by T. J. Kline
“Jake,” Brandon scolded him. “She’s just trying to help Buster.”
“With more drugs.”
“No,” she answered slowly, trying to quench her temper. “But I don’t want him stressed out more than he needs to be at this point, either. Just until he settles back in again.”
“You need to put him down.”
“What?” She spun on Jake in disbelief. “Because he’s pacing?”
“And voicing his discomfort. He’s going to start getting violent if this keeps up.”’
“I’ll make some calls and see if I can’t find a rescue with a larger enclosure, one where he can move around more and climb.” She glanced back at Buster, rubbing his face over the chain link fencing, searching for a way out of his predicament and she felt her heart clench.
“No, you won’t.” He shoved his worn cowboy hat back off his forehead. “Because you’re still trying to turn these animals into something they aren’t. If they can’t be rehabilitated and rereleased, they need to be put down.” He pointed a finger at the mountain lion. “Doing that to him is inhumane.”
“I’m not euthanizing him because some idiot unlocked his cage. It’s not Buster’s fault.”
“I think you need to at least consider what he’s saying, Emma,” Brandon said, his quiet voice surprising her. “Buster may not be at fault but Jake’s right. This isn’t fair to him. He’s miserable now.”
Jake crossed his arms, widening his stance, as if daring her to push this further. Brandon was usually the voice of reason between them when they disagreed, which was practically hourly. But, she couldn’t euthanize Buster, not because someone used him to target her. She didn’t want his death on her conscience.
“Let’s see if he calms down after a few days.”
Jake tipped his chin up. “And what happens when he turns on someone? You think I’m taking that blame? Or that risk?”
“I didn’t ask you to—”
“If you keep him here, Emma, you are.” Brandon took a step closer to his brother, making her wonder when this had come to taking sides. “What would your father have done?”
She’d had enough of people questioning her decisions for the sanctuary, enough of Jake’s open animosity and disrespect for her position. Sierra Tracks was hers now and she needed to run it her way.
“You know what, you’re right.”
“I know I am.” Jake’s stance relaxed slightly and he tucked his hands into his pockets which seemed to pacify Brandon as well.
“And you shouldn’t be worried about your safety while you’re working.”
“Exactly.”
Brandon shot her a sideways glance, narrowing his eyes as if curious about her sudden acquiesce.
“You should probably grab your gear and leave.”
“What?”
“What?” Brandon repeated. “You can’t—”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. I can, and I just did.”
“But Conrad said—” Brandon sputtered, choking on his words.
Emma didn’t give either of them the opportunity to say more. “I’m the one in charge now. I don’t know what went on between you and my father, or why he was willing to listen to some of your ideas, especially when they contradicted what he told me for years he wanted for Sierra Tracks, but I’m not going to have anyone here who doesn’t believe in the way I’m doing things. We’ve obviously come to that point.”
“What?” Jake sputtered again. “Your dad hired me. He wanted me in charge.”
His words were a knife to her heart, chipping away at her confidence. Emma took a deep breath, steeling herself. Maybe her father had wanted him in charge, or wanted them to work together, but that wasn’t the way it turned out.
“I understand that the two of you worked well together but I can’t say the same about us. So, thank you for what you’ve accomplished here over the past few years, but this is where we part ways. I’ll have your final check ready for you in the morning.”
Jake clamped his jaw shut with a snap. She could see the muscle twitching with his rage as he glowered at her. “You’ll regret this. I promise you.”
Spinning on his heel, Jake headed back to the main office, gravel kicking up behind his boots.
Not any more than I regret keeping you here so long.
“Emma, you can’t do this.” Brandon watched his brother walk away. “You’re barely keeping the place afloat now.”
“I understand your loyalty to your brother, Brandon. I really do. But the conflict between us was causing more problems than it was solving.”
“Then you’ll understand why I can’t stay?”
She’d thought he might follow his brother. “I really hate to see you leave, Brandon. Where your brother and I butt heads, you and I tend to see eye to eye.”
“Do we?” His eyes were suddenly cold, almost callous, as he pinched his mouth into a thin line and shook his head. “Because if we did, you wouldn’t have fired Jake. Jake,” he called, running after his older brother. “Wait up. I’m coming too.”
Emma watched them leave. As worried as she was about finding someone to replace Jake, or running the facility without him, and as disappointed as she was to see Brandon leave, she couldn’t deny that it felt like a weight had just been lifted from her shoulders. It was as if the negativity was exiting the premises with them.
“That bitch has no idea who she’s dealing with.”
Ben instantly recognized Jake’s voice from where he sat with Angie in the bar. He quickly glanced around, praying Emma wasn’t here and saw him sitting in the back corner with his brother and a few other friends. But Emma was nowhere in sight.
He still hadn’t gotten up the nerve to call her. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say. And the more time that went by, the less certain he was that there was anything he could say to make it right. He’d hurt her, although he still wasn’t entirely sure what he’d said or done, and he wanted to fix it.
In truth, the past two days had been hell. Every moment had been consumed with thoughts about her—was she okay, which animal was she working with, what could he do to help her—and being on duty had only made it harder because he struggled to maintain focus to keep his crew safe. He had to keep his mind on his duty and not on a woman who’d made it clear that she didn’t want him around.
They’d put out three grass fires in the last forty-eight hours, thanks to people and their damn cigarettes. Between the fires and the tossing and turning he’d done, trying not to think about Emma, he was beat. But when Angie offered to buy him a beer after their shift, he didn’t turn her down. Not only did he need to wind down but it gave him a reason not to call Emma.
Besides, Angie didn’t drink often but when she did, it was never just one and always because of trouble with a guy. It was safer for him to keep an eye on her and drive her home rather than leave her to her own devices.
“Pipe down, Jake,” his friends said, slapping his shoulder and sliding a beer his direction. “You didn’t like working for her as it was.” Ben caught a glimpse of Brandon trying to calm his brother as he waved the waitress over for another round.
“That doesn’t mean I can afford to be unemployed. Damn bitch! That place is going to crash and burn without me.” Jake slid off the side of his chair and landed on his ass.
Brandon pulled him back up. “Shut up. We’ll be fine and I’ll take care . . .”
Ben missed the rest of what Brandon said as Angie continued to bemoan her latest ex, a lowlife who wrecked her car while he was out on a date with another woman.
“I can’t believe that cocksucker . . .” Angie slapped a hand on the top of the table. “Hey! Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah,” he lied, watching from the corner of his eye as Jake wobbled and fell against the side of the table. The man was completely smashed and he was tempted to go over to find out whether Emma had actually fired him and why.
She tipped her head to one side, her dark hair falling over one s
houlder, brown eyes gleaming with humor. “Really?”
“Okay, halfway,” Ben admitted with a lopsided grin.
“Why do I even bother talking to you? You haven’t been on a date in at least a year and a half.”
“Because I’m the only guy at the station that isn’t trying to get into your pants.”
She rolled her eyes before they took on a hopeful gleam. “You think Ryan might be interested?”
“Are you kidding, woman? That is why you end up sitting here with me. Because you keep picking assholes. Why don’t you pick a guy who’s interested in more than just a one-night stand?”
“Because I’d end up with a guy like you, Ben. A sweet guy with marriage on his mind. I’m not ready for that.”
“I don’t have marriage on my mind.” He ran his fingers over the condensation gathering on the glass of ice water in front of him.
“Pshhh.” Angie waved a hand at him and downed the rest of her beer. “Sure, you don’t. You are Mr. Responsible, Always-Do-The-Right-Thing, Put-A-Ring-On-It. Maybe if you’d been more impulsive or spontaneous, we’d still be together.”
Ben tipped his head to one side, the corner of his mouth quirking in doubt. “That wasn’t the reason we split up.”
“I know, I know. I guess Colby cheating on me is karma for what I did to you.” Angie rolled her eyes, and reached for his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “Trust me, I wish I could have made myself feel that way about you. But you’re like a brother to me.”
“And I’m totally okay with that.” It was funny how Angie cheating on him and dumping him for another man had led them to this point of their odd but working friendship. He lifted his glass in a toast. “To making better decisions in the future.”
“You drink to that. I’m drinking to misbehaving tonight.” Angie clinked her beer bottle against his glass, her gaze shooting toward the door of the bar as it opened. Ben didn’t miss the instant interest there just before she tossed back what little was left of her beer. She rose and dragged her hand over his shoulder. “Head home, McQuaid. I just found my ride for the night.”
He watched as she strolled over to where Ryan and Kevin, the two probies in the department, including the one he’d knocked around a bit, made their way to the bar to order drinks. Sliding one arm around each, Angie’s body language would be difficult to mistake. She wasn’t going home alone and she could take her pick of which man she wanted, or both, which left him free to head home.
“I’m going to kill that fucking bitch the next time I see her.” Jake’s voice carried across the pool tables and the televisions tuned to some sports talk show. “Please, tell me that’s her truck.”
“Where?” Brandon tried to pull his brother away from the windows that ran the length of the wall.
“Right there, and if she so much as sets foot in here—”
Ben saw Emma’s truck parked a few spots from the front doors and heard the chirp of her car alarm. Jake was already staggering toward the front doors, ready to meet her at the entrance. As much as Ben had wanted to reconcile with Emma, it looked like he was going to have to rescue her first.
Now, he had to figure out how to rescue a woman who didn’t even understand she needed saving?
Chapter Sixteen
It was time to celebrate.
Emma had let Monica and Sadie know that Jake and Brandon were both gone and, assuring them that Jake wouldn’t be setting foot on the property again.
After everyone had left for the night, Emma had big plans to do nothing more than soak in a bubble bath with a glass of Merlot but she couldn’t quite shake her restlessness. But unlike poor Buster, she had a newfound grip on her freedom and she was going to make the most of it, even if it meant braving the people from town who weren’t exactly fans right now. She was tired of holing up on the property. She had nothing to hide. Between that realization and shedding the millstone Jake had been around her neck, Emma felt like nothing was going to bring her down tonight.
Emma even had a little skip in her step as she jogged up the stairs to the front door of Know Place, Hidden Falls’ solitary sports bar. Tonight she was going to have a beer or two, play a game of pool and show the people in this town that this was her home, just as much as theirs. She hadn’t felt this carefree since coming back to town and it felt good.
The door was tugged open from inside as she reached for it. “Nope, not tonight, turn around.”
Standing in front of her, as solid a barrier as any brick wall, was Ben in cargo pants and a navy t-shirt with a Hidden Falls Fire Department emblem on it. His broad shoulders blocked some of the noise and nearly all of the light from inside. Her body broke out in goose bumps. She might not be able to see his face, but she knew it was him.
“Excuse me?” She tried to take a step forward, expecting him to back up. Instead, he moved toward her, pulling the door shut behind him and forcing her to take a step backward. “Kindly move.”
“You’re not going in there, Emma.”
“Oh, yes I am.” She planted her fists on her hips. Just who did he think he was? “You don’t get to—”
“Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.” He frowned and glanced backward at the closed door and the commotion coming from inside, growing louder by the moment. “Turn around and get back in your truck.”
“Who the hell do you think you—Hey!” she yelled as she was suddenly flipped upside down over his shoulder and lifted from the ground. How freaking tall was he anyway? She felt like she was twenty feet off the ground. Emma wrapped her arms around his waist to keep from falling. “Put me down!”
“Not until you agree to go home.”
The concrete blurred with every long stride he took across the parking lot, his shoulder jabbing into her diaphragm, his amazing ass just inches away from her face. If she wasn’t so distracted with possibility of tumbling headfirst to the ground, she might appreciate the view more.
“McQuaid, you’d better put me down this instant,” she ordered, doing her best to force authority into her voice when her palms were itching to cup his rounded bottom.
“Or what?” She could hear it in his voice. He didn’t think she’d do anything.
“Last time I’m asking,” Emma warned.
As exhilarating as it was frightening, Emma couldn’t help but be slightly turned on by his caveman approach. Ben made her feel like she was stepping off a cliff and free-falling, but she trusted him to catch her, even if she couldn’t explain why. She kicked her feet slightly, letting them connect with his abs, but not hard enough to cause any pain, but with enough pressure to make him realize that she wasn’t going to be manhandled, not even if his manhandling was actually gentle.
When he didn’t react, she kicked her foot against his stomach again and his arm tightened around her legs behind her knees, locking her legs in place. He slapped one hand against her butt, making it sting slightly and causing her to yelp with surprise. It might have been unexpected, but it certainly wasn’t painful or unpleasant. Her body instantly responded to his hand on her rear, growing warm and tingly. Unfortunately, her mind reacted the way she’d learned in self-defense class. Clasping her hands, she brought them down against his lower back.
Ben grunted and dropped her onto her feet under a light in the parking lot. Trying to regain her bearings, she shook her head and took a step back, bumping her hip against the vehicle beside her. “Ow! Damn it!”
“Shit, Emma.” He bent over, reaching one hand to his lower back, massaging where she’d caught him in the kidney.
“I told you to put me down,” she pointed out. “I’m not some fire hose for you to throw around.”
“Damn, you make it hard to be nice to you.” He looked up and the light bathed his face. One cheek had a monstrous goose egg already forming near a cut beside his eye, his lower lip was split and swollen and she could see several bruises already forming.
“What happened?” All thoughts of him trying to force her to leave against her will fled as two new ones t
ook their place—he was hurt and she’d just added to his injuries.
She reached her fingers to the split at the corner of his lower lip, spinning to locate her truck only to realize they were already beside it. Lifting the back hatch of the cover over the bed, Emma flipped the tailgate down. “Here, sit.”
Digging for her keys in her pocket, she unlocked the vehicle and pulled the first aid kit from under her backseat, setting it beside him at the back of the truck. “Talk.”
“About what?” He pressed his thumb against his bloody lip and eyed the front of the bar again. “The fact that we should leave?”
She arched a brow. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened and how you ended up looking like . . . well, this.” She waved a hand at his battered face.
The front door of the bar opened and his gaze immediately shot toward it. He sighed when no one exited. “Jake’s inside.”
He acted like that explained everything. It didn’t tell her anything at all. She took a step back and crossed her arms, waiting for him to explain.
“You fired him?”
“Not that it’s any of your business but, yes.”
She opened a bottle of water from the case she kept in the back of her truck and dug some sterile gauze pads from her gear, tearing open the packaging and wetting the cotton. She moved closer to him, looking at the various cuts on his face to determine which was in most dire need of treatment. Dabbing the wet pad at the cut on his cheek, she cleaned away the coagulating blood.
“He’s not happy about it.”
She lifted her brows. “Would you expect him to be? I just fired him after five years working with my father.”
His fingers closed over her wrist, making her stomach tumble and her pulse throb. “Why?”
She met his intense gaze with one of her own. “For the same reason I asked you to leave. It’s time I surround myself with people who trust in me, and people whom I can trust.”
“You don’t trust me?” She could hear the disenchantment in his voice as she slid her wrist from his gentle grip.
