Page 18 of Hard Luck (Blackstone House)

“Now, now, there’s no need to be rude. I’m a nice guy.”

And I had two crutches.

“You offered help; I declined. It’s not a difficult notion.”

“Why are you being so difficult about this? I didn’t have to stop. You looked better from a distance, anyway.”

Heaven help me. If he didn’t shut up, I was going to end up in jail, and Priest would bitch like hell about having to bail me out.

“Are you fond of having teeth?”

“Say what? Women like you need to learn their place.”

I was about to give him a permanent lisp when another vehicle stopped behind me. Damn, I hated eyewitnesses.

“Bella, you okay?”

Fuck. I froze. And Cole must have mistaken my horror for fear because he planted himself in front of me, six feet of righteous indignation.

“Get the hell away from her.”

Salt Shaker Guy held up both hands. “Sorry, man. Didn’t realise she was spoken for.”

Cowboy Boots wasn’t quite so gracious. “You oughta teach her some manners.”

He seemed to be waiting for an answer to a question he didn’t ask, so I threw my right crutch like a javelin. Thepointy end jabbed nicely into his ribs, and he doubled over, gasping.

Cole winced and folded his arms. “Seems to me that she’s doing just fine by herself.”

In hindsight, that was the moment I should have realised I had a problem.

But like a fool, I simply stood beside a pissed-off Cole as Cowboy Boots took a step forward and considered retaliating but ultimately decided against it. Instead, he slung the crutch back at us, and it landed harmlessly at my feet. We watched him stomp away with Salt Shaker Guy right behind him.

I almost wished they’d stayed.

Getting into a brawl would have been far more fun than having a roadside chat, even with the disadvantage of multiple injuries.

“What happened to your leg?” he asked after a long pause, stooping to pick up my crutch.

“I tripped down some stairs.”

“Sorry to hear it.” This was why I shied away from sleeping with locals. To avoid awkward conversations outside a chicken restaurant. “You’re okay apart from the, uh, cast?”

“Pretty much.”

Or at least, I was until you showed up.

“What about that guy?” He nodded after Cowboy Boots.

“Are we talking physically or personality-wise?”

“Physically.”

“He’ll be fine, unfortunately.”

Cole pondered that for a moment. “I’m not usually a fan of violence, but I guess he deserved it. What happened with the car?”

“She breaks down a lot. The tow truck should be here soon.”

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