Page 15 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)

Easton lifted the crate from the back of the delivery truck and walked it through the side door of the bar into the storage room.

He slid the crate onto a shelf to rest until he needed the supplies inside.

His phone vibrated in his jeans pocket, but he refrained from pulling it out until he and the deliveryman finished unloading the truck.

“That’s the last of it.” Bart Conrad brushed debris from his hands before extending one to Easton. “Appreciate the business, man.”

Easton gripped the man’s hand with a brief shake. “Yeah, no problem. Want some lunch? We can fire up the grill and have you a burger ready in no time.”

Bart shook his head. “I wished, but I need to get back on the road. Running behind.”

“I understand. Next time then. Be safe and tell Gina we said hello.”

The man’s face split with a smile that appeared anytime his wife’s name was mentioned. “Will do. She’s after me to bring her for a visit. She wants to see Jackson’s boy again now that he’s not a baby anymore. Not sure why that matters, but you know women.”

Easton chuckled. “You two are welcome anytime. Stay safe, man.”

Easton waved the man off before heading back inside.

Though he offered to prepare Bart some food, he had no interest in preparing himself anything.

His phone beckoned for him to read the text that had come through, but his growling stomach prompted him to wait.

He was alone at the bar, so he didn’t have to alert anybody when he left and drove to a favorite eating spot for him and his brothers.

Jed’s was referred to as a “hole in the wall” place, meaning simply that it didn’t look like it would be fit to serve delicious food when it actually served some of the best. The original Jed left the place to his fraternal twins, Jed Jr. and Thea, who expressed their love for each other through loud arguments and good-natured disagreements.

The sign that greeted Easton when he stepped inside requested that he wait to be seated.

Since no one ever waited, he strode purposely to a back table and slid onto the padded bench to wait for Thea.

The restaurant had no set menu, so he had to wait for the waitress to come around and tell him what Jed had chosen to prepare for lunch that day.

The tall woman emerged from the kitchen area carrying two plates over to an occupied table on the other side of the dining area.

After placing them in front of the customers and chatting with them for a couple of minutes, she turned to scan the area for new arrivals.

Her dark eyes settled on him, and her hand absently smoothed her unnaturally red hair before she walked over.

“Well, well, well, it’s been a while.” She placed a hand on her curvy hip and smiled at him with a mixture of friendship and interest.

“It’s good to see you, Thea. You look well.”

Her lid dropped in a wink. “I am well, other than putting up with Jed all day. How about you?”

“If I were any better, it’d be illegal.”

She laughed, the boisterous sound carrying through the dining area. “What can I get you? We have baked ziti with salad and garlic bread or a patty melt with sweat potato fries and coleslaw. Dessert is chocolate cake or cherry cobbler.”

“I’ll take the patty melt with sweat tea. Thanks, Thea.”

She flashed him another friendly smile that bordered on flirtatious.

Thea was a few years older than him in school, but he was aware that she’d harbored a crush on him.

When he was a teenager, he’d considered dating her because he’d counted her as a sure thing.

He was glad he’d never followed through on the idea because Thea made a better friend than a bed bunny.

After Thea left to put in his order, Easton remembered to check his texts and saw the new message had come in from Luke. The text was a link to a website that took several minutes to load, and he almost clicked out of it. Then the headline of the news article caught his attention.

He started reading, the story pulling him in enough that he failed to notice Thea returning until she sat his plate and glass in front of him. He thanked her and then returned to the article, his food ignored.

Easton was unaware of the scowl on his face as he completed the article, and then he started his own search. More articles populated his feed, and he got lost in his research.

At one point, he remembered his sandwich and took a bite of his lukewarm meal as he continued reading.

It wasn’t until someone banged a fist on his table that he came up for air.

His brother had dropped into the chair across from him without Easton realizing he was close.

Easton shook the fog from his brain, silently admonishing himself for not being more aware.

Luke waved over at Thea and motioned for her to bring another order of what Easton was having. He stole one of Easton’s fries and popped it in his mouth, his steely eyes watching him intently.

“Did you read it?”

Easton nodded. “Yeah. Then I found some more and read those too.”

“Is this a case?”

Easton saw Thea heading their way, so he waited to answer until after she brought Luke’s food and made sure they didn’t need anything else. Thea wasn’t one to gossip, but Luke’s question was related to the brothers’ work as Legends.

They took their cue from the way English had always worked as Legend. No matter how they handled a case that was brought to them, they resolved it and slipped away without drawing too much attention.

“No,” Easton answered his brother as he watched Luke attack his lunch with gusto. “It’s personal. Sort of.”

Luke chewed and swallowed. “Explain.”

“The name I gave you? She’s Darby Anne Maxwell’s granddaughter.

She kind of insinuated that she was in trouble, but she wouldn’t tell me what.

I just wanted to see if you could find something to give me an idea of what I’m up against. I’ve offered my help, and all she asked was for me to watch over Darby Anne after she went back home. ”

“She’s stepped into some deep shit.”

Easton nodded. “She came here to visit, so she could get away from it for a while. She said she doesn’t think trouble would follow her here, but I think that’s exactly what she’s afraid of. It’s got her spooked. After reading this, I can’t say I blame her.”

Luke popped a fry into his mouth. “I can dig deeper, see if there’s a trail that could lead someone here.”

Easton pushed his plate away, his appetite gone.

“I want to say no. I’d rather her trust me to help without me having to dig into her personal life.

But she won’t. I’m just a bartender to her.

I’ve explained about my military experience, but she’s a cop.

She knows the training is not the same. I’m going to have to get creative if I want to help. ”

“You like her.”

Easton nodded. “Hell, yeah. She’s sexy and smart and calls me out on my shit. I’m starting to grow on her. She didn’t like me at first. Then she decided we could be friends. Last night, she kissed me. I’m slowly wearing her down.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Of course, you are,” he deadpanned. “So why get involved in her drama if all you want is to screw her?”

Easton bristled. “Since when have we ever ignored someone in trouble? Damn, man, I’m not a jackass. I’m not using her crisis to get her in my bed. Would I complain if that’s where things between us led? Hell, no. But that’s not what this is. Geez, Luke, give me some credit, okay?”

“Right.” Luke drawled out the word, both agreeing with and doubting his brother with the simple response. “So do you want me to stop digging or what?”

Easton almost called him off. He walked a fine line between wanting to date Bailee and wanting to protect her, meaning he had to tread carefully.

If she knew he had his brother look into things that she believed were none of his business, she’d shut him out.

He didn’t think he could live with that.

Only to truly help her without telling her about his work as a Legend, he needed Luke’s unique skills for manipulating computers and finding intel the rest of them wasn’t privy to.

And then there was the disconnect with his player persona and his feelings toward Bailee.

Using women to satisfy his needs was the impression he gave most people because it was better that way.

Live a life of fun and games meant not allowing anyone to get too close.

Only he wanted Bailee close. To what end, he wasn’t sure.

Yeah, he wanted her in his bed, and he knew in his gut a one-night stand would not be enough. So where that left him remained to be seen.

Regardless, he had faith he could make this work. He could be there for Bailee without imploding the life he enjoyed.

“Keep digging. And I know where you can start.”

Easton shared with Luke what he knew about Bailee’s encounter with the stranger at the grocery store and how it had her instincts on alert. Luke polished off the remainder of his lunch and pushed his plate away.

“I’m on it. But do me a favor? Watch yourself. Something tells me this woman could tie you up in knots without you realizing it. I ought to know since that’s what Melody did to me.”

Easton chuckled. “That’s not what this is. I admire what you have with Mel and what Jackson has with Ray. That’s not for me.”

Luke shrugged. “So you say. But what I have with Mel and what Jackson has with Ray — it’s not something you see coming. Like I said. Just watch yourself.”

Easton waved off his brother’s warning, but inside, he wondered if Luke’s advice had some merit.

Kissing Bailee hadn’t been planned, but if he’d known it was going to be as explosive as it had been, he’d have done it sooner.

He’d relived the moment many times during the waking and sleeping hours since, and he couldn’t regret seizing the opportunity. It felt right.