Текст книги "Playing With Fire"

Автор книги: Alison Bliss

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

Chapter Ten

“Jake, don’t be stupid! Let Cowboy break the dumb horse before you injure yourself,” Emily yelled with frustration.

“Sweetheart, I’m not going to get hurt,” he replied calmly.

Emily rolled her eyes and kissed the tiny baby girl in her arms on the forehead. “Say bye-bye to Daddy, Lily,” Emily said sweetly. “Because after that horse kicks him in the head, Mommy’s going to kill him.” She took Lily’s small hand and waved at Jake with it.

I chuckled at the stern look Jake gave her as he walked out into the pasture where Cowboy stood, holding onto the white palomino colt’s halter. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I said, hoping to put her at ease. “Jake’s never been one to take uncalculated risks casually.”

But Emily chewed on her bottom lip with worry, and I had to force myself to keep from doing the same. Even for a colt, the handsome horse was tall, had a stocky build, and looked as fully mature as the stallion I could see grazing in the back pasture. It didn’t help that I’d heard stories from Bobbie Jo about just how wild and unruly this animal could be. According to her, there wasn’t a stall or gate in the barn that he hadn’t already destroyed, earning him the name Ruckus.

Hank left the sidelines and approached Jake as he reached Cowboy and the colt. “You sure you want to do this, son?” Hank grinned wide. “A smart man doesn’t step in the same pile of shit twice.”

“Have to earn back my money somehow, right?” Jake held up a fifty dollar bill.

His uncle wasted no time in snatching the money from his hand, but sighed warily. “And here I pegged you smarter than this.”

Jake grinned at the challenge. “We’ll see, old man. You just be sure to cough up my dough, and yours, when I win this bet.”

Hank shook his head as he returned to his seat in the green plastic chair. “I’ve told that boy a hundred times,” he muttered as he sat down, “the fastest way to double your money is to fold it and shove it back in your wallet. He just don’t listen.” Then he grinned smugly. “The dipshit.”

I grinned, mostly because I agreed with him, but didn’t say anything. That Hank was a smart man.

“Okay,” Cowboy said, addressing all the boys. “The rules are simple. One shot, no redos.”

Jake didn’t waste any time. He stepped into the stirrup and swung his leg over, mounting the horse. The animal tossed his head and side-stepped a little, but Cowboy held tight to his halter until Jake readied himself in the saddle. At his nod, Cowboy let go and stepped out of the way while Jake braced himself.

But the horse just stood there.

“Give him a little kick,” Hank said, grinning.

Jake did, but the colt still didn’t move. “What the hell’s wrong with this dumbass horse? Why’s he just standing here?”

“Must be those superb handling skills you claim to have.” Cowboy gave him a teasing grin. “Almost makes me wonder why you have so many problems controlling your woman.”

“Controlling his woman?” Emily passed Lily carefully to Floss and headed for the pasture. “Is that what you’ve been telling them, Jake? That you’re trying to control me?”

Jake glared at Cowboy. “Of course I didn’t say that. You misunderstood what he meant.”

Emily stopped a few yards away from the fence and crossed her arms. “Is that what you were ‘kidding around with the guys’ about in the barn? Because if so, I don’t think it’s very funny!”

“Damn it, Emily, stop yelling before you spook the—”

Suddenly Ruckus came alive under Jake, lurching and rearing up onto its hind quarters. When the horse came down, his back legs kicked out frantically, bucking wildly until Jake rolled off backward and hit the dirt hard. The palomino bucked a few more times before finally settling down about ten feet away.

Emily’s eyes widened and we both gasped, but no one else seemed overly concerned that Jake had landed flat on his back and wasn’t moving. He lay there, as if struggling to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him, although a deep, whiny moan came from his throat.

Cowboy ran over and peered down at Jake. “Hey, Darth Vader, get up.” He chuckled to himself as Jake closed his eyes and winced. “Oh, come on. Time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

When Jake managed to get his breath back, he glared at Cowboy. “Don’t you have a mute button?” Then he reached for the hand his friend offered and pulled himself to his feet. After dusting himself off, Jake bent backward to stretch out his back, which must’ve been sore after the fall he’d endured. “One day, I’m going to kick that fucking horse’s head smooth off his body.”

As Jake’s temper flared, Cowboy grinned and glanced to the other boys. “Who’s next?”

As Emily checked her husband’s back for bruises, Judd mounted up. Cowboy held the ornery colt until he received a nod from the new rider, then he let go once again. Maybe it was Judd’s heavier frame that caused the horse to panic, but the colt bolted immediately and ran for the back pasture with Judd clinging tightly to the reins. The horse headed straight for the barbed wire fence and didn’t look to be slowing down any.

“Shit. He’s gonna get snagged on the fence if he gets thrown,” Cowboy said, concern lacing his voice. “Jump off, Judd! Jump!”

Judd did. Face-first into the side of a large mesquite tree.

Cowboy took off running toward him, and without thinking, I raced out behind him to make sure Judd was okay. Ruckus came to a dead stop at the edge of the property near the fence line and grazed on the thick weeds.

Judd was sitting on the ground with a dazed expression when we made it out to him. He had a cut above his swelling left eye and deep scrapes embedded into his cheek. His entire face leaked blood, which dribbled down onto his white T-shirt.

As we stopped in front of him, Judd said, “Cowboy? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me, you idiot.”

Judd shook his head, as if to clear his vision. “I think the horse kicked me in the face.”

“Nah. You just got bitch-slapped by a tree.” Cowboy grinned at him, though I wasn’t entirely sure Judd could even see it. “Just a couple of scratches. Nothing that can’t be fixed. A little ice and some first aid and you’ll be good as new. Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Couple of scratches? Judd didn’t need an ice pack and Band-Aids. He needed a trauma team and a CT scan. Apparently, I was the only one who even considered seeking professional medical attention, though. Because as we walked him slowly back to the house, I spotted Floss waiting for us with a first aid kit in hand.

Cowboy and I deposited Judd in a chair for her and stepped back as Hank stood up to assess the damage. He pulled at his belt and chuckled. “Son, it looks like you got into a knife fight and you were the only sonofagun without a knife.”

Unconcerned, Cowboy laughed and said, “Next.”

But Ox balked at him. “You’re crazy if you think I’m stupid enough to get on that mangy horse.”

“Oh, nut up,” Jake said, scowling. “Judd and I took our turns. Don’t go growing a vagina on us now.”

“Hey!” Emily and Bobbie Jo yelled in unison.

“That’s because y’all are dumbasses,” Ox said as he winked at the girls. He was rewarded with their smiles and laughter before turning his attention back to Jake and Cowboy. “I’m not about to get on that deranged-ass horse and have him throw me off into the pond. I sure as hell don’t need to spend any quality time with Charlie after what happened to the last guy who hung out with him.”

My eyes cut to Cowboy. “Charlie?”

Cowboy grinned. “The alligator in Hank’s pond. Eats one little mob guy and suddenly Charlie’s on everyone’s shitlist.”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Come on, Ox. This is bound to be one of the things on your bucket list. Might as well get it over with.”

“You kidding?” Ox said, cackling. “The only item on my list of things to do before I die is to yell for help. I think I’ll leave the horse-wrangling up to the expert. Right, Cowboy?”

Cowboy nodded and turned to Hank. “All these klutzes are about as worthless as tits on a bull. Guess I’ll have to show ’em how it’s done.”

“At least one of you possesses a little know-how and are up for a challenge,” Hank said before walking out to retrieve the uneasy colt that was still nibbling at the tall weeds near the back fence.

When he returned with the horse, Hank offered to hold him steady as Cowboy climbed on, but he declined and took hold of the reins himself. Cowboy walked Ruckus around in circles for a minute, then ran his hands along the colt’s neck and body, as if acquainting the horse to his basic touch.

After circling the horse and rubbing almost every square inch of him, he stopped at the colt’s head and stared straight into his eyes as he allowed the palomino to nibble lightly at his fingers.

“All right, enough already,” Jake said. “You going to stand around fondling him all day or are you going to mount up?”

Cowboy just shook his head and continued running his hands gently but firmly over the horse’s head, scratching him between the ears.

He whispered something to Ruckus that was inaudible to the rest of us, then moved to the horse’s side where he put his foot in the stirrup and swung onto the colt’s back. Straight-legged, he stood up in the stirrups and held tight to the reins, though the palomino made no attempt to move.

After a few bounces in the saddle, he gave the horse a little nudge in the flanks and steered the colt in a couple of figure eights. The content horse bobbed his head and swished his tail, but never bucked or tried to throw him.

Hank grinned and happily stuffed the wad of money in his hand into his shirt pocket. “Leave it to a real cowboy to get the job done.”

Judd shook his bandaged head and winced. “That’s because when we were kids, Ox and I tied him on top of a goat and made a fast learner out of him.”

Ox chuckled at the memory. “Hey, Cowboy. What’d you say to that horse to get him to do that?”

A smile split Cowboy’s face in two as he gave me a sly wink. “I told him not to be a jackass, or I’d kick his head smooth off.”

The men chuckled, but Bobbie Jo shook her head as she turned and walked toward me, rolling her eyes playfully with a smile on her face.

“Guess he’s a lot better with horses than he is with women,” I told her.

“Not from what I hear.” She grinned, and kept walking.

Cowboy dismounted and handed the reins to Hank, but turned to scratch the horse between the ears. Ruckus bowed his head, enjoying the attention, which gave me pause. I’d always thought Cowboy lacked depth, but the idiosyncrasies I’d seen in him lately, especially while watching him with the horse, had me wondering about something. If the horse trusted Cowboy, then maybe I could possibly do the same. Animals and children usually had a sixth sense about those things.

Cowboy strutted in my direction, displaying a dazzling mega-watt smile. “See? I didn’t even get hurt.”

I smiled at him, but lifted a brow. “How’d you really do that? What’s the trick?”

“No trick. I just didn’t bother mentioning that I’ve been working with that colt for months now.” He stared deep into my eyes and his mouth twisted with a smirk. “In case you haven’t noticed, I can be a very patient man when I need to be.”

The next evening, I squirmed in the chair, feeling a little like I’d been raked over the coals as Emily finished up my makeup. It reminded me of all my fears and struggles in high school. If I’d known they’d hatched a subversive plan to give me a makeover, I would’ve forfeited the whole night.

“Stop touching your face,” Emily chastised. “You’re going to mess it up.”

I’d vowed to stick it out, but I felt self-conscious and started to waver on that decision. “Do I really have to do this?”

After finding another threatening note in my mailbox earlier in the day, I didn’t have the patience to take any more abuse…no matter the form.

Bobbie Jo sipped her wine. “I told you she wasn’t going to go along with this willingly.”

Emily frowned. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Anna. You’re ruining all our fun.”

Ruining their fun? I’d just spent the last hour being poked and prodded. Where was the fun in that?

Bobbie Jo started to say something else, but her cell phone rang. She held up one finger as she answered it. “Hey, what’s up?” She listened for a few seconds, then said, “How late are you going to be, Cowboy?”

Hearing his name, I looked over at her. He’d mentioned dropping by my house last night, but he never showed. That’s what I got for getting my hopes up.

“We’re at Anna’s getting ready. Do you just want to meet us there?” Bobbie Jo paused a beat, then raised one eyebrow. “Okay, hold on.” She passed her cell phone to me. “He wants to talk to you.”

Emily smirked at me. “Nothing going on, huh?”

All eyes in the room were on me as I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Howdy, darlin’. Whatcha wearin’?”

“Um, well, I’m wearing a dark blue tunic top with a pair of black leggings and—”

Emily quickly covered the phone with her hand and gawked at me. “Are you telling him what you’re actually wearing?” She removed her hand and keeled over with laughter.

“Oh…” I cringed. Damn it. That was obviously not what he had meant. God, I was such an idiot. “And nothing underneath,” I said hastily into the phone while blushing at Emily’s nod of approval and watching Bobbie Jo shake her head.

Cowboy chuckled. “Works for me.” There was a slight pause on his end of the line. “Sorry I didn’t make it to your place last night. Huge structure fire in a nearby county kept me busy the rest of the evening. I didn’t get back to the station until late last night.”

I didn’t respond, afraid the disappointment I’d felt over him not showing up would register in my voice. Then he would know that he was getting to me.

“I’m running late tonight because I had a fire call. Gas leak on the other side of town. Still have to go home and shower, but I’ll be there later. Save me a dance?”

“Um, sure.”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

I clicked off the phone and handed it back to Bobbie Jo. Both women in the room were gawking at me. “What?”

“Girl, you have it bad for that man,” Emily said, smiling.

“No, I don’t,” I protested. “We’re just friends, that’s all. He asked me to save him a dance.”

“Well, I didn’t see him asking to dance with me,” she said.

Bobbie Jo laughed. “That’s because the last time you danced with him, Jake threatened to lop off a certain part of Cowboy’s anatomy.”

“He did not,” Emily replied, rolling her eyes. “Besides, that was my fault. I was trying to make Jake jealous.”

“Worked, too.” Bobbie Jo grinned. “Only, it wasn’t you dancing with Cowboy that had Jake so pissed off. That was all Jeremy’s doing.”

Emily shrugged. “Speaking of that jerk, what’s the deal with you two, Bobbie Jo? I know he’s Austin’s dad, but you aren’t seeing him again, are you?”

“Hell, no!” She shook her head. “Jeremy may be Austin’s biological father, but he’s not exactly what I’d call daddy material. After dealing with him for the past year, I’m pretty sure I’m through with men altogether. The only guy I’m interested in is this little fella right here.” She dangled her keys from her fingertips, displaying a photo of Austin.

“But don’t you want more kids someday?” I asked.

Bobbie Jo shrugged. “You know, I always saw myself with at least two kids, a boy and a girl. But every time I even think about having another baby, my uterus cringes.”

I laughed at the mental image she left me with, and Emily joined in. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind when the right guy comes along. Besides, Austin would probably like to have a daddy one day…a real one.”

“He already has four of the best father figures I could ever ask for. I’m not worried about filling that role in his life. I doubt anyone could, anyway.”

“All right,” Emily said, taking a step back from me. “I’m done. Take a look and tell me what you think. But no making faces.”

If she had to warn me not to make a face, I could only imagine how bad I must look. Bobbie Jo was smiling, though, so maybe Emily had used clown makeup. I stood and walked over to the full-length mirror in my bedroom and gazed at… Oh!

I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror. Stunned, I turned to face Emily. “Holy crap! You’re a magician.”

Bobbie wore a huge grin. “Look at how your blue eyes pop. And I love all the sexy red curls framing your face. Anna, you look beautiful.”

Emily smiled proudly. “See? You’re a total hottie! Now I’m going to have to dare you to do something crazy. Prepare to get wild tonight,” she said with a saucy grin.

Bobbie Jo rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to her. Ever. And for God’s sake, don’t take her up on any dares. The last time Emily accepted a dare, she ended up in Witness Protection.” Bobbie Jo wrinkled her nose playfully. “And we’re all still paying for that one.”

Emily laughed. “Hey! Don’t make me go back to calling you Bobbie Jugs again.” She glanced over at me. “Did Bobbie Jo tell you that she and I haven’t always gotten along?”

No, but I could imagine why. “Not exactly.”

“Oh, yeah,” Emily said, nodding. “As far as I was concerned, Miss Cheerleader could’ve taken her pom-poms and shoved them.”

I looked at Bobbie Jo for confirmation. “Really? That bad?”

Bobbie Jo smiled. “True story. But I didn’t take it personally. I knew it was only because Emily was jealous that I had dated Jake before her.”

“Well, I knew that much,” I said, remembering our days at camp. “I always thought Bobbie Jo and Jake were the perfect couple.” Bobbie Jo laughed before I even realized what I said. “Oh my God. Emily, I’m so sorry. Forget I said that. I don’t always think before I speak.”

Emily grinned, as if she wasn’t the least bit concerned with my verbal blunder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. I do it all the time.”

“That’s no lie,” Bobbie said.

As I turned to smile at her, my gaze touched on the mirror. In the reflection, I caught a glimpse of the window…and a shadowed face staring back at me. I gasped and spun around so quickly that both women jolted from their seats.

“What’s wrong?” Bobbie Jo asked.

I glared at the window, but there was nothing there. “I, um…sorry. For a second, I thought I saw something outside.”

Emily picked up her cell phone. “Do you want me to call Jake? He could come over and take a look around.”

“No, it’s okay. I think my nerves are just getting to me.” Which I’m sure is exactly what the Barlow boys were hoping for. Those bastards.

Chapter Eleven

It was sometime after midnight when Cowboy entered The Backwoods. I would’ve known the exact time, but I had stopped checking my watch every five minutes, figuring he wasn’t going to show up after all. Leave it to him to prove me wrong.

His gaze swept over the crowd until finally landing on our group hanging out near the end of the bar. The girls sat at the small round table while the men leaned on the nearby bar. Cowboy’s eyes met mine and he smiled as he headed in my direction. But just as he reached me, a fresh drink slid in front of me and a large hand suddenly rested on my shoulder, snaring both of our attention.

Bubba Ray stood next to me, grinning sinfully at Cowboy. At first, I was puzzled by the odd behavior of the guy Judd had tried to set me up with, but then quickly realized that the methodically placed, proprietary hand on my shoulder and the shit-eating grin was done in an eat-your-heart-out manner. Bubba Ray was claiming me as “his.”

As if.

Bubba Ray stood next to me, closer than I was comfortable with¸ but not violating any personal space treaties…as of yet. Though the way he’d been flirting relentlessly with me, I had already figured that by the end of the night I’d have to explain my hands-off policy to him.

With a scowl, Cowboy veered toward Jake and leaned on the bar next to him, motioning to the bartender.

Jake glanced up at him. “You’re late,” he said, loud enough that I could hear him over the lively country tune blaring from the overhead speakers.

“And you’re funny-looking. So what?”

Jake smirked. “Need a dancing partner?”

“You’re my boy and all, Jake, but I’m not dancing with you.” Cowboy picked up the bottle of beer placed in front of him by the bartender and took a swig.

“Not with me, jackass. With Anna.”

Cowboy glanced back at me and his mouth tightened into a firm, thin line. “So she decided to come watch the sinners eviscerate themselves, huh?” His tone was callous and he said it as if he hadn’t known I’d been there all along. Then he shook his head and told Jake, “Nah, I’m good.”

Jake gave him a strange look, but didn’t say anything.

Cowboy hadn’t even said hello to me when he walked up and now he was shunning me, which only made me feel more awkward and uncomfortable. So when Bubba Ray asked me to dance with him, I jumped at the chance to get away from the group…and Cowboy.

After a few laps on the dance floor, Bubba Ray and I took a break and passed by six of his buddies sitting at a table across the room. They invited us to have a drink with them, and since I was in no hurry to return to my own group, we sat down.

For a moment, I worried about sitting at a table surrounded by seven hulking men. But they were sweet and made me laugh. Apparently not all men were cocky asshats. Nice to know. But just as Bubba Ray put his hand on my arm and leaned over to whisper into my ear, someone snared my hand and yanked me out of my chair.

My eyes flickered up, meeting Cowboy’s direct, unwavering gaze. But the controlled intensity in his eyes had nothing on the contemptuous expression he wore on his face. “Come on. I need a partner.”

He dragged me toward the dance floor as I stumbled behind him, unable to keep up. I tried to pull my hand free, but it had no effect on him as he charged through the crowd. It was like playing tug-of-war with a pissed off bull. “Hey! I was in the middle of a conversation back there.”

Cowboy stopped on the wooden floor, turned, and pulled me into his hard chest, wrapping a strong hand around my waist. “That wasn’t a conversation. That was a full-on tactical assault by Bubba Ray. Women are sex toys to him.”

I pulled back slightly and raised a brow. “Look who’s talking.”

“Hey, at least I respect women afterward.”

“Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes as he led me around the dance floor. “If you had any amount of respect for them, you wouldn’t sleep with them to begin with. At least not so soon. Maybe try spending a little time getting to know something about the woman, other than what kind of underwear she wears…or doesn’t wear.”

His firm hand tightened on my waist, and I could feel the aggravation in his fingertips. “Oh, that’s rich coming from a woman who was letting Bubba Ray feel her up two minutes ago.”

My feet stopped moving. “Excuse me?”

“I saw him touching you. You shy away from me every chance you get, but you’ll let that fucking idiot put his hands all over you?”

“Put his…?” I shook my head, not believing what he was accusing me of, then the anger took over. “He touched my arm, you jerk!”

Irritation tightened his jaw. “Yeah, and it wouldn’t be long before he was playing grab-ass with you and rolling you into his bed for a slumber party.”

I dropped my hand from his as other patrons danced past us. “Bubba Ray’s been nothing but a perfect gentleman with me, which is more than I can say for you. If you think there was anything going on between him and me back there, then you’re more delusional than I gave you credit for.”

“Yeah right,” he scoffed. “That’s why tonight you dressed up and put on all that heavy makeup—because there’s nothing going on?” His eyes filled with hostility, and his lip curled with revulsion. “You know, maybe you’re more of a liar than I gave you credit for.”

Outraged, I barely had time to register what I was doing when my hand smacked across his face. I blinked, shocked by my own reaction. Actually, I wasn’t sure who was more surprised—him or me. No matter. I refused to apologize for my behavior after the way he spoke to me. I turned and walked quickly away. He didn’t even try to stop me.

I squeezed through the crowd, fighting back tears of frustration, when I bumped a man’s arm and spilled his beer on both of us. “Oh, I’m sorr—”

“You!” Joe Barlow stood there, looking none too happy and wiping his beer-soaked hand on his pants. “What the hell are you doing here? Now you’re following us?”

“Of course not.”

Clay peered around his brother. “Then what’s a stuffy girl like you doing in a place like this? I’ve never seen you in here before.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m here with my friends.” I motioned to where Emily and Jake stood talking to Bobbie Jo across the room, though none of them looked in my direction.

“You’re with that FBI guy?” Joe looked at Clay, then back to me. His jaw clenched as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, whispering into my face with his beer breath. “You better keep your damn mouth shut, if you know what’s good for ya. If I find out you’re talking to him about us, then you’re going to see firsthand just how mean I can get.”

I glanced down at his fingers clutching my skin, then made the mistake of trailing my gaze upward to the tattoo on his arm. A large red fire-breathing dragon covered the bulk of his bicep with its red tail wrapping the length of Joe’s forearm and ending at his wrist. Bright orange flames shot from its mouth.

It only reminded me of their earlier intimidation tactics and made me wonder if I was the only neighbor the Barlow boys had threatened to burn out of her home. That’s when I remembered something. Cowboy had mentioned the Barlows getting into an argument with the chief the day of his death. Also, the fire chief and his wife had lived only half a mile up the road from my home next to the Barlows’ residence.

Was it possible they were involved in the deaths of the chief and his wife? The thought terrified me, but I couldn’t verbalize my fear. The brothers would just feed on it.

Not wanting to show how scared of him I truly was, I met Joe’s gaze directly and narrowed my eyes. “Let go of my arm.”

He chuckled, not the least bit intimidated. “Who’s going to make me?”

A rich male voice rang out from behind me. “Me, that’s who.”

I didn’t recognize the voice.

Flustered, my head jerked in his general direction, wanting to get a look at the bystander who was brave enough to step in and stand in my defense. With just three little words, he’d drawn the defining line between the Barlow brothers and me.

The dark-haired man’s chiseled jaw was held tight and his arms were crossed, as if he were waiting for the idiot body builder to release me on command. Something I didn’t see happening anytime soon.

“Why don’t you mind your own business, dickhead?” Joe told the man, waving him off with his free hand.

The unknown man smirked at that. “I’m making this my business. Let go of her. Now.”

“And if I don’t?”

The man took a step forward just as Mandy Barlow walked over. “Hey, guys. What’s going on over here?” She took notice of Joe’s fingers wrapped around my arm. “Joe, you stop it right now, ya hear? If you don’t let her go this instant, I’m gonna call Momma and tell on you.” She glared at her other brother standing on the sidelines. “On both of you.”

“Aw, Mandy, we’re just playing around,” Clay said. “We weren’t really gonna do nothing to her. Were we, Joe?”

Joe smiled at me, but released my arm. “Of course not. Just talking to her, that’s all.”

Mandy looked at me and smiled warmly. “Anna, right? You’re Cowboy’s friend?”

I nodded silently, though I was pretty sure Cowboy and I weren’t friends after I’d slapped him in the middle of the dance floor.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure these two don’t bother you anymore.” Mandy gestured to her brothers who were still in a stare-down with the stranger who had stepped in to rescue me. “Come on, fellas. Let’s leave Anna and her…uh, friend alone now. You two have caused enough trouble for one night. It’s time to go.”

Clay grumbled under his breath as he followed Mandy toward the door. She stopped a few feet away, apparently realizing Joe hadn’t moved from his position. “Joe! I said it’s time to leave. Come on, or you’ll be walking home.”

Joe slowly backed away from the dark-headed man, though they were both still eyeing each other. I breathed a sigh of relief as the Barlow clan disappeared out the front doors, then turned to the man standing beside me. “Thank you for stepping in. That was very sweet of you.”

“No problem, ma’am.” He winked at me and offered his arm. “You seem a bit shaken up. How about I buy you a drink and show you the proper way a man should treat a lady?”

I considered his offer carefully. He seemed like an okay guy, but the last thing I wanted to do was lead him to believe that a drink would turn into anything more. I wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship—casual or otherwise—and was happy to go home alone.

Okay, so maybe that was a lie. No one wanted to be alone. Not really. I’d spent a lot of time alone after my mother died and wouldn’t wish that kind of isolation on anyone. But the thought of taking off my clothes and bearing my soul to a complete stranger wasn’t very appealing, either.

So maybe I did want some companionship, after all. Just not with him. Unfortunately, he was the only one offering me anything at the moment. I couldn’t very well say no without coming off rude, could I?

Things had worked out in his favor with the brothers, but they easily could’ve taken a nasty turn if Mandy hadn’t stepped in when she did. The Barlow boys didn’t come off as deep thinkers so I doubted they’d have outsmarted this guy, but they definitely would’ve outnumbered him. The least I could do was have a drink with my rescuer.

“Okay, sure. Let’s go get that drink.” I smiled and laced my arm through his, allowing him to lead me away.

He ushered me to an isolated corner table at the back of the bar. I slid into a chair against the wall, expecting him to sit in the one across from me. Instead, he pulled it around and sat beside me, so close that his blue-jeaned leg rubbed against mine.

Politely, I shuffled my chair over an inch and shifted my leg away from his, though there really wasn’t anywhere else to go. If his goal had been to corner me, then he had effectively carried it out. That alone made me a little antsy, but I tried to play it cool.