by Dylann Crush
Bodie grabbed his hat, prepared to provide backup.
“Well, if it ain’t our new mayor.” Jonah sized her up as she approached. He stood at the front door of the building, layers of metal chains wrapped around his torso.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Wylder?” Lacey offered her hand but must have thought better of it when Jonah struggled to work his arm free to take it.
“For starters you can reopen the warehouse.” His eyes narrowed. A chorus of encouraging “yeahs” and “that’s rights” floated up from the small crowd. “And then you can give us all a nice, fat raise.”
Lacey crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m afraid I can’t make that happen.”
“Then figure out a way.” Jonah nodded, his head being the only part of his body that he seemed to be able to move.
“Look, Mr. Wylder—”
“Jonah,” he insisted.
“Okay, Jonah. I’d love nothing more than to open up the warehouse, give all of you your jobs back, and double your pay. But we both know that’s not going to happen.”
“Then I’ll just stay here until you find a way.” Jonah shrugged, making the chains clink together.
Bodie shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting to see how the situation would play out. Lacey looked like she was about to cry. Her bottom lip trembled and she tightened her grip around her middle. He couldn’t let them get the best of her, not on her second day on the job.
“You’re just going to stay out here all night, then?” Bodie asked.
Jonah nodded. “If that’s what it takes.”
“And I suppose you’ve got a permit for that?” He took a step toward Lacey, sensing her focus shift from Jonah to him.
Jonah glanced to one of his buddies. “I don’t need a permit to stay out here.”
“This land is private property. If you want to hold a demonstration or a public gathering, based on city code, you need to ask for permission from the owners first.” Bodie shrugged his shoulders. “Unless you’d rather I arrest you and take you in.”
“What are you doing?” Lacey whispered. “I’m handling this.”
Bodie put a hand out, gesturing for her to be quiet. “Your call, Jonah, but I bet your wife will be real pissed if you end up with another offense.”
Jonah gritted his teeth, then muttered something under his breath.
Lacey glared at Bodie. “I said I’ve got this.”
“Fine.” Jonah shook his head, the fight draining from him. “Boys, get me out of here. We’ll have to find another way to settle our differences.”
One of Jonah’s friends fumbled with a set of keys. While he waited for the men to disperse, Bodie turned to Lacey, pretty damn pleased at the way he’d managed to break things up. No one got hurt, Lacey saved face, and it was a win-win all around.
But the look she gave him wasn’t full of the thanks he expected—the thanks he deserved.
“What?” He held his hands out, wondering what he’d done to incite such an angry response. “You’re welcome. Aren’t you going to say something?”
Fire blazed in those bright baby blues, burning hot and icy cold at the same time. “Oh, I’m going to say something, all right.”
about the author
Dylann Crush is the author of All American Cowboy and Cowboy Christmas Jubilee. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she's not dreaming up steamy story lines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota. Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, a clumsy Great Dane, a rescue mutt, and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors, and fans of tequila. You can find her at dylanncrush.com.
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