Page 18 of Iron Willed Warrior

“If that’s what it takes.” But I didn’t want to think about that right now. I needed tonight to regroup. I would touch base with SAC Stanford, let him know what was happening, and then I’d figure out what to do next. Tomorrow. “Do you want a drink?” I noticed Keira didn’t have one yet.

“Dean’s working bar tonight. He does table service. Here he comes.”

A good-looking guy was making his way over to us. He wrapped Keira in a hug, and I noticed the way her face turned dreamy when she was tucked into him for that brief moment.

Then he held out his fist to bump against mine. “So you’re Brynn. Welcome.”

“My reputation precedes me?”

“In a way. I’m a friend of Owen’s.” Dean’s hair curled over his ears and at his nape, overdue for a haircut. Stubble framed his easy-going smile. He winked, handing us a couple of menus.

“Dean is another unofficial Protector,” Keira explained, her tone rich with admiration.

A line appeared between his brows. “Not exactly. I help out with certain things when I can.”

“He served in the USMC, like you, Brynn.”

I felt my expression light up. Always enjoyed meeting a fellow Marine. “Semper Fi. Where were you stationed?”

Dean’s smile stayed, but it wasn’t as carefree as before. “Swapping stories will have to wait. Gotta make my rounds before my customers get restless. What can I get the two of you?”

We ordered a couple of beers and some nachos. After Dean left, I glanced pointedly at Keira. She was biting her lip.

“He got out of here fast,” I said. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

“No, it’s not you. He’s laid back about almost everything, but Dean rarely gets into the specifics of his military service. I wasn’t thinking when I brought it up.”

“Ah.” I understood without needing to know more. Not everyone was able to talk about their deployments. Certainly not with someone they’d just met in a crowded bar, even a fellow Marine.

Keira was staring at the tabletop, so I put my hand over hers. “Not your fault either,” I said. “He’ll know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Dean’s great. He helped rescue Owen’s girlfriend, Genevieve, from a killer last year. The same incident that first brought Cole to Hartley.”

“Right.” I’d heard all about it from River. That had been the Protectors’ first brush with Stillwater.

“Dean was their driver during the rescue op. Owen wants to make him a full Protector, but that’s just not going to happen. Dean doesn’t touch weapons anymore.”

A Marine who’d sworn off violence? I could fill in the blanks for myself. But whatever had really happened in his past, that was Dean’s business. I wasn’t going to push.

Keira sighed, glancing at the bar. “When I told him I was moving to Silver Ridge, Dean looked for a place here too. He’s a snowboarder, and he was excited about the new resort here. He teaches lessons during the day and bartends at night. But he’s kind of a nomad, you know? I have no idea how long he plans to stay in Hart County.”

A different server brought over our beers. Not Dean. We thanked the girl, then sat forward again. I took a longswallow of my drink, enjoying the play of hops and yeast on my tongue.

“You and Dean sound close,” I said.

“Not as close as I’d like to be. I’ve dropped plenty of hints, and he let me down gently.” She rolled her eyes. “He thinks I’m too young.”

“How old are you?” I knew she wasn’t that long out of college, but I didn’t know numbers.

“Twenty-six. Dean’s thirty-four. Barely seems like a difference to me, but I guess he’s seen a lot more of life than I have.”

“Ah,” I said again. This was all becoming clearer. “If he’s a nomad, then maybe he’s doing you a favor, even though it doesn’t feel like it. Plenty of older men wouldn’t turn down the attention of a younger woman. They’d just enjoy her for a while and leave her in the dust.”

Wow, that had sounded bitter.

I laughed to lessen the harshness of what I’d just said. “I’m sorry. You don’t need my cynicism rubbing off on you.”

Keira sipped her beer. “Were you speaking from experience?”

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