Willa tried to comprehend what he was telling her. As she repeated his words in her mind, she began laughing. Leaning over, Willa buried her face in Ria’s dark fur.

 “Willa?” Lucky’s hand touched her shoulder.

 She raised her head, jerking away from his touch.

 “Who are the eight original members?” She stifled her laughter, waiting for his answer.

 “We don’t disclose that information to non-members, but Sissy found out, so I’m going to tell you. Razer, Viper, Knox, Shade, Rider, Train, Cash, and me. Viper’s brother was one, but he died. We recently voted for Crash to have voting rights.”

 “Jenna told Sissy this?” Willa wanted to scream at Lucky. Thankfully, her emotions were becoming numb.

 “Yes. Jenna knew because she had tried to become a member, but she couldn’t get enough votes.”

 “She had your vote, didn’t she?”

 Lucky didn’t look away from her. “Yes.”

 Willa bit back the hysterical laughter that threatened to break loose again.

 “There’s more.”

 Willa held her hand up. “Please, don’t.”

 Lucky ignored her, continuing. Willa wanted to cover her ears; instead, she listened to Lucky as he finished ripping the veil away from her eyes, exposing his and the club’s secrets.

 “The club has parties on Friday nights. The best way to describe them is they are sex parties where everyone has sex and watches others. Moon and Rider had gone to Rosey’s, and Sissy overheard them talking about watching me have sex with Raci, Story, and Ember. They were also discussing how I use knives on the women.”

 Willa paled. “You cut them?”

 “I’m a master at knife play. I don’t cut. I use the knives to stimulate the women, not hurt them.”

 Willa couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer, falling back against the couch. “Oh, my God. I was so jealous of Beth and Jenna when I wasn’t even competing against just one woman, but dozens.”

 “You were jealous of Beth and Jenna? There was no reason for you to—”

 “You’re exactly right. You have made it obvious you aren’t attracted to me. Our pretend engagement gave me no rights. You have been openly honest about your feelings for me. I was the one who fell in love with you, not the other way around.”

 “Don’t.” Lucky tried to touch her again but she stood up, moving away from his touch.

 Ria moved to stand next to her, and a warning growl had Willa glancing down at the dog. However, the sharp command that came from Lucky had the dog sitting again, relaxing against her.

 “What did you do?”

 “I told her to sit. Ria’s a protection dog. I bought her so you would be protected when we became engaged. Willa, I have enemies. I’m a—”

 “How much did she cost? I’ll pay you back for her.” Willa skirted around him, going to the entry table to take out her checkbook.

 “I don’t want your fucking money. I bought her so you would be protected—”

 “I don’t need your protection; I can take care of myself. How much?” Willa practically screamed at him.

 “Twenty thousand.”

 A sob had her clutching her checkbook. “You paid twenty thousand dollars for a dog?”

 “Ria is highly trained. Colt gave me a discount because we served together.”

 “I’m surprised he’s not a member of The Last Riders. Maybe you should have let him in so he would give you a better discount.” Willa stared down blankly at her checkbook.

 “I don’t want the money, and the dog is yours. I want to explain why—”

 Willa set the checkbook down on the table. “Lucky, I’ve had more explanations than I can take in one day. I can’t give you the dog immediately; the children will want to say good-bye—”

 “I’m not going to take the fucking dog.” He started toward her, but a knock sounded on the door, startling them both.

 “That will be Knox and Mr. Russell. I would appreciate it if you left. I don’t need your help.”

 “I’ll go. I know you’re upset, and I don’t want to make it worse by staying.”

 Willa moved to answer the door. Her hand was on the doorknob when Lucky stopped her.

 “I won’t take Ria back.”

 “It’s not your decision to make. This time, it’s my choice that matters.” Willa had grown attached to the dog, but did she really want the constant reminder that Lucky had given her Ria every time she looked at her? Whichever choice she made, Willa worried it was going to be painful. After all, it was going to be difficult enough seeing Lucky around town.

 Who would pay twenty thousand dollars for a dog? Obviously a man who wouldn’t know a good deal when it bit him on the butt.

 Willa looked at the dog hopefully. “Would you bite him on the butt if I asked you to?”

Chapter 18

 Travis Russell was a rugged man and nothing like his half-sister and brother. He was always polite and respectful and handled the children sternly yet fairly. Over the last month and a half, the younger girls had already fallen in love with him, and even Leanne and Charlie, though slower to accept him, were growing more comfortable in his presence. Charlie was especially excited when he found out his uncle was an adept video game player. They spent thirty minutes a day playing before Travis would grab the football he had bought Charlie and take him and the rest of the kids to the park. She would remain behind, giving them their alone time.

 Each day, she felt them growing farther away from her as they began looking for their uncle when they woke up. Willa had, after the second day he had visited, invited him to stay at her house. He learned their schedules, and the last two mornings, she had awoken to find breakfast cooked and Caroline and Chrissy eating their oatmeal and toast.

 Since he was at her house, Flora had gained permission for Sissy to return until their departure in two weeks. The girl wasn’t happy about it, but her attitude was checked by Travis, who would tell her to go to her room and then deny her the use of her electronics. The first time, she had smarted off to him, and he had given her a warning, telling her ladies her age should know how to behave. The second time, Sissy had smarted off to Willa, and he had picked her phone up, which had been sitting next to her at the kitchen table, and tossed it into the garbage disposal. Sissy’s mouth had fallen open, but she had been polite since, at least in front of Travis.

 * * *

 Willa pushed the buggy down the grocery aisle, looking sideways at the lean cowboy walking next to her, pushing the grocery cart that resembled a fire truck. The girls were buckled in, taking turns tugging on the rope to ring the plastic bell. Leanne and Charlie had remained at home after returning from having lunch with their uncle.

 With Travis’s help with the children, it didn’t take long before they were checked out and rolling the carts filled with groceries to her van.

 Willa turned her head when she recognized a truck that had pulled in and parked a few spaces from her.