Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) (30 page)

Chapter
58

C
ruising
down I-57, I picked up I-24 east and prayed that it would take me to Nashville
and home, unscathed. I called the kennel and asked them to verify Major’s
myriad of shots were current and to bathe him before I arrived.

Next,
I called AMEX travel and asked them to email me daily flight information to,
two specific cities out of Tampa or Orlando. And finally, I called Brinks
Security out of Nashville and scheduled them to be at my house at 6 PM today to
pick up ten 110 lb. crates to be stored in a secure vault in Nashville until I
or my designated representative sent for them.

I
wanted to call Giovanni and bounce my plan off him. I wanted to call Vic and
tell her about this morning. I wanted to call Candi and let her know I was
safe. So much for my wants, I didn
’
t do either, knowing someone
could still be monitoring the airwaves, even if I was using Donnie
’
s phone.

The
big blue sign
“
Welcome to Tennessee
”
greeted me at the 2 PM mark. I passed through Clarksville,
home of the 101st Airborne, on my way to Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry,
Bruton Snuff and Yazoo Beer.
Ah, to be home again.

It
was a sobering thought since I was only passing through.
Where will I go
next? Will I find Mayberry? Will I have Candi or even Victoria to share it
with?
Question after question consumed me all the way to the Music City,
before I merged onto I-40 east and headed down the home stretch.
The good
news is, it won
’
t be long before Major is
riding shotgun again.

I
had an epiphany an hour out. Marcy, Candi
’
s childhood friend, was my
clandestine ticket to Candi.
If I can find her, she can get a message to
Candi for me easy enough
. Next stop Kroger
’
s in Cookeville. Sixty
minutes later, I found myself in line at the pharmacy drive thru.

When
it was my turn, I pulled up and asked for the pharmacist on duty. Turns out it
was not Marcy, but Bruce.
“
Where
’
s Marcy?
”

“
You just missed her. Can I help you?
”
asked Bruce.

“
No, sir,
”
I
replied.
“
It
’
s personal. She
’
s a friend. Wanted to thank
her for taking care of the dog while I was gone.
”

“
Oh, in that case, you
’
d better hurry. I saw her
leave a few minutes ago. She
’
s walking to her car.
”

“
Thanks, Bruce.
”
Waving good-bye, I rounded the corner of the store in time
to see Marcy entering her car, parked on the far outskirts of the parking lot.
Reaching her location as her back up lights came on, I blocked her in with my
truck and locked down on the horn.

That
got her attention!
Marcy slammed on her brakes, put her shiny green Jag in park and jumped out, shaking
her finger at me.
“
Excuse me! Excuse me! I almost hit you. Can
’
t you see I
’
m trying to leave? Move your
truck
 —
now!
”

I
rolled the passenger window down shouting back,
“
No way! I like parking here
just fine.
”
Ah,
the whites of a brunette
’
s eyes when they
’
re steaming mad
—
a contrast made in Heaven.
“
How dare you treat my dog
that way without my permission? Candi put you up to it?
”

“
I ... uh ... don
’
t know what you
’
re talking about. Wait ...
wait ... D, is that you lurking behind those awful looking molester glasses?
”

“
In the flesh. Wait
…
molester glasses
? Candi is the only other person who
’
s ever called them that.
Damn, you girls are tight.
”

She
laughed.
“
Aren
’
t we though? If you only knew how much I know about you!
What are you doing here? Did you reach Giovanni? Did you speak to Candi? Do
they know you
’
re back in Tennessee?
”

“
Hold on, girl, one question at a time. Yes, I
’
ve spoken to them numerous
times thanks to you. Good detective work on your part to find the dog.
”

“
Thanks,
”
Marcy,
standing a little straighter, beamed.
“
Don
’
t mention it. Took me all of
two hours. You do know I
’
m flying to Tampa next Thursday?
”

“
I do now. Bet that will make Candi happy. Now, about why I
’
m here. Need a big favor.
Email Candi,
do not call.
I repeat,
do not call
. Tell her I need
to talk to her and Giovanni. Tell her I
’
m OK and not to believe
anything she hears, unless it
’
s from me. As far as Florida knows, I
’
m history, kaput, wasted.
And I need to stay that way. ... Understand? She is not to tell
anyone
I
’
m alive. Trust me ... it
’
s better you don
’
t know any more

than
this.

“
Next, please ask her to go buy two burner phones and give
one to Giovanni, then email you their numbers. I
’
m sorry to lay this all on
you, but I have no one else I can trust who cares for Candi as much as I do.
What
’
s
your email address, by the way?
”

She
looked perplexed, hesitating for the longest time, before writing it down on
the pad I just so happened to have in my hand.
“
D, how much trouble are you
in?
”

“
Quite a bit,
”
I
chuckled.
“
The good news is I
’
ve been in some kind of
trouble ever since I met your BFF, starting with the day she tried to take me
out in the Starbuck
’
s drive thru. Come to think of it she was on the way to
hook up with you.
”

“
I heard about that. Lucky you.
”

“
Among other things. I
’
m sure you
’
ve heard all about the other
things.
”

“
It
’
s those brown bedroom eyes of yours. I told her you were a
troublemaker the moment I laid eyes on you.
”
She snickered.

“
Thank you ... Trouble, ah yes, that
’
s me. Not that the menacing
woo-hoo of hers, isn
’
t?
”

Blushing,
Marcy continued,
“
Nope, from all that she
’
s shared, you
’
ve successfully managed to
corral that thing of hers.
”
Her
eyes drifted back towards my trailer,
“
Guess that
’
s the infamous motorcycle
you made history on through the cornfields of Iowa and the mountains of
Wyoming?
”

“
It is,
”
I
beamed proudly.
“
Want to see the scars and the toy that started it all? I
’
ve got it here somewhere.
Might give you some inspiration with your significant other.
”

“
Ha! Not hardly. You got balls, D, I give you that
—
big balls.
Anyone that would even attempt the indescribable things
you
’
ve
already done with her has to have gonads this big,
”
Marcy said, holding up both hands, resembling the size of
grape fruits.
“
I
’
d nominate you as salesman of the year
—
excuse me, seducer of the year.
”

“
Hey, I resemble that remark!
”
I resemble
many of these off the cuff remarks here lately.

“
I
’
ve heard that, too. Candice
—
Candi as you call her
—
is an open book when it comes to you. With you she
’
s fallen in love with the
lake and the mountains you call home. She
’
s enamored by your random
acts of kindness with people you don
’
t even know. You
’
ve shared your heart, your
mind, your soul with her. You
’
ve brought joy back into her life that I haven
’
t seen since we were kids.
By now, surely you know you
’
ve changed her for the better. Whatever happens next in
your journey with her, remember that.
”

“
Enough, Marcy! I
’
m flattered with the
flowers, but it
’
s been a two-way street. Candi has given me equally as
much, if not more. She
’
s smart, witty and intuitive. It
’
s either black or white with
her, there are no shades of grey.

“
I shouldn
’
t say this to you, but I will. When she makes love to me,
she gives me 110% of everything. She embraces the moment
—”

“
I got it. I got it. You
’
re right ... Candi has said
the same about you. I don
’
t know all that happened in Canada, she
’
s been rather vague about
the goings on since she returned. But, whatever it was from all that I
’
ve gleaned from our long
conversations of late, it was to protect you from the carnage she brought into
your life.
”

“
I hope you
’
re right, Marcy. Only time will tell. I
’
ve got to go, Major is
waiting. Don
’
t forget, I
’
m dead
—
two burner phones, two numbers by email only. I
’
ll email you with the
subject line Dale Hollow Lake Lover.
”

“
I
’
ll send it when I get home. Good to see you, D. Good luck.
Sounds like you
’
re going to need it.
”

Chapter
59

A
nd
with that, I was off. Driving to the kennel, not twenty minutes away, I
realized the big pink elephant in the room was back. If Marcy was right, at
least from her perspective, and this was all about protecting me, I had to hear
it from Candies lips ... straight from her heart. The when and the where
— well, that was yet to be determined.

Anxiously
waiting in the lobby with a kennel assistant in tow was my fluffy pal, washed,
brushed and wagging his tail to no end when I came through the sliding glass
doors. Patting my chest with both hands, Major leapt the ten feet separating us
in one stride, snapping the leash in two before placing his paws on my
shoulders and waiting for a long overdue hug.
“
I
’
ve missed you, pal. More
than you know.
”
Go
figure,
I
got teary-eyed.
Dogs, especially this one, are truly man
’
s best friend.
Major
’
s hug today, was no
different than the last one he gave me when I left him stranded here, a little
over a month ago.
Dogs show no anger, no malice, no indifference to us, only
love, no matter how royally we screw up.

“
Major, let
’
s go. You and me, we
’
re going to find this
elusive Mayberry.
”
Opening
the passenger door to the truck, Major jumped in immediately claiming his
favorite seat behind the steering wheel. After settling up with the kennel, I
was handed a basket of his remaining goodies, compliments of Marcy.
Note to
self. ... Thank Marcy again on behalf of Major
—
and me. I owe her big time
.

My
drive to the lake for possibly the very last time was serene as well as
surreal. The beauty that I
’
d come to appreciate surrounding Dale Hollow Lake could
never be duplicated anywhere else. The lush green rolling meadows and fields were
salt and peppered with Holsteins and Black Angus cattle as far as the eye could
see.

Beyond
them, stood the mountains casting hues of orange, yellow and red in the
towering maples, ash and poplar that filled them. Then there
’
s Dale Hollow Lake. Unspoiled
shorelines, crystal clear water, pristine springs and its undisturbed mountains
made this place I
’
d been fortunate to call home for the last five years,
above all things, priceless.

My
last time on the lake with Candi, no less, I took her to one of my special
places along the Accordion Bluffs. That day, we wined and dined at sunset
watching the ice blue skies above us turn into a moon drenched night,
complimented by thousands and thousands of stars.

Talking
about getting in the mood for love
—
it spontaneously happens here, for free. And we did get in
the mood, as I recall, beautifully
—
even sharing a little too much of ourselves with two others
who happened to get in our way. I laughed out loud over the memory of the
skinny dipping incident. We
’
d made precious memories that would last a lifetime. I
sighed,
Candi, baby, I wish you were here.

I
loved this area. Even the locals that I
’
d come to know and love were
genuine and neighborly in every sense of the word. Every holiday was a time of
celebration, filled with food, laughter, and hours upon hours of fellowship.
Shared gourmet dinners over a bottle or two of wine with my neighbors at least
twice a month kept us informed of the goings on in the community, in this place
we were blessed to claim as our own.

My
heart ached, my stomach churned, and my hands trembled as I envisioned ripping
out the established roots of my heart and soul I had anchored here to replant
in another town I
’
d only imagined thus far.