The Four Stages of Loving Dutch Owen - Debra Kayn Page 0,6

sixty pounds of dead weight around for the last hour. His arms killed him. All he wanted to do was set the girl down.

But, none of tonight was her fault.

Whatever she'd gone through was too much for a young child to carry. So, he'd carry her.

Chapter 3

DUTCH TURNED THE SCRAMBLED eggs in the pan and looked over at the girl, asleep on the couch. She hadn't moved a muscle all night.

He'd locked the deadbolt with the key, making sure she stayed in the room above the pool hall. Due out on the road today, he had needed a few hours of sleep before he took off.

He divided the eggs onto two plates. The itch to ride out made him antsy.

He'd planned to leave early for Bellevue. The club expected him back.

He needed to update them on the meeting at the Moses Lake Chapter last Friday.

Finding a fork in the drawer, he carried the breakfast over to the couch. He thought she'd wake up by now.

"Hey." He set the food on the arm of the couch and nudged the girl's shoulder. "Wake up."

He needed to get her out of the room before Falcon, the president, came in. No underage girls were allowed in the building.

"Wake up, Marla Marie." He pulled her by the arm until she sat up.

Rubbing her eyes, she let her head fall to the side to go back to sleep. He grabbed her, needing her to stay awake.

"Shake a leg. I need to get you back home or wherever you belong." He stepped back.

She blinked at him and looked around the room. He expected tears, even screams. She was in a new place with a stranger.

She spotted the plate of scrambled eggs and licked her lips. He scratched his cheek. He had no idea what young kids needed to get their day going. All he could remember was what he always had done when he woke up.

"If you need to take a piss, there's a bathroom over there." He pointed.

She followed his finger with her gaze, then looked back at the food as if judging what was more important.

"The food will be here when you finish," he said.

She tossed the blanket he'd covered her with last night and walked across the small room. The place was no more than a small studio with everything in one room, except the bathroom.

There were six rooms above the pool hall, used for club business, visiting nomads, or WAKOM members who tied one on or wanted to bring a woman up for some one-on-one-or-two.

It was enough space for him when he visited. Though, he'd rather spend his time on the road than cooped up in a small room.

He'd had enough of four walls in his lifetime.

She came back, wiping her hands on her dirty jeans. In the daylight, she looked filthier than last night. Her run through the swampy field hadn't helped.

He picked up his plate and grabbed a fork, standing in the kitchen. "Eat."

It took no more urging. She balanced the plate on her lap as she sat on the couch. Eating much slower than last night, she swung her legs as she played with the food between each bite.

His cell phone vibrated on the small counter beside the free-standing stove. He looked at the screen, recognizing the number.

Swallowing the bite, he connected the call and put the cell to his ear. "Rachel?"

"No, it's Skull."

Expecting his sister, he was surprised that her old man was using her phone. "What's up?"

"Rach had a miscarriage yesterday."

He dropped the fork on the plate and turned his back to the girl. "Is she okay?"

"Nah." Skull's voice shook. "She's tired, man. It's her third one in as many years."

He rubbed the back of his neck. Rachel wanted a family more than anything. Having grown up together, been through the same hardships, his sister believed having a man in her life would give her everything she ever wanted.

But that all changed when she decided she wanted a child.

"Damn." He sighed, at a loss for words but understanding their pain. "I need to finish business here, and then I can be there in a few hours."

Bellevue was almost three hours away, depending on traffic and if he could ride through while dodging the state cops. There was nothing he could do to change what happened to his sister, but he could be there for her.

"She's down, man. I don't know what to do."

"Stay with her."

"Yeah." Skull cleared his thick voice. "The baby...she just got a fucking positive on