Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
“Me, too.”
Baylor leaned forward and was smiling ear to ear as she offered him some more fries. Skid gobbled them up, and Baylor’s laughter filled the truck.
And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt a sense of happiness I’d forgotten existed. It was the kind that didn’t ask for anything in return. Just a man, a little girl and her bunny, and a night that somehow felt like the start of something I didn’t know I’d been missing.
When Skid started gathering our trash, reality edged its way back in.
The tightness in my chest returned as I stared at the front entrance of the hotel. Noting my hesitation, Skid asked, “Something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” I let out a breath. “I just had a bit of a run-in with a guy earlier. He said some pretty gross stuff, and I really don’t want to face him again.”
“What room number?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll get…”
“What was the room number, Laken?” he pressed.
“108.”
The words barely left my mouth, and he was out of the truck. I called out to him, “Skid! Wait!”
It was too late.
He was already through the front door. I didn’t move. I just sat there stunned. After a moment, reality set in, and along with it came the fear and doubt. I knew nothing about the man in 108. He could hurt Skid or worse. He could kill him. That thought had me scrambling to gather our things.
I was just about to get out of the truck when Skid came back out. He opened my door and announced, “He’s gone, and he won’t be back.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I did.” His brows furrowed. “If you run into anything like that again, you call me. You don’t ignore it. You don’t hide from it. You call.”
I glanced down at his hand, and my breath hitched when I saw his red, scratched knuckles. He’d fought for me. I couldn’t remember anyone ever doing something like that for me. I wanted to reach over and run my hand over his, making sure he was okay. But I was too overcome with emotion to move.
I nodded, because I couldn’t have spoken even if I tried. He held my gaze for a brief second, and the next thing I knew, he was following us up to the front door. He gave me a warm smile as he said, “Thanks for the dinner date.”
“No. Thank you… For everything.”
He gave me a nod, and then he was on his way. And I was left wondering when I would be seeing our hero in leather again. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long.
5
SKID
“Got the information on the girl.” Shep took a swig of his beer before adding, “She’s been through it.”
“That’s what I figured.” I leaned back in my chair, bracing myself as I asked, “How bad is it?”
“Mostly the run-of-the-mill kind of thing. Grew up over in Calhoun. The family didn’t have much. Lived in a trailer and made do with what they had. She graduated high school, and things seemed to go downhill after that.”
“How so?”
“She was doing the whole community college thing, then up and moved when she turned 19. Moved around a good bit after that. Holed up with some friends for months at a time.” Shep took another drink before adding, “I figure that’s around the time she found out she was pregnant.”
“So, the parents booted her when they found out she was expecting.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Shep shrugged. “Small town folks can be rough like that, especially when money’s tight.”
I took a long pull from my beer before asking, “What about the kid’s father?”
“No idea. Can’t find anything on him. Name was blank on the birth certificate.”
“Damn. She wanted nothing to do with the asshole.”
“Apparently not.” We sat there for a beat before Shep gave me one of his looks. “So, what’s the deal with this girl? She mean something to you?”
“Just some girl who needed a hand, and I’m doing what I can to give it to her.”
“How you doing that?”
“Well, for starters, I’m trying to get her piece of shit car running again. After that, I’m not sure.”
Shep raised a brow.
“I’ve never met anyone like her…” I trailed off, searching for the right words to explain how she’d gotten under my skin without sounding like a complete idiot. “She’s different. She’s a fighter. Not trying to get something for nothing. Feels like… Ah, hell. I don’t even know what the fuck it feels like.”
“Ah, our boy’s got it bad.”
“I don’t even know this girl.”
“Maybe not….” He gave me a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “But when you know, you know.”
He didn’t say anything more. He didn’t have to. He’d already said plenty. I stared down at my half-empty bottle of beer and wondered how the hell a girl I barely knew had managed to get to me the way she had. I drained the rest of my beer and placed the empty bottle down on the counter as I said, “Appreciate you looking into things for me. I owe ya.”