Page 9 of Cowboy's Last Stand
Jason wasn’t finished yet.He leaned toward Billy and applied more pressure to the hold.“If you bother her again, I’ll find you, and I’ll make you wish you were dead.You won’t be able to walk away next time.Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” Billy said, gasping in pain.“Yes.”
Jason released him and climbed off.He picked up the brass knuckles, just in case.Then he gestured for Billy to get lost.
Natalie retrieved her phone from her purse.Wade Hendricks was on her list of contacts.He was a deputy in the sheriff’s department and the only Hendricks worth his salt.Her finger hovered over the call button.If this didn’t end right now, she’d call him.Billy got up and followed the Stoddard brothers to their classic car.They staggered away like wounded dogs and drove away in a squeal of tires.
Natalie almost collapsed with relief.She drew in several shuddering breaths to regain her bearings.She’d never been a part of a physical altercation before.
“Are you hurt?”Jason asked.
She blinked at the question.“Am I hurt?Are you kidding?”
“No.”
“You’re the one bleeding.”
He swiped at his forehead, impatient.“I’m fine.”
She was still holding half a brick in one hand.She let it fall to the wet grass with a thud.
“I owe you one,” he said.“You wield a mean brick.”
“It wasn’t a fair fight,” she murmured.Her entire body was shaking.She put her phone in her pocket and studied him.Another trickle of blood coursed from his temple to his jaw.After a hazy moment, she searched her bag for something to stanch the flow.She had a panty-liner.She unwrapped the feminine item and handed it to him.
He held it to his forehead with a smile.“Thanks.”
She didn’t understand his pleased expression.Had he enjoyed the battle?“I think you need stitches.”
“Nah.”
Rain continued to fall in a soft mist, creating a halo around them.The wound at his temple was still bleeding despite the maxi-pad application.
“I live right here,” she said finally, pointing at her house.“You can come in and get cleaned up.”
“All right,” he said.He retrieved his backpack without any difficulty and picked up his discarded cowboy hat.Other than the cut on his forehead, he seemed no worse for the wear.He gestured down the street.“Are you going to leave your car there?”
“I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
As they walked the short distance together, she second-guessed her offer.She wasn’t usually so reckless about personal safety.She’d taken a risk by helping Jason fight off his attackers.She was taking another risk by offering first aid.She didn’t invite men into her home.He was a stranger and obviously a loose cannon.The fact that he’d beaten up the bad guys didn’t make him agoodguy.
“Where are you staying?”she asked.
“I was going to sleep in the park.”
She searched his face for signs of deception.If he wanted to impress her, he wouldn’t say he’d been planning to sleep in the park like a vagrant.There was something strange about him, but she didn’t think he was lying.
“You can’t afford a hotel?”
“I can afford it,” he said.“I just prefer to sleep outside.”
“Even in the rain?”
“I have a waterproof tent.”
They’d arrived at the front of her house.The porch light was on.She gestured for him to join her as she ascended the steps.It occurred to her that she didn’t have to invite him inside.She could help him right here, on the glider.“Have a seat.”
He shrugged out of his backpack and sat down.The glider squeaked under his weight.He gave his hat a cursory inspection, as if checking for blood smears, before he set it aside.Natalie was making a mental list of first aid supplies when her babysitter, London, burst out of the house.The screen door, which had been hanging from its hinges, fell clean off.
