hers. “To the future husband, whoever he may be.”
Rand pushed down the panic in her throat and took a long pull from the beer.
Walking int o The Watering Hol e , he found Rand standing on top of a chair with Bob Haskins beside her, shouting out numbers quickly. Red was laughing as he tried to pull her down and Jake felt the pulse in his temple throb with rage.
Making his way over to them, he tapped Red’s shoulder. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Jake!” Rand cried, smiling as she noticed him. “Bob’s going to find me a husband.”
“Like hell he is.” He reached out and pulled her off the chair. “What happened to never drinking again?”
She leaned against him and looked up at him through her lashes. “I’m not really drunk. Not like last time.”
“She’s fine, Jake. I was handling it,” Red said, and Jake wanted to punch his best friend’s dopey, grinning face.
“If you were handling this, then you wouldn’t have let her drink and she wouldn’t be making a fool of herself,” Jake snapped, grabbing her arm. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”
Jake noticed Rand’s bulldog expression as she ripped her arm out of his grasp. “You aren’t the boss of me.”
“Hey, Hansen, we weren’t done.” Jake felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to face Branson who had an angry scowl on his face.
Jake shook his hand off. “Yeah you are. I’m taking Rand home now.”
Branson’s scowl bled into a sneer. “Jealousy doesn’t become you, Hansen. Obviously there’s a lot more to Miss Miranda than we all thought. Now, why not step back and give someone else a turn? I want to get a better look at what she’s been hiding all these years.”
Jake looked down at Rand and realized she was wearing a black dress that showed off her creamy round shoulders. The tops of her beautiful breasts could be seen from his vantage point and his scowl darkened. “Where did you get that dress?”
“It was my grandmothers. Why are you acting like this?”
Jake shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over her shoulders. Not because her dress was really so immodest but because he didn’t like Branson ogling her. He turned back to the other man and said, “I catch you looking at her again and I’ll break every bone in your pretty face.”
Branson was either drunk or stupid. He tried a fake away before throwing his fist forward and catching Jake in the cheek. Jake stumbled back into Rand who fell against Red, and all hell broke loose. Jake jumped up and tackled Branson to the ground, sat on his chest, and started pounding him. Someone grabbed him and pulled him off, but he kept trying to shake them off until he heard Rick Johnson’s deep voice boom, “You want to fight, you take it out of my bar!”
Jake pulled away from the restraining hands and looked over to where Rand had been only moments before, but she was gone.
Rand really wasn’t drunk, she’d only had the one beer, but she was angry and frustrated. Red tried to insist on taking her home, but she had told him no. She hadn’t been mean about it, but she also wasn’t going to let any man control her. Not Red. And definitely not Jake.
How dare he start ordering her around like she was a child? She was a grown ass woman.
Angrily, she walked through the door of her house and Scout greeted her with a rapidly moving stump of a tail and a whiny meow.
“Yeah, I get it, you’re starving and I suck. Thank you so much.” Flipping on the light she grabbed up the water dish and food bowl, and filled both, muttering to herself.
The sound of flinging gravel and a slamming door outside told her Jake was out front. Putting the bowls back on the floor, she walked to the front door just as he started banging on it.
Opening it roughly, she looked up at him and noticed the side of his face was swelling. She reached up to touch his face before she remembered she was irritated with him. “Ouch. You okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. You were
Rand pushed down the panic in her throat and took a long pull from the beer.
Walking int o The Watering Hol e , he found Rand standing on top of a chair with Bob Haskins beside her, shouting out numbers quickly. Red was laughing as he tried to pull her down and Jake felt the pulse in his temple throb with rage.
Making his way over to them, he tapped Red’s shoulder. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Jake!” Rand cried, smiling as she noticed him. “Bob’s going to find me a husband.”
“Like hell he is.” He reached out and pulled her off the chair. “What happened to never drinking again?”
She leaned against him and looked up at him through her lashes. “I’m not really drunk. Not like last time.”
“She’s fine, Jake. I was handling it,” Red said, and Jake wanted to punch his best friend’s dopey, grinning face.
“If you were handling this, then you wouldn’t have let her drink and she wouldn’t be making a fool of herself,” Jake snapped, grabbing her arm. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”
Jake noticed Rand’s bulldog expression as she ripped her arm out of his grasp. “You aren’t the boss of me.”
“Hey, Hansen, we weren’t done.” Jake felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to face Branson who had an angry scowl on his face.
Jake shook his hand off. “Yeah you are. I’m taking Rand home now.”
Branson’s scowl bled into a sneer. “Jealousy doesn’t become you, Hansen. Obviously there’s a lot more to Miss Miranda than we all thought. Now, why not step back and give someone else a turn? I want to get a better look at what she’s been hiding all these years.”
Jake looked down at Rand and realized she was wearing a black dress that showed off her creamy round shoulders. The tops of her beautiful breasts could be seen from his vantage point and his scowl darkened. “Where did you get that dress?”
“It was my grandmothers. Why are you acting like this?”
Jake shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over her shoulders. Not because her dress was really so immodest but because he didn’t like Branson ogling her. He turned back to the other man and said, “I catch you looking at her again and I’ll break every bone in your pretty face.”
Branson was either drunk or stupid. He tried a fake away before throwing his fist forward and catching Jake in the cheek. Jake stumbled back into Rand who fell against Red, and all hell broke loose. Jake jumped up and tackled Branson to the ground, sat on his chest, and started pounding him. Someone grabbed him and pulled him off, but he kept trying to shake them off until he heard Rick Johnson’s deep voice boom, “You want to fight, you take it out of my bar!”
Jake pulled away from the restraining hands and looked over to where Rand had been only moments before, but she was gone.
Rand really wasn’t drunk, she’d only had the one beer, but she was angry and frustrated. Red tried to insist on taking her home, but she had told him no. She hadn’t been mean about it, but she also wasn’t going to let any man control her. Not Red. And definitely not Jake.
How dare he start ordering her around like she was a child? She was a grown ass woman.
Angrily, she walked through the door of her house and Scout greeted her with a rapidly moving stump of a tail and a whiny meow.
“Yeah, I get it, you’re starving and I suck. Thank you so much.” Flipping on the light she grabbed up the water dish and food bowl, and filled both, muttering to herself.
The sound of flinging gravel and a slamming door outside told her Jake was out front. Putting the bowls back on the floor, she walked to the front door just as he started banging on it.
Opening it roughly, she looked up at him and noticed the side of his face was swelling. She reached up to touch his face before she remembered she was irritated with him. “Ouch. You okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. You were
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