Page 11

Kenna

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Kenna sat across from River and Taylor, half listening to their conversation. She hadn't met her sister's friend before, but it appeared she had worked at the bar once.

She glanced at the back booth, more interested in Kingsley and Zane's conversation. If she judged their matching expressions, neither man was happy.

She wanted to go to Kingsley and hold his hand or touch him or something. He'd never talked about his mom before, and mentioning her earlier had upset him. If he believed Zora could be his mom, his thoughts and feelings were probably at war.

"I'm so full." Taylor sat back in the chair. "I forgot how big Lori made the burgers."

"You need to come by more often." River nudged her friend's arm. "Or, come back to work at the bar."

"Tempting," mumbled Taylor.

"Are you serious?" River shifted in her seat. "They need another waitress. They hired Kenna but are still short."

"Let me think about it and I'll call you this weekend." Taylor pressed a hand to her stomach. "I'm not sure how that would work with me living above the pizzeria in town. It's a longer drive than I'd want."

"Think about it and let me know. In the meantime, I'll ask Zane if there are any cabins available." River crumbled her napkin and set it on her plate. "No promises, but I'd love to have you back here."

Taylor looked at Kenna. "Do you think there's room for me here?"

"Sure." Kenna wiped the condensation off the outside of her water glass. "We need at least one more person to wait tables."

"Okay, that's settled. If there's a way I can live in Gem Haven, I'll come back. But make sure Zane needs another employee. I don't want him to hire me out of pity." Taylor pouted. "Living in town wasn't exciting as I thought it would be. I'm lonely there. At least here, there are the bikers. After dealing with the city guys, I'd welcome any biker into my life."

River spoke with her friend while Kenna went back to watching Kingsley. The two plates in front of the men remained untouched. Even the mug of beer beside Kingsley was ignored.

"It was nice to meet you." Kenna stood from the table, unable to stay away from Kingsley any longer. "I hope everything works out and I get to work with you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Taylor smiled. "Now that you both gave me something to think about, I'm going to go. I'll call you in the morning, okay?"

"Sure. Sounds good." River stood and hugged her friend.

Kenna made her escape and approached the booth. Kingsley scooted over, making room for her. She leaned against his side, trying to read the mood at the table but both of them had stopped talking at her arrival.

Kingsley put his arm around Kenna, drawing her closer. River soon joined them and glanced at Kenna, reading the tension in the air. She hadn't had a chance to talk to her sister alone about the basket of cookies or what worried Kingsley before Taylor showed up.

As the men began to eat, Kenna exchanged a worried glance with River. It was clear something significant weighed on both their minds.

Finally, Zane broke the silence. "I'll ride out in the morning to visit Zora," he announced.

"Zora?" River frowned. "Who's that?"

"A woman who lives on the other side of the mountain." Zane paused. "Kingsley and Kenna visited her last week. Today, he received a basket of cookies from her before she ran off."

"Oh—that was nice." River frowned. "Why is everyone looking upset?"

"Kingsley thinks it could be our mom, considering she brought the same kind of cookies he remembers eating as a kid," muttered Zane.

River's brows rose. "I thought she ran away when you were little."

"She did." Zane exhaled loudly, ending the conversation.

Kingsley, who'd pushed his food around on his plate, looked up. "I think we should both be there when we talk to her again."

She put her hand on Kingsley's thigh, trying to ease his tension. Once they finished their food, they left the bar and walked toward the house. She linked her fingers in Kingsley's hand. On top of everything happening, she had to work tomorrow.

"Don't forget you must go to the prison on Sunday for visitation day," said Zane.

Kenna tugged Kingsley's hand. "Can I go with you?"

"Hell, no." Kingsley held her hand, putting it to his chest. "The prison isn't going to let you stroll in there and ask to see your dad. It doesn't work like that."

"I know that." She lifted her chin. "But if your dad can participate in visiting day and I can pass security clearance to see him, I can go, too."

"Someone's been doing their research," he muttered.

Every spare moment she had, she studied the rules of how the prison was run and what kind of privileges prisoners had. Of course, none of them pertained to her dad. Death row was not a short-term sentence. It was a waiting area until they killed him. In her opinion, the prison already treated him as if he was dead.

"Maybe your dad can get a message to my dad for me." She squeezed his hand. "Please."

Kingsley looked at Zane, his expression conflicted before he met her gaze. "Nobody goes up against Ridge Stafford and gets their way."

"I want to try," she said.

He looked at her for a long moment. Afraid he'd tell her no, she whispered, "You promised never to hide anything from me again. Please, don't stop me from trying to get a message to my dad."

He cupped her head and kissed her softly. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

She jumped in excitement, hugged him, hugged River, and could barely contain the adrenaline surging through her. She was one step closer to seeing her dad.