by Mia Carson
“I’m simply a bit behind on my cataloging,” he said, but the glimmer in his eyes said there was more than he shared. “Now go.”
Her lips screwed up to the side in thought, but she gave in and turned to go when she remembered the man she ran into. “Did you see the new guy in town?”
“The man with the beard scruff, longer hair?” he clarified.
“Yeah, ran into him outside. Did he come from your shop?”
“If you’re asking did he sell something, all I can say is yes,” he said, tapping his fingers lightly on the counter. “You know I can’t say what it was, though he was quite happy to be rid of it. Relieved, even.”
“Did you catch his name?” she asked hopefully, but Joe crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, fine, I’m going. Thank you, Joe, really.”
“Out, Iris. I will talk to you soon.”
The walk back through town wasn’t as depressing as before, but Iris was far from happy. She walked down the two blocks to the electric company’s tiny office and caught up on payments, then did the same with the gas company. Finally, she went to the bank to safely deposit the rest of the cash for the remainder of the bills. Her heart lightened and her breathing steadied, realizing that whatever Joe was going to call about had to be something good or he wouldn’t bother. Iris grinned, wondering what the old man was up to now, until someone called her name from the front porch of their small house.
Her steps came a sudden halt, and she staggered. “Shit. What the hell are you doing here, Jenson?”
The tall blond man standing on her porch glared at her before he quickly covered it with a shrug and a grin. “Is that how you treat your boyfriend?”
“You stopped being my boyfriend when I was… How did you say it? Oh, that’s right,” she snapped. “'Too depressed to deal with on a regular basis.' Get the hell off my front porch and don’t come back.”
She walked past him to the front door, ignoring him, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Jenson followed behind her, and she flung her purse down on the floor. “What’s your problem, honey? I wanted to come by and say hi.”
“You said it, now get out.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked. “You know what I saw today? I saw you smile like you used to a long time ago. I saw the old Iris coming back, the fun Iris.” He emphasized his words and reached for her, but she backed away quickly. His hand curled into a tight fist, and his smile strained, but it remained on his face. “I want to be around if that Iris is making an appearance again.”
Gritting her teeth, Iris turned her back on him and marched into the kitchen. It was still early, but a bottle of wine was a desperate need if she was going to keep herself together with Jenson wandering around her living room like he lived there again. He plopped down hard on the couch, making the springs creak, and tossed his feet up on the table. His dusty boots mocked her, and Iris lost it. Wielding the bottle of wine, she yelled and charged towards him. Jenson jumped to his feet and backpedaled towards the front door, his hands up to defend himself.
“You pompous, arrogant asshole! Get your fucking dusty boots out of my fucking house, or I’m calling the sheriff. Do you understand me?” she raged, the wine bottle held over her shoulder like a baseball bat.
“You’re insane, you know that?” he snapped, his face darkening.
A sliver of fear slipped down her spine, and she thought about another night a year ago. She knew the second he saw that fear in her eyes because he grinned and reached for the wine bottle. He yanked it from her hands, and Iris stepped back and away, snatching up her purse and grabbing her phone.
“One push, and I’m on the phone with the sheriff,” she warned him, hating the shaking in her voice.
“The sheriff likes me, remember?” he said and set the bottle down on the table but didn’t move closer. “Oh, come on, Iris, you know you’re meant to be with me.”
“You don’t leave the person you love when her parents die and her brother has cancer, you fucking moron,” she growled. “Get out of my house and do not come back again. You aren’t the only one in this town who can shoot.”
His eyes narrowed, and a flicker of the Jenson she knew existed beneath his handsome face appeared. “You threatening me?”
“I’m reminding you that my dad was the best shot in this whole damn town, and he taught me well.”
“You should watch what you say and know that no matter what, the sheriff will always be on my side,” he said with a leer. “Remember whose family owns his.”
“Funny, the sheriff doesn’t seem like the type of man to let it slide that you nearly gave me a black eye but punched a hole in my wall instead—a hole that’s still there, by the way,” she muttered and glanced at the painting she’d hung over the couch to hide it. “Get out of my house. I won’t say it again.”
Jenson lifted his lip in a snarl but moved for the door. “I’ll see you around, Iris. It’s a small town, after all, and with your brother sick and you broke… It's not like you’re going anywhere anytime soon.” He blew her a kiss that sent shivers through her body before he turned and left, slamming the front door hard enough behind him to shake the walls.
For a few long minutes after he’d gone, Iris stood in her living room, watching the front door. She knew he wasn’t dumb enough to come back so quickly, but her heart hammered in her chest. Her eyes fixed on the painting hiding the hole in the wall. Sam didn’t even know about it. If he did, he’d risk making himself weaker by trying to go after the son of a bitch. But it didn’t matter. He was gone, and Iris was going to make sure she wouldn’t run into him again. His dad was the mayor, so Jenson was usually busy doing business around town for him. Hopefully, he’d be too busy with the holiday festivals approaching to spend much time worrying about her.
Iris showered, changed into her tight jeans, black boots, and a roomy black sweater with a low neckline before she grabbed her purse again and headed for the door.
“Joe said to have some fun,” she told the empty house. “So let’s go have some fun.”
Chapter 3
Alec’s intention for Friday night had been to buy more beer and sit in his new house, void of furniture, and watch whatever was on TV. August had other ideas and dragged his brother out of the house to the only bar in Lundy. The country music wasn’t too loud, and they settled at a table towards the rear wall, sipping on their drinks as they caught up on the last three years. Alec didn’t say it, but he was damn jealous of August running off and seeing the entire world. He told him about his adventures in Europe, even traveling as far as Japan and down to Australia.
“How much money did Mom give you?” Alec teased after he saw the pictures of August bungee jumping and zip lining.
“Enough to make sure I wouldn’t come back,” he said, and both brothers laughed, clinking their beer bottles together. “But I couldn’t stay away.”
“How did you hear about what happened?”
“Alec Wolf moves away for the first time, and you think I’m not going to hear it? That, and every damn tabloid was talking about the engagement being called off, and I know you. There had to be a reason to do it.”
His eyes roamed the bar. Quite a few of the locals watched him curiously but none of them seemed inhospitable. Most of them raised their glasses to him and grinned before going back to their own conversations.
“You sure picked a friendly town,” August chimed in with a smirk. “Though no one can resist your roguish charm.”
“That’s not true,” he argued halfheartedly. “There were quite a few women who wanted nothing to do with me, if you recall.”
“I remember one,” August said, laughing harder. “And that’s only because she fell for me first.”
“Too bad you didn’t warn me about Nikki,” he muttered. “I should’ve seen through that cheating, lying bitch, but no. I let her crawl into my heart and kill me from the inside.”
August whistled loudly. “Damn, she did get you good, but it’s over now. Time to get
out of mope-ville and find a new woman.”
“I don’t think I’m in a good place for a relationship,” he warned. “Besides, I just moved and opened up a new gun range. I need some time to settle in.”
“No, you need to get your ass back on the horse… or have a cowgirl get back on your horse…Whatever, you need a one-night stand, if nothing else,” August declared and turned so his back pressed against the wall. “What made you pick Lundy?”
Alec shrugged one shoulder, and as the waitress passed, he raised his hand and motioned for two more beers. She nodded and turned towards the bar as the front doors opened again and a woman walked in. She sat at the bar, her shoulders slumped, and the waitress patted her on one shoulder, leaning in close to talk to her. Alec straightened, squinting through the hazy air.
“Hey, man, you aren’t drunk enough to avoid the question,” August said and poked him in the shoulder.
“Uh… not sure. It was small and out of the way, and there’s no way in hell Nikki will find me here,” he replied quietly though his eyes never left the woman. He needed her to turn, needed to see her face, and when the waitress walked away, she finally did. “I knew it.”
“Knew what? Who are you staring at?”
“That woman at the bar… black sweater… I bumped into her today,” he told August quietly.
“She’s quite the looker,” August agreed, “but that doesn’t explain the weird look on your face right now.”
Alec frowned, not sure how to explain what he’d seen in that brief moment with the woman on the sidewalk. She’d looked so lost and alone when her gray eyes met his. Her hands shook as he watched her tug on her purse and glance away quickly as if worried someone would see the pain etched into the lines of her face. He’d seen that look much too often in the mirror of late, but to see someone else in just as much pain struck him. He hadn’t asked her damn name, and she showed up in the bar, the same time as him. It had to be a sign.
“Alec?” August asked slowly as the waitress dropped off two more beers. “What are you going to do?”
“Who said I was going to do anything?” he retorted, but his gaze remained on the woman.
“Don’t be a freaking creeper all night. Just go talk to her,” his brother urged.
“No, I’m spending my evening catching up with you.”
“And we’ve caught up,” August said quickly. “Go talk to the woman before I do it and take her home.”
Alec raised a brow as his brother grinned wolfishly. “You mean take her home to my house. Where you’re staying.”
“I didn’t say it was a solid plan,” August said and laughed. “Go on, or I’m going to do it.” He slid across the booth, ready to stand up, but Alec cursed roughly and beat him to it, taking his beer with him. He strolled through the room, nodding and smiling at the locals, until he reached the bar. He had never been a nervous man, but having his heart ripped out changed him and the words of greeting stuck in his throat. He cleared it loudly, and the woman glanced over her shoulder.
“Oh,” she said and turned further around. “You’re here.”
Alec nodded, taking in the smooth curves of her face framed by auburn hair. “Yeah, I just saw you while I was over there and thought maybe I’d introduce myself this time.”
She gripped her bottle of beer tightly but smiled. “That would be nice—in case you decide to run into me again then I know what name to yell out.”
“You ran into me, remember?” he reminded her, and her face reddened. “Not that it was a problem, I was just… just saying.” He ran a hand through his hair and wanted to kick himself. “I’m Alec Wolf.” He settled on that and held his hand out to her.
She studied it with quizzical eyes for a long moment before reaching out and shaking it. “Iris Newton. Want to sit down or are you going to stand there all night, gawking?” She winked and pulled her hand back, nudging the stool out with her booted foot at the same time. “Hey, Danny? Whiskey if you can.”
As Alec took the stool, a man around his age with short black hair and a towel over his shoulder moved towards Iris. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “No. No more whiskey for you, remember? Just stick with beer tonight.”
“Danny, I love you as the dear friend you are, but please, for the love of God, give me a shot of whiskey,” Iris insisted.
Alec watched the exchange and saw Danny’s arms stiffen as he leaned closer. “No,” he told her firmly. “I’m not going to watch you do that again, so stick to beer or you can go home.”
Iris tapped her nails loudly on the bar top and glared. “What if I had a good reason for it?”
“And that would be what?”
She motioned for Danny to lean closer, and Alec strained to hear as she whispered something in the bartender’s ear. His face darkened and his eyes narrowed with hate, but when he leaned back, he reached for the whiskey bottle and a shot glass, and left them both on the bar.
“You here with her?” Danny asked Alec.
“No, came here with my brother,” he said, motioning over his shoulder.
“Well, tonight, you’re here with her. She’s your responsibility, got it?”
“Danny, don’t do that to the guy,” Iris argued. “I just want one shot, okay? That’s all I need.”
But the bartender’s frown deepened, and he shook his head. “Don’t lie to me, Iris. If that’s what happened today, you and I both know you need more than one shot.” He pointed at Alec. “You make sure she gets her ass home tonight, or you’ll have to deal with me, got it?”
Alec nodded. “I’m sure I can manage that.”
“Good,” he said then plastered a smile on his face. “Welcome to Lundy.”
He walked away down the bar, and Alec watched Iris open the bottle of whiskey, pour herself a healthy shot, and down it. She winced and her shoulders twitched, but she slammed the glass down and poured a second.
“You want one?” she asked him. “Not the most expensive stuff but it does the same job.”
“Are you trying to get yourself wasted?” he asked and reached for the bottle.
“Hey, give that back!” she said after she’d taken her second shot. “You don’t understand, alright, so just hand it over and I won’t smack you upside the head.”
Alec smirked behind his beard and held the bottle tightly in his hands. “I’ll trade it back to you if you tell me why you’re trying to drown yourself in whiskey.” The fire roaring to life in her eyes caught him off-guard, and her face turned even redder, though not from the whiskey. “Iris, I’m new to this town. I don’t know anything about you, but I do know that if someone is drinking this heavily alone, then something’s pretty fucked up in their lives.”
Her hand was halfway to the bottle, but at his words, it fell limply to the bar and she cradled her beer, her eyes staring straight ahead. “You’re a stranger,” she muttered. “I’m not just going to dump my problems on you.”
“You didn’t, to be fair,” he argued. “The bartender did. Come on, life can’t be that bad. You’re an attractive woman with a don’t-fuck-around attitude.”
She laughed harshly. “You’ve known me five minutes at most and you can tell that?”
“I’m good at reading people, or I used to be,” he said sourly and sighed, reaching for her shot glass. “Maybe I will join you.” He poured one and shot it back, sucking in a breath as it burned going down. “Now we’re both going to be tipsy later. Tell me, Iris. What did you tell Danny to change his mind?”
She tore up the napkin under her beer, her foot kicking the front of the bar. “I—uh, I have lots of problems and they involve all aspects of my life falling in around me and burying me alive. Can that suffice for now?”
He thought it over and was about to say no when a cheer went up around the bar. Alec glanced at the door to see a man wearing a sheriff’s badge on his leather jacket stroll in with two young men behind him. The sheriff waved at everyone, but Iris cursed and swung around so her back was to th
em, ducking low.
“Do we need to leave?” he whispered, but the sheriff called out her name and she groaned.
“Too damn late.” She lifted her head and swiveled around as the sheriff reached them at the bar. One of the men behind him glared at Alec with open hatred, his hands planted firmly on his hips. “Sheriff Pueller, what brings you to Danny’s dive on a Friday night? Don’t you have anything better to do than hang out with the lowlifes of Lundy?”
The older man chuckled and shook her hand. “We’re out celebrating, but I wanted to tell you I heard the news about Sam. It’s great, really. Doc said you both are in high spirits once again.”
Alec’s smile stayed on his face, not reacting to their conversation.
“Yeah. Yeah, we are. He comes home Sunday, so it’ll be good for him. I’m sorry, Sheriff, you said you’re out celebrating?”
“Yes, we are. Exciting news, though of course the old man can’t drink tonight. Sadly, still on the clock,” he said laughing as he backed away and planted a hand on the man glaring at Alec. “Jenson Drayer is my new deputy!”
The bar broke out in applause and cheering, whistling and stomping of feet, but when Alec looked at her, Iris’s face had paled and she sank even lower onto her stool. Alec’s first instinct was to move between her and Jenson, but the second he stood up, Jenson moved first, reaching for Iris’s hand. She moved it just out of his reach.
“Iris, aren’t you excited for me?” he asked as the room quieted.
“Yeah, freaking thrilled, can’t you tell?” she snapped though her hard smile stayed on her face. “I’m even going to take another shot just for you.”
Jenson’s hand reached out as if to hold Iris’s, and Alec reacted before he could stop himself. He reached for her hand and held it tightly as he stood and blocked Jenson from getting any closer to her. “Hey, man, I’m Alec, the new guy in town. Congrats on the deputizing.”
Jenson glared at him and down at his outstretched hand. “Are you here with my girl?”
