“Hey.” Chad greeted them. “I figured you guys would be harvesting that tract of land up near The Dalles for another week.”
“Nope, finished yesterday and spent today driving home,” Peyton, the larger of the two guys, said, stopping in front of their table. Yeah, the men had clearly been smoking something before stopping for pizza.
“We could work faster with a helicopter hauling the logs out,” Tim pointed out, his lips forming a smirk reminiscent of grade school bullies on the playground. Chad had stood up for enough kids to know the look.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re working on getting the new bird up in the air,” Chad said, turning to Lena. “Guys, this is Lena. She just moved to the area. Lena, meet Tim”—Chad pointed to the shorter man—“and Peyton.” He indicated the larger man. “These guys work on one of Eric’s crews.”
“Welcome to Independence Falls.” Peyton offered Lena a goofy smile, and Chad’s jaw tightened. He wanted this conversation over. Now.
“Did yo
u guys try the pie of the day?” Tim asked.
“Nope,” Chad said. “It had mushrooms and Lena is not a fan. But if you head inside and talk to Trish, I’m sure she’ll hook you up.”
“No shrooms?” Peyton said, his bloodshot eyes widening. “What if someone held a gun to your head and ordered you to eat a mushroom?”
Chad opened his mouth to tell Tweedledee and Tweedledum to go inside and order their damn dinner.
“I’d take the gun away,” Lena said simply before returning to her ice cream
And just like that another oh-shit moment faded away.
“She’s a marksman,” Chad added. “Served two tours in Afghanistan. And she’s also a ninja. So you guys might want to watch your step.”
Lena met his gaze, her blue eyes dancing with laughter.
“Whoa,” Peyton said. “I didn’t know the army trained you to be a ninja.”
Before Chad could tell Peyton to take his stoned ass away from their table, the larger of the two guys crossed behind Lena, moving fast for an impaired man. He swung one leg over the bench and sat down. Too close, dammit.
Lena’s eyes widened, her hand tightening around the cone until it snapped in her hand, covering her fingers in ice cream.
“Back away from my girl.” Chad was on his feet, his cone tossed to the ground. He planted his palms on the table, ready to physically remove Peyton from the table. This was no longer a game. He could see the panic in Lena’s wild-eyed expression.
“She’s a ninja, man,” Peyton said. “I need to talk to her.”
Hero abandoned his place in the grass, racing toward his owner. He gave two sharp warning barks at the confused, high-off-his-ass idiot.
“I was joking about being a ninja, but she did serve. And fast movements startle her, OK?” Chad said, his voice low and even.
Hero placed his front paws on the bench, wedging his body between Lena’s trembling limbs and Peyton’s larger frame. Getting the message, Peyton stood and stepped away from the picnic table. A second later and Chad would have physically removed him.
“Sorry man,” Peyton said, his brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the angry retriever. “We got in the mood for pizza on the way over, you know? And I’ve always wanted to meet a real ninja.”
“Not today,” Chad said. “You might want to order your pizza. Now.”
Chad waited until they walked away before sitting down. “Lena, I’m sorry—” He caught himself. Those weren’t the words she needed to hear. She didn’t need pity, not from him or anyone else.
“—about your ice cream,” he added.
She picked up a napkin and started cleaning her hands. “Me too,” she said, her voice shaky.
Chad glanced at the stoned men stumbling through the door to the restaurant, wondering if he should go after them and throw a few punches after all. After robbing Lena of her teasing, confident tone, Tim and Peyton deserved to have their butts kicked.
“I’d only had one good lick of the vanilla,” she continued, the tremble in her tone fading with each word. “I was thinking about moving on to the chocolate. You know, spice things up a little bit.”
Relief swept over him. If she’d been anyone else, he would have pulled her close, held her tight, and told how much he admired the way she refused to let her fears hold her captive.