victoria had arrived.

That
’
s my cue to make an entrance
.
“
I heard refrain and lust,
”
I chuckled, sauntering into the room and into the
conversation. Walking up behind D, I put my left hand on his shoulder, my right
on his crotch.
“
I can sadly attest, D, here can refrain, both with his big
head and this little one,
”
I
sighed, simultaneously patting them both,
“
for now.
”

“
Vic, that
’
s more than they need to know,
”
I managed to say, while pushing her hand away. Spinning
around, I playfully flicked my tongue in her ear, before whispering,
“
Girlfriend, now is not a good time to tease me. I
’
m on the verge of...
”

“
Good for you, D,
”
I whispered back. Spinning him around so I could face our
attentive audience,
“
Lady and gentlemen, he
’
s on the verge, the
precipice of no return. Finally, I
’
ve got him just where I want
him.
”
Ha, if only
that were true.

“
The two of you go get a room. Oh, I forgot you do have a
room. Take it upstairs, will ya? Not now mind you, later. Now sit yourself down
and I
’
ll
bring your breakfast,
”
commanded
Josie, pulling out a chair from the table and motioning for me to sit like a
small child, over the loud snickering of the
“
Calvary.
”

Rather
embarrassed by the fuss,
“
Congratulations, Josie, you
’
ve found us out. I
’
m a bodacious flirt and Vic
’
s a titillating tease.
”

“
Well,
”
laughed
Frank,
“
you
guys are a train wreck in the making. One of these days, you
’
re gonna crash and I
’
d like to be a fly on the
wall when that happens.
”

“
Me, too,
”
beamed
Josie.
“
Count
me in.
”

“
Enough! You may be right. I
’
ve drawn the short straw to
haul her bodacious butt across Canada on my bike, fighting off her luscious
lips and roaming hands while keeping us upright and wheels rolling. That is
,
unless
one of you fine gentlemen would like the honors?
”

Is
he trying to get rid of me already? Say it ain
’
t so
.
“
You
’
re stuck with me, D,
”
I proclaimed, defending my territory, just as three excited
‘
man
paws
’
waved
furiously.
“
Besides, we
’
ve got much to talk about on our trip home. Like how to
keep your
‘
beautiful ass
’
out of jail and or the morgue
…
or both.
”

“
Thank you for clarifying that, Victoria. I especially liked
the beautiful part. Enough about me and my
‘
ass-tributes,
’
let
’
s talk about getting the
‘
Calvary
’
home safely.
”
Going
from sexy to safety is not the best transition, but I took a stab at it anyway.

“
Thankfully, no one saw any of you up close yesterday, so we
’
re good in that respect.
Frank, the publicity you generated trying to take the heat off me will be there
when you get back. Vic, any ideas how to diffuse that situation?
”

Let
me think,
“
Move
…
out
of the country. At least, if you
’
re out of sight, you
’
re out of mind. And it may
not be for that long now that Mr. Generosity here has flooded the country with
sparkling baubles over the last few weeks. Frank, can you take an extended
vacation say for 90 days, somewhere far away?
”

“
I
’
m sure I can. The boys here can handle everything while I
’
m gone. I
’
ve kinda wanted to explore
Europe and Scandinavia. I guess I could get one of those train passes and
‘
Ride, Boley, Ride.
’
What, don
’
t look at me like that? James Caan said that in a John
Wayne movie once.
”

“
Sounds like fun in a Clint Eastwood kind of way,
”
I laughed.
“
Stay in touch with Vic by email please. Who knows, if
everything comes crashing down on me, I may be joining you. Now to get you
home. I
’
ve
instructed Vic to charter a private jet to take you back to Oregon, no
questions asked. You
’
ll clear customs here in Calgary and be home by dark. Does
that work for all of you?
”

“
D, you didn
’
t have to go to all that trouble for us,
”
countered Ron,
“
but I
’
m not complaining, mind you.
I
’
ve
never flown on a private jet before.
”

“
Me either,
”
proclaimed
Terry.
“
Thank
you, sir. I
’
m just thankful we could be here for you, like you were
there for Frank and like he was there for us.
What goes around
comes around, if you get my
meaning
.
”

“
I do sir, I do. It
’
s
—”

Here
we go again
.
“
It
’
s called paying it forward,
”
I interjected.
“
D has been preaching that to
me almost everyday since we met.
”
Playfully
patting D's head,
“
This poor generous soul tries to live it every friggin
’
day.
”

Chapter 3

J
osie
scurried out of the kitchen with freshly squeezed orange juice, garnished with
a mint leaf, followed by blueberry waffles topped with homemade whipped cream
and boysenberry syrup, eggs cooked to order, a rasp of bacon, moose sausage,
and Tennessee country ham, that she had flown in just for me. “This your idea
of light?”

“
Honey, I owe you more,
”
replied Josie. Wiping her calloused hands on the well-worn
apron,
“
This
being your last day here and all, I wanted this breakfast to be special.
”

Vic
spoke up between bites,
“
You
’
ve
truly outdone yourself, Ms. Josie.
”

I
concurred with a nod, my mouth full of waffle, my silvery bearded chin dripping
purple syrup.
 
Forcing down my last
bite,
“
all
of your meals are as special as this beautiful B&B you call home. Now leave
us be, Josie. I
’
ve got some things to discuss with the
‘
Calvary
’
and the barrister before we scatter in all directions.
”

Wrapping
up our conversation, I asked Frank and Vic to meet me in the kitchen, while I
ran upstairs to retrieve a package from my daypack. Digging to the bottom of
the bag, I realized the numerous small boxes I had brought with me on this ride
were almost gone.

Sauntering
into the kitchen, I found the group engaged in lively conversation. It was most
likely about me, because the sound of the swinging door stopped their
conversation cold. Walking up behind Josie, I grabbed her in a bear hug,
lifting her a foot off the ground. Teasing her, I kissed the back of her neck,
breathing a whiff of floral shampoo.

“
Put me down this instant, D,
”
Josie huffed.
“
Or not. On second thought, I
could get used to this. Spin me around and pick me up again
,
please? I
’
d just love to plant one on those kissable lips of yours.
”

Ha,
you absolutely are a horny little fellow, D. Victoria you are so close.
“
Why don
’
t you both go get a room?
Frank and I will wait right here till you
’
re done.
”

“
Jealous are we, Vic?
”
I mused.

“
Damn right I am. Josie, teach me your secret how to score
with this man.
”

“
Honey, when the time is right, you
’
ll know. Let this man come
to you. Quit trying to throw yourself at Jon David! He will come to you when he
’
s good and ready, or
dejected and desperate.
”

Quickly
changing the explosive, sexually suggestive subject, I pulled out the small
nondescript package from my pocket. The excited look on Frank and Vic
’
s faces confirmed they knew
what was about to transpire, both being former recipients of the shiny baubles,
wrapped securely, within each ring sized box.
“
Miss Josie, Frank, there
’
s roughly 350 carats of
diamonds in this package, worth approximately two and a half million dollars.
Because of your kindness and generosity, we
’
d like you to have them.
But, there are conditions,
”
I
continued, looking to Vic for approval since I had failed to tell her about my
intentions beforehand.

“
Jon David
,
I mean D, you owe me nothing,
”
confessed Josie.
The sincerity in her voice, as well as her eyes, conveyed
her conviction.

“
Mr. D, you
’
ve given me more than enough already,
”
added Frank.

It
was Vic
’
s
turn to interject.
“
Here it comes guys, D
’
s got some new way for each
of you to pay it forward. He dreams way out and I mean way outside the box. Now
don
’
t
look hurt Jon David, I
’
m just stating a fact. Continue.
”

“
Thank you for your unwavering confidence in me, even if it
is skewed,
”
I
countered with a smirk.
“
Josie, you mentioned you
’
d like to build private
balconies off your main suites to accommodate a hot tub. This will more than
cover it and you
’
ll still have quite a bit left over. It
’
s the left over I want you
to use to make a difference. Every month I
’
d like you to run a contest,
offering four struggling couples a chance to get away for the weekend. Let
their children nominate them with their own handwritten letters and go from
there. You have an innate way of making everyone you meet feel special. I can
only imagine the joy you could bring to struggling couples living paycheck to
paycheck. If they could spend a weekend here with you, it might make their
lives a little more bearable. Everyone, regardless of circumstance, deserves
the opportunity to reconnect, even if it
’
s only for a weekend.
”

“
Oh my, D. In all my years, who would have thought to let
the children nominate their parents? I
’
d love to do this for you,
for us, for them. Count me in!
”

“
Frank, here
’
s what I
’
d like to propose to you. Take half of yours and buy Terry
and Ron a place to live. No matter what happens in their future, they
’
ll always have a place to
call home. I know what it
’
s like to be homeless and alone. I wish that on no one.
”

“
Second, this is me thinking outside your box. Since you
’
re going to Europe, where
there
’
s
just as much need there as here, I want to pay your way and then some. I
’
d like you to travel below
the radar, if you will, living modestly, but giving generously along the way.
By doing so, you
’
ll meet real people with real needs. Changing one life at a
time, will change them the way I changed you, for the better.
”

I
took a deep breath before continuing.
“
This is your chance to pay
it forward across Europe. Get a couple of prepaid cards that won
’
t reveal your name and use
them to lift up caring people you meet along your journey. Keep a journal, take
some pictures, come home in a few months and write a book about the differences
you made in the lives of others. Most importantly, document the difference they
made in you. Can you do that, sir?
”

“
Can do, Mr. D. Paying it forward, like you say and having a
good time along the way.
”

Judging
by her fidgeting, Vic could not contain herself.

I
whispered,
“
D, you are amazing! How do you dream this off the wall
stuff up? You should be running a hands-on charity somewhere. I mean, it’s one
thing to give a few dollars to United Way or the Red Cross, but it’s completely
off the charts when you single-handedly address peoples
’
needs by overcoming their obstacles immediately.
”

“
Which would have helped you more, Vic, me saying I
’
ll try to find you a job in
a law firm somewhere or giving you the confidence and the resources necessary
to start your own practice? Had I done the former, you wouldn
’
t be here right now, would
you? That
’
s what empowerment does when one has the resources to back
it up.
”

“
He
’
s right, Ms. Vic,
”
interjected Frank. Had D not picked me up, trying to get
home, I wouldn
’
t be here either. Ms. Josie, this man believed in me so
much that he flew me and my dog home from Tennessee and staked me with enough
of these diamonds to start over. Yes sir-ee, I
’
m living proof that his kind
of generosity works.
”

“
Me, too.
”

“
Me, three,
”
added
Josie.
“
I
can tell you this boy stayed here almost twenty years ago when I was first
getting started. He came for the Stampede and stayed on long after it was over,
helping me get this place in shape for my guests and never asked for a dime.
”

“
Josie, don
’
t forget, you did house and feed me. Guys, it
’
s not only money that
empowers people, but the confidence behind it that says, I believe in you. I
’
ve been fortunate to be in
each of your lives when you were at a crossroads. You'll have to agree, timing
is everything.
”