My eyes don’t leave his and I have to hand it to him, his don’t leave mine either. My grip on his shirt tightens.
“Your girl needs you,” Jameson says lower. “She was shaking like a leaf. Let me and Theo handle him.”
I look around for Austin, but don’t see her anywhere. It’s not like her to leave the bar unattended and everything in me is screaming to go looking for her like Jamie said. But I know she wouldn’t want me there. Not when she’s already feelingvulnerable. Not when I’ve been such a dick to her the past month.
“I think I’d be a better help here,” I tell him gruffly, but he shoves me back and Theo takes hold of the asshat.
“Go, Maddox. She went to the office.”
My feet carry me to her before my mind can decide that’s what we’re doing. Austin’s bent forward, hands on the edge of the old, weathered desk that’s probably older than she is. She’s breathing way too quickly.
“I’m fine,” she pants, not even turning to look at me.
“Bullshit,” I tell her, gripping her shoulder. She jabs her elbow out half-heartedly, but if she actually didn’t want me touching her, she'd make sure I knew without a doubt. When I spin her to face me and pull her into a hug, she comes easily. I thread my fingers through her hair and press a kiss there.
She fucking breaks. Her quick breaths turn into sobs she can’t take control of, tears wetting my shirt. Her body wracks against mine and I tighten my arms around her shoulders while her fingers fist the material at my chest “Shh, baby, you’re alright.” I press a kiss to her head, and for once, I don’t feel useless comforting someone.
I amtechnicallyuseless, in the grand scheme of things. We can scare the ranch hand off, but we can’t stop him from treating women like they’re objects. I can hold Austin while she cries, but I can’t even begin to imagine the feelings coursing through her right now.
But the way she’s clinging to me helps me notfeeluseless. This time, I’m doing something right—I’m useful for more than problems I can throw my wallet or labor at.
She cries for longer than I expected her to, not that there’s a time limit on how long something like this would affect someone. I’m just not used to Austin allowing her walls to be down for this long. This seems pent up, like it’s been a long time coming.
“Jamie and Theo are handling the douchebag. Do you wantme to empty out the rest of the bar and close up for the night?” I ask her when she starts to calm down.
She pulls from my arms, which is the last thing I want. Before I can reach up and wipe her tears from her cheeks, she’s wiped them away herself. “No, I’m fine. Sorry for that.” She won’t meet my eyes.
“Quit it,” I scold her, tugging her focus back to me with a grip on her chin. “There’s no reason to be sorry, and it’s okay if you’re not fine. Dale won’t mind if we close the bar, I’m sure of it.”
Austin pulls free, and just like that, I know I’ve lost her softness again. “I need the money from the tips, Maddox. It’s not a matter of whether or not Dale would give a shit.”
She pushes past me to head into the hallway, but I block her exit. Probably a stupid choice, all things considered. “If this is about money, I can give you the money, Tex. Whatever you’d typically make in a night like tonight. I just want you to go home and rest. Shake off this shitty day.”
“Don’t need to go rest and I definitely don’t need you fronting me money I can’t afford to pay back,” she argues, arms crossed.
I want so badly to pull her back against me. I don’t usually get the urge to comfort others, not really. Emotions are awkward for me and I never know how to handle them, but I can’t picture pawning Austin’s emotional needs off on Jameson like I do with my sisters. “I didn’t say you needed to pay me back. Just let me take care of you, Tex. Please. Just tonight.”
Something in my words does the opposite of what I’d wanted them to. Maybe I’m not all that great at comforting after all, because fire lights up her eyes and her jaw clenches. “Throwing money at me works on the cam girl site just fine, but in this bar, I am not your whore.” She shoves past me before I can even fully register the words.
“You’re putting fucking words in my mouth, Austin,” I call after her, storming down the hallway on her heels. Theo’s behindthe bar, trying his best to work the cash register, but Austin snatches the card from him and shoos him out. “And I’ve told you how I feel about you calling yourself that.”
I round the bar and stand on the side meant for patrons, considering I think she’d cut my dick off if I tried to go behind it like Theo did. “That’s because you’re too busy trying to sugarcoat shit. I call it like it is,” she says, passing the man at the bar his card back.
Jameson looks awkwardly between the two of us and I’m sure he’s got an update to provide, but I shake my head as subtly as I can manage. I resist the urge to tell her if I wasn’t sugarcoating shit, I’d take her back to the office and have her over my knee for her attitude, but given the events of tonight, I think it’s best I continue to sugarcoat.
“Fine,” I tell her and then take a deep breath, trying to think of how I’ll ask my next question, considering Jameson’s still by my side. I don’t want to draw attention to her shows. She doesn’t seem to want anyone to know. “Will I see you after work?”
She stiffens for a second before deciding that I’m unworthy of an answer, apparently. I huff out a humorless laugh, reaching into my pocket for my wallet. “You know, Austin, there’s no harm in letting someone help you every once in a while. Only a fool looks a gift horse in the mouth and I know for a damn fact you’re not a fool.”
I don’t give her time to respond before slapping a fifty on the bar to cover my tab and a tip, turning on my heel to storm out of the bar once again. I swear, sometimes I act like such a fucking child around her and I hate it. She’s the only one with the ability to unravel me this much.
“Is this a bad time to tell you Theo’s dad called? They’ve got Travis again.”
“Fucking hell,” I grumble as Theo catches up to us. I look up at the full moon and shit makes a bit more sense than it did afew seconds ago, but that still isn’t saying much. Everything goes to hell when the moon’s full. “Coke again?”
“Sounded like it,” Theo said, crossing his arms and leaning back against my pickup. “Dad said he’ll be in there til his court date, at least. He didn’t tell me specifics, but said we could check back tomorrow to see what all he was being booked for.”
I rake my hand over my face. After our cousin’s last run-in with Deputy Walker, they had assigned him community service. I’d let him complete it on the ranch, mucking the stalls of the rescue horses, but I doubt he’ll get off that easily this time. Honestly though, Travis wasn’t my problem. I wished the best for him, but I was already stretching myself too thin worrying about Austin on top of everyone else I’d been taking care of for years now.
