I nodded. “So, we invite him in?”
34
Micah
“I’ll take him to town.”
Christa’s brows rose. “I thought you couldn’t drive in this.”
“Shouldn’t. But Pete Carter plowed the road down to where the power crews worked today and the county plowed up to that level. We can get out in my truck.”
I tried to suck in a deep breath and only filled my lungs about halfway. Why’d they hurt so much?
“So…you’d take him down and come back?” She didn’t look any happier about it than I felt. Which was good, I guess.
I didn’t mention that by the time we got down there, the roads would be refrozen and I couldn’t drive back up. I moved to the fire, threw in a couple logs to safeguard my pipes from freezing, as much as possible.
“I can drop you at your place, too.” I flashed a smile her way. “You can be with your grandma for Christmas.”
“Oh.” She ran her hand over my desk, looking…sad, maybe? Couldn’t be. She’d be going home. Should be ecstatic.
“We’ll bring the dogs.”
“Okay.”
The asshole stomped across the porch and pounded at my door. Could I keep myself from pounding in his skull?
Ignoring him, I breathed deeply and eyed her bare feet. “You need shoes.”
“What are you, like size 14?”
“We’ll stuff ’em with socks.”
At her nod, I went and packed a bag full of extra clothes, a sleeping bag, a couple blankets, just in case, and a bunch of dog food. She slipped into a pair of my boots and, though she claimed to look clownish and ridiculous, I’d never seen anything more adorable in my life.
Fuck, I had it bad.
“Hey, man!” Crandle pounded at the door again. “I’ll pay you! Just let me in.”
The only reply he got was the dogs barking.
With everything packed and Christa all bundled up, I sucked in a regretful breath and reached for the front door.
“Hey, guys, what’s the—”
“Taking you to town.”
“Oh, man. That’s great. Great, thank you. You can drop me at—”
“The city limits. You can get a cab from there. Or a schmuber or whatever the fuck it is assholes like you get around in.”
“Well, hey, that’s a little—”
The pressure in my skull popped. I dropped my bag to the snow, turned, and grabbed him by the collar of his ridiculous bomber jacket. With my face real close to his, I whispered, “The only reason you’re standing right now is ’cause Christa wouldn’t let me beat your face in. As far as I’m concerned, you’re nothing but a sub-human piece of excrement. If she’d let me, I’d break every bone in your body.” I dropped him to the ground, but kept my hold for a few beats longer. “Butshegets to choose because she’s the one you hurt with your fuckhead actions. So, be glad you’re alive and not just a puddle of meat and blood in the snow.” I let him go, turned to the truck, and opened up the tailgate. “You’re riding in back.”
When he opened his mouth to argue, I threw him one of the blankets and opened the passenger door for Christa and the girls. We settled in and I inched the truck down the drive.
After a few minutes, Christa turned to me. “I don’t even want to look.”
