Thorn's Challenge - Brenda Jackson [47]
But what had arrived two days after his visit still weighed more heavily on her mind—the flowers he had sent her for Valentine’s Day. The message on the card had been personal, and she still found herself wondering just what he’d meant.
“Ready to get settled so we can do some shopping, Tara?”
Shelly’s question got her attention. She had enjoyed the company of Dare and his wife during the seven-hour drive from Atlanta. Since school was still in session in Atlanta, their son AJ had not been able to make the trip. He was staying with Dare’s parents.
“I’m always ready to shop,” Tara said, smiling. When she glanced out the window and saw the numerous vendors, she wondered if there was anything for sale other than bike wear and leather.
“As soon as we get settled into our hotel rooms we can hit the malls,” Shelly said, turning around in her car seat to smile at Tara.
Tara nodded her head in agreement. A few months ago, before Shelly’s wedding, she, Shelly and Delaney had flown to New York for a girls’ weekend and had enjoyed themselves immensely. The one thing the three of them discovered they had in common was their obsession with shopping.
“I hope I see Thorn sometime today,” she said honestly, not caring what Shelly or Dare thought, although she did wonder whether they thought she was making a mistake even coming here to spend time with Thorn. However, if they thought such a thing, neither said so. Even Delaney hadn’t tried talking her out of coming, nor had Thorn’s other brothers.
“It shouldn’t be too hard to find Thorn,” Dare said, meeting her gaze in the rear-view mirror. “He rode his bike from Atlanta, but his work crew arrived by eighteen-wheeler a few days ago to set up shop and put his Thorn-Byrds on display. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who’re here to buy bikes. But then, within a few days of the race, be prepared not to see Thorn for a while. He usually goes off by himself to train. Going more than 180 mph while tackling the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on two wheels is no joke. Thorn needs total concentration for what he’ll be doing, and I mean total concentration.”
Tara nodded, understanding what Dare was saying. She had talked enough with the brothers over the past two weeks to know that what Thorn would be doing was risky. But she couldn’t allow her mind to think about that. She had to believe that he would be fine.
She sighed deeply. From what Stone had told her, beside the races, the other activities lined up for the week included motorcycle shows and exhibits and concerts. There would be vendors at practically every corner who would try to sell anything they thought you needed, even a few things you didn’t need.
When Dare pulled into the parking lot of their hotel, the only thing Tara could think about was Thorn and her need to see him before he went into seclusion.
Storm glanced down at his watch. “Dare, Shelly and Tara have probably arrived by now. Aren’t you going over to the hotel to see them?”
Thorn was crouched down in front of one of his motorcycles and didn’t miss a beat as he continued to put a shine on the immaculate machine. “Not now. Maybe later.”
Storm frowned, thinking Thorn was definitely not acting like the man Dare had painted him to be, a man deeply in love. In fact he hadn’t even mentioned Tara since Storm, Stone and Chase had arrived a few days ago.
Storm decided to try something. “Maybe it’s just as well.”
Thorn glanced up. “Why is that?”
Storm shrugged. “There’s a chance Tara didn’t come,” he lied. “The last I heard she hadn’t made up her mind whether she was coming or not.”
Thorn frowned and he immediately stopped what he was doing. “What do you mean she hadn’t made up her mind about coming? The last time I talked to her it was a sure thing.”
“And how long ago