Page 50 of Serial Love

Bethany looked askance for a moment at the big bust, big hair, and even bigger smile on the woman behind the bar.

They made their way over to her and Jack boosted Bethany up on a barstool before moving to stand next to her, his large body pressed into hers.

Bethany could not help but smile back as Trudie made her way toward them.

“Trudie, meet Bethany. She owns Mountville Cabins up the road. And this is Trudie, bartender extraordinaire.”

“Oh, don’t pay him any mind, honey. I’m Trudie and I’ve been slinging drinks here for a long time. I remember your grandfather would come in every so often and your grandmother would run into me at the grocery store. Nice to meet the woman that grabbed this here big man.”

Laughing at Trudie’s running commentary, Bethany did not have a chance to respond before they were surrounded by Jack’s men.

Helping Bethany off the stool, Jack snagged her beeras well as his and ushered her to the back table where the others were sitting. He watched her walking in front of him, his eyes naturally drawn to her ass, showcased perfectly in a pair of black cords. Her light blue top dipped in the back, the color making her eyes appear even larger and bluer.

When they got to the table, she could see all seven of Jack’s men were there and several had women with them as well, making for a large group.

She could not remember when she had had so much fun…at least not since she had been at Mountville. She realized how small her world had become, first taking care of Gram and then running the cabins.

Pulling her in tightly, Jack watched her closely. “You okay, babe?”

She twisted her head to look into his face, reaching her hand up to cup his bearded jaw at the same time. Absent-mindedly rubbing her fingers along his cheek, she smiled. “Yeah. It’s been a long time since I was out with friends, just enjoying myself.”

“Wanna give you more of anything you need,” Jack replied, wishing he could take the worry off her shoulders.

“You do, honey. Just by being you.”

Excusing herself to use the lady’s room, she found Trudie at the sink washing her hands. Trudie’s smile beamed at her once more.

“Glad to see you with Jack,” the older woman said. “He and them boys of his have been coming in for the past year. All good men, every one of them. But there was always something about Jack.”

Seeing Bethany’s questioning gaze, Trudie continued, “Them other men? Good people, but a few of them are pretty rowdy with the women who come in here. But hey, the women know the score. Blaise, Bart, and Marc especially are ladies’ men through and through. If it’s puttin’ out, they’re going to tap it!”

Seeing Bethany’s wide eyes, Trudie rushed on. “But Jack? Never seen a man so serious. He’d come in for a beer. Shoot the shit with Chuck, me, or his boys. But then he was all business.” Trudie walked over and patted Bethany’s shoulder. “He needed a good woman…and looks like he found one.” With a wink, the older woman left the room, leaving Bethany to smile to herself as she washed her hands.

As she made her way back to the table, she only had eyes for Jack. But his eyes were focused behind her—and they were pissed. Before she could get to him, a leg was thrown out in front of her blocking her path. Glancing over she saw the smirk of a young, college age man as he grabbed her hand, pulling her over.

“Babe, you looking for a seat?” he said, patting his lap as his table mates laughed.

Jerking her hand back, she was about to retort when Jack charged over, moving her deftly behind him and towering over the table.

“You have a momentary lapse in judgement putting your hands on my woman and your eyes on her ass?” heasked in a growl. “And there’s only one answer that I’ll accept.”

The one who had been openly ogling Bethany as she walked by, trying to impress his friends, now nervously looked to them to see who would back him up. They all sat numbly at the sight of the large, enraged man in front of them.

Bethany pulled on Jack’s shirt. “Honey, I don’t think?—”

Jack whipped his head around, but before he got a word out to her, she was moved gently back a few more feet. Replacing her were the other men, all lined up with equally angry expressions. As she stared at the backs of the testosterone wall in front of her, she could feel her anger rising.I could have taken care of this myself.

“Sorry,” mumbled the young man, embarrassed to be called out publicly, but smart enough to know that one furious mountain of a man was impossible to take on, much less eight of them.

While the men finished theirdiscussionwith the tableful of young men, Trudie slipped behind them and tugged on Bethany’s arm. “Come on, sweetie.”

Bethany allowed Trudie to pull her several feet away toward the back tables.

“Darlin’, I can see you about to get mad, but you gotta let those men do what they’re doing.”

Her lips tight, Bethany stared into the gaze of the older woman. “Trudie, this is barbaric. I know those guys acted foolishly, but it’s not like I’ve never been looked at in a bar before.”

“Not when you were with a man like Jack,” Trudiesaid. “Jack and those men with him are a different breed, darlin’. They hold to tight rules about what a man should and shouldn’t do. And they go into protection mode quicker than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

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