I’ve caused you enough problems. For heaven’s sake, the last thing you should concern yourself with is my problems with my brothers and Wendell Pierce or Charlie
Beckett.”
“How old are you?”
She faltered. “What? I’m twenty-seven. And no, you don’t have to tell me how pathetic it is that I’ve never been into a bar at my age.”
“Your concern for me is commendable but unnecessary,” he said, his voice flat. “I’ve got ten years on you, sweetness, and a lifetime of managing my own way. If you’re foolish enough to think I’ll let you go in there to deal with your brother-in-law alone, then you’re not as bright as I thought.”
“I wish we’d never come out tonight,” she muttered. “Well fine, Mr. In-Control, have it your way. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She marched toward the entrance, not daring to think beyond getting through the front door.
Wood closed his hand over the back of her neck as they went inside. Instead of shivering from the contact, though, she found it comforting.
A couple Hadley had never seen before brushed against them as they hurried out the door, and Wood stepped even closer to her. She could feel the steadiness of him all down her spine, and it gave her enough courage to stop praying that Charlie wouldn’t be inside after all and to start looking around for him.
There was a long, dark bar across the rear of the room. Smoke hung in the red-tinted air, and music blasted from the live group playing on a raised platform, not entirely disguising the clink of balls on the collection of pool tables or the voices from the people bellied up to the bar.
Wood lowered his head next to hers. “Do you see him?”
His cheek had brushed against hers, a hint of rasp in the contact. She shivered inside her coat. “No. I can’t believe how many people are here.”
“Friday night,” Wood dismissed. “Maybe he’s at one of the tables.” Even as he spoke, he was moving forward. Hadley moved with him. They skirted the pool tables. Four in all, and all being used.
“What’s he look like?” His cheek rasped against hers again.
How quickly her thoughts could scramble. She focused with an effort. The cigarette smoke was nearly choking her. “Shorter than you. Medium-brown hair. Kind of a husky build. I can’t believe Charlie would come here again after—” She jumped when the smash of glass sounded nearby.
She’d barely had time to look in the direction of the fracas before she found herself firmly tucked behind Wood, his hand unrelentingly strong on hers as he held her there.
She peered around his wide shoulder to see three men scuffling near the bar, and sagged against Wood with relief. None of them were Charlie.
“Had? What the hell you doing here?”
She whirled around and nearly yanked her arm out of her socket thanks to Wood’s grip. “Charlie.” She tugged at Wood and he turned with her. “I could ask the same thing of you. Does Evie know you’re here?”
Charlie made a face and lifted his drink. “What makes you think she’d care? Your sister doesn’t remember what the word fun even means.”
Hadley stepped closer to him, steeling herself against the stench of alcohol emanating from him. “She’s busy at home taking care of your children,” she reminded, raising her voice over the noise, higher than she’d have liked. “Come on. We’ll drive you home.”
Charlie laughed at that, his bleary eyes looking from her to Wood. “In what? Evie told me you’d busted up your truck again, along with someone else’s. Nosy idiot, is what you are.”
“In your truck,” she said tightly.
“Who says I wanna go home now, anyway?”
“What are you going to do when you do want to go? You’re drunk. You can’t drive.” Frustration filled her. She reached out for him, but he pushed her back. His drink spilled over the front of her coat, and he stumbled.
Wood steadied her and caught Charlie up by the scruff of his neck in one fell swoop.
“Lemme go,” he groused.
Wood ignored Charlie and looked at her. He still held her arm. “You okay?”
She nodded, swiping at the liquid. Now this coat would need cleaning, too.
“Lemme go, I said! Who are you, anyway? Sure in hell couldn’t be a friend of Had’s. She’s buttoned down tighter ’n a nun. Doesn’t even know how to kiss a man, much less spread her legs—”
Wood grabbed Charlie’s arm and leaned forward, speaking softly in the man’s ear.
Charlie’s mouth dropped. “Mind your own damned business.” He shoved out at Wood, as if to hit him, but Wood easily sidestepped it, and Charlie tumbled forward, knocking into the table before him, scattering the occupants and sending glasses flying. He scrambled to his feet and launched himself at Wood.
Hadley cried out. “Stop it!”
But Wood did something fancy when he caught Charlie, halting the other man in his tracks.
He tried shrugging off Wood’s grip and failed. “You pushed me!”
“I should have decked you,” Wood said cuttingly, “instead of letting you fall on your face. You offended your sister-in-law. We’re going now.” He began marching Charlie toward the entrance, weaving around tables and customers without hesitation.
Hadley had a fleeting thought that Charlie would have been better off tangling with Shane’s temper than Wood’s. She eyed the people from the splintered table, offering a hurried apology as she watched Wood and her brother-in-law progress through the tavern. Wood’s only hesitation was to stop and speak briefly to a blond cocktail waitress who was watching them all with a surprised expression. At the door, Wood looked back, clearly seeking out Hadley, and she hurried after them.
Outside, Charlie’s attitude subsided considerably and he handed over his keys to Hadley without a quibble, making her wonder just what Wood had said to him. She half expected some comment from Wood when she got behind the wheel of the slightly battered SUV, but he didn’t speak at all except to tell Charlie to shut up when he started complaining about Hadley driving his precious truck.
Lurching only slightly with the unfamiliar vehicle, she drove out of the parking lot and headed toward Evie and Charlie’s home. When they arrived, Evie came out of the small house, a blanket wrapped tightly around her.
She took one look at Charlie and her expression went tight. Then she glared at Hadley, as if it were all her fault. “I’ll have to get the truck from you tomorrow,” was all she said before she hustled her husband inside and slammed the door shut.
Hadley sank back against the side of the SUV. “Well. That went well. I should have just left Charlie alone.” She looked over at Wood. He was eyeing the small house, no particular expression on his face at all. “Why’d you have to go and make him mad like that? He’ll probably try to sue you or something.” It’d be just like Charlie. Always trying to make a quick buck that didn’t involve
