by Mia Carson
“Oh, and by the way, I know you’re new in town, but you should stay away from Iris,” the woman called over her shoulder as she flipped her hair.
Alec shot August another look before smiling as politely as he could. “And why is that? She seemed nice enough last night.”
“She’s a piece of work, that’s why. When she’s not drunk, she’s a shut-in—a little weird, too. Who the hell studies anthropology, anyway? That’s why we have computers,” she muttered and shook her head. “She’s bad news. Jenson can give you the rundown. He dated her long enough to know what crazy’s locked in her head.” She winked and disappeared upstairs.
Once Alec heard a door shut, he glared openly at August. “Nice woman you bring home to my house—and you are washing everything you two mated on last night.”
“Sorry, we were drunk,” he said with a laugh. “And you were passed out on the cot in your room, so I didn’t get to ask you if it was alright.”
“And why do you always date stupid girls?” Alec continued. “On all your travels, you couldn’t find one person to match your brains? Or calm your wild side?” He cursed when smoke curled out from the waffle maker, and he lifted the lid to find a very brown, very crisp waffle. He slipped it onto its own plate and handed it to August with a wink. “That’s yours, mister hot stuff.”
The brothers stared at each other, their eyes never wavering until Alec’s lips twitched and they burst into laughter. August took the plate with the waffle on it and drowned it in syrup before diving in. Melody’s words ran through Alec’s mind again—about Iris being the town drunk and dating Jenson—but he knew there was more to the story than Iris being crazy. He hadn’t seen that last night, but what he did see spoke of a woman at the end of her rope, trying desperately to cling to something—anything—to stop from falling off a very high cliff.
“Can you manage the range today?” Alec asked after he turned off the waffle maker and made one for himself to eat.
“Are you offering me a job?”
“I figured you weren’t sure how long you were staying in town. Do you mind?”
August shook his head. “I was going to stay until I dragged your sorry ass away from any memories of Nikki, but I think this Iris woman just helped shove you into the present. I got nowhere else to go, though, so if it’s alright with you, I’ll stay for a while.”
“Good. I’ll make sure I get furniture ordered today so you don’t have to make another love nest on the floor,” he said casually, but August choked on his waffle. “Really, I mean you couldn’t have just gone back to her place?”
“She has three roommates,” he explained.
“And I’m not your roommate? At least she had a bed,” he argued.
August shrugged as he popped the last bite of his waffle into his mouth. He set his plate down and picked up his coffee again. “Why do you need me at the range, anyway? Isn’t this your first weekend in town? I figured you’d want to see how busy it would be.”
“I’ll get there eventually, but I have a few things to take care of first.” He checked the clock on the wall and pushed off the counter. “I’m picking Iris up. You’ll be alright without a vehicle?”
“Iris? The woman who Melody just warned you about being a drunk?”
“I spent quite a few hours with her last night and had a great time,” Alec said sternly. “I’m not going to take the word of a floozy over what I saw for myself. And put some damn clothes on when you walk around my house.”
August glanced down at his chest and one bare foot. “Could be worse. I almost couldn’t find my pants.”
Alec stalked towards the front door, slipped into his black boots, and scooped up his keys.
“Are you sure you want to see this woman again? And you know I want details later about everything, including last night.”
“Bye, August, and don’t burn down the place until I manage to get there,” he warned and walked out the front door, pulling it shut on his brother’s smirk. He climbed into his old black truck, started the engine, and pulled out onto the only main street Lundy had.
He’d only been in town one night and had yet to experience a typical Saturday afternoon. It was almost noon as he drove around. Every outdoor patio was filled with people eating lunch, laughing, and talking with each other. They all must know each other, being from a small town like this. Several people waved at him and called out greetings, and he waved back, wishing he’d grown up in a place like this and not Bismarck. When he reached Iris’s house, he parked alongside the curb and sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves as he walked to her front door. She was the first woman he’d gone on a date with since Nikki, and he was out of practice. Though last night really wasn’t a planned date, it ended on a less-than-pleasing note. Not with Iris, but with Jenson showing up.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Alec glanced up and down the street, feeling eyes on him. The street was deserted except for an old woman watering the mums on her front porch. Swallowing his paranoia—probably caused by an overzealous and jealous Nikki—Alec knocked on the door.
“Just a second!” Iris called through it, and he shoved his hands deep in his pockets, turning his back to stare up and down the street again.
He expected to see Jenson drive up and try to arrest Alec for something to get him away from Iris, which was ridiculous, and he tried to get his nerves in check. Part of him considered telling Iris what had happened last night. He knew he said he would, but he’d heard the strain in her voice. She had enough going on in her life, and adding to that stress when he could avoid it would hopefully keep her from slipping closer to the edge.
The door creaked open behind him and he turned, his breath catching and his chest tightening when he saw Iris. The dark blue sweater clung to her breasts and waist, leaving little to the imagination, as did the jeans that hugged her thighs perfectly. Her black boots clicked as she stepped out onto the wooden front porch with a crooked smile, watching him.
“Something wrong?” she asked with a light laugh.
“No,” he said and grinned when the sun caught her auburn hair, highlighting four different shades of red and brown. “Nothing at all. Ready to go?”
She nodded, and after she’d locked the front door, he offered her his arm. Her hands tightened around the strap of her purse slung across her body. He waited patiently, and with a curious glint in her gray eyes, she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow. Her eyes, reminding him so much of the morning fog rolling across the back roads, drew him in, and the Iris he saw last night—vulnerable and desperate—was replaced by the face of a woman who was not willing to give up so easily. He wondered how often she wore that mask, but if Melody’s words were true, he worried that no one really understood how close she was to breaking.
“Mind if we walk today?” she said when they reached his truck. “The weather’s still nice, but it won’t be for long. Besides, you said you wanted a tour of the town. Best way to do that is on foot.”
“Lead the way,” he said, and they turned right down the sidewalk past the row of houses on her street. They didn’t talk, not at first, but Alec felt her questions building up, probably about last night. “You can go ahead and ask.”
“Ask what?” she said lightly, but he heard the worry in her words.
“You didn’t do anything embarrassing last night,” he assured her. “And I don’t think you said anything that crossed a line.”
She nodded slowly as they turned towards Main Street. “That’s good, I think. You’re sure puking on our first unofficial date isn’t embarrassing?”
He laughed as she pulled him to a stop. “Not at all. Why are we stopping?”
“That, right there,” she said, pointing towards a large three-story brick building parked in the town square, “is City Hall and the police station combined. It dates back to the founding of the town, though it was mostly a shack back then.”
“Nice to see Lundy has moved up in the world,” he commented.
“Too bad. Horses can be great surgical assistants,” Alec muttered, and Iris shook with laughter.
“And that is the best bar in town, but you know that,” she said, nodding towards the bar he’d met her at. “And beside it is the general store, where you’ll find the essentials to survive—unless there’s a zombie attack, then you have to go to the hardware store down that street.”
He nodded seriously. “Got it. Zombies, go to hardware store. Didn’t know they were a problem this far north. Thought the ground was too cold for them to pop out of.”
“Will be eventually,” she agreed. “And over there is the Lundy Historical Museum, established thirty years ago and procured mostly by… uh, by my mom.”
Alec held her hand. “I want to see it sometime,” he said.
“I haven’t been in there since the accident,” she told him. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it through the whole exhibit.”
“Well, whenever you’re up to it, I’ll go with you.”
She leaned away, her eyes narrowed. “Why are you so interested in Lundy?”
“I live here now and like to know about the towns I reside in. Is that so bad?”
“No, but then you should know I’m not the most likable person here.”
He shifted. “Does that have anything to do with Jenson?”
Her face changed in a blink, etched with rage, and her eyes filled with hatred as if Jenson was standing beside her. “Yes, actually. It has a lot to do with him, but you’re supposed to tell me what happened last night.”
Alec shoved his hair out of his face and nodded. “I am, but I’m not sure you want to hear it right now. Might ruin the day.”
Iris opened her mouth but closed it quickly and shook her head. “I’m not sure why, but I’ll let you keep your secrets, for now,” she said and poked him hard in the chest. “Come on. I have to get to the pawn shop.”
“Now that’s a store I do know the location of,” he said and guided them across Main Street towards the pawn shop. As they walked, it wasn’t hard to miss the looks directed at them by people passing by. When they reached the barbershop, he swore every man in the chairs as well as the barbers stopped what they were doing to turn and look. “Did you kill someone or something?” he asked with a nervous laugh.
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” she muttered as she waved, smiling brightly at them until they frowned and looked away. “No. My parents were killed and… Well, I went downhill for a bit. Jenson didn’t help.”
“Want to talk about it?” She shook her head and bit her lip hard. “If he’s going to show up again and I have to deck him, I’d like to know I have a good reason.”
Her steps slowed, and her grip tightened on his arm. “You’d deck him for me?”
“I was going to do it last night,” he said quietly and reached up, running his thumb against her full bottom lip, not sure what made him do it. He shifted so they faced each other, and the idea of slanting his lips over hers filled his mind, but she smiled sweetly and hung her head.
“Jenson’s bad news. He got mad at me for pushing him away and told everyone in town I was a drunk and a cheater. He ruined me, but I had to deal with Sam and the shop so I let it happen,” she said bitterly. “Thanks to him, I have very few friends in this town. Everyone thinks I’m rotten.”
“Why don’t you tell them he’s wrong?” he insisted. “Show them.”
Her laugh was dark and filled with pain, a sound that told him she’d given up on that a long time ago. “I didn’t care to, and as far as I’m concerned, they can all kiss my ass.” She sighed and tugged him on. “I’ll understand, you know, if you don’t want to be seen with the troublemaker.”
Alec moved his arm so he could put it around her shoulders and drew her against his side, kissing the top of her head. “I always was attracted to trouble.” He didn’t know what to expect, but Iris relaxed under his arm, leaning into his side, and reached up to hold his hand hanging over her shoulder.
They walked down the street together, and every time someone shot them a look, Alec grinned wider and winked. He didn’t know what he’d walked into the middle of, but the woman at his side didn’t deserve to be treated like this. As long as he was around, he’d keep her from falling over the edge and proving them all right.
Chapter 5
“Ah, Iris, there you are,” Joe said as she and Alec entered the shop.
She waved at him as he stood on a stepladder to hang a few new paintings on the wall. “What are you doing?”
“New merchandise,” he told her as he hung a painting on a nail and nodded. “There, much better, don’t you think? I have to tell you, though, feel free to rearrange this shop any way you wish. I was never one with an eye for decorating.” He stepped off the ladder and wiped his hands on his jeans before holding one out to Alec. “And Mr. Wolf, nice to see you again,” Joe said with a wide smile, pumping Alec’s hand hard. “How is it you found yourself with my sweet Iris?”
“Long story,” Alec replied when Iris nudged him in the side. “She’s giving me a tour of the town today, though.”
“And what do you think so far?” Joe asked, waving them back towards the counter.
Iris followed, Alec right behind her, as she asked over her shoulder, “Yeah, what do you think so far?”
He pursed his lips, but his eyes lit with amusement and warmth spread through Iris when his hand reached out and brushed against hers. “I think I’m going to enjoy living here.”
“Good, that’s good,” Joe said and walked behind the counter.
“What are you doing here anyway—for work?” Iris asked, remembering he hadn’t said a thing about it yet.
“You know that thing I wanted to take you to do this afternoon? You’ll find out then.”
Iris wanted to push, but Joe brought up a stack of papers and slid them over with a pen. “Straightforward, and I have already settled on your salary—and if you argue with me, I will feign deaf and ignore you,” Joe warned. “Alec, would you like to see more of the shop while she fills those out?”
“I’d love to,” Alec said. “I was actually wondering what you had hidden in here.”
Joe and Alec wandered off into the stacks, and she walked around the counter, dragged over the old rickety wooden stool Joe used, and plopped down. She tried to listen, but their voices drifted further away. All she could hear was the low rumble of Joe’s laughter every now and then, followed by Alec’s. She hoped Joe wasn’t talking about her too much. She was still working out what was happening between her and the new guy in town. The moment shared between them on the sidewalk, feeling his thumb brush her lip, stuck in her mind. He might look like a damn wolf of a man, but he was tender and gentle, a rare thing for Jenson.
The years she had spent with Jenson were fine in the beginning, but when her parents died, her world had shattered. She thought he would be there for her, understand what she was going through, but he took every mood swing she had personally. Every night she got drunk, trying to cope with the pain, and he sat by and watched. He didn’t try to stop her or comfort her, just leered at her from across the room.
Danny had remained her only friend during all of it, but even he didn’t know the worst of it. No one did, and she was going to keep it hidden as long as possible.
The first time she saw Alec, she had seen the pain in his eyes—not of loss, but betrayal. He was running from someone and she wanted to know who, but asking him questions would allow him to pry into her life, too. Was she ready to have someone digging around in her life again? Dragging all the skeletons out of her closet? Sheriff Pueller had always been on her side, but he’d brought her into the jail numerous times to sleep off her drunken bouts when she’d wandered down Main Street. She had a record, and eve
ntually someone would tell Alec everything she had done. Maybe it was best she told him everything herself.
Why do you care so much? What are you doing with this guy, anyway?
She didn’t have an answer, but she knew last night could have ended differently if he hadn’t shown up when he did. With him beside her, she felt lighter, as if the world wasn’t pressing down on her shoulders. Meeting someone who didn’t grow up in this town was refreshing, and she wasn’t ready to cut him off just yet.
Iris smiled, wondering what the surprise for her was when she flipped to the last page with her salary agreement on it. The number stared back at her, and she sucked in a breath. “Joe! What the hell is this?”
Joe’s chuckle reached her, and she tapped the pen angrily on the counter until he reappeared without Alec. “I said no arguing, and what are you doing? You’re arguing.”
“This is way too much, and you know it,” she said, holding up the page. “I can’t accept this.”
“Iris, I have never had an employee in my shop. Ever,” he told her sternly. “I can afford it, trust me.”
“I’m not even technically qualified for this job.”
He raised a graying eyebrow at her. “Really? Are you not the daughter of Jim and Astrid Newton, who both owned and operated the antique store next to me as well as the museum?”
“I am, but—”
“And did you not work directly under them since the time you were ten? Did you not run both for them when they needed days off?” he continued, holding up his hand to cut her off. “You know you did, so stop arguing with me and sign the paper. You start Monday morning.”
Iris glared at him, but he leaned on the counter and stared right back. She held his gaze as long as she could before she blew out a breath and hung her head. “Fine, fine. I’ll make sure I earn every cent.”
“I’m sure you will, otherwise I would not be willing to give it to you.” He patted her hand and scooped up the papers once she had finished signing them.
