Chapter 1
This was officially the worst day of Harper’s adult life.
What had she ever seen in that jackass? She yanked the sun visor down, squinting against the low spring sun. At least the setting sun meant this day from hell was almost over. Even if she still had no idea where she was going.
Which was just perfect.
She automatically reached for her bag before remembering that she had left it—and her wallet and phone—behind. Her phone with its GPS that could tell her if she was even heading in the right direction.
Hannah lived two hours southwest of the city. Harper wasn’t sure how her college roommate would feel about a short-term couch crasher, but she was her only hope at this point.
The dashboard’s orange low fuel light chose that moment to ding on. “Damn it.” She had forgotten to stop for gas on the way home and she certainly hadn’t been thinking about it after storming out.
She spotted the next exit—a town called Benevolence, Maryland—and signaled. She was going to have to find a payphone. Did they even have those anymore? Did she even have anyone’s number memorized? Harper groaned.
Maybe she could borrow someone’s phone, log on to Facebook, and beg nearby friends for a ride.
Just inside the town’s limits, she coasted into the gravel parking lot of what appeared to be a bar gearing up for a hopping Friday night. It was a rustic-looking log cabin kind of place. No neon lights in the windows, just a simple hand-painted sign that hung from the eaves of the skinny front porch:
Remo’s
There was a patio on the side strung with lights and sail shades. A few patrons were clustered around heaters and an open fire pit.
It felt friendly. And she could use a friend right now.
Harper climbed out of her aging Volkswagen Beetle, and the hinges squealed as she shut the door. Leaning against the faded fender, she let her gaze wander, looking for a friendly stranger with a smartphone. “How do I get myself into these situations?” she sighed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
“I warned you!”
The guttural shout came from between a pair of pickups two rows back where a man towered over a tiny brunette. He had the woman by the shoulders and was shaking her hard enough to rattle teeth.
“I fucking told you, didn’t I?” He shook her again, even harder this time.
Harper hustled forward. “Hey!”
The screaming giant barely spared her a glance over his shoulder. “Mind your own business, nosy whore.” Harper could hear the slur in his words.
The brunette started to cry. “Glenn—”
“I’m sick of hearing it!” He closed a ham-sized fist around her neck and shoved her against the truck, lifting her off her feet. The woman clawed helplessly at the hand squeezing her throat.
Seeing red, Harper launched herself at his back.
At impact, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He shrieked, too high-pitched for a man of his size, and released the woman. Arms flailing, he slammed back against the pickup trying to dislodge Harper.
She held on tighter as his weight crushed into her torso.
“Not so easy when we fight back is it, asshole?” she gritted out.
“You’re fucking dead, you bitch!” he squealed.
She briefly thought about biting his ear but instead used her legs to shove them off the truck and squeezed her arms tighter around his neck. His face was turning bright red from the pressure.
Glenn gripped her arms and lurched forward, tossing Harper to the ground in front of the crying woman. She landed hard on her side and came up swinging. He glanced a blow off her shoulder, making it sing, and she caught him on the side of the head.
“Glenn!” A deep voice full of authority snapped out from behind them.
Harper used the distraction and fired a shot to his face, catching him off-guard… but only for a moment. The drunken giant swung back at her, and the parking lot exploded into stars.
* * *
“Hey.” There was that voice again, this time floating towards her through the haze. Deep and a little rough.
Harper was flat on her back in the gravel. The side of her face felt like it was on fire. But what held her attention was the man hovering over her. Buzzed short dark hair and a five o’clock shadow framed the deepest hazel eyes she had ever seen. A spectacular sunset was happening behind his head. It was a gorgeous picture.
“Wow,” she whispered. “Am I dead?”
He grinned, and she saw a dimple appear next to his mouth. Holy hotness. She was definitely dead.
“You’re not dead, but you could’ve been, taking on a big son of a bitch like that.”
Harper groaned, remembering. “Where is the big son of a bitch? Is the girl okay?”
“He’s face down underneath a deputy, and Gloria’s fine. Thanks to you.” He touched her face gently, probing around the fist-sized ouch. “You take a hit like a champ.”
She winced. “Thanks. Can I sit up?”
Wordlessly, he helped her into a seated position and held her by the shoulders. “How do you feel?” Concern colored those deep eyes.
She brought her fingertips to her cheek and felt the heat pumping off what had to be some serious nastiness. “I’ve felt worse.” He had a scar through one dark eyebrow and the slightest crinkles around his eyes. His very fit right forearm was completely covered in a sleeve tattoo.
“That was a very brave, very stupid thing you did, taking on a guy that size.” He smiled again.
“It’s not the stupidest thing I’ve done today.”
“You guys all right, Luke?”
Harper stopped staring at him long enough to notice the crowd that surrounded them.
“We’re fine.” He turned back to Harper. “Think you can stand up?”
She nodded, moderately pleased when her head didn’t snap off her neck with the motion. He slid his hands under her arms and gently lifted her to her feet. The crowd broke into spontaneous applause.
“About time someone put that asshole in his place,” someone cackled, and the rest of the crowd laughed.
“Jesus, Luke, what did you do now?” A gorgeous raven-haired beauty in a denim skirt and a Remo’s embroidered polo weaved her way through the spectators.
“Don’t get all pissy with him, Soph.” A deputy stepped forward. “He didn’t start it, but one of them broke Glenn’s nose.”
Harper glanced down and noticed the split knuckles on her hero’s right hand.
“There are enough witnesses for him to spend a few nights in jail even if Gloria doesn’t press charges this time,” he continued.
The woman hooted and grabbed Luke for a smacking kiss. “Mom is going to be so proud.”
Luke rolled his eyes, hands still steadying Harper.
The brunette turned to Harper. “And what were you, collateral damage?”
“Are you kidding?” The deputy laughed. “I was pulling in when I saw her jump on his back with blood in her eyes. She went Xena Warrior Princess on his ass before he got in a lucky shot and Luke took him down,” the deputy said.
“That settles it,” she pointed at Luke and Harper. “You two are drinking for free tonight.” The crowd erupted into cheers.
“Hey, what about me?” the deputy mock pouted. “I handcuffed him.”
“Ty, you’ll get your reward after your shift.” She tugged him in for a hard kiss on the mouth and grinned up at him. “Don’t forget to pick up eggs on your way home.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “I’ll hold you to that reward. Well, I’m gonna run this asshole by the ER on the way to jail.” He winked and headed back to his squad car. Glenn was slumped over in the back seat. Ty slid behind the wheel. “See y’all later.”
He flipped on the lights as he peeled out of the lot to the delight of the crowd.
She tossed her dark curls and rolled her eyes heavenward. “That’s my husband,” she sighed. “So, Tough Girl. Got a name?”
“Harper.”
“I’m Sophie. Welcome to Benevolence, Harper. How about some ice for that face?”
Chapter 2
Sophie set Harper up with some Ibuprofen, ice, and an impromptu doctor’s visit in the ladies’ room.
“Okay, Harper, I’m thinking you may have escaped a concussion. You are very lucky,” Trish Dunnigan said, leaning in to check Harper’s pupils one more time. “I’d like to see you tomorrow morning though. I don’t think your arm is broken, but it could be a hairline fracture. Same with the ribs. You need an X-ray.”
“Oh, I won’t be here tomorrow. I’m just passing through.”
“All right, then make sure you see your primary care doctor ASAP.”
Harper nodded, knowing that that wasn’t going to happen.
“Thanks for the house call, doc,” Sophie said, leaning against the vanity.
“No problem. I was in the neighborhood getting some take-out. Happy to help.” She waved on her way out the door.
“Sorry to be so much trouble,” Harper said from under the ice pack.
“Are you kidding? You’re a hero. Glenn has been wailing on that poor Gloria since high school.”
Harper sighed. “What a dick.”
“You got that right.” Sophie leaned towards the mirror to apply a fresh coat of lip gloss. “So what’s your story? I know you’re not from around here.”
Harper sighed. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say I caught my boyfriend-slash-boss in a compromising position with a delivery girl today and stormed off with nothing but my car keys.”
“And then ended up getting punched out by a drunken jack-off in a parking lot?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. That is a bad day.” Sophie studied her for a minute. “So no wallet, no phone, no cash?”
“Nothing. Also, I ran out of gas in your parking lot.”
Sophie threw her head back and laughed. “Kid, it couldn’t have happened in a better place. I’ll take care of everything.” She tucked her gloss into her front pocket. “My shift’s starting, so meet me at the bar. I’ve got a beer and some nachos with your name on them.”
Harper watched as Sophie breezed out through the barn-style door. What she wouldn’t give for that kind of confidence in life.
She dropped the icepack and looked in the mirror. The bruise was nasty all right. It flowed from temple to cheekbone in a mottled purple. What if Luke was still out there?
Harper yanked her hair out of her ponytail and brushed her bangs sideways across her forehead to cover some of the bruising. She let the rest of her hair fall, tousled around her face.
Not great. But it would have to do.
She pushed through the door and into a very lively Friday night. The log cabin theme continued in the main bar with timber beams and a huge stone fireplace off to the side. Twin pool tables drew a crowd in a raised alcove overlooking the outdoor patio.
And there was Luke, standing at the long, rustic bar with a beer, waiting. He nudged an empty stool towards her with his foot. The gesture walked the line between invitation and order.
He was smoking hot. Dressed in jeans and a plain gray t-shirt, he was seriously ripped. Like romance-novel-cover ripped. And those eyes. Green and gray and brown. No wonder all she could say was wow.
She slid gingerly onto the stool as her muscles whimpered. They stared at each other for a minute. The silence hung thickly, cutting off the volume of the rest of the bar noises.
“Hi,” Harper said finally.
“Hi.”
“I’m Harper.” She extended her hand for the overdue introduction.
“Luke.” He took her hand in a strong grip and held it. “Come here often?” He smiled, and the dimple appeared again. Harper felt her heart stumble. Oh, good Lord. Not now. This was the worst possible time to develop a crush. She had sworn off men not two hours ago and promptly gotten her ass kicked by another one. She ordered herself to pull it together.
“First time. I hear the parking lot gets pretty rowdy on Friday nights.”
He straightened and brought his fingers to her face, gently brushed her bangs back. “How’s your face, Harper?”
“It’ll be okay, Luke.” She blushed saying his name. It felt strange to be so familiar with a stranger. “How’s your hand?”
He was still cupping her face, running his thumb lightly over her bruised cheek.
Someone nearby cleared their throat. Sophie was behind the bar, grinning like an idiot at them. “Sorry to interrupt, kids, but this is for you,” she said, tossing an icepack at Luke. “And this is for you,” she slid a beer bottle to Harper. “Nachos are on the way. On the house. Sit.”
“Thanks, sis,” Luke said, barely sparing Sophie a glance while he sank down on the empty stool next to Harper’s.
Harper blushed under his stare and grabbed the beer like a lifeline. “Thanks.”
Sophie winked at her before hurrying away.
“Nice job out there, Luke.” A beanpole of a man in a red baseball hat smacked him soundly on the back. “That was one hell of a shot you gave Glenn. They teach you that in the army?”
“Thanks, Carl.”
“Down and out in one,” Carl hooted, miming a right hook. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
“Just remember that next time you don’t give me a discount at the lumber yard,” Luke said dryly.
Carl laughed again and turned to Harper. “It’s nice to see Luke here in such pretty company. I didn’t catch your name, Blondie.”
Luke made the perfunctory introduction. “Carl, this is Harper. Harper, this is Carl.”
“Well, Harper, if there is anything you need while you’re in town, you don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll be happy to do anything, anything at all for you.”
“Yeah, I bet you would,” Luke said. “How is your wife these days?”
“Big as a house. Baby Number Three is due next week.” He puffed out his chest with pride. “This one’s gotta be a boy. A man can’t have three daughters.”
“He can if he’s getting paid back for raising hell in high school,” Luke said. “Maybe you should go home and rub Carol Ann’s feet to try and make up for it.”
“Oh, I’m doing better than that. I’m picking up a cheesesteak for her.”
Right on cue, Sophie reappeared with a large paper bag. “Three steaks, all the fixings.” She slid it across the bar to Carl.
“Give Carol Ann my best,” Luke told him.
“Will do. Will do. It was nice to meet you, Harper. If you get sick of hanging out with this soldier, just give me a call.”
“Will do, Carl.” Harper laughed.
“Don’t encourage him,” Luke said as Carl weaved his way past them.
“So, soldier?” Harper turned back to Luke.
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