Yeah, there it was. The anger that lay under her polished exterior. The temper that had led her to me, her big mistake, two years ago.
I left her there, glaring after me. Once, when I was a newcomer to the US, she’d provided a welcome pair of arms. A warm body for a cold, lonely man.
Never would I go back to that sad place. No matter what it could gain me.
6
Fraternising
Autumn
Almost two weeks into life as small-town residents, things were getting cosy. With Benjamin content, and the fun I was having earning money at the bar, it was easy to agree to stay a while longer.
Here felt a million miles from jails and court cases, from my family’s name being dragged through the mud. From the fear that had me fleeing with barely a plan.
I knew I needed to check in on that world—there had been a new set of charges pending, both on Dad and Tabby—but if I looked up the case and found that somehow I’d been implicated, I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep at night.
At least for a few more days, I’d play dumb.
Besides, it was December eighteenth, and the festive season was in full swing. The customers at Bhaltair’s were in high spirits, and the tips had my emergency fund swelling.
I still didn’t have a car. The hire place had promised me a replacement vehicle, and they’d taken away the one I’d damaged, but after that, things had stalled.
My fault, apparently. Originally, when I’d booked with them, I’d paid in cash and given them my Scottish address. Now, I refused to give them Lena’s address or my credit card details to allow them to adjust the payment. They refused to deliver the car to Hank’s as it wasn’t where I was staying.
We’d hit a stalemate.
But I had two legs and a ton of nervous energy to burn so, this morning, I put my head down and set off on a wintery walk for my shift at the bar.
Most other times I’d needed a ride, Lena or her husband had provided it, but today—the coldest since we’d arrived—I was out of luck.
The long, snow-covered road spread out ahead of me, and an icy wind had me huddling into my jacket. In my bag, I had the second vampire novel, ready for when I took a break and could fit in some cosy reading in front of the fire. That, plus thoughts of Bull and a bowl of his life-giving stew, kept me going.
I was half frozen by the time an engine roared behind me.
The car slowed, and I peeked up to see Bull’s truck skid to a halt.
He wound down the window and looked me over. Then he opened his mouth. “Hello, Autumn.”
I pressed my lips together. “Hello, Bull. Driving too fast again, I see.”
He huffed. “Get in.”
“What if I like the walk?”
“In.” He cracked open the passenger-side door.
I rounded the vehicle and climbed inside. Warmth enveloped me, and I shivered violently.
“Where’s your car?” Bull checked over his shoulder and shot off.
“I hit it with a rock wall, remember? The company refused to replace it.” There were other companies I’d try when it came time to move on. I hadn’t taken up Hank’s offer as it seemed too personal a favour to ask.
“How have you been getting to and from work?”
“Lifts. Or walking.”
Under his thick black beard, his jaw locked. “Weather’s coming in. Ye cannae walk home in it tonight.”
I shrugged. “Where in Scotland are you from?”
He shot me a glare. “Didnae ye hear me?”
“Yep, I just chose to ignore you. It’s none of your business how I travel.”
“You work for me.”
“Yes, in your bar. There, you can boss me around all you like. Out here? Not a chance.”
There was something so enjoyable about baiting him. Our little encounters were the highlight of my day. He was almost a complete stranger, but we’d fallen into a pattern that was so familiar.
I flirted with him. He gave me long, serious looks that hit me square in the hormones.
The guy had no idea how attractive he was.
Or how the chemistry between us kept me awake at night while the rest of the house slept soundly. When Benjamin lay spread-eagled in his cot in the kids’ room, and I stared at the pale walls and let my mind drift to a hard, huge male body.
I didn’t know what Bull made of me, but I wanted to find out.
Bull shifted in his seat. “What book is that?”
“What?”
He indicated with his head to my bag. I’d opened it to shove my damp gloves inside. The vampire story poked out.
“Do you know who Stephanie Meyer is?”
“Aye, just about.” He snorted. “Your vampire comment on the day we met makes more sense now.”
A laugh escaped me. “You remember that?”
The side of his mouth curved. “Aye. Of course.”
“Is that because I’m so unforgettable?” I batted my lashes, wet where the ice on them was defrosting.
He huffed then went quiet for a moment. “There are tours that go to the sites named in the book. They stop off at the bar sometimes.”
“I really need to go on one of those before I leave.” I switched my gaze to the thick forest.
Silence held in the car. Then, “When do ye go?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Where are ye going?”
“I’m not sure of that yet either.” I realised my mistake as soon as I spoke. I sounded like a woman without a plan, which wasn’t exactly true. I’d run and run if I got a sniff that we’d been found. No comfortable home or mild flirtation with my boss could lure me away from securing Benjamin’s safety.
I’d run until our money ran out, and then I’d crawl.
Bull kept his gaze on the road ahead, but his muscles tightened. We pulled into the town without further conversation.
But as I unclipped my seatbelt, he put out a hand to pause my actions. He didn’t touch me, but the slight invasion of my personal space gave me butterflies.
“We look out for our own around here. The town’s a good place to live and a better place to raise bairns.” He retracted his hand and jabbed it into his overlong hair, like he had more to say but didn’t know where to start.
I wanted to ask about his son—I hadn’t dared ask the staff at the bar. It seemed so personal, and they were all fiercely loyal to him.
I also wanted him to turn his dark gaze on me.
When I teased him, when he gave me that stare, it weakened my knees. There was a depth to him I couldn’t start to understand, and that I had no business trying to undercover. He’d taken me on with no background checks, his bar manager paid me in cash, though I was pretty sure they both knew I was illegal, and he asked no questions.
I didn’t think I was special—there were one or two other people on his staff who I suspected he helped in the same fashion. But it was a kindness I couldn’t ignore.
“You’re a good man,” I said by way of answer.
Then I stopped short. Because he did it. He gave me the look. A searing, branding stare fluttering over my features before dropping to my mouth.
But now, I wasn’t teasing, and he wasn’t disapproving. Instead, it was just the two of us in a confined space.