Carter's Treasure (3 page)

Eli choked on his beer. “What?” Eli asked, wiping his chin from the beer he just spit everywhere. “Did I hear you right? Did you say titles, as in seven AMA Pro Titles? Not amateur, but we’re talking pro?”

“Yeah, well, women’s, so WMA, but yeah,” she answered shyly.

Molly had never bragged about her career; the titles, the medals, the winning. She competed because she loved riding. The winning came easy because she loved being on a bike. Plus the fact that it made James and Brody so proud, that was all she ever cared about, except for one. The first year she went to the X-Games was Brody’s last. They both won gold that year, and to stand with her brother with matching medals and wearing his number on her jersey—that was the highlight of her career as far as she was concerned. She had that 8x10 framed on her dresser at home; they were hugging, his cheek resting on top of her head, both with the biggest smiles they could produce, showing their matching medals to the camera. That one moment was worth more than the other eighteen years of motocross wins combined. That one picture was more precious than all the trophies, medals, jerseys, and plaques James still had displayed with all of Brody’s.

“That’s my girl!” George boasted. “You boys don’t even want to ask her about the amateurs.”

“Whoa, I knew you were good, girl, but…” Jesse said, his Texas accent thick with embarrassment.

“Should’ve paid more attention to those girls, huh, Frost?” George joked sarcastically. “If it makes you feel better, James wouldn’t have let any one of you within fifty feet of this one.”

George winked at her. “So really, what do you have up your sleeve for me? Did you bring the big ramp?”

“Maybe. It’ll depend on your track and if Brody can get the ramps situated properly. So…speaking of which, when can I get on your track?” She batted her eyes at him.

“For you, tomorrow afternoon, but don’t tell these guys.”

Carter put his hand on her arm. “What’s the ramp for?”

She glanced down at her forearm that was resting on the arm of the chair. He was lightly holding it and stroking it with his thumb. She knew there had to be sparks shooting from it because she could feel them, even through the sweatshirt.

“Um, what?” She was dazed and he only made it worse when he flashed her that perfect smile again. “Oh,” she finally said, gazing up at him, “um…a flip.”

“A flip,” Carter said in a tone Molly didn’t quite understand, he’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

Eli slapped Carter on the shoulder. “Hot damn girl, it’s gotta be crazy at your guys’ house.” He laughed.

Molly shook her head in disagreement. “No, for two reasons. We were homeschooled so Karen was almost always around, and two, James would never allow that. And Brody learned everything the hard way, either by being taught tricks by people who could do it but didn’t know how to really teach them or by working on tricks with his buddies and teaching themselves, which didn’t always turn out very well. I just have to do what he says, and he’s good at explaining exactly how to do stuff so I don’t get hurt…usually.” She raised one eyebrow at Brody. “And since he had to retire completely from competing a few years back, let’s just say I get his undivided attention,” she said flatly with her head cocked to the side. Brody just smiled back innocently. He knew just how hard he worked her, but she knew it was for her own good.

“So how do you get up one day and say, I want to do this trick or that trick?” Jesse looked between the siblings for an answer.

“By getting up and wanting to be better than you were the day before.”

“Ah, a philosopher, huh?” Jesse grinned at Molly’s comeback that she had laced with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Nope, a realist. Gotta make a living somehow.”

Jesse raised his beer. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Me too, bro,” someone else said, but she didn’t notice who because Carter was still rubbing her arm. To top it off, he’d crossed his leg so that his knee was touching her thigh as well. Every time he moved, he touched her.

Each time her stomach would drop and do flip-flops and her heart would begin to race. She was also pretty sure he had to have scooted his chair closer to hers when she wasn’t looking.

This was all so foreign to her.

She had always been around guys. It was her career and it was male driven. She’d learned to tolerate being around men.

But never had she felt like she had electricity running through her from head to toe when a guy brushed by or even just gave her a simple smile.

God…that damned smile of his and those eyes.

Molly tried biting her lip to keep her reaction to herself, but she could feel her cheeks warming up.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Erin teased, “she likes the adrenaline rush just as much as the rest of you.”

Molly just shrugged off the remark. But as she glanced in Brody’s direction, she knew he understood. They had always been able to read each other perfectly.

George stood and stretched. “Well, I better get back and check the track and make sure things are moving along. You boys better play nice, she could out ride any of you.”

Molly stood to hug George. “It’s so good to see you again. And you better tell Eileen hi and give her my love.”

“Well, tell her yourself, she’s coming in Saturday to see you.”

“She is?”

“Are you kidding? Sweetheart, she wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Brody grinned. “Told you I had a surprise for you if you were a good girl.”

“Bite me!”

“Brody.” George shook his head at Brody while Molly was still tucked under his arm. “She may be a good foot shorter than you and probably doesn’t weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet, but son, if you remember right, I’ve seen you two go toe-to-toe before on more than one occasion, and well, it’s a pretty even match. You two couldn’t act more like brother and sister if you were actually blood related.”

“Are you kidding?” Brody laughed and stood to shake George’s hand. “She’s the most stubborn, bull-headed brat around.”

“Me? Seriously?” She gave him an eye roll. “Well you are an over-protective control freak just…like…James.” Molly unleashed a big, satisfied smile, quite proud of her retort. She kept that one in her back pocket for when he deserved it most. She knew how much he hated it when she compared him to his father.

“Brody,” George attempted his warning again, “I’m leaving and I think you’re gonna get your ass kicked.”

“Na, I wouldn’t want to embarrass him in front of all these guys.” Molly laughed, then laughed even harder at Brody’s exaggerated sigh of disbelief.

“All right then, if it’s safe, I’m walking away.” George looked around at the men watching her, “I mean it boys. Be good. I’ve seen you all ride, and I’ve seen her. I’d hate to have to put you in your place by making her race against you. She’d whip every one of your asses.” George hugged Molly one last time and patted her cheek. “Oh…it’s so good to see you sweetheart.”

“You too, George.” Molly sat back down, only to realize that Carter had moved his arm to the back of her chair. The breath she sucked in was automatic. She snuck a look his direction to see if he heard it, praying he hadn’t.

“So, you’re a bad-ass, Molly.” Eli put his arm out. “Will you marry me?”

Molly’s head dropped. “I’m not a bad-ass, James had his reasons.”

“Besides, Eli—” Jesse nudged him. “—I think you’re a little late.” Jesse cleared his throat and nodded toward Carter and Molly. Everyone looked their direction. Carter’s knee was still touching her thigh, but the hand that was on the back of her chair was now playing in her hair. Molly blushed as she continued to look down, avoiding their questioning eyes.

She was so out of her element.

She bit her lip as she gazed up at Carter. He squeezed the back of her neck lightly and left his hand tucked in under her hair. She snuck another look up at him, and for a second time he caught her, making her blush all over again.

“Damn it, Sterling.” Eli smacked him as he got up to get another beer. “I find the girl of my dreams and you swoop in.”

“Just grab me a beer, Hunter. You want one?” Carter asked her.

“Na. Thanks, though. I’ve still got to run.”

“Besides, she can’t handle her liquor. Can you, sis?”

If at all possible, Molly’s cheeks reddened even more. She bit her cheek to keep herself from embarrassing herself further with a nasty retort, and from laughing. Instead she leveled him with her laser pointed glare. Unfortunately, he just cackled more.

Chapter Two

If she looked up at him with that blush one more time, Carter was going to lose it. The tingle that radiated up his arm from his hand buried in her hair was bad enough.

There was just something about this girl. Yeah, she was gorgeous—obviously. But there was so much more than that. She was sweet and funny and shy all at the same time. She was herself. No games. And he didn’t have to peel her off because she was clinging to him like glue. She was just…Molly.

Carter had spent his whole life on the track. As a boy and then as a teen, it was his whole world. But as he slid closer and closer to thirty, he was beginning to find the track and his career empty.

Like all serious racers, there was never a time when he was young and partied, at least not to the point of being wild. He, Jesse, and Eli always had a good time, but they had careers to worry about. Now at twenty-eight, he realized exactly what was missing. Sure, he’d dated over the years, but no one made his heart race like the girl sitting next to him. “All right, boys.” She glanced around the group. “I’m going to get my run in.”

“How long are you going to run for? I’ll go with you. If you don’t mind, that is?” Carter asked her, squeezing her neck again. He wasn’t ready to give up his time with her yet.

Joey looked at Carter and shook his head. “Dude, don’t embarrass yourself in front of her. I’m begging you as a fellow man. Don’t do that to us. I don’t know you that well, maybe you run regularly, but she’ll kill you.”

Brody put his hand on Joey’s shoulder, laughing. “Oh my God, he’s right. You know she’s going to kick your ass out there, don’t you?” Brody looked at Carter, his head tilted to the side. Brody was laughing, but it was forced, Carter got the feeling there was something more to it.

There had been silent warnings all afternoon and evening. They were under the radar and seemingly unnoticed by Molly, but Carter was hearing them loud and clear. Brody protected Molly more fiercely than he would consider normal for a sibling. He grew up with brothers, so not having a sister, who knew? Maybe it was different. But he’d always had a pretty keen sixth sense and he definitely was reading something in Brody’s narrowed eyes.

“Oh, Lord have mercy, Brody,” Molly said as she started to stand up, “you have shit knees, a bad hip, a bad back, and a laundry list of other problems. You couldn’t keep up with a three year old.” She looked down at Carter and raised an eyebrow. “Have you been drinking all afternoon?”

“Na, this is only my second,” he replied, holding up the empty bottle.

“It’s up to you, then,” she said with a smirk and a shrug before she turned and crossed to Brody and held out her hand. “Can I have the keys to the motorhome?”

Carter shook his head. Molly West was something else. Brody stood up to pull them out of his pocket. “You going to take it easy on him?”

She looked back over her shoulder just as Carter climbed to his feet. “Why would I?”

“Ah, that’s my girl.”

Eli nearly choked on his beer. “Oh my God, I adore her! You and Brody are going to make the weekends a whole lot more fun.”

She smiled mischievously at Eli and Jesse, then back at Carter with a question on her face.

“I want to go, if that’s okay?”

She turned to walk to their motorhome. “It’s up to you, Hollywood,” she hollered as she walked away without looking back.

“Hollywood?” Carter yelled after her. She didn’t answer, but he could see her shoulders move as she snickered to herself.

He looked at her friends. “Hollywood?”

A tease of a smile lit Erin’s face. “I think she thinks you’re hot.” She winked at him. “But I can’t believe she said that out loud, in front of all of
us
. She never gives any guy the time of day…much less admit it like that.”

He sucked in his cheek hard as he tried not to blush, but failed. He shook his head, turning bright red as they all started to give him shit. “Oh, you all laugh now, but she thinks I’m good looking,” he laughed and flipped them all off as he left to go change.

Carter rushed to his motorhome, quick to throw on a pair of running shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes and was back in less than ten minutes. Maybe it was ridiculous that he was so into this girl so fast, but he couldn’t help it.

“Dude, you are whipped.” Joey chuckled as he approached. “She ain’t worth that kinda pain.”

“I think she is,” Carter mumbled as his jaw dropped open.

Molly had changed into a pair of short spandex running shorts and a tiny tank top. She pulled her hair up in a long pony tail as she walked then tossed the keys to Brody. “Here.”

Carter watched as Brody forced out a heavy breath as he looked at Molly, muttering, “I really wish you would’ve put a t-shirt on.”