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My brother’s got a shit-eating grin on his face as he welcomes her back by wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek.
“Well, I guess that, um…” The minister clears his throat. “A hymn, we should… Mrs. Dudley.” He looks desperatelytoward the organist. “Hymn number 62. All Things Bright And Beautiful.” He grins awkwardly as he opens up his hymn book.
“That was incredible.” I swing the door to Dolores’s diner open, still praising Leia on how she handled things back at the chapel. Wade and Dalton start rearranging the tables so we can all sit together and, despite my excitement, I can still feel a whole lot of tension between me and Cole. I swear he thinks he’s some kinda hero for how he handled things last night and if he’s waiting on a thank you, he’ll be waiting a long time.
“Isn’t this nice?” Teresa takes a seat and acts like this is a novelty and we weren’t all just sitting around a table together a few hours ago.
Coming here was her idea, she said the Carsons’ should show face and be present, not run home and act ashamed after Leia’s act of courage. She’s right, but for Cole, that means there’s no escape from being around me and the irritation that gives him is prominent on his face. I keep catching his glances, he’s looking at me like he hates me, so I annoy him even more with the seductive and playful smiles I know drives him crazy.
The bell above the door rings and Leonard Mason and his pals step inside. I’m sure Leia told me he was the same age as Wade, far too old to be hanging out in a diner with his little gang of buddies. Which is why I suspect he’s come in here to try and get a rise out of Garrett. Leia’s little revelation in church todaywould have set Old Man Mason a few steps back in the race he thinks he’s in to become Mayor, and I’ll bet Leonard is here to goad these Carson men into a fight so his father will be back in the running.
“What a fine spectacle.” Leonard laughs with his pals as he takes the milkshake he just ordered off the counter and sucks hard at the straw. “Guess knocking up your little step-sister really gets you places,” he scoffs, leaning back on the counter and making no attempt to hide his intention.
“Don’t bite.” Maisie places her hand on Garrett’s knee, starting to look worried.
“I thought Carson men weren’t meant to take no shit.” Leonard steps a little closer, making sure he’s heard.
“I’d walk out that door while you still have the ability to.” Garrett keeps his focus straight ahead, refusing to turn his head for the man.
“See, I hear the threat but I don’t see it.” Leonard crouches down so his head is almost resting on Garrett’s shoulder, and I see the look all four brothers give each other across the table, realizing that Dalton really is one of them now.
“I’m just tryin’ to have a nice dinner with my family.” Garrett continues to keep his cool.
“In other words, why don’t you piss off.” I’ve taken about all I can of this jerk's bullshit. I notice how Cole drops his head and shakes it, and I’m pissed off that he can even be angry at me for sticking up for his family.
“And who the fuck are you, darlin’? Which Carson is gettin’ up in you? The bastard one who Billy didn’t want, or the one who lost his woman to my brother?” Cole’s head snaps back up and he stares at the guy like he’s gonna go for him at any second. “Hell to monogamy, it clearly means fuck all to these Bastards. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were fuckin’ ‘em all. One big happy fucked up family.”
Garrett stands on his feet so fast his chair throws back, and Maisie tugs on his hand begging for him not to react.
“Please sit down,” she begs him, but he doesn’t budge.
“She’s right. Sit down, Garrett.” Cole stands up, slowly and calmly starting to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt before rolling them up his forearm. “This guy came in here lookin’ for a fight. The future Mayor of this town ain’t gonna lower himself to those kinda behaviors. But I’m more than fuckin’ willing to take you and any of your little buddies who wanna stand beside ya, out of this diner, away from these ladies and little ones, so I can beat the fuck outta ya.” Cole doesn’t wait for a response; he walks out the door onto the street and waits for them out there.
Leonard isn’t quick in following him, though the glances he gets from his friends pressure him enough to follow on out. They all leave the dinner together but only two of them actually offer him any form of support. The others get in their cars and screech away.
“Maybe you should go out there too, there's three of them,” Leia tells Wade as she watches nervously out the window.
“Nah, Cole’s got this.” Wade slouches back in his chair like he’s about to watch a show, while Garrett keeps his focus on what’s going on out the window behind me.
“So what’s everyone gonna have?” Maisie tries to distract everyone, and Leia and Teresa at least try to join her by picking up their menus.
All the action is happening behind me, which makes it easy for me to ignore until a loud thump against the window makes me jump. When I turn around I see one of Leonard’s friends with his bloody face squished against the glass.
“Guess Leonard caught him on the wrong day.” Dalton shakes his head as I give in to temptation and spin around in my chair so I can join in and watch Cole beat the crap into him.
“Aren’t you gonna stop it?” Maisie looks at Garrett desperately.
“Why would I stop it? Cole’s winning.” He smirks as Cole gives Leonard a chance to get up from the ground and amuses himself by tossing his friend against Wade's truck.
Leonard stumbles back onto his feet and makes a feeble attempt at an attack, but Cole sits him back town on his ass for the final time, before dusting off his hands and heading back inside to join us.
“Did I miss the specials?” He looks up to Dolores as he takes his seat, and she’s too busy staring out at her bloody window to answer.
“Oh I’m sorry about that, I’ll have one of the boys head straight out here to clean that up for ya.” He nods at her politely.
When we get back to the ranch I head straight into the bunkhouse for a cold shower. Kicking the shit into Leonard and his friends didn’t seem to cure the fuckin’ itch Savannah’s put inside me. She’s so fuckin’ hard to understand.
Last night when I put her to bed she seemed almost grateful for what I did. Today she’s treating me like I did something wrong by protecting her.
