by Jennie Marts
Emma nodded, her next words caught in her throat. She should just be quiet. Take the job and hope for the best. But she couldn’t.
Cherry was taking a chance on her—this could barely be considered an interview—she hadn’t even really asked her any questions. She was taking her on Cash’s recommendation, and Emma knew she had to be up-front about her situation. “There’s just one thing.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
Emma couldn’t meet her eye. She stared at a spot of dried ketchup on the table and squeezed Cash’s hand tighter. “I’m recently divorced, and my ex-husband’s brothers have caused some trouble at the last few places that I’ve worked. I would really like to accept this job, but I want to be honest about my situation, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to hire me.”
Cherry laughed. A low chuckle. “You think I’m afraid of those Purvis boys? I can certainly handle a couple of bullies, and they won’t cause any trouble in my establishment. I can guaran-dang-tee that.”
“Really?” Tears stung her eyes as Emma looked up at the feisty redhead. “You still want to hire me?”
“Of course.”
“You’re not worried about Earl and Junior?”
“Heck no. Those yahoos don’t worry me a bit. Are you forgetting that I’m married to the sheriff? They won’t cause any trouble here, or they’ll have Taylor to deal with.”
“Thank you,” Emma said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You can thank me by doing a good job here and giving me peace of mind that my customers are being well taken care of when I’m not here.”
Emma nodded. “I will. You can count on me. I’m a hard worker. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“It’s settled then.” Cherry smacked the table, causing Emma to jump, and she let go of Cash’s hand. “I’ll introduce you to Stan.” She gave a yell, and a cute Asian guy wearing a tie-dye shirt and board shorts walked out of the kitchen and sauntered toward their table.
He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and had a wide friendly grin and an easy manner about him as he held a hand up to Cash. “Hey dude. What’s up?”
Cash gave his raised hand a high-five. “I’m bringing you a new employee. This is my friend Emma.”
Emma’s heart gave a little flutter at the way Cash introduced her as his friend. It was silly and probably no big deal to him—lots of people easily used that term. It had just been a long time since she had anyone resembling a friend in her life.
She snuck a glance at Cherry who offered her an encouraging smile. Maybe she just might have made two new friends.
That was a little much to hope for. She was just happy with the offer of a job.
“Hey, Emma. Nice to meet ya.” Stan gave her a little wave, his smile full of white teeth and charm, and she instantly liked him.
“Hi,” was all she could manage to say, overwhelmed at the amount of niceness happening around her.
Cash stood and dipped his head toward the shorter man. “Listen bud, Emma’s had a little trouble with her ex-brothers-in-law showing up at her work and harassing her. I need you to have her back. You can take care of these guys if they give her any trouble, right?” He made a karate chopping motion in the air.
Stan raised an eyebrow at him. “Dude, that’s just racist. You think just because I’m Asian, that I know karate, or judo, or whatever kind of tai chi move that was?”
Cash shrugged and gave him a good-hearted jab in the side. “Yeah. That, and I know you’ve been taking a karate class with Sam for the last month.”
Stan’s stern look turned into another toothy grin. “Ok, you got me.” He turned his gaze toward Emma and offered her a friendly wink. “And don’t worry, Emma. My karate skills might not be that great, but I know how to throw out unruly customers, and I’m not opposed to calling for backup from the sheriff if we need it. Besides, Taylor’s in here almost every day for lunch anyway.”
Cash looked down at her and gave her an encouraging smile. “See, it’s all gonna work out fine.”
She smiled back, her heart lifting in what almost felt like hope. It had been so long since she’d felt it, she wasn’t sure she recognized the emotion.
But she knew it felt good. She felt good.
And for the first time in a long time, she dared to look to the future with anticipation of something good to come.
…
Cash turned to his side, the sheets twisting in his restless legs, as he struggled to fall asleep that night.
The clock on his nightstand crept close to eleven, but he was still wide awake. He was normally sawing logs within minutes of his head hitting the pillow, his mind and body too tired to do anything except drift right off.
But tonight sleep eluded him.
Instead, his mind was full of thoughts of a doe-eyed woman. And it had been a long time since thoughts of a woman had kept him up at night.
But he couldn’t get Emma out of his mind. The way she stared in wide-eyed wonder at the birth of the new lamb, the way her hair fell across her shoulders, and the way she gripped his hand in terror under the table at the diner.
She was different than any other woman in his life. Special. Something about her touched his heart and made all of his protective instincts kick in.
Most of the women he’d been with knew what they were getting into with him—a fun evening or two, but no strings attached. There were a few women that he’d see off and on, but they knew the situation for what it was. They could have his body, his attention, and his time, but they couldn’t have his heart.
Sure, he liked them. He wasn’t a total heartless bastard. Most of them were great—funny, gorgeous, sexy—tight jeans, big hair, and bold in the bedroom were his favorites. There had been women who had made him laugh, who he’d had a good time with, and had a general affection for, but no one had captured the elusive heart of Cash Walker.
So, why did half an hour in the presence of a quiet, almost painfully shy woman have his heart feel like it was being pinched in a vise? A nice, sweet woman who had no business hanging out with the likes of him, and who he had no business getting involved with.
But something drew him to her, and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
He told himself he was just being hospitable, helping her out. He was just being neighborly when he gave her his number this afternoon as he dropped her off, and she told him her dad was out of town, helping to take care of his brother in Nebraska, who’d just fallen off a windmill and broken his leg.
Yeah, right. Neighborly, my foot.
But he did want to help her. Felt compelled to help her, in fact. But just because he introduced her to Cherry and assisted her in getting a job didn’t mean she owed him anything or that he had to see her again.
In fact, he should probably stay away from her.
She had enough on her plate just getting back on her feet without having an old tomcat like him around.
The sharp ring of his cell phone startled him, and he grabbed it off his nightstand.
Aw hell.
Nothing good ever came from a late night phone call. Pushing up in bed, he squinted at the tiny screen—he didn’t recognize the number, beyond that it was the Montana area code—as he tapped the screen and held it up to his ear. “Hello.”
“Cash?” She only spoke one word—softly, barely above a whisper. The terrified trembling in her voice was different than the quiet shyness he’d heard earlier in the day, but he knew it was her.
“Emma? What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Don’t worry about that. What’s going on?”
“Earl and Junior. They’re outside.” She choked on her words, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. But he could still hear the terror in her voice.
Chapter Three
Cash was already pulling on his jeans and the pair of boots that lay next to his bed. He grabbed his keys and headed for his truck. “Tell me what’s hap
pened. Are they threatening you?”
“I was asleep. I don’t know how long they’ve been here. They threw something through the front window and shattered it. And they’re driving around the farm, revving their engine and yelling terrible things. I think they’re drunk.” Emma’s voice choked on a sob. “I’m sorry to call you, but I’m scared.”
“It’s fine. You did the right thing. Did you already call the cops?”
“No. I’ve called the police before, and it didn’t help. It only makes things worse. They haven’t come inside or actually threatened me, so I know the police won’t do anything.”
He knew that wouldn’t be the case with Taylor, but it wouldn’t help to argue with her. And he could be there before the police anyway. He just needed to get to her now. “Where are you?”
“I’m upstairs in my room.”
“Do they know you’re there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay. Stay where you are. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Y-you don’t have to come.”
“I’m already on my way. If they try to come inside, call the sheriff. Otherwise, just stay out of sight. Hang on, Emma. I’ll be there soon.”
He clicked off as he jumped in his truck, started the engine, and threw it in gear. His cabin was behind the barn and as he rounded the corner, he saw a familiar truck sitting in front of the main house and Charlie and her boyfriend, Zack, sitting on the front porch swing.
Cash, Zack, and Cherry’s now husband, Taylor, had all been friends since high school, and Zack was already off the porch and heading toward his truck as Cash pulled to a stop in front of the house.
“Get in,” he said as Zack pulled the door open.
He must have recognized the urgency in Cash’s voice, because Zack didn’t hesitate as he climbed into the pickup.
Charlie was right on his heels and squeezed in next to Zack as she pulled the door shut behind her. “What’s going on?”
Cash put the truck in gear, and gravel spun behind the tires as he raced down the driveway and turned onto the highway. “The Purvis brothers are over at the Frank farm. They’re terrorizing Emma—threw a rock or something through the front window and are tearing up the place.”
“You remember Emma Frank? She went to school with you guys,” Charlie told Zack.
Cash had told her about what was going on with Emma earlier that night when he was showing her the new baby lambs. She knew about Leroy from the shooting at the engagement party, and he’d explained that his brothers had been harassing Emma.
Charlie knew what it was like to be scared and how alone it felt to start over. She’d told Cash that she would do what she could to help Emma and had offered to have her over for dinner later that week.
A dinner party was the last thing on Cash’s mind as he turned into the driveway of the Frank’s farm. He’d been there before, helped out with branding a few times, back when Clyde still had livestock. The farm was fairly small, made up of a barn, a couple of corrals and outbuildings, and an old white farmhouse.
Barreling down the driveway, he could already see a beat-up old car spinning donuts in front of the house. They must have seen him, too, because they suddenly turned around and came speeding toward Cash’s truck.
“Holy shit,” Zack yelled as they flew past the pickup, barely missing the side mirrors and causing Cash to hug the edge of the road to avoid going into the ditch running along the side of the driveway. “Crazy bastards.”
Cash didn’t care about the idiots or that they almost crashed into his truck. He was only focused on one thing. Getting to Emma.
He skidded to a stop—the engine barely off before he was climbing out of the truck and running up the stairs of the porch.
“Emma!” He called her name as he rattled the front door then slammed into it with his shoulder. The flimsy lock gave way, and the door flew open. He’d fix that later—and put in a new deadbolt.
Broken glass crunched under his boots as he stepped into the living room.
There was no sign of her.
Charlie and Zack followed him into the house.
“I’ll get this cleaned up,” he heard Charlie say as he took the stairs two at a time, climbing to the second floor and calling Emma’s name.
The room to the right held a four-poster bed with a light bedspread and feminine décor. Cash assumed this was Emma’s room and charged through the door. The moon offered enough light to see the spread thrown back on the empty bed.
His eyes searched the room, his gaze falling on a huddled form on the floor in the corner beside a wingback chair. Her back was to the wall, her head tucked down, as she hugged her knees.
In two strides, he was next to the chair, bending down and reaching for her.
He touched her shoulder, and she slapped at him, crying.
“Whoa there, Emma. It’s me, Cash.”
Her hands stilled, and she looked up at him, silver tear stains on her cheeks. “Cash?”
His heart broke as he knelt beside her. Moving slowly, as he would with a skittish colt, he rested one hand gently on her knee. “It’s all right, darlin’. I’m here.”
She blinked up at him, fear still on her face. He knew that fear, had seen it and felt it before. “You’re here,” she whispered.
“Come on, now.” He slid his hands around her back and under her knees, and cradled her against his chest as he lifted her in his arms.
She curled against him as he carried her across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Stroking her back, he spoke soft words into her hair. “You’re okay now. You’re safe. They’re gone. It’s gonna be all right.”
She sighed against his chest, a deep shuddering sigh that tore his heart in two. “Thank you. Thank you for coming.”
“Think nothin’ of it. That’s why I gave you my number. In case you needed me.” And she had needed him. Which was a bad idea. He knew it, knew he shouldn’t give her the idea that he was someone who could be counted on.
Her head jerked up, and she clawed at his chest at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
“It’s okay. It’s just Charlie. She’s a friend,” he said as she appeared in the doorway.
“Everything okay in here?” Charlie asked, her voice filled with tender concern.
“Yeah, we’re good,” he said as Emma scrambled up from his lap. She wore a knee-length white sleeveless nightgown, her long hair loose and falling around her shoulders, and the sight of her standing in the moonlight had butterflies swirling and careening in his gut.
She was beautiful.
“Emma, this is Charlie Ryan. She runs Tucked Away. She and Zack came with me. You remember Zack Cooper?” He knew she’d remember Zack. Everyone knew the good-looking blond quarterback who was now the town veterinarian.
Emma nodded. “I met you this summer. At Cherry’s engagement party. You gave me your Snickers salad recipe.”
Cash shook his head. How the woman could be thinking about a salad recipe right now was beyond him. But maybe it was good. Good to have her thinking about something normal. Like a recipe. Get her mind off being scared.
“I remember. Although anything with that much whipped topping and cut-up candy bars in it should not be deemed a salad,” Charlie teased, obviously trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.
She walked slowly into the room and laid a hand gently on Emma’s arm. “I cleaned up the broken glass downstairs, and Zack is gonna try to find some plywood or something in the barn to patch up the hole. Why don’t I help you put some things together so you can come back to my house with me tonight?”
Emma’s hands flittered nervously in front of her. “Oh no, I couldn’t. They’re gone now. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I insist. None of us will be able to sleep thinking about you out here by yourself. I had my own run-in with Earl Purvis earlier this summer when he assaulted me and Zack’s daughter, Sophie. I know how dangerous he can be, and we’ll all rest easier knowing you’re safe and sle
eping in the guest room at Tucked Away.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“I am.”
Cash could have hugged Charlie. She was so gentle with Emma, and if she hadn’t talked Emma into coming back to the farm with them, he would have picked her up and carried her out to the truck himself.
This was much easier on everyone.
Charlie nodded at him. “Why don’t you help Zack finish up with the window, and I’ll help Emma. We’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.”
He hesitated. It made sense that Charlie would assist her, but something in his chest felt constricted, like he wanted to be the one to help her.
Like he wanted to be her hero.
That thought was enough to have him turning away, crossing the room, and heading down the stairs.
He knew he wasn’t the guy to be anyone’s hero.
…
Emma startled awake. The sun shone through the window, creating a square of early morning light across the pillows. Across strange pillows.
She shook her head as the night before came back to her. The frantic call to Cash as Leroy’s brothers tore up the farm, the feeling of finally being safe as he’d stormed into the room and picked her up in his arms, and the friendship given to her by Charlie and Zack as they brought her back to Charlie’s farm and set her up in the guest room.
Charlie had brought her a cup of hot tea, a warm cloth to wash her face, and practically tucked her in. Cash had come in and dropped into the chair at the foot of the bed, kicking off his boots and stretching his long legs out across the corner of the mattress.
“I’ll just sit here till you fall asleep,” he’d said. She should have been frightened to have a man she barely knew in the same room with her, watching her as she tried to sleep. But she didn’t. Somehow, Cash Walker made her feel safe.
And she slept. Really slept. Like she hadn’t in a long time.
She turned her head and clutched the sheet tightly to her as she saw a man slumped in the chair. Then, when he didn’t attack, she realized it was Cash—a crocheted afghan across his chest, his head bent forward and his eyes closed, still fast asleep.
