Hard to do when he was skinny-dipping.
“I shouldn’t have to dodge bullets on my own property. My girlfriend was with me today, and the boys scared her half to death.”
Okay, so Alexa had acted calmer than Nolan, but she sure hadn’t been happy about the situation. Nolan didn’t feel too guilty using a little poetic licence, not when the Hayes family had been causing him headaches for years.
“Your girlfriend? The city girl you were with at the Cranstons’ place? I didn’t realise you’d met someone serious, not after Lisanne up and left like that.”
Thanks for the reminder. “Alexa is an old friend. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, but we ran into each other a couple of months back and decided to give things a try.”
A try. That made it sound as if failure was an option. Had the mention of marriage freaked Alexa out? Nolan thought it might have, but he’d kept his feelings bottled up for years, and now they were bubbling over like warm champagne.
“I’m happy for you, Nolan.” Donna didn’t sound happy. She sounded sad. “Maybe we’ll meet her properly someday?”
“She travels a lot. You want me to stick around to talk with Bo?”
“Oh, no, that’s a bad idea. Bo don’t listen to nobody when it comes to the boys, not even Deputy Warnock.”
That wasn’t surprising. Jim Warnock had the backbone of a jellyfish and the personality of limp arugula. He’d only gotten the job because his daddy used to be Sheriff. Bo wouldn’t rein in his sons, and Donna couldn’t. And Nolan was sick of dealing with the fallout. He felt guilty for getting firm with an abused woman, but something had to change.
“Well, if Bo doesn’t make the effort, y’all will be visiting them in jail.”
“I—”
Before she could offer another weak apology, the door creaked open and Alexa walked in, holding out a bottle of water.
“Juno’s thirsty, and I can’t get the lid off.” She peered at Donna. “What happened to your eye?”
Fuck.
“I walked into a door,” Donna said, more confident of her story the second time around. “Just tripped by accident.”
“Yeah, right. Unless you face-planted on a fist-shaped doorknob.” Alexa glanced around. “You don’t even have doorknobs. Does he hit you often?”
“No?” It came out as a question, riding on a tremble. “Not really. Bo has a bit of a temper, is all, and I forgot to get the milk. I should have gone to the store yesterday.”
“Well, he could have gone to the store. He’s the one with the truck and the driver’s licence, am I right?” Alexa was absolutely right, and whether it was a good guess or she’d hacked the DMV was anybody’s guess. Nolan suspected the latter. “No milk, but fifty bucks says there’s beer in the fridge.” She took two quick steps to the refrigerator, pulled open the door to reveal a six-pack of Bud Light, and screwed her face up in disgust at the rancid odour that spilled out. “Called it. We’ll give you a ride to the hospital.”
“It’s nothing.” Donna touched two fingers to her face and winced. “I swear.”
“With that amount of swelling, you most likely have a fractured cheekbone. After we take you to the hospital, we’ll take you to the sheriff’s department.”
“No, no, no, I can’t. He’d kill me.” The words popped out, and Donna clapped her hands over her mouth as if she could push them back in. “I mean, Bo wouldn’t be happy about that.”
“Lady, I hate to break it to you, but he’s gonna kill you anyway, sooner or later.”
Now Donna broke down properly. Terrific.
“What else can I do? I don’t got nowhere else to go.”
“Can’t you stay with your sister for a while?” Nolan asked.
“That’s the first place Bo looks, and the last time, he fought with Joey. My brother-in-law,” she clarified. “Joey got his nose broken.”
“Your parents?”
“There’s only Pops left, and he thinks Bo is a good guy.”
Alexa rolled her eyes. “Just go pack.”
