Forever Driven: Forever Bluegrass #4 (12 page)

R
iley snuggled closer
in Matt’s warm embrace. She was almost afraid to wake up from her dream. Last night had been better than anything she had imagined, but when she opened her eyes it would allow the world back into their lives. Riley would have to get to work, making sense of the tangled web of donations and votes and figure out how they were all connected.

Matt’s hand dropped from where it cupped her breast and slid under the sheet to between her legs. Well, the real world would just have to wait a little longer.

T
he alarm had
Matt and Riley groaning. They lay panting in each other’s arms as the alarm progressively grew louder and louder.

“Just shoot it,” Riley grumbled.

Matt shut off the alarm and smacked her ass. “Come on, sweetheart. It’s time to catch some bad guys.”

Riley wanted to snarl, but Matt tossed off the covers and stood. She enjoyed the view of his muscled back leading to a narrow waist and hard ass. Matt had been eating almost constantly since getting back to Keeneston, but the evidence of his time undercover was still visible when he breathed in and his ribs showed a little too much.

“Why don’t you take a shower first, and I’ll make breakfast,” Riley offered. There were two ways to make breakfast: the healthy way and the Southern way. The Southern way would help him fill out his jeans better.

“Sounds great.” Matt leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her lips. Riley hurried from bed and slipped on Matt’s long-sleeved T-shirt. It hit her mid-thigh and was the softest thing she’d ever felt.

As she pulled out fresh butter, eggs, and sausage, she hummed to herself. While they didn’t declare their feelings last night, Riley wasn’t sure they needed to after what they’d shared. This was not just a one-night stand. They both completely let go and dove into their every desire. They shared a mutual trust. She would never have done that thing where he held her off the ground and she bent over, and well, suffice it to say it was something you couldn’t do with just anyone.

“Smells good,” Matt said, walking into the kitchen with jeans slung low on his hips and his blond hair almost brown with dampness.

“Good. It’s just a breakfast scramble, but I have a lot of it so eat as much as you want. Let me get ready, and we can visit Luttrell first.”

M
att pulled
up to the guard at the entrance of Luttrell Food Industries. He had to give Riley credit, she talked herself—well, lied—her way into the compound. It was relatively small, only a shipping warehouse and a large square corporate building, but small fields of crops were all around them. It was really quite beautiful out there, and Matt could see why they had brought the property.

“How do you want to play this?” Matt asked.

“What do you mean? I thought I had a good set of questions to ask,” Riley said worriedly as she looked at the notes she had taken.

“I mean about me. How do you want to explain me?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.”

Matt turned off the car and wondered what to do. “I could be your chief of staff. But if these people are connected to Frankfort, then they’ll have heard of me in relation to being a reporter.”

“Be Matt Walsh. I’ll talk you into the building, but I don’t know if I can talk you into the office. Just keep an ear open and an eye out for anything that might seem strange.”

Riley opened the door herself, and Matt hurried to catch up to her. He kept a half step behind her. As much as he hated it, he had to let her do her thing. He couldn’t be there protecting her the entire time.

They entered a large lobby with a curved reception desk around four feet tall, with an assistant’s head barely visible from the lower inside portion of the desk. She perked her head up, asked, “May I help you?”

Riley smiled sweetly and Matt almost laughed. It wasn’t sweet exactly—it was kind of predatory. It was the look many Southern Belles had perfected by the age of thirteen. It said, “I’m going to get my way one way or the other, so you might as well make it easy.”

“Good morning. Representative Riley Davies to see Harvey.”

Matt stood quietly behind Riley as he took the time to look around. There was only one exit through the lobby. Two sets of double doors were behind on either side of the welcome desk. Above them was a mezzanine that overlooked the lobby.

“Of course, let me just check . . .” The woman let her voice trail off as she looked at the computer. “I’m so sorry, Representative Davies, but I don’t see you on the calendar.”

“It’s okay, hon. Regardless of what your calendar says, why don’t you just pick up that phone and give him a ring. And when you do, also mention I have a journalist with me.”

Riley smiled again and Matt had to turn around so the secretary wouldn’t see him smiling. Riley was damn impressive.

“One moment please.”

Riley turned away from the woman and took a couple of steps toward Matt. “You think they will let me in?”

“Yep. But I don’t know if they’ll let me in. If they don’t, I’ll stand right here until you come out. There’s only one exit from the lobby. Since there are two hallways behind the desk, I’m guessing there are two exits out the back. If you have to run, I’ll see you running through the parking lot.” Matt nodded to the large windows covering the front of the lobby. “Plus, if you scream really loud, I’ll probably hear that, too.”

“Representative Davies?” the young woman called out. “Mr. Luttrell will see you now.”

Matt moved with Riley toward the middle-aged man in a dark brown suit, who had just opened one of the double doors. “I’m sorry, sir, but this is a private meeting.”

Matt gave a nod and smiled encouragingly at Riley. Then, before he could go after her, the glass doors closed, and he was stuck staring after the woman he loved as she walked into the lion’s den.

R
iley casually glanced around
. She doubted she was in danger. After all, another person had come with her to this meeting. She couldn’t simply disappear without raising some flags. Riley followed the man, who led her to a corner office. Inside, she saw Harvey Luttrell behind his desk, laughing into the phone.

“Anything for the kids,” he smiled as he waved Riley to sit down. “Look, Cheryl, I have a guest who just came in. I’ll send the check to you today. You just better save me a seat at their first game now.”

Riley watched as the man who led her to the office quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. Riley crossed her legs and smoothed her olive green suit skirt over her thighs. In Kentucky, the weather was everyone’s favorite thing to complain about. It could be as cold as a frosted frog one day and then hotter than a billy goat’s ass in a pepper patch a week later. However, the days that fell in between winter and summer were spectacular. Today was one of those days. It had been chilly that morning, but by the time Riley and Matt had finished breakfast she had the windows open as the warm spring air blew in, bringing an extra pep to everyone’s step, even Harvey’s.

The middle-aged cross between a farmer and a big city banker smiled into the phone as he promised to throw out the first pitch at Little League. His brown hair was average in color but expensive in cut. It was parted on one side of his head and swept the other way in a look Riley was calling SPH—standard politician hairstyle. Apparently it also extended to CEOs. His bland suit color said he was nothing special, but the cut of the suit told Riley he was anything but ordinary. He was fit, but not overly fit—just an average look. On the surface, everything about Harvey Luttrell cried normal. But when you looked deeper, that’s when things got interesting.

“I’ll talk to you soon, Cheryl. Give my best to Jeb and the boys. Uh-huh, bye now.” Harvey hung up the phone and turned the full force of his good-ole-boy smile onto Riley. “Now, this is a wonderful surprise. I’ve heard your name quite a bit around these parts. It’s an honor to meet you finally, Representative Davies.”

Riley could
out-deb
anyone if she put her mind to it. While none of the Davies group wanted to become debutantes, that didn’t stop their mothers from beating in good manners and etiquette. Riley smiled as if the pleasure were all hers—as if there were nothing she wanted more than to see this man shaking her hand.

“Mr. Luttrell, the honor is all mine.”

“Thank you, thank you. Now, what can a farmer like me do for a big shot like yourself?”

Oh, he was smooth. Him a simple farmer . . . ha! And as if Riley hadn’t grown up and now managed a farm. “You flatter me,” Riley blushed and then threw in a giggle. “But I came to ask you about your involvement with the proposed highway we are currently discussing in Frankfort.” Riley kept the smile on her face as if they were talking about her mama’s recipe for apple pie.

Luttrell was good, but not as good as she was. His lips quickly twitched in annoyance, smoothing back into his fake smile she thought resembled her own. If only he had the experience of maintaining a straight face while being grilled by the Rose sisters for relationship information, then he might be her equal. If there was something any true Keenestonite under the age of sixty-five could do, it was weather an intense interrogation. The words
just wanted to know how your love life was doing
let you know you were next on the long list of romances to be bet on at the Blossom Café.

“The highway?” Luttrell laughed. “Why would a farmer like me care about a highway?”

Riley just smiled larger. This man would be mincemeat under the Rose sisters. “Oh, Harvey, you can tell me. I already know anyway. I just wanted to hear it from those little lips of yours,” she cooed as her eyes narrowed in warning.

Harvey picked up on it and let his smile drop from his face. “How about I tell you what
you
are going to do about that highway, young lady? You’re going to march that little ass of yours back to Frankfort and vote in favor of a project that will give jobs to your constituents and benefit the local economy.”

Riley saw his hands turn to fists before he sat back and assumed the power position behind his desk. It was the pose where he leaned back and placed a Gucci-clad foot on his knee and pretended that everyone would hurry to do his bidding.

“No,” Riley said simply as she too sat back and stared at the man across the desk from her.

“I must not have heard you correctly. Do you have any idea who I am and what I’m capable of?” Luttrell leaned forward as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

“No, why don’t you tell me? I’m just a freshman representative, so I’m not familiar with how things work,” Riley said sweetly even though it killed her. On the inside, she wanted to leap across the table and put his tie in the shredder while it was still around his neck.

“It’s very easy to understand. You do what I tell you. Besides, you’re already bought and paid for. Now, let the real men get to work. You have a vote to make in favor of my highway.” Luttrell leaned back and tried to dismiss her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Why is it your highway? I would think it was LeeRoy Hager’s since he’s the one who will probably be building it.”

“He builds, and I benefit. Don’t ask questions. Just do what you’re told.”

Riley sighed. “I feel as if there’s an
or else
that you left off.”

“There is. And you’ll find out what it is if you don’t do what we picked you for!” Luttrell finally let the rest of the façade drop as he slammed his hands on the desk and shot up.

Riley felt her heart pumping as a shiver of fear shot through her. How much trouble was really associated with the highway and why? However, there was one thing she knew about herself, no matter what, she wasn’t going to back down. Stubbornness was her area of expertise.

Riley stood and held out her hand. “Thank you so much for fitting in the time to see me, but you can kiss my little ass as I vote down the highway and make your life a living hell. Never, ever piss off a redhead.” Riley squeezed his hand tightly before pulling her hand free and walking out.

M
att leaned against the car
, chatting with some men on break as he kept an eye on the building. He wondered if her meeting had gone as well as his. So far the workers were more than happy to tell him they were forced to donate to certain campaigns—campaigns of congressmen who just all happened to support the highway proposal.

“Do you know why this is such a big deal?” Matt asked one of the men who was taking a drag on his cigarette. He seemed to be the most knowledgeable of the group.

“Has something to do with all the land around here. I don’t know what that really means, but I heard that it’s really expensive, and Luttrell can’t afford to buy it.”

Another man nodded. “Yeah, it’s the soil. Best in Kentucky. Most expensive in Kentucky, too. Some is owned by horse farms and some by crop farms.”

“What makes the soil so much better here?” Matt asked. He was from Louisville, and sometimes it felt as if they were in a bubble. They even had their own basketball team and were known as the “big city” to the rest of the state.

“The limestone. Kentucky basically sits on nothing but limestone and underground water, but it’s especially present here. It makes the soil nice and rich. Crops love it because it keeps the soil at a perfect pH for them. It’s also high in calcium and that helps the horses develop strong bones for racing. The water’s filtered naturally through the limestone, making our bourbon so good, huh, boys?” The man with the cigarette smiled.

The door to the headquarters flung open and the group turned and watched Riley striding toward them with nothing more than a pissed-off, determined look on her face.

The man with the cigarette let out a low whistle. “She looks madder than a wet hen. Good luck, man.” He dropped his cigarette and used his foot to put it out before he and the guys made a hasty return to work.

“You look like Joan of Arc preparing to ride into battle. Was is that bad?” Matt asked as he opened the door for her.

“That arrogant son of a bitch. He demanded I vote for the highway or else,” Riley huffed as steam practically blew from her ears.