Page 14 of Cowboy’s Last Stand (His to Protect #1)
I t was raining again when they arrived at the VFW.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization had a banquet hall with a live band, a long buffet, and dozens of tables. The space was filled with multigenerational families. Children of all ages darted between distracted adults.
Jason removed his glasses, which had fogged on the way in, to wipe the lenses.
His vision had been perfect before he’d sustained a head injury in Afghanistan, so he wasn’t used to wearing them.
He didn’t drive, and he didn’t need them for anything else.
The glasses made him feel like a spy or an impostor. A stranger in his own skin.
But Natalie said she liked them, and he wanted to please her.
That was why he’d agreed to come to this dinner, even though he knew it would be difficult for him to socialize.
He’d grown accustomed to solitude, to remoteness and quiet.
Navigating a noisy, crowded room wasn’t his idea of a good time.
He also had to tread lightly here. Military men tended to talk about their crews and battalions.
He couldn’t lie about being an EOD tech, a Marine, or a combat veteran.
Natalie would connect the dots if given the right information.
It was ironic that he’d come here to tell the truth and fulfill a dying man’s final wish. Instead, he’d kept the most important part a secret. He hadn’t told her the gritty details. Hell, he was actively deceiving her—and the longer he continued this ruse, the harder it would be to come clean.
He wanted to help her and protect her. Beyond that, his motivations were murky. Was he following the path of least resistance or trying to get laid?
He knew he shouldn’t sleep with her. The way she’d looked at him in her bedroom indicated that she might not resist his advances.
She was a young widow who’d denied herself pleasure and companionship.
It wouldn’t be difficult to take advantage of her loneliness.
Although he was used to being alone himself, he was only human.
The urge to touch her dominated his thoughts and overwhelmed his senses.
They went through the buffet line, which was long and slow-moving. Natalie made a plate for herself and one for Marcus. Then she directed them toward a small table in the back. Her hands were full, so he offered to get drinks.
“I want lemonade,” Marcus said.
“Iced tea,” Natalie requested.
He returned with the items, plus a bottle of water for himself.
The food looked good—ham, baked potatoes, green salad.
He took the seat next to Marcus and tucked into his plate.
Jason had spotted Wade in the buffet line with a pretty blonde.
Jason kept his head down, hoping Wade wouldn’t come over to say hello.
He forced himself to eat slowly, like a civilized person.
He’d taken about three bites when a woman approached Natalie’s side.
“Honey, do you need this chair?”
Natalie glanced up and smiled. “You can have it.”
“Natalie,” the woman said, hand over her heart. “How lovely to see you!”
“Hi, Missy.”
Missy was an attractive brunette with wide blue eyes and a thin frame. She turned her attention from Natalie to Marcus. “You’re getting so big, and you look just like your daddy. How old are you now?”
“I’m five,” Marcus said.
“My boys just turned seven.” She gestured to a nearby table, where a pair of towheaded kids were kicking each other’s shins. “Aren’t they precious?”
Natalie nodded politely.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked.
Jason had the feeling that Missy had come over to get the scoop, not to borrow a chair. Natalie introduced them. When Missy extended her hand, he shook it.
“Are you a veteran, Jason?”
“Yes.”
“Which division?”
“Marines.”
“Thank you for your service,” Missy gushed. Then she gave Natalie a pointed look. “You’ve been holding out on us. Where have you been hiding him?”
“He’s sleeping on our front porch,” Marcus said.
Missy appeared delighted by this information. Behind her, one of her boys shoved the other one out of his chair. The only adult at the table, a heavyset man with a blank expression, ignored their antics.
“How’s Kirk?” Natalie asked.
Missy’s face softened. “He’s better, thank you.”
“Give him my love.”
“Sure,” she said, smiling again. “Nice to meet you, Jason.”
“Likewise.”
Missy left with the chair she’d asked for. She placed it between the boys like a buffer before returning to the seat beside her taciturn husband.
“Why do you sleep on the porch?” Marcus asked.
“I like it out there,” Jason replied.
“If Mom invited you to sleep inside, would you?”
“Yes, I would,” he said and watched her flush.
“Jason isn’t staying in Texas,” Natalie said. “He’s going to California soon.”
Marcus perked up at the news. “California? Is that in Mexico?”
“No.”
“Where is it?”
“By the ocean,” Natalie said.
Marcus nodded and dropped the subject. He didn’t seem distressed by the thought of Jason leaving.
He’d go whenever she wished, but he hoped it wouldn’t be soon.
He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet.
She looked lovely in her dark blue dress and wine-colored sweater.
Her skin was gorgeous, hair in soft curls.
Her lips had been painted a deep red. God, her mouth was lush. He couldn’t stop staring.
“Can I get dessert?” Marcus asked.
“Finish your ham,” Natalie said.
Marcus stuck his fork in the ham, lifted up the whole piece, and bit off a hunk. He made a growling sound for emphasis.
Jason coughed to cover his laugh. Marcus appeared to be doing an exaggerated impression of him.
Natalie ignored the behavior. Instead of insisting on good manners as well as healthy eating, she let him be.
He admired her parenting style, as well as her personal style.
He liked the way she’d handled Missy, with kindness and caring.
He liked everything about her, actually. He liked her too much to tell her the truth. The story would break her heart.
Tell her.
The final words of his fallen comrade, a fellow Marine on the bomb squad, echoed in his ears. Cut off mid-sentence, Jason could only imagine what the man had meant to say. There were a number of possibilities.
“Cousin Gabe is here,” Marcus said.
Natalie waved at a young man on the other side of the banquet hall. Jason recognized him as a friend of Billy’s.
“Was he at the bar?” Jason asked.
“Yes,” Natalie said.
“Is he old enough to drink?”
“He’s twenty.”
Jason studied Gabe. Though he didn’t resemble Mike, he was handsome, with dark eyes and a sullen face. He looked like a teenager with a chip on his shoulder. There was a hint of wariness or unease in his expression.
“I should go say hi,” Natalie said. “Do you mind?”
Jason inferred that she was leaving him behind. He nodded because he didn’t mind at all. He’d rather avoid meeting people.
As she crossed the room with Marcus, Jason took the opportunity to scan the crowd.
Wade Hendricks was seated at a round table in the front.
Although he’d brought a date with him, his eyes followed Natalie with interest. The blonde at his side was watching Wade watch Natalie.
A stocky man with a buzz haircut had his gaze affixed to the blonde’s cleavage.
This must be Sheriff Hendricks. He looked like an older version of Billy.
Jason didn’t want to get caught staring at the lawmen, so he turned his attention back to Natalie. She was saying hello to Gabe’s family. Gabe greeted Marcus with a fist bump. A young woman, perhaps his sister, kissed Natalie’s cheek and hugged Marcus.
Gabe left almost as soon as Natalie arrived. He disappeared into the men’s restroom. Jason wondered if the boy was afraid Natalie would tell his parents he’d been hanging out with riffraff at the bar.
When Natalie chatted with the Lunas, Jason went in search of dessert.
If he stayed at the table, they would glance over at him curiously and ask her why she didn’t want to introduce him.
He knew why. She feared they would judge her for dating someone new.
Either that, or she was afraid to admit it to herself.
Maybe she was still in love with Mike. She said she wasn’t ready to move on, but she seemed ready.
He’d seen the heat in her eyes. She was capable of succumbing to desire. She’d done it before—with Wade.
Jason felt a surge of jealousy, even though he assumed the encounter had been unsatisfying. She hadn’t wanted a repeat.
With him, she would. He’d guarantee it.
Jason found the dessert table and perused the plentiful offerings. A big man sidled up next to him.
Billy’s father.
He was wearing a bolo tie with turquoise and silver feathers. The style reminded Jason of a garrote, ready to be tightened. It was distinctly unflattering on the sheriff, who had a weak chin and round face like Billy.
“Hello there. I’m Sheriff Hendricks.”
Jason nodded curtly. “Sheriff.”
“I heard you met my son the other night.”
“I’ve met both of them. Or are there more than two?”
“Billy was in a regretfully inebriated state.”
Jason made a skeptical sound. Billy regretted his drunkenness—and getting his ass kicked—more than he regretted his actions. “Billy got what he deserved,” Jason said bluntly, meeting the old man’s eyes.
Sheriff Hendricks didn’t blink. “He mentioned an item that you removed from his person. It’s a family heirloom.”
Jason gave him an incredulous look. “His brass knuckles are a family heirloom?”
Hendricks lowered his voice another decibel. “We’ve been using them on people of your ilk for decades.”
It was a blatant threat and a grave insult. “People of my ilk ?”
“Drifters. Undesirables.” He let his gaze slide to Natalie and then back to him. “You don’t want that pretty little thing getting caught in the middle, do you?”