“That would be great. Thank you.” Her playful smile has vanished. All she’s thinking about is her escape.
“I’ll be back,” I say to the douche before following the woman outside.
Once in the blistering heat of the day, her body sags. “Thank you. I’m right here, though.” She points to the black BMW parked in the first spot just outside the door. “I didn’t leave earlier because it felt safer in there with witnesses rather than being alone on the street with him.”
“I get it. You okay?”
“I’m fine. Unfortunately, he’s not the first and won’t be the last arrogant jerk I’ll have to deal with.”
“Well, at least we know he’s getting on a plane in a few hours. We can only hope he’s flying far away and never coming back.”
“Yes, let’s hope.” She pulls open her car door. “Thanks again.”
I give her a nod in reply.
It’s sad to see how bright her expression had been when she first saw me, only to watch it disappear with one masochistic sentence from a man.
Once she’s safely in her car, I return to the restaurant just as the shit stain is signing for his bill. I don’t approach him. Instead, I wait by the door and hold it open for him when he goes to leave.
He doesn’t acknowledge me as he passes by, but once we’re outside and face to face, he speaks. “Hitting on a woman is not against the law.”
“You call that hitting on a woman? My friend, your game is vile.”
“Listen, I have places to be. I don’t have time to be fucked with by the local police. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He walks backward like he’s the coolest guy around. “So, if you’ll excuse me.”
Hooking my thumbs in my vest to keep my hands occupied, I state calmly... firmly... so there can be no confusion in my words. “You so much as speak to Daisy McKinnon again, and I’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”
“Again, who I speak to is none of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Daisy and the entire McKinnon family are my business, and if you fuck with them, you fuck with me.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat, Officer?”
“No, it’s a fucking promise.”
His eyes dart down to my patch. “Well, Officer Swift. Nice chat. Yeah?”
I stay rooted to my spot on the sidewalk, not moving an inch until he’s out of sight.
“Fucking prick,” I mutter under my breath as I rush back to my patrol car.
I have twenty-five minutes to get to the field for practice.
Luckily, Dusty lives down the street from the school, and I make a mental note to stop by and pay him a visit after practice. We need to have a chat about what I overheard earlier.
The list of assholes that need to be dealt with today is never-ending.
Chapter Twelve
Owen
Cal runs his hands over his scruff. “Do we need to get lawyers involved?”
We’ve just finished Sunday dinner at the McKinnon’s Ranch, and I’ve just learned the identity of the man I told off earlier this week. The asshole claims to be from a large conglomerate on the East Coast. The same group who sent letters to all the ranches in the area with low-ball offers none of the landowners entertained.
Daisy’s been tense all night. Not even Maui, who is currently sleeping at our feet, seemed to take the edge off. Our little fur baby is exhausted after playing with her brother all evening. As Daisy predicted, Knox adopted the pup Ryan had her eye on. Sawyer’s been in heaven having two puppies to play with. It’s sweet to watch the three of them play. But not even puppies can lighten the mood around the table.
Now I understand why she seemed stressed and distracted all night. She was gearing up to tell her family that troublewas brewing, no matter how calm, cool, and collected she’s attempting to be as she answers her family’s questions.
