“Do you think one of you could tell me what the fuck happened before she gets done with the deputy?”
Jack rested a palm on my shoulder. “Your girl has ties to the Charon MC, my friend. Good luck with that.”
I shrugged off his hand and turned to face him. “She ain’t my girl. Hell, I don’t even know her name! And that lady ain’t no biker chick. No way.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have guessed it either, but she said so herself. Told Billy if he didn’t want the police involved, she could always call the club in. Apparently, their VP thinks of her as a daughter. Her name is Gabriela Rayne, and we all saw how you were eyeballing her.”
I picked up my beer for another drink as I rolled that information around, ignoring the ribbing my two friends were giving me. Gabriela was a beautiful name. I wondered what she did for work, where she lived. The Charon MC was based down in Bridgewater, about half an hour from here. Was that where she lived?
Jack nudged my shoulder. “They’re done. You gonna go grab your girl or do you want me to?”
I slipped off the stool to his and Liam’s laughter.
“Fuck off, both of you.”
I headed toward the silver-haired beauty who was looking a little lost as she watched the deputy walk away from her.
“Ma’am? Care to join me at the bar for a drink or two, some food? Jack told Jason you can have anything you want on the house tonight. Be a shame to waste an offer like that now, wouldn’t it?”
Gabs
Was the hot cowboy flirting with me? Or had Jack told him to keep me safe and happy so I wouldn’t have any reason to call in the Charons?
After what had just happened, I really shouldn’t even care if this cowboy was interested, because I shouldn’t be interested in him. But I was. For some reason, Boone held my attention like no other man ever had. I wasn’t ready to go home. Billy and Bob were gone, and the ice had helped get rid of the swelling and redness on my face, so there was nothing stopping me from still enjoying my night here at The Barn.
“Well, I guess we’d better take advantage of the hospitality then. I mean, it’d be rude not to, right?”
As I moved toward the bar, he slid his hand around me, resting it against my lower back. The touch was barely there, but I felt it all the way to my toes. A shiver ran through me, and I prayed he didn’t notice.
The other two men who’d come to my rescue along with Boone—Jack, who I’d learned was the owner of The Barn, and Liam, another cowboy—were both at the bar, smirking over at us. I wasn’t entirely sure what they found so funny, but I really couldn’t be bothered to try to figure it out. I was too busy enjoying the feel of Boone’s hand against my back.
I’d been called a hopeless romantic and a dreamer more than a few times during my life. I couldn’t help it. Despite my history of finding the wrong men, I was still hopeful that somewhere out there, my Prince Charming was waiting for me. If he happened to come wearing a cowboy hat and oozed southern charm, all the better.
As we got to the bar, Jack shifted the empty seat next to him out a little so I could slip onto it.
“Gabriela, let me apologize again for what happened to you earlier.”
I held my palm up to stop him. “It’s not your fault in any way, Jack. I certainly don’t hold you responsible for what those two bastards tried to pull tonight. I’m grateful you run such a tight ship that you were notified about it so quickly and could come to my rescue.”
Jack chuckled. “In your defense, ma’am, you seemed to have it under control when we stepped in.”
Heat flared in my cheeks. Sure, I’d taken care of Bob, but if they hadn’t shown up when they had, Billy could have really hurt me. I was sure they all knew that. A change of subject was needed.
“Boone tells me you’re covering my bill for the night?”
He grinned. “That’s right.” He nodded toward the bartender who was coming toward us. “Just tell Jason what you want, and he’ll get it for you, on the house.”
Jason was a good-looking man, in a very metrosexual way. He had long, blond hair up in a man bun with a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes looked kind, and they filled with sympathy as he got to us.
“Hey, there, darlin’. You doing okay? Need another ice pack?”
I pressed my fingers against the side of my face as his gaze ran over it.
“The swelling has mostly gone down now, so I think I’m good. But I’ll let you know if I change my mind.” I winced. “Sorry, I left the first one back in Jack’s office. Do you want me to go grab it?”
He shook his head. “No need. Plenty more in the freezer and someone will take care of that other one later. How about something to eat?”
“I could definitely go for some food. What’s good here?”