The Hard Way

by Jill Sanders

  She walked over to him and, without a word, wrapped her arms around him.

  “You’re here,” she said softly into his chest.

  “I am.” He closed his eyes. Brent took a moment and held on to the only person in his life that truly loved him.

  Chapter 2

  Mel, as she was now calling herself—instead of Melinda Rose Hawk, as her birth certificate said—pulled into the gas station just as steam exploded from the hood of her beat-up pickup truck. She’d paid cash for the thing nearly ten thousand miles ago.

  She felt her face heat as she yanked open the hood and glanced around under there. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause a scene.

  “Need some help, pretty lady?” a deep voice sounded directly behind her.

  She cringed and at the same time rolled her eyes.

  “No, thank you,” she said without turning around. But the man moved closer until his shadow fell over her. She jerked around as her entire body tensed. “No, thank you,” she told the older man, whose belly was as thick as his head. “I’ve got this.” She tried to sound as sweet as she could, but it was obvious annoyance laced her voice.

  “Looks like it’s your radiator,” he said, paying no attention to her.

  “Yes,” she practically hissed. “I can see that.” She slammed the hood and started walking around the truck, only to have the man follow her.

  “I’m just trying to help out a pretty lady in need.” To her shock, he reached out to take her arm.

  It was a gut reaction, the one she’d spent the last year training for. Before she could stop herself, she side-stepped the man’s beefy hands, gripped his wrist, and had it behind his back before he could blink.

  He smelled of sweat and chew, and she almost gagged. “I said”—she lowered her voice and moved closer to his ear— “I don’t need any help.”

  “You may not need help, but it looks like Jimmy might need some,” a rich voice said directly behind Mel. Once again, she held back the urge to roll her eyes. Why were men always trying to assert themselves where they weren’t needed?

  Mel glanced over her shoulder but the sun blocked her view of her new would-be rescuer. However, she could tell that the man was tall and thin, instead of short and thick, like Jimmy.

  “I was just trying to help,” Jimmy said again, and hearing the worried tone in the man’s voice, she dropped her hold on his wrist. The man stumbled a few steps away from her while rubbing his wrist. “You could have broken it,” he barked at her.

  “Go on,” she said, making a move toward the older man, who quickly scurried away.

  She heard a rich deep chuckle and turned to the other man. Lifting her hand to shield the sun, she assessed the new situation.

  Around six four, easily one-ninety—most of it muscle—and the kind of dark scraggly beard most men wore in these parts. What stopped her from further assessing the man was his kind green eyes.

  “I think you damaged Jimmy’s manhood,” the man said with a smile that showcased a perfect set of pearly whites. Either he had taken really good care of his teeth or he’d been raised with money.

  She felt her guards slip into place again.

  “No man should ever grab a woman. Especially one that doesn’t know them.” She turned back to her truck to reach in and grab her purse through the open window.

  “I would agree to that,” the man said easily. “It’s why I headed over here after seeing him approach you. Most people think Jimmy’s harmless, and in the right circumstances, he is. But after a week of binge drinking and who knows what else…” The man shook his head, and Mel got a good look at his face when he turned into the sunlight.

  She felt her breath hitch. Was it possible for anyone to be that good-looking naturally? He had perfect skin, high cheekbones, a wide, strong jawline. And that body.

  She turned away, tucked her purse under her arm, and headed towards the gas station.

  “Well, now that I know you can fend off unwanted creeps…” The man turned to go, and she realized it would be rude not to at least thank him for trying to help out.

  “Thanks,” she called over her shoulder, expecting him to walk away. Instead, he followed her into the gas station. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he walked over to the beer section and acted like it had been his purpose all along.

  Grabbing two containers of antifreeze, she walked up to the counter just before the man. Thankfully, he didn’t say another word to her as she paid.

  She stepped outside again and quickly glanced around to confirm that Jimmy had moved on. She walked over to the truck, opened the hood again, and filled up her empty radiator. The green neon liquid gushed out from the bottom of the truck as she poured it into the top.

  “Damn it,” she said, bending further into the engine compartment to get a look at what was going on.

  “Looks like you have a hole.” The tall sexy man was back.

  Jerking to stand up, she almost hit her head on the hood. She glared at the man.

  “You think?” It had the opposite effect than she’d intended. Instead of turning and leaving her alone, he smiled.

  “Larry down the street might be able to put in a new radiator for you.” He motioned down the street.

  Instantly, she thought about the cost of the repairs and winced. She’d purchased the antifreeze with some of the last money she had.

  How had she sunken this far in life? She was a highly educated woman. A bachelor’s in business had to count for something, right?

  “If you want, I can call him and have him tow you?” He pulled out his cell phone.

  “Why?” she asked quickly. What she’d meant by the single word was, why even bother? There was no way she would be able to pay for it or the repairs. But instead, the man’s smile grew.

  “Just trying to help out.” He held his cell phone up to his ear. “Hey, Larry, it’s Brent.” The man glanced away. “Yeah, I’m back in town. No, not tonight. We’ll chat later.” She listened to the man—Brent, apparently—continue talking to Larry. “Yeah, well, I’m down at the gas station. No, the one at the end of your street. Yeah.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes at her. “I’ve got someone here with a busted radiator. Think you can tow it in and take a look? Yeah, okay, see you in five.” He hung up. “Sorry, Larry’s a talker.” The man tucked his phone in his back pocket. “He’ll be here in five.” He bent down and picked up the case of beer he’d set on the ground and turned to go.

  “I can’t pay,” she blurted out. The man stopped and glanced back at her. Instead of saying anything, his eyes locked with hers. “That is, I was just… passing through. I was hoping to hit Helena and look for work before doing the repairs on the truck.” She felt her face heat. “I don’t suppose there’s any work around here?”

  He turned back towards her. “What kind of work?”

  “Office work.” She bit her bottom lip. “Marketing, management, accounting.” She rattled off her best skills, skills which she hadn’t been able to use in the last few jobs she’d been forced to take. The man frowned and her heart sank. Of course there wouldn’t be any kind of work in a town like this. It was too small of a town. Too… raw.

  She thought about having to settle for a waitressing job again and held in a groan. At this point, she would take anything, just as long as it wasn’t in a bar.

  “I might know of something.” He moved back over to her and set the case of beer back down. “I’m Brent McCaw.” He held out his hand.

  “Mel Haw… Hawthorn,” she improvised quickly. She looked down at his hand before shaking it.

  “I’ll wait for Larry to tow your truck and then take you over to where there’s work. If you trust me. If not, I can get my sister, Dylan, on the phone and have her come pick you up.”

  She thought about it for a moment. Any man willing to call his sister seemed okay in her book.

  “No, I’ll ride with you.”

  “I don’t suppose you have a place to stay either?”

  S
he shook her head from side to side. “I literally just rolled into town.”

  He nodded. “There’s a room there. It’s not much, but I think it’ll work. It’s better than nothing.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned against the hood of her truck. “Why are you helping me?”

  Brent sighed and glanced away.

  “When my sister and I rolled into Haven, a few good people helped us out.” He glanced back at her. “I guess I’m just spreading the goodness around.”

  Something told her that he wasn’t giving her the entire story, but she didn’t want to push her luck.

  “How long ago was that?” she asked.

  He tilted his head, as if he was trying to think about it. “About three years ago.”

  “What does your sister do?”

  “Dylan? Well, she works for her husband’s family business.” He shrugged a little. “His family is pretty much the reason Haven is still around.”

  Instantly, Mel wondered if that was who he was suggesting she work for. Not wanting to ask, she glanced around.

  “Is there more to it? The town, I mean.” She motioned to the one gas station she’d pulled into just off the highway.

  Brent followed her gaze and then sighed. “Not much. The standard things. You know, grocery store, town hall, etcetera.” He looked over at her. “About a half dozen or so strip clubs.”

  Her eyebrows arched up. “Okay,” she said slowly.

  “Don’t worry, none of them are hiring.” He smiled.

  She laughed. How long had it been since that sound had escaped her?

  “Not that I have the luxury of turning away any job at this point.” She smiled and relaxed back as she leaned against the car. Then she remembered part of his conversation with the tow truck guy. “You just returned to town yourself?”

  “Two weeks ago.” He nodded.

  “How long were you away?” she asked, needing to know more for some reason.

  “About two years or so.” He glanced away.

  “What brought you back?”

  “Opportunity.” He waved to someone, and she turned and watched a tow truck pull up and then back up to her truck.

  A man about her age stepped out of the truck and nodded to her. “This the one?” he asked Brent.

  “Yeah.” Brent motioned to her. “Mel Hawthorn, Larry. He owns the local body shop.”

  The man, who was a lot skinnier than Brent, held out his hand for her to shake.

  “Thank you, Larry. Brent here has offered to help me find work. I’m not sure how long it will take me to work off my bill…”

  “You have my number,” Brent said to the man. “When you have an estimate for the new radiator, let us know.” He turned to her. “Need anything from in there?” He motioned to her truck.

  “Yes.” She rushed to get the two small bags that held everything she owned and then started towards Brent’s newer model truck.

  Brent took the bags from her and set them in the back seat, then held the passenger side door open for her.

  When she slid onto the leather seats, she suddenly realized she’d forgotten what it was like to sit in a newer car. There was a small computer screen attached to the dashboard. Brent climbed in and turned the truck on, and the air conditioning blasted the heat out of the cabin quickly. How long had it been since she’d sat in a car with AC?

  Small luxuries were easily forgotten when you were running for your life.

  As Brent drove further into town, she watched the small town roll by them outside the windows. They passed everything from floral shops to animal clinics. It was, outside of the half dozen bars and strip clubs, the perfect small town.

  Then he pulled in front of an old rundown brick building and turned off his truck.

  “What’s this?” she asked, looking up at the fallen sign on the front of the building that read Hard Way. At one point, she could see where the rest of the letters for the Hardwood Way Inn had been.

  “This is where the job is.” He climbed out of the truck and grabbed her bags. “And where there’s free room and board until you make enough to pay for your repairs.” He walked towards the doors and she followed slowly, taking in the obvious recent work that had been done to the windows and door.

  “Is this even Hardwood Way?” she asked as she stepped inside.

  “It used to be. I think the street sign was run over some time back.” He shrugged.

  She could tell someone was fixing the place up. She’d never really worked at an inn before, but figured it was better than nothing.

  When she stepped into the dark place, she had to blink a few times until her eyes adjusted, and she realized that there had been more work done on the inside.

  Brent set her bags down at the base of an amazing half-spiral staircase on the opposite wall before walking over to set the case of beer he’d purchased behind a bar that had yet to be stained or painted. There wasn’t even a top on it yet.

  “Is this your place?” she asked, moving towards him.

  “Yeah. I’m hoping to open my doors soon. But before then, she’ll need a lot of work.” Brent put the beer into a beer fridge on the back wall. “Have you ever worked at a bar before?” he asked her, opening a beer and then pouring it into a glass and holding it out for her.

  “A bar,” she said, holding in a groan. She took the beer from him since the last time she’d had anything to eat or drink had been about twenty-four hours earlier. “But isn’t this an inn?” she asked after taking a sip.

  “No, it used to be. All of the rooms burned up years ago. It’s been sitting empty for years. I have plans to turn it into a bar and grill.” He motioned around him. “Maybe serve some fried foods or chips.” He shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet. That’s where you’d come in.”

  “Me?” she asked, almost spitting out the sip of beer she’d just taken.

  “Sure. I figured opening up a place like this shouldn’t be too hard for someone with your skill set.” He took a sip of the beer he’d opened for himself.

  “Are you…” She took another sip of the beer. “Are you offering me a job as your bar manager?”

  Brent shrugged. “I guess I could ask about your references and all.”

  She felt her heart skip and shook her head. “No!” She realized she’d practically screamed it and sighed. “I mean, if you’re offering, I’ll take the job. I mean”—she glanced around— “you will have the inside finished first, right?”

  He looked around. “Yeah, I’ll have it done.”

  She glanced towards the stairs. “If the rooms burned up years ago…”

  “There are two rooms upstairs. I had them furnished with new stuff the day after I moved in.” He walked towards the stairs. “We’ll have to share a bathroom,” he warned as he picked up her bags. “There are two sets of stairs. The front ones lead to the landing, a shared sitting room, an office, and a small kitchen area. Down the hallway are the bedrooms. The back stairs are outside of the bedrooms. Like a fire escape or a deck of sorts.”

  She swallowed slightly and nodded. At this point, if he didn’t look into her past, she was willing to agree to anything.

  She followed him up the stairs and through a heavy metal door that he unlocked with a code.

  “The code is one-nine-three-three,” he said. “These rooms are private rooms, and the door will keep patrons out of the rooms.”

  She nodded in agreement and followed him through the space, glancing in each room when he pointed them out. There was a small landing that had a few chairs and end tables in it. The sitting room had a flat-screen television, a comfortable-looking sofa and chair, and a bookshelf full of books. The kitchen was very small and only had a half fridge, a sink, a stove, a couple cupboards, and a two-seater table.

  “The bathroom is at the end of the hallway between the bedrooms. My room.” He motioned to the door on the left, then he opened the door opposite it and waved her inside the room. “Your room.”

  She stepped in and looked around th
e large space and was instantly impressed. Not only was the room big, but there was a queen-sized bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and even a sitting area complete with a comfortable-looking chair.

  She turned to him. “This is the room?”

  He set her bags down. “I was going to rent it out, but since I also need to hire someone…” He shrugged. “It makes sense. It’s yours for as long as you want to work.”

  “Th-thanks,” she said swallowing the guilt and worry. Worry because she knew the moment he tried to pay her or run her background check, she was screwed.

  “I was going to work for a few hours before I cook up some hamburgers in the kitchen downstairs. I don’t really use the one up here since it’s so small. You’re welcome to join me.” He leaned against the doorframe.

  She felt tears sting her eyes as her mouth watered at the thought of having a hamburger. Real meat. For the past few months, she’d been stuck going through the cheapest drive-through she could find.

  “Thanks,” she said again.

  He shifted to go but stopped and looked at her. “You’re not running from the law or anything like that are you?” he asked.

  She felt her heart sink. She hated lying to the man since he was being so kind to her.

  “No.” She shook her head and avoided his eyes. “I’m not wanted by the law,” she said firmly.

  “The only requirements are that you don’t steal from me and, when you decide to pack up and leave, you give me notice.”

  “I understand.”

  He walked out, and she shut the door behind her. She listened as he walked down the hallway and back downstairs.

  She leaned against the door, resting her head on the hardwood door, and closed her eyes as she took several deep breaths. Then she turned around and looked at the room with awe. How the hell had she gotten so lucky?

  Chapter 3

  Brent knew he was taking a chance on the pretty brunette with big amber eyes, but hell, he recognized the desperate look in Mel’s eyes. He’d had that look a million times before. His life hadn’t been a walk in the park, not since his twenty-first birthday when his parents had died.