stopped to help and—“
“I watched him from the barber shop. I didn’t know exactly what he’d done until now, but he did something to your tire. Where is it?”
Isabella pointed to the trunk.
Jack gave Bobby Joe a hard look and then strode to the trunk. Within seconds, he found what he’d been looking for.
“It’s been cut.”
Isabella gasped and pushed past Jack to confront the bleeding man on the ground.
“Is that true?” she asked.
Bobby Joe moaned. “I din’t mean to hurt…jus’ wanna’ to—“
“Shut up,” Jack said. “It was pretty damned evident what you wanted. However, I’m going to tell you what you’re going to get. What you did to her tire could have caused an accident. You can tell the rest of your excuses to the police.”
Isabella groaned beneath her breath. The incident was getting uglier by the minute, and if this got out, the repercussions from the community would be humiliating, to say the least.
“No,” she begged. “Let him go.”
Jack pivoted angrily. “He could have killed you.”
She glared at Bobby Joe, who was staring at the dirt.
“He’s not a killer. Just stupid. Let him go, Jack. I want this over.”
Her lips were trembling, as was her voice. The plea in her gaze was as fervent as her words had been. Despite his better judgment, he finally nodded, then turned and kicked the bottom of Bobby Joe’s boot.
“Get up, you sorry bastard, and if you ever come near Miss Abbott again, I’ll find out. And when I do, I’ll make you sorry. Do you understand me?”
Bobby Joe was on his feet, a handkerchief pressed to his nose as he ran for his truck. He paused at the door, then looked back.
“I’b really sorry, Isabella. Din’t mean to—“
“Get going,” Jack said.
Bobby Joe jumped into his truck and sped away without looking back.
Jack turned around to find Isabella sitting on the ground, her head between her knees. Her shoulders were shaking, and he suspected she was crying.
“Well, damn,” he muttered, and pulled her to her feet, then put his arms around her. Half expecting her to argue about the familiarity with which he was holding her, he was surprised when she wilted against him. “Don’t cry, Isabella. It’s over, okay?”
“It’ll never be over,” she said, and then began to cry in earnest.
Jack held her, knowing that her tears had nothing to do with what Bobby Joe had done. It was just the final straw in a life turned upside down.
6
It took all Jack to let Isabella go.
“Get in my car. I’ll take you home.”
Tears were still welling as she turned away in confusion.
“But my car…I can’t just—“
“We’ll deal with it later. Right now you just need to go home.”
The urge to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head was strong, but if she did, she was afraid she would never come out.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It was no big deal.”
“Then why are you still shaking?” Jack asked.
Isabella frowned. “Okay. Fine. Yes, it rattled me, but I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
Her lip was swelling as they stood there arguing, and the sight of it did things to Jack’s head that didn’t bear investigatin.
“Miss Abbott, I have absolutely no doubt that what you’re telling me is true. But chalk it up to an overdose of macho or manners or whatever you choose to call it, I’m still taking you home whether you like it or not.”
Suddenly Isabella’s resistance was gone. All she could do was drop her head and nod.
He took her by the elbow and led her to his car. Wordlessly, she slid into the seat, then leaned back and closed her eyes. The scent of peppermint and something woodsy drifted past her now, but it disappeared when Jack got in, started the car and turned on the air conditioner.
“Buckle up,” he said quietly.
She did as he asked, then tunneled her
“I watched him from the barber shop. I didn’t know exactly what he’d done until now, but he did something to your tire. Where is it?”
Isabella pointed to the trunk.
Jack gave Bobby Joe a hard look and then strode to the trunk. Within seconds, he found what he’d been looking for.
“It’s been cut.”
Isabella gasped and pushed past Jack to confront the bleeding man on the ground.
“Is that true?” she asked.
Bobby Joe moaned. “I din’t mean to hurt…jus’ wanna’ to—“
“Shut up,” Jack said. “It was pretty damned evident what you wanted. However, I’m going to tell you what you’re going to get. What you did to her tire could have caused an accident. You can tell the rest of your excuses to the police.”
Isabella groaned beneath her breath. The incident was getting uglier by the minute, and if this got out, the repercussions from the community would be humiliating, to say the least.
“No,” she begged. “Let him go.”
Jack pivoted angrily. “He could have killed you.”
She glared at Bobby Joe, who was staring at the dirt.
“He’s not a killer. Just stupid. Let him go, Jack. I want this over.”
Her lips were trembling, as was her voice. The plea in her gaze was as fervent as her words had been. Despite his better judgment, he finally nodded, then turned and kicked the bottom of Bobby Joe’s boot.
“Get up, you sorry bastard, and if you ever come near Miss Abbott again, I’ll find out. And when I do, I’ll make you sorry. Do you understand me?”
Bobby Joe was on his feet, a handkerchief pressed to his nose as he ran for his truck. He paused at the door, then looked back.
“I’b really sorry, Isabella. Din’t mean to—“
“Get going,” Jack said.
Bobby Joe jumped into his truck and sped away without looking back.
Jack turned around to find Isabella sitting on the ground, her head between her knees. Her shoulders were shaking, and he suspected she was crying.
“Well, damn,” he muttered, and pulled her to her feet, then put his arms around her. Half expecting her to argue about the familiarity with which he was holding her, he was surprised when she wilted against him. “Don’t cry, Isabella. It’s over, okay?”
“It’ll never be over,” she said, and then began to cry in earnest.
Jack held her, knowing that her tears had nothing to do with what Bobby Joe had done. It was just the final straw in a life turned upside down.
6
It took all Jack to let Isabella go.
“Get in my car. I’ll take you home.”
Tears were still welling as she turned away in confusion.
“But my car…I can’t just—“
“We’ll deal with it later. Right now you just need to go home.”
The urge to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head was strong, but if she did, she was afraid she would never come out.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It was no big deal.”
“Then why are you still shaking?” Jack asked.
Isabella frowned. “Okay. Fine. Yes, it rattled me, but I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
Her lip was swelling as they stood there arguing, and the sight of it did things to Jack’s head that didn’t bear investigatin.
“Miss Abbott, I have absolutely no doubt that what you’re telling me is true. But chalk it up to an overdose of macho or manners or whatever you choose to call it, I’m still taking you home whether you like it or not.”
Suddenly Isabella’s resistance was gone. All she could do was drop her head and nod.
He took her by the elbow and led her to his car. Wordlessly, she slid into the seat, then leaned back and closed her eyes. The scent of peppermint and something woodsy drifted past her now, but it disappeared when Jack got in, started the car and turned on the air conditioner.
“Buckle up,” he said quietly.
She did as he asked, then tunneled her
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