Page 7
Juni
After going through my equipment with me the next morning, Micha insists we replace a couple things and there are a few more items he considers important to my pack.
After getting the additional equipment items in town, we split up. He needs some lumber and I need a few personal items. We agree to meet at the Hungry Saloon in an hour. The drug store is quick, so I meander down the street, visiting the quaint stores. There’s a dress shop with some basic feminine apparel, an outdoor clothing and camping supply, the grocery where I grab a couple things I forgot when shopping with Gerdie.
Tucked around the corner on a side street I discover a bookstore. New & Slightly Used Bookstore, has a coffee bar and seating area. Be still my heart. This town has everything I need. I find a paperback of an older book I’ve been trying to locate for months. One more sign that life is good and I’ve come to the right place.
I make my way to the restaurant. A tall, slender blonde is behind the bar and looks up with a smile when I walk in. “You must be Juni. Micha called and said to tell you he’s running behind by about twenty minutes.”
Shaking my head, I meet her gaze. “Let me guess, he wants you to watch out for me.”
She laughs. “His growth is a little stunted. He and his buddies think they still have to watch over every woman within a fifty-mile radius. You would think that after having served with women in the military they would have learned that many of us have figured out how to take care of ourselves. Especially if we’ve chosen careers in the ‘man’s’ world.
“Don’t get me wrong, they’re the good guys. There have been times I’ve appreciated their attention to detail and willingness to step in. I’m Hannie, by the way. This is my place.”
“They can’t help themselves,” another woman says from a seat at a table in front of the bar. “Serve and protect is in their DNA.”
She meets my curious gaze. “I’m Tawny, Gray’s wife. He knew Micha from the military. Heard from Gerdie you’re staying at his cabin and training to be a Ranger and SAR. Welcome.”
Hannie glances at me and shrugs. “Small town, and the locals know everyone. Might as well sit with Tawny. Micha, Gray, and their other buddies all hang together anyway so you’ll probably be spending time together. Micha is a little reserved but I’m sure you’ll meet them all at some point.”
She takes my order and I join my new friend. Tawny’s a little younger, recently married, shy but sweet.
I’m enjoying getting to know her when four loud guys swarm in, decked out in what looks like brand new, top of the line hiking gear and wearing self-aggrandizing smiles as if they just conquered the world.
Granted, I don’t have the experience Micha has, but I’ve been going to school and training for a few years. I know that ego and exaggerated self-confidence get you into trouble on the mountains. I’ve also had to re-educate a few men who denigrate a woman’s skill. Worse yet, I’ve dealt with the ‘I’m god’s’ gift to women’ crowd before. I am so not in the mood for this.
I glance over and see the frown on Hannie’s face. Grabbing a few menus she approaches. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. Let me seat you.”
One of the guys looks at Tawny and me and pulls out a chair at the table next to us. “Right here is great.”
Tawny tenses. I smile and whisper, “It’s okay. We’ll be fine.”
Ten minutes go by and their talk gets louder, boastful as they clamor to get our attention. We ignore them, but they just get bolder. Eventually one of them stands, crosses to our table, spins a chair around, straddles it and sits. One of his buddies comes to stand beside him.
“So ladies, you about ready to blow this joint with us? We’ve got a real nice suite up the mountain.”
I sense Tawny trying to shrink in on herself. Panic fills her eyes. I pat her leg under the table to reassure her. “No, thank you. We’re having a private conversation. Please leave us alone.”
“Ah, honey, don’t play coy. I saw you checking us out. Let’s cut to the chase. Your place or ours?”
Maintaining eye contact with the bastard, I draw a deep breath. “I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with your games or ego. So let me say it a little clearer. I don’t need or want your attention. I do not date boys who think it’s cute to make snide sexual remarks to women without their permission. My friend and I are not on the menu. I have told you politely to leave us alone. Now, please step away from our table.”
At least the two men remaining at their table have the decency to look uncomfortable.
Something shifts in the room behind me, but I don’t dare take my attention off the arrogant asshole.
“We’re just having a little convo here. You don’t have to go all bitch mode,” he says.
“I’m not. I’m asking you politely to leave us alone.”
He surges to his feet and spins his chair out to the side. Defensively, I also stand.
The jerk who’s been mouthing off glances over my shoulder and loses some of his bravado. Someone’s behind me.
“The ladies asked you politely to leave them alone. I suggest you pay your bill and leave,” a quiet voice I recognize fills the air. “Now.”
The mouthy one tenses like he might try to make a stand, but his buddy pushes to his feet and grabs him by the arm. The two who were minding their own business throw a wad of cash on the table and rush from the bar.
