Page 36 of Her Rugged Guardian

When I made it to within ten feet of the street, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. There was no one there. The sun had been playing tricks on me and nothing more. At least that’s what I’d continued to tell myself so I could feel less like an idiot.

I spun around, hissing under my breath but something caught my eye. As I peered down, a series of cold shivers slammed into my spine.

Right there in the gravel was a crushed cigarette butt.

And it was still smoking.

CHAPTER 12

Jake

I was a card-carrying shithead. There was no other term for leaving Cassandra’s house before the crack of dawn. I’d fallen asleep next to the stunning woman fully intending on waking up next to her. But when I’d jerked up, staring into the darkness of the pre-dawn hours, it had felt like I was having a heart attack. My ridiculous condition had nothing to do with the beautiful girl.

I was the one who was completely fucked up. I’d crept out of her house like a criminal, not even waking the sleeping dog. I’d slunk back to my house, jumping in the shower, allowing the hot water to remove the lingering sweet scent.

Now I hated myself for it.

I’d even jumped into the truck before she’d had a chance to wake up and realize what a jerk I was, driving around for a couple of hours aimlessly before heading to finish work on an odd job that I’d started two months before.

The craziest thing of all was that I’d driven into the parking lot of Millie’s Diner and hadn’t even realized it until the flashing neon ‘open’ sign had finally grabbed my attention. It was lunchtime and I was hungry but I wasn’t certain I could stand the thought of eating. Yet I climbed out, rubbing my hands on my jeans, and shoved aside the nerves that always came with being criticized. I should be used to it by now, but some days it was tougher on me than others.

Maybe because I’d felt so exposed the night before, my nerves were on edge more than normal. Hell, I’d worked hard over the years to become rough around the edges, unfazed by nasty barbs and innuendoes. Today felt as if I was starting over and I didn’t like it one bit.

For about a million reasons, heading into the place felt wrong. I hadn’t stepped foot inside for almost two years. The local restaurant was the gossip zone of the entire town; everyone who was anyone ate at the diner at least once a week, but it wasn’t for the food. Granted, what Millie and her daughter Becca served was comfort food, but there were other restaurants that put their food to shame.

The reason the place was always packed was because two women in town were always able to hunt down anything anyone wanted to know. Who was screwing around on whom? Done. There were no secrets when it came to the bedroom. Who’d cheated on their taxes? Easy. Who had a gambling problem? That was a piece of cake.

Maybe the reason I’d decided to break through another barrier and eat breakfast inside was to see if Jolene Baxter was sitting on her normal barstool, pumping the eager guests with the latest tidbits of information. If not, then Millie usually filled her shoes,although since allowing Becca to handle the management, Millie didn’t show up as often as she once had.

That didn’t mean the woman didn’t have her finger on the pulse of Depoe Bay.

What I didn’t want to happen was for anyone to get the wrong idea about Cassandra. Since Millie had run into her at the grocery store, there was more than a good chance of that happening. Maybe I could at least stop that shit before it got ugly. Why did I even care? I’d never given a shit about the gossip mill before. Or had I?

At least they’d grown tired of talking about me, or so Bart had told me.

I swaggered toward the door, taking a deep breath before walking inside. True to form, Jolene was sitting on her stool, the one that allowed her to talk to the most people without interfering with service. The chatter was as loud as the country music coming from the old-fashioned jukebox and the clatter of utensils against plates. The place was crowded, every booth occupied. Fortunately for me, a single stool at the counter was being vacated by someone I didn’t know.

The moment I slipped onto it, my arrival was noticed. Within seconds, everyone stopped talking altogether, almost everyone turning to stare at me. Or maybe the term was gawk at the freak.

Becca was at the end of the counter, filling a coffee cup for one of the regulars. How did I know he’d been coming to the diner for years? Because my mom used to bring me here after hockey practice a long time ago.

Before my life had started a downward spiral.

As Becca headed in my direction, a smile crossed her face and as stupid as it seemed to me, I was relieved.

“Hey ya, stranger. It’s good to see you inside my happy little establishment.”

“Yeah, I’ve just been busy.”

“I heard you were the best contractor in town. I might need to talk to you about some work I need to have done.”

“Any time. You know how to get ahold of me.” I’d crushed on Becca a long time before. She’d been a senior while I’d been a lowly sophomore. She’d been the geek and I’d been the hockey jock, not a match made in heaven, but we’d become friends until I’d left for college while she’d stayed behind.

“Yeah, I do. Do you want some coffee?”

“I’d love some.”

She grabbed a cup, pouring it full. “What brings you out?”

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