19
JR
“Liam!”I shouted, yanking off my gloves. “I’m heading out for the day.”
He raised his hand, motioning me over. “Christ,” I muttered, knowing I was in for some other lecture. Most likely about Lizzy.
Glancing at my watch, I headed toward the surly bastard, whose temper matched my own. “Yeah?”
“So…you work with Lizzy.”
I waited for more, but that was all he gave me.
“How’s she doing?”
“As usual.”
“But you’re not letting her lift heavy things or do anything that might…somehow hurt the baby, right?”
“I’m not her keeper,” I snapped. “She knows her limits. If you want a guard dog, hire one.”
His head tilted just a little. “I heard that might have been something you did at one time.”
I glanced away, shaking my head at him. “She doesn’t need anyone to watch out for her.”
“She’s all alone,” he argued.
“Imagine that. A woman, pregnant and all alone. That’s a first,” I retorted, walking away from him. I didn’t have time for this shit.
“You know what I mean,” he said, chasing after me. “She’s got no one looking out for her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? The whole town is looking out for her!”
“It’s not the same. Look,” he sighed, his anger leeching into something much more devastated. “We’ve had some trouble with one of the other families lately. I think it’s handled, but with Lizzy being pregnant…” He glanced away, shaking his head. “I need to know someone’s watching out for her. Even if it’s only at the bar.”
I fucking hated being asked to work for free, but there was no way I’d charge him to look after Lizzy. Hell, I’d been doing it since the first day I arrived.
“She’s fine. And as long as I’m at the bar, she’ll remain fine. Got it?”
“Thanks.”
Fuck, I really hated it that I was starting to like this family. Lizzy was already one of the nicest people I’d met, but now the rest of them were growing on me with their kindness and protective spirit. It made me long for that same camaraderie I once had when I was working with Archer. But those days were long gone.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure what he was doing anymore. He kept to himself, and for all I knew, he was working some job around here.
“Listen, I gotta get to the bar. If anything happens, I’ll let you know, but it’s been quiet.”
“And you don’t know anything about this guy?” he asked before I could walk away.
I shook my head. “Who she sleeps with is none of my business, and even if I did know, I wouldn’t say a damn thing.”
I walked away from the job site and got in my truck, sighing when I saw the damn dog waiting in the passenger side for me.
“What the fuck do you want?”
He yipped at me, his tongue wagging playfully.
“I didn’t bring you food, and I sure as shit don’t have any treats for you.”
