Page 33 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
My stomach did this weird twist thing that was equal parts pleasant and unsettling.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
Chapter 10
Holly
I’d just taken a fresh batch of scones from the oven when the bell out front jingled. I quickly washed my hands and with a hesitant smile on my face, strode out into the front room.
The sweet scent of baking clung to my clothes, and I brushed flour from my apron. My hands still tingled from the heat of the oven, but the bell had called, and customers were customers. It’d been slow all morning with Sel gone. Maybe now things would pick up a bit.
Two men lurched toward the counter, loud in that way only drunks could manage, their souvenir cowboy hats crooked on their heads. One had deep lines carved into his sunburned face, and his shirt was rumpled and stained. The other was younger, tall, and wiry, with restless fingers tugging at the buttons marching down the front of his shirt.
Great. Just what I needed.
I scanned the shelves in the display case. Everything baked was where it should be, and I was ahead of schedule. A small win. Still, when the shorter one leaned over the glass, his breath sour, and his eyes too bright, unease wound through my belly.
Like every other time when I was stressed, I ran my finger along the healed scar on my arm. I'd had surgery after my ex broke it.
Sel would be back soon.
The taller man smacked the bell on the counter, over and over, making my ears ring.
“Heard the orc baker hired himself a woman,” he drawled with a grin that made the hair on my neck rise. “You the one?”
I kept my voice steady. “Can I help you gentlemen with an order?”
“Didn’t think we’d find a human baking that green stuff,” one said, eyeing the spirulina scones.
His friend nodded, squinting at the tray like they’d offended him personally. “Looks like something a pond would cough up.”
I forced a laugh I didn't feel, wishing women didn't always have to pretend something a guy said was funny when it wasn’t or cater to irritating men. “The spiced orc-inspired scones are popular. They have a nice, earthy flavor. Would you like a sample?”
“Is there meat in them?” the taller one barked.
“Not in the scones, no. Spirulina is a fruit in the orc kingdom.”
The shorter one smacked the counter hard enough to rattle the display. I jumped, and air snagged in my throat.
He leaned in, puffing warm breath on the glass. “What’s it like working for an orc? He treat you decent?”
My smile slipped, but I caught it quickly. “He does.” I kept my voice even. “Let’s get you some pastries for the road.”
As I turned to grab a paper bag, an old memory knifed its way in.
The fridge door. Dented where Melvin’s fist had slammed into it. His eyes had burned like coals. The wall shook. My knees nearly gave way, and my heart pounded so loudly it drownedout everything else. The landlord was going to be furious. How would I explain it away?
But at least he hadn’t hit me. Not that time. I'd covered the dent with Max's drawings and magnets.
These men weren’t him, but my body didn’t seem to know that. I told myself to stop shaking, but my legs didn’t care. They remembered nights I still couldn’t name out loud, and they were already halfway to bolting.
Hands shaking, I folded the top of the paper bag. My palms were damp, and my chest felt too tight.
Different place. New life. Max was safe. So was I.
Sel was coming back to the bakery soon.
Still, that old fear pressed down, a weight on my sternum.
