Page 29 of Waitress at the Shadow Ridge Inn
“Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure you did.”
Judging by their smiles and high spirits, they’d had a good time, but I was glad I’d stayed back.
I scanned faces as more people came in and moved toward the refreshments, looking for one in particular. I didn’t see him. It occurred to me that Steve probably had to put the tractor away before he could return to the festivities.
I was so intent on watching the door that I didn’t realize anyone had come up behind me.
“Come with me,” a deep, evil voice hissed against my ear.
My hood was pulled up over my head, and then strong arms wrapped around me and jerked me backward. The barn instantly disappeared, and I was suddenly thrust into my nightmare. I was encased in darkness, being dragged against my will. Except I wasn’t drugged this time.
I lashed out with everything I had, kicking and punching and scratching for my life. I managed to land several blows against my attacker before I found myself on the ground with someone pinning me down.
“Casey! Jesus, calm down, darlin’.”
The voice penetrated the haze. I knew that voice.
“Lou?” I rasped.
He exhaled heavily. “Yeah, darlin’. You okay?”
No, I wasn’t okay, not by a long shot. My heart felt like it was going to pound right through my chest. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
“Get off me,” I wheezed.
The pressure lifted, but he didn’t let me go.
“You back with us now?” he asked cautiously.
I sucked in a lungful of air as the barn came into focus. “Yeah. What happened?”
Lou looked up at something behind me and scowled. “Mike’s a dick—that’s what happened.”
Everyone was staring at me, their expressions ranging from concern to horror. I felt my face burning with embarrassment.
“Let me up.”
He helped me to a sitting position and said, “Give it a minute.”
Rose was suddenly in my face, shoving a glass into my shaking hand. “Drink this. It’ll help.”
It smelled like whiskey. So did she. I pushed them both away.
“What the hell happened?” Steve demanded, entering the barn and finding me on the ground, surrounded by a circle of people.
“Mike thought it would be fun to scare Casey,” Shannon said angrily.
Steve was in Mike’s face a moment later, grabbing his shirt with both hands. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean anything by it. How was I supposed to know she’d freak out like that?”
I glared up at Mike, taking perverse satisfaction in seeing the scratches I’d made on his face and arms. Lou was right. Mikewasa dick. But I had overreacted. They didn’t know about my issues. They didn’t know my triggers.
Steve looked like he was ready to do some damage. I had to defuse the situation.
“Steve, let him go. I’m okay.”
He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes practically glowing. Beneath that easygoing exterior, Steve Ziegler was a fierce protector at heart. And at that moment, he was protectingme. That tempered my rage somewhat.
