Page 10 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)

What am I doing?

The minute she prompted Easton to share a bit about himself, she wondered if the paint fumes had messed with her good sense. Just last night, she considered her grandmother’s charming neighbor a huge pain in her ass.

When he showed up this morning, she was ready to send him back to his house, even if it meant she had to be rude to him to get him to leave. Before she had a chance to question her sanity, she not only invited him to help her, but she also indulged in her curiosity about the man.

Easton eyed her with a smug look on his face, pleased that he’d won her over.

Let him think that. She was doing her due diligence as Darby Anne’s granddaughter to make sure her neighbor was just as great as Gran thought he was.

He seemed nice enough, but Bailee’s cop instinct nagged her that there was more to him than Gran knew.

“I’m surprised Darby Anne didn’t tell you anything about me.”

Bailee shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”

“Right. Okay. Well, I met Becky when I was sixteen. I went to a bar to ask about a job, and she worked there.”

His long story wasn’t as long as he implied, but it didn’t settle her curiosity. She frowned slightly, wondering if he was being vague for a reason.

“Yeah, I think your long story needs to be longer,” she said dryly, and he chuckled.

“Well, I was an unwilling product of the foster care system. I got it in my head that I wanted to earn enough money to strike out on my own instead of living in foster homes, so I went to every business in town looking for work. But everyone knew my background and didn’t want to take a chance on me.

I wound up at the Fire Bar. I knew a couple of guys from school who worked there in the afternoons, so I figured the owner might give me a shot.

His name is English Barlowe. When I told him why I was there, he gave me a job, but only if I stayed with him while I worked for him.

It turned out the guys I knew who worked there also lived there.

They had rough home situations similar to mine, and Gish — that’s what we call English — offered them a safe space to live in the apartment above the bar.

I figured why not? I was planning to leave once I saved enough money anyway. ”

“But you didn’t leave.”

He grinned. “Only long enough to serve in the Army.”

Easton finished his section of the porch and stepped back to admire his work before continuing.

“As I said, Becky was a waitress at the bar. Come to find out, Gish helped her out after her sorry excuse for a boyfriend brought her to the bar. The bastard kept her drugged and abused her. Gish helped her get away and start a new life. She got clean and started working for him. She was sort of a mother figure for us.”

“What about the other boys who lived at the bar too? What happened to them?”

“My brothers. We’re not blood related, but we’re brothers in all the ways that count.

They’re still around. We all operate businesses in town.

Jackson and I run the bar. Luke runs the auto repair shop.

Ben runs the hardware store. Gish and Becky are kind of semi-retired and just help out with whatever we need.

Since Jackson got married, Becky helps his wife Reagan out a lot with their son Jax. ”

“Were your brothers foster kids too?” Bailee couldn’t stop the questions. Easton’s story seemed too odd to be believed but too far-fetched not to have some semblance of truth to it.

“We all came from rough home lives. Jackson ran away from his abusive parents and lived on the streets until Gish caught him sleeping in the alley at the bar. Luke’s father killed his mom and them himself, leaving Luke alone.

He and Jackson played football together, so Jackson invited him to come live with him and Gish.

Ben was the only one of us who didn’t come to Gish as a teenager.

He was about seven years old when he was dropped off at the bar, half-starved.

I don’t think any of us expected to wind up with the family we have, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything. ”

Bailee finished her section of the porch and stepped back, more invested in Easton’s story than she wanted to be. “I think I want to meet this English guy.”

Easton’s grin was wide. “Yeah? I think you’d like him. He’s an interesting character, that’s for sure.”

“He would have to be. I mean, it sounds like there’s something about him that draws people to him. Becky, you, your brothers. People who cross his path never seem to want to leave.”

Easton chuckled. “I never thought about it, but I guess that’s true. He acts like a grump most days, but he has this protector side of him. He wants to help people if he can. He raised us to be the same.”

Bailee grabbed her bottle of water and settled on the porch steps to rest a moment. She wasn’t surprised when Easton joined her. She was surprised at how her body responded to his proximity. A shiver snaked down her spine, and she shifted her body to hide the reaction.

His thigh brushed against hers, and her skin burned from the heat of the contact. He smelled of sweat and the outdoors, not a combination that should entice her, but it did.

She forced herself to concentrate on their conversation and not on how sexy this man was. “I can relate to the helping people part. My family is that way, too. I think that’s why I became a cop, and my brother decided to go into the military.”

“Darby Anne told me your brother’s in the Army. My brothers and I only did one tour each in the Army too. None of us chose to be lifers like your brother.”

“My Dad wanted to be, but he was medically discharged when he was a lieutenant. I don’t think he expected Adam to follow in his footsteps, but Adam loves it. It’s like he was born to it. We miss him though. He doesn’t get to visit often.”

“What about you? When did you decide to be a cop?”

This back-and-forth, getting-to-know-each-other conversation was not how she saw her morning going, and yet she enjoyed talking to him. When he wasn’t laying on the charm with his empty flirting, Easton was surprisingly easy to talk to and very likable.

Tread carefully, Bai. Likable is more dangerous than charming.

Keeping the self-imposed warning at the forefront of her mind, she sipped her water before opening up to Easton just a bit more.

“I went to school with a girl whose mom worked for the FBI. She did one of those career day talks when I was in high school, and I never forgot what she said about women making history in law enforcement. I considered enlisting in the military or pursuing a career with one of the alphabet agencies, but my dad mentioned something about making a difference in my own backyard. He wasn’t exactly touting for me to settle in my hometown as much as he wanted me to consider working in communities that needed good people to keep them safe.

So after graduation, I went to a community college and then went through the police academy. ”

“Now you’re a detective. Louisville, right?”

Bailee twisted her head sharply, her brow arching a bit. Easton grinned and shrugged.

“Darby Anne brags about you and your brother all the time. I pay attention.”

Her eyes narrowed, but to his credit, he didn’t shy away from her scrutiny. He met her gaze, and instead of trying to distract her, he waited for her to respond.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

That infuriating grin widened. “Let me guess, boxers or briefs? Do you want me to answer, or would you prefer to find out for yourself, Detective?”

Bailee’s arm shot out, her fist connecting with Easton’s bicep hard enough to cause him to lean away from her. His muscle was solid, so her knuckles stung from the contact.

“That’s not the question, smartass,” she retorted.

“I was going to ask why you chose to live here. In this subdivision. I know most of Gran’s neighbors, and they aren’t exactly your speed.

They’re senior citizens and married couples with two-point-five children.

You are more of the singles bar, swipe right kind of guy. ”

He shook his body in an exaggerated shudder. “Dating apps? You think I look like someone who would have a profile on a dating app? I’ve got more game than that.”

Bailee rolled her eyes. “Don’t you ever take anything seriously?”

“Okay, okay. Here’s the serious me.” His grin disappeared, and he regarded her with solemn eyes.

Bailee blinked. Damn, how can his serious expression be just as sexy as his playful one?

“The truth is, I have been on a dating app before and met some nice people that way. They aren’t my usual thing though, but I don’t really have a problem with them. You thinking of trying one?”

“Can’t you just answer the question without playing games?” This guy needed an award for how quickly he could push her buttons.

“I can, but teasing you is so much fun.” He winked at her, and she hated the way her stomach somersaulted in response.

“To answer your question, this is the type of neighborhood I always wanted to live in but never did growing up. When I decided to make it on my own, I knew I’d own a house like that in a neighborhood like this one day.

It may seem out of character, but it works for me. ”

“You shouldn’t do that, you know.” At his questioning expression, she continued. “You shouldn’t hide this part of yourself. The fun and flirty guy is all right, but the serious guy who works hard to change his circumstances and achieve his dreams is way more interesting.”

This time, Easton did look away, and Bailee hated not being able to read his eyes and know what was going on in his brain.

“You’re the first one to ever tell me that,” he finally said.

“Probably because you never show that side of yourself too often.” Bailee stood, suddenly feeling the need for space.

“Thanks for your help with the porch. I can finish up the steps myself, so you can get back to whatever you had planned for your day. There’s really not enough room for both of us to work on them anyway. ”

He nodded and rose. “Yeah, okay. I do have some errands to run before my shift at the bar.”

He turned his head, piercing her eyes with his, and Bailee stepped down to the lawn to put more distance between them. His smile made her wonder if he knew exactly what she was doing.

“Not sure how long your Gran’s to-do list is, but if you need some more help tomorrow, let me know. Work always moves faster with two sets of hands instead of one.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Easton looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he moved past her. He called a farewell to Roxy as he crossed to his yard and then disappeared inside his house.

Bailee doubted she would call on him to help with any more of the work around Gran’s house. Easton changed her opinion of him after the time they spent this morning, but one thing he didn’t change was her gut instinct to keep her distance from him.

Staying away was easy to do when she thought he was a player. It would be much harder now that she’d seen a different side to him.

He was exactly what she didn’t need in her life right now — a distraction that was hard to resist but promised to wreak havoc with her peace of mind.