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Charlie pauses his scowling to blink at my reply, but not before allowing his eyes to linger on my lips, causing a storm of goose bumps to break out over my arms.
He opens his mouth to say something when there’s the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. We look over to see a boot fly through Nowhere’s stained-glass window.
Charlie lets out a deep breath. Hooks a thumb back toward the bar. “I better get back in there. Help my brothers.”
Ah. So that explains the doppelgängers.
“Sure.” I lift a hand, but I’m sorry to see him go. “Thanks for the assist, Charlie Montgomery.”
He takes a few steps towards the bar, stops, and turns.
“Listen,” he says, pinning his eyes to mine. A muscle flexes in his strong bearded jaw. “This isn’t the town for you, darlin’. I respect you tried ...but leave. Go somewhere else. Anywhere but here.”
Without another word, he stalks off, while I stand here watching his broad-shouldered form disappear into Nowhere, a warm gooey feeling settling in my stomach.
While I’m cozy in a plush bed at the historic hotel Charlie suggested, I count my heartbeats. They’re fast, but not overly so. Outside, a toenail moon glows in the dark sky. The scent of pine floats through the cracked window as I think of the cowboy.
His broody but handsome face. Those piercing blue eyes and tan forearms corded with veins and muscle. Dark hair that kicks up in a cute cowlick in the back. The solidness of his broad chest tensed against me as he rushed me for the door. The way his eyes dipped to my lips and lingered there.
Charlie’s words ring in my head.
Leave.
Never.
I have a good feeling about this town.
Resurrection, Montana, here I am.
Leave. Go somewhere else. Anywhere but here.
It was a prick move, saying those words to that girl last night. Even now, in the morning’s stillness, they’re rattling around in my head as I stride down Main Street.
I don’t know why I said them. I don’t know why I cared. If she stays or goes, it’s no skin off my back.
Which is a fucking bullshit lie and I know it.
I care because she got a reaction out of me. When I held her in my arms, the feel of her small frame and silky skin was like a shock of adrenaline to my bloodstream. My blood ignited with fire. When I set her on her feet, my cock could’ve punched through drywall. I wanted more, and I had to fight the urge to pull her into my arms and keep her there.
I wanted to protect her.
It pisses me off.
I cared and I can’t. The only people who get my worry are my brothers and my little sister. Not some bright-eyed, fresh-faced girl who looks like sunshine and smells like strawberries.
Leave. Go somewhere else.
Damn it. I was an asshole.
I’m also an idiot.
There was something about her. Something infuriatingly adorable. Sure, she looked like she climbed out of a fairy tale, but it wasn’t just that. It was what happened last night. The entire world was falling apart around us, and she was smiling.
Fuckingsmiling. Like she had the best night of her life dodging fists and sliding through beer.
Too many red flags. Too much drama. With any luck, she left this morning.
Ruby Bloom. What the hell kind of name is that, anyway?
