Part Time Cowboy (Copper Ridge Book 1) (30 page)

“You are,” she said. “I think you’ve officially crossed over into being mainly nice to me. Which, considering where we came from, is kind of a huge deal.”

“Well, I know you now. Instead of just thinking I know about you.”

“Same,” she said. “Shall we get our barbecue on?”

They walked through the crowd, Eli periodically smiling and waving at those who called out a greeting, and all she could do was just walk next to him in awe of all that he was to these people. He was a cornerstone, her man. The kind of guy who did good all the time. The kind of guy who’d affected many of the people here in amazing ways.

It was daunting. Daunting that a man like him could have clearly done so much and still feel like he hadn’t done enough.

It was extra daunting because she wasn’t sure if she’d ever made half that impact, even if you cobbled together the things she’d done across all the places she’d lived.

“Chicken or beef?” she asked, when they approached the barbecue line.

“Any,” he said. “Any and all.”

“All right, we’ll fill your plate with meats.”

He smiled and right then she didn’t really care about impact and other deep things like that. Because Eli was smiling right at her, and that meant a hell of a lot.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I want steak, and I hear it’s fantastic because it’s Garrett beef. And I want copious amounts of potato salad because who doesn’t love a mayonnaise and starch party in their mouth?”

“Well, you obviously do,” he said.

She smiled at him, then had to look away to avoid kissing him. She noticed that Alison was at her pie booth, looking harassed and serving pieces of pie onto plates as quickly as possible. Then she noticed that Jared was standing right next to her, his large arms folded over his chest, looking every inch the threatening, Neanderthal jackass he was.

“Uh-oh,” she said, “I think we might have a problem.”

Eli frowned, then followed her line of sight over to the pie booth. “Oh. That asshole.”

“Yeah.”

A muscle in Eli’s jaw ticked. “I’m feeling pretty short on patience with him.”

“I know. But I do understand that there’s...” Suddenly Eli was moving out of line and heading toward the booth. “Oh,” she said, hurrying after him.

Jared was leaning in near Alison, saying something, and Alison was looking increasingly distressed. And Eli was starting to walk faster.

“Do we have a problem here?” Eli asked.

Jared was a big guy, and scary enough if you were a woman. But Eli stood about four inches taller and had to outweigh him by thirty pounds of pure muscle. Even without the badge and the gun, Eli was an intimidating sight.

In many ways he was more terrifying without the uniform than he was with it on. Because in the uniform, you could see his boundaries. Clearly. Deputy Garrett was a lawman. He was a man who would see justice done in accordance with the legal system.

Right now in his cowboy hat, tight black T-shirt and jeans he looked more likely to dispense a different kind of justice entirely.

And she didn’t really know what he might do.

And that was funny because he was predictable and good. Except...except he wasn’t all that predictable, not really. When they were in bed, he was a different man, a dangerous man.

When they were together he was something a lot more authentic.

Just now, as he was standing there ready to do God knew what, she realized that the man he was in bed wasn’t an anomaly. It was him.

“No problem, Deputy Garrett,” Jared said, not drunk today, just hella mean, apparently. “Just talking to my wife.” Alison’s shoulders shrunk in when he said the word. “That’s not a problem, is it?”

“It depends on what words were being used.”

“Eli...” Alison said. “It’s okay...”

“You on a first-name basis with him?” Jared asked, his tone hard. “Is that why he always seems so worried about you? Are you sleeping with him, you stupid whore?”

And that was when Eli moved.

He leaned in and grabbed Jared by the back of his neck at the same time he brought his fist in to meet the other man’s nose. Then he shoved him downward, bending him at the waist while he brought his knee up into Jared’s stomach.

Before stepping back and letting the other man fall to the ground at his feet.

People were looking now, craning their necks, wide-eyed. Sadie just stood frozen, almost unable to believe that Eli had done it. And yet, at the same time...she wasn’t shocked. No, she wasn’t shocked at all.

But she was proud.

“I don’t take kindly to the words
bitch
and
whore
,” Eli said, keeping his voice low so that the families nearby couldn’t hear him. “Especially not when you’re talking to your wife. Now stand the fuck up.” He gripped the back of Jared’s neck and brought him to his feet. “You want to hit someone, why don’t you hit me? Or is it not as much fun to go toe-to-toe with someone who outweighs you? I’ll bet you’re okay with hitting women. But that’s not going to play today, so why don’t you go ahead and hit me instead?”

Jared spat and blood dribbled down his chin. He wiped it with the back of his hand. “You prick,” he said, his eyes blazing.

“Yep,” Eli said, “and let me tell you something, this prick is not on duty today. Today, I’m just the owner of this property, and you’re the bottom-feeder who isn’t welcome on it. You’re not welcome in my town, either, but there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’ll tell you this. I’m going to be looking for you to make a mistake. And then I’ll lock your ass up. You put one finger out of line?” He gestured to Alison. “You touch her again? I will see that you stay in a jail cell for a very, very long time. So step carefully. And right now? Step. The hell. Off my property.”

Jared stumbled forward and headed away from the stand. Then he turned to Eli, shouting obscenities that all ran together in a blur, before he stopped, like he intended to come back. Until Connor walked into view, from the direction of the main house.

He wrapped his hand around the back of Jared’s neck, holding him steady. Eli was pretty big. Eli was threatening. But bearded Connor, who was broad and thick, every bit of him heavily muscled and with rage pouring off him, was terrifying. “I think my brother asked you to go,” he said. If Eli hadn’t been deterrent enough, Connor was there for backup.

Jared looked back at Eli one more time before turning and walking away, spitting profanities as he went.

Connor moved forward and joined the group. “Well, what an asshole. Sorry.” He directed the apology to Alison, who was wide-eyed and shaking. “But seriously.”

“Are you okay?” Sadie asked Alison.

Alison nodded, then shook her head, closing her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Fair enough,” Sadie said.

“I’m embarrassed. I’m so embarrassed that I’m still married to him,” she said, her voice breaking. “But it’s...”

“I know,” Sadie said. “And trust me, I have spoken to a lot of women who’ve dealt with this, professionally. And unprofessionally...my mother has never left, Alison. She’s stayed and stayed. For more than thirty years. I’ve seen what it does to someone. I’ve seen what they can make you think about yourself. But you have to know, whatever he’s said, it’s a lie.”

She nodded. “I know. I do.”

“Please don’t go back to him. Don’t go home tonight.”

Connor shifted his stance. “Especially don’t go home tonight. He’s a coward with us, and that means he’ll take it out on you.”

“Is there somewhere you can go?” Eli asked.

She nodded. “My...my mom and dad live in Tolowa. I can go there. Not sure what they’ll think when I show up, since I don’t really... I’ve been so embarrassed.”

“You can call them if you like,” Sadie said.

Alison shook her head. “Right now? I just want to serve pie. Because that’s what I’m here for. And now that... I have a feeling I’m going to need this. This business. The pie.”

“Well, I’ll buy a few a week at least for my B and B,” Sadie said, determined. No matter how good her cooking skills were, she wasn’t going to produce a pie as amazing as Alison’s. “And I’ll be around. Whatever you need.”

“And if he ever comes near you again,” Eli said, “if he hits you or threatens you...”

“I’ll report him,” she said. “I promise I will.” She took a deep breath and straightened, and for the first time, Sadie saw an echo of the girl she’d known in the woman who stood before her. Someone a little scrappy. A lot angry. Someone who was ready to fight. “Now, I have pie to serve.”

She turned and went back to slicing her pies and Eli, Connor and Sadie moved away.

“What are you doing out?” Eli asked Connor.

Connor shrugged. “Liss is going to meet me to watch Kate ride. You know I like to watch her do her thing.”

“Yeah,” Eli said. “She’s great.”

Sadie looked behind Connor’s shoulder and saw red waves bouncing just before Liss came into view, jogging up behind him. “I made it. I’m late but I made it.”

“You’re chronically late,” Connor said, turning to face her. “It’s an illness.”

“I’m bizay, Connor,” she said, poking him in the side. “You don’t know anything about that, obviously.”

“No,” Connor said, “I just run a whole fricking ranch, Liss. I know nothing of your busyness. I bet all that paperwork is a real strain. Wanna trade?”

“Eff no. I am not roping cows.”

The ghost of a smile touched Connor’s lips when he looked at his friend. “The cows don’t like you much, either, honey.”

“Glad to know it’s mutual. The cows and I can go on giving each other the evil eye. Then I’ll eat a burger because I’m human and I win.”

“Come on, then, let’s go,” Connor said, putting his hands in his pockets and jerking his head in the direction of the arena.

“We haven’t eaten yet,” Eli said, and his referring to them as a “we” made Sadie feel a little warm and fuzzy.

“Go get some food, then. We’ll see you over there,” Connor said, eyeing them both, and Sadie felt her cheeks heat a little.

“So that was Connor in a good mood?” Sadie asked, when he and Liss were out of earshot.

“Pretty much. He got to threaten bodily harm to someone so I fail to see how he could have had a better day.”

She started back over to the barbecue line, chewing on her lip. “Are you worried?” she asked. “About how all that might affect your campaign?”

He frowned. “I didn’t even think of that. Which is...weird. I usually think of everything.”

“Well, I don’t want to add concerns that you don’t really need.”

“No,” he said, “I think it’s interesting. I don’t care,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I just don’t care. Because I still want to be sheriff. I still think I’d do a damn good job, but I do a good job at what I do now. And...whether or not it was a popular thing or easy thing or good thing...punching that asshole in the face was the right thing to do.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, then quickly stepped back, embarrassed by her public demonstration. “It was,” she said.

“Somehow, knowing that, believing that, makes me not care very much what the consequences are.”

“I think you’re amazing,” she said, looking ahead, smiling. “I mean, if that matters.”

“It does,” he said.

“And...thank you. Because she’s my friend. Because she reminded me too much of my mom. And...I’m always afraid people like that will never leave.”

“A lot of times they go back,” he said, his voice rough.

“I know. But we’ll help her.”

“Yes,” he said, “we will.”

Yet again, she didn’t know what to do with him. She felt so close to him right now, and she couldn’t kiss him here. She wanted to ask him to hold her. She wanted to tell him something about herself. Wanted him to decide that, much like punching a guy in front of the whole town, she was okay, too.

And right then, she thought of the one place she hadn’t been yet. She’d driven by the house where she’d grown up, but she hadn’t been back to her clearing. Even though it was within walking distance of the B and B. She’d avoided serious thoughts of it since the first day back.

Again, a prickling sensation dotted the back of her neck.

There are no ghosts there. And if there are...maybe this will put some of them to rest.

She let out a long, slow breath, trying to gather her nerve. “Can I show you something?”

“My mom warned me about girls like you,” he said, a smile teasing the corners of his lips.

“Did she?”

“No, my mom wasn’t here.”

“That’s a dire punch line.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes life is so dire you have to make a joke about it, right?”

“I think you’ve learned too much from me.”

“Or not enough,” he said.

“Hey, I’ll get our food. Can you get a blanket for us to sit on?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She finished waiting through the line and got small portions of everything on offer, making small talk with the men and women manning the grills and scooping up sides. It was hard to do, though, since she was all jittery and fluttery inside over what she was about to do.