The conviction in her tone made my heart race. My hand shook as I reached for a rag to swipe some crumbs off the counter. “We’re just friends, Ruby.”
Her eyes narrowed with interest. “You’ve been living in Mustang Mountain now for how long?”
“Just over a year.”
“That’s right. And in all that time, I haven’t heard you talk about going on a single date. Why’s that, sugar?”
My mouth went dry. I’d been working at the Merc for almost a year and had recently started helping Ruby with the rental cabins she owned. She’d been friendly and looked out for me, but she hadn’t pried into my personal life beyond the details she’d needed when I got hired.
“I’m not really interested in dating right now.” I moved around her, continuing to wipe down a spotless section of the counter. “My ex and I had a pretty bad break up, and I haven’t felt like putting myself back out there yet.”
Ruby’s eyes softened. “That makes sense. Is that why you moved to Mustang Mountain? To get away?”
Biting down on my lip, I nodded. “He was in a MC. Things got,”—I struggled to find the right words without giving too much away—“let’s just say, he ended up not being a good guy.”
“I suspected as much.” Ruby set her hand on mine. “They asked me not to say anything, but one of your friends called looking for you a few days ago. She said you’d been through a lot and wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You’ve got a lot of strength inside you to be able to pull yourself out of a situation like that.”
Feeling completely violated, I pulled my hand out from under hers. I didn’t have any friends. My ex made sure of that. No one knew where I was headed when I fled. That meant he’d found me. “Who called?”
“She didn’t leave a name.” Ruby tilted her head. “Everything okay, Poppy?”
The kindness in her eyes made me feel guilty for reacting the way I did, but knowing someone was looking for me increased the tightness in my chest. I swallowed hard and tried to will my pulse to slow down. “I’m not feeling very well. Do you care if I take my break now?”
Ruby rested a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not saying you have to give Crank a chance, but I do want you to know that light can come out of the darkness. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you, okay?”
I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak.
“Why don’t you go ahead and head out? I can cover the counter here and you can get out and enjoy this gorgeous day.It’s only a matter of time before the weather turns.” She pulled her hand back and picked up the rag I’d abandoned on the counter.
“I don’t mind finishing my shift.” Plus, I could use the hours. Rent on the small cabin where I’d been staying halfway up the mountain ate up quite a bit of my paycheck. I didn’t plan on spending the rest of my days working at the Mercantile, but it had been the perfect place to catch my breath while I tried to work out a plan on what I wanted to do next. With Ruby confirming my location to a stranger on the phone, it was time to start putting a new plan into motion. If only I had one.
“Maybe just a little early, then. You’ve been putting in a lot of long hours lately. It’s supposed to be beautiful here all week. I hear the wildflowers are still blooming up around Bliss Lake. I’m sure Jonas or Jensen has a community hike scheduled in the next few days you could join.”
The ability to get out and enjoy nature had been one of the big draws that brought me to Mustang Mountain. I always seemed to think clearer when I was outside. “Thanks. I’ll see if they’ve got one going on tomorrow afternoon. That group you rented to is checking out of the big cabin in the morning, so I’m planning on turning it over right away.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without your help around here.” Ruby put her hand to her temple and shook her head. “You’ve been a godsend helping out with the cabins.”
“I appreciate the extra income. It’s been a win-win for us both.”
“Oh, excuse me, dear.” Ruby looked toward the back door where our regular delivery guy had started bringing in a few boxes. “I need to go deal with some deliveries. Just wait until you see some of the fall items I’m bringing in. You’re going to love them.”
My heart felt heavy as I watched her make her way over to sign for the boxes. It was going to be hard to find somewhere to settle down that I loved as much as Mustang Mountain, but it was time. As soon as I came up with a plan, I’d have to give Ruby notice. Now that someone from my past knew where I was, I wouldn’t be able to stay.
CHAPTER 3
CRANK
I keptan eye on the front of the Merc as I pulled into a spot across the street. Since the shit with the Savage Bones had been going down, I typically hung out downtown during the day. It gave me the chance to make sure they didn’t cause any trouble and let me keep an eye on Poppy. I didn’t like being away from her, but Atlas, the club president, had sent me on a few errands doing club business this afternoon.
Before I had a chance to kill the engine, Poppy came out of the Mercantile. Ruby must have let her go early since she usually didn’t head home until late afternoon. My chest squeezed tight. What if I’d missed her? She made her way down the sidewalk to where she’d left her car. My gaze followed. It had only been a couple of hours since I’d been sitting on the opposite side of the counter from her, but I felt her absence like a fucking hole in my heart.
It didn’t make sense—the depth of my feelings for the curvy redhead. The first time I saw her, I knew deep down in my soul that we were meant to be together. Yeah, I felt like I’d lost my mind a bit, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to make sure she was safe until I could leave the club and we could be together. It’s notlike I was actually stalking her—I was just looking out for her. I’d add that to the list of little white lies I kept telling myself.
The sun made her hair look like it was on fire. My fingers ached to slide through the silky strands and pull her head back to meet my gaze. Then I’d stare down into her beautiful blue-green eyes before I lowered my mouth to claim hers.
Fuck. I adjusted myself. Riding around with a hard-on wasn’t on my to-do list for this afternoon.
Poppy disappeared as she got into the tin can she called a car. I had plans to get her something safer to drive once we got together. For now, I needed to lie low and try not to come off as a creep. That meant keeping my head down and protecting her from a distance.
