Page 29 of Montana Heat

I knew I meant every word of it.

Chapter Eight

Jensen

Kenzie spent the rest of the day meeting half the town of Garnet Bend here in my garage. I lost count of how many times she told her story as each of the Resting Warrior guys came by.

She needed to know all of them so she wouldn’t get spooked if there was a lookout in front of her apartment. Charlie helped supervise the process, and by midafternoon, we had a schedule for looking after her.

The guys’ wives and girlfriends came by too, introducing themselves to Kenzie and just letting her know she wasn’t alone. And God knew all of them had lived through things that allowed them to speak credibly about facing danger.

They understood what it was to live with crippling fear and wanted to make sure Kenzie knew they were available to talk to if she needed it.

I wasn’t sure there was anywhere else on the planet where a group of women would have no problem with their men helping safeguard another beautiful woman.

The Resting Warrior women were completely secure in the love of their men.

“Ready for me to take you home?” I asked as I walked into the office after closing up the bays.

Kenzie was sitting in a chair, looking a little ragged. “I know I shouldn’t feel this exhausted since I didn’t do anything all day.”

“I don’t know about that. Retelling your story over and over takes a lot out of you.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You sound like you know that from firsthand experience.”

I shrugged. “A little from when I was a kid. My parents were addicts, so I constantly had to explain what had happened to me to different social workers once they lost custody of me.”

Her brown eyes widened. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” And definitely wasn’t something I wanted to talk about right now. “We didn’t get much lunch. Want to get some food with me before you go back to your apartment?”

“Um.”

Shit. I was pushing too far.

“Sure, but I didn’t bring my wallet.”

That, I could handle. “How about it’s my treat for having your car and leaving you stranded for so long.”

She held up her hand. “You don’t have to do that. I understand why you have it.”

I nodded. “I know you do, but I’d still like to treat you. Call it a welcome to town, if you’d rather.”

“I feel like I’ve gotten a very warm welcome here today, but I’ll take you up on it. I’m starving.”

Draper’s Tavern, the local bar and grill, would be perfect for this occasion. It was a favorite in town and usually stayed busy, especially this time of the year when it was getting colder and people wanted a place to socialize inside.

There’d be music and conversations and games going on in the background, so we wouldn’t have to sit and eat in silence, and I wouldn’t have to struggle to find somethingto talk about.

It was part of why I didn’t date very much. Conversation wasn’t my thing.

I walked her out to my truck and drove the short way across town. I found a parking spot right near the front door, and I guided her inside. It wasn’t too crowded, and Clive, the owner, saw me right away.

“Jensen! I didn’t see a to-go order come in for you.” He smiled at us as we walked in.

“No to-go for me today. I’m eating in with my friend.”

Clive’s eyes widened. “Okay, then. Right this way.”

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