Page 28 of Loving Hard on the Highway

It took me a moment to realize he was coming towards me, and I needed to move.

“Why did you think you could leave me, and I wasn’t going to find you?” he said so casually that it made the hairs on my arm stand.

“How did you find me?” I asked, trying to hurry my way back to the door of the bed-and-breakfast.

“I realized you were gone and that your friends, Dumb and Dumber, were giving me the run around.”

“Don’t talk about my friends like that!” I snapped.

“You know better than to raise your fucking voice at me, Gabbie.” Rick was turning red.

“How did you find me here?” I was stalling, trying to keep him talking and not reacting until I could get myself and Ollie inside.

“I was having breakfast at this dump in town and some sexy little milf came in talking about how the girl staying at their little B&B just loved anything with blueberries. How lucky am I?”

“Is everything okay out here?” Skye came rushing out of the house.

“I’m here on official police business,” Rick lied, flashing his badge.

Skye looked at me for confirmation.

“Call the police,” I said to her.

“Okay.” Skye ran back inside for a phone.

“You need to come with me,” Rick insisted.

“I’m not going back to Florida with you.”

“Not Florida, baby. I applied for my old job back, right here.”

“Fuck you,” I snapped, picking up Ollie and running for the door.

The next thing I knew, Rick ripped Ollie away from me, tossing him to the ground, and grabbed my arm.

“I said, you’re coming with me!”

I was 2.1 seconds away from kicking him in the nuts when Rick vanished. I don’t know what in the Jiu-Jitsu Taekwondo just happened, but Sean came out of nowhere and had Rick flipped flat on his back. Then he punched him in the face, knocking him out cold for good measure. To top it off, Ollie came over and peed on his head while he was down.

“Good boy,” Sean picked up Ollie, and we stared at each other. “Are you okay?

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I managed.

“I’m gonna have you… fucking arrested… assaulting a police officer,” Rick mumbled, unable to get up off the ground.

“It’s a good thing I have cameras,” Skye said. “And the cops are on their way.”

“Shit.” Rick lay his head back down, defeated.

“You came back,” I said, still quite stunned.

“I called my brother and my grandpa while I was driving. They said I should come back and try groveling on my knees if I have to.” Sean pointed to Rick. “I don’t know if this qualifies.”

“Were you crying?” I asked, noticing how red his eyes were.

He wiped his cheek. “I will only admit to that if it helps me get you back.”

I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. I reached for him, one hand at his collarbone, fingers brushing his jaw. He stood like a man bracing for something he’d nearly stopped believing in.

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