Page 10 of Mountain Grump Protector
At my feet, Murph whines and nudges my hand, like he knows.
He’s had practice, too.
“Come on, buddy.”
I meant what I told her. I won't be sleeping tonight, not with Ronnie and his buddies all fired up.
They know where I live, and the combination of an embarrassed asshole and alcohol can be unpredictable at best.
I head to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, I’m not likely to drink, only because I need to do something with my hands.
What the hell have I done?
I bought a woman. That’s what the fuck I did. There’s no other way to put it. I walked into the bar for a whiskey and walked out two grand poorer with a woman in my passenger seat.
A gorgeous woman.
Gorgeous or not, everything about her screams trouble. I should be staying far, far away from her.
On instinct, I glance towards my closed, locked bedroom door.
There’s no way I could have sat back and watched Hatch and his asshole friends pass her around like she was some kind of prize. And that's probably true for any woman, but there's something extra about her...
“We’re in trouble, buddy.” I scratch Murph’s head and give him a dog biscuit from the jar on the counter.
Because now, she’s in my bed, and whatever sense I thought I had, I left on the bar with my unfinished drink when I walked out with Willow.
My phone on the counter buzzes before I can even finish my thought, which is probably a good thing since I have no idea what the hell I’m going to do with the mess I’ve put myself into.
A few months ago, a phone call interrupting my peace might have been a cause for alarm. But ever since Holt and Luke found themselves women to fall in love with, the two of them suddenly seem to be on a mission to bring that happiness to the rest of us.
I don’t have the heart to tell them that love isn’t in the cards for me. Not that I should have to. They were both there when I lost everything. They’ve had front row seats to the wreckage ever since. More than anyone, they should know exactly how I feel about letting anyone get close enough to get hurt.
But I already know that’s not what this call is about.
I hit the button to accept the call. “Luke.”
“What the hell are you playing at, buddy?”
I press my lips together and shake my head. “Good news travels fast.”
“You should know there’s no such thing as a secret in a town like this,” my buddy says. “Just like you should know not to mess with Hatch and his crew. What the hell were you thinking?”
I blow out a breath. “I was thinking that I couldn’t sit there and let those assholes barter with a woman’s life,” I tell him through clenched teeth. “You would have done the same, and you know it.”
There’s silence on the other end for a moment before, finally, Luke admits. “You’re not wrong.”
“I know.” I run my hand over my face and through my beard. I may not be wrong, but Luke’s not either. I should know better than to mess with Hatch. He’s not the kind of trouble any of us needs.
“So it’s true that you bought a woman off him?”
“Fuck, Luke,” I snap. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Then tell me what happened.” His voice is calm and even, a direct contrast to the anger I’m trying to keep under control. “Because word has it that you won a young woman in a game of darts and then paid him for her. That sounds an awful lot like—”
“Not another word.” My voice is thick with warning. “I paid off her debt,” I say after swallowing hard. “Her brother’s debt,” I amend, but don’t bother adding that Ronnie more than tripled the price once it was clear I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Those assholes weren’t about to let her walk out of there, and there was no way I was going to sit by and let it happen. But you know me well enough to—”
“I know,” he stops me. “She’s more than safe in your hands,” he finishes. “And you’re right, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Cal. It’s just… it doesn’t look good.”
