Chapter 13: Micah

I wrap up work in the auto shop on Friday around six and head to the cabin. As I let myself in, I disarm the newly installed security system. It’s a simple wireless system that is configured to alert me if it goes off. The sun is setting already, and the sky is overcast, so the cabin’s pretty dark inside. At first, I don’t see Robyn, and my heart skips a beat. It takes me a moment before I spot her lying on the sofa, covered with a throw blanket, her iPad resting beside her.

Quietly, I close the cabin door and walk over to the nightstand beside my bed where I lay my phone and keys and switch on the bedside lamp. When I glance back at the sofa, I realize she’s asleep. She’s had a rough week, so it’s not surprising she’s exhausted. I stand there a moment, just studying her. Her face is soft and relaxed, her cheeks flecked with freckles. Her long auburn hair cascades over her shoulders in waves. For a brief second, I wonder what her hair would feel like as it brushed across my bare chest.

Shit. I have no business thinking along those lines. For one thing, she’s too young for me, and for another, she’s in a vulnerable state right now.

I grab some clean clothes from my closet and head for the bathroom to wash up after working in the shop. If we’re going to Ruth’s tonight, I want to get a shower first.

By the time I come out of the bathroom, Robyn is sitting up on the sofa. She sets her iPad down and gathers her hair in one hand and lifts it off her neck.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” I say as I button up my shirt. “I tried to be quiet.”

“I was just resting my eyes.” She pats the sofa cushion beside her. “You’re right—it’s very comfortable.”

I nod. “I told you.” My gaze veers to my king-size bed, where she’s slept all week, and my brain goes where I don’t want it to. She belongs in the bed—not with me in it, of course—but I can’t help picturing myself there with her. “Are you still interested in going to the tavern this evening? If you’re too tired, we can skip it. My sister will understand.”

She perks up instantly. “I’d love to go. I haven’t been out in ages. Not just for fun.” She tosses the blanket aside and stands on bare feet. Her sneakers and socks are lying on the floor in front of the sofa. “If you don’t mind—” she nods toward the bathroom “—I’ll just freshen up.”

While she’s in the bathroom, I finish getting ready and dab on a bit of cologne. Not much. But I figure it won’t hurt. I comb my damp hair.

When Robyn comes out of the bathroom, her long hair is in a single braid down her back. She’s wearing one of her new pairs of ripped jeans and one of her new tops, a light green T-shirt with a V-neck that dips down to reveal a bit of cleavage.

Damn.

The sight makes my pulse speed up. My heart’s beating so hard I can actually feel it.

Suddenly, I’m not too keen on the idea of taking her to the tavern. I can just imagine all the local guys who’ll be hitting on her, not to mention any tourists passing through. “You know, if you’re tired, we could just stay here.” I point to the big TV. “We could watch more Bridgerton , if you like. Or, you could read.” I gesture to her iPad lying on the sofa.

She shakes her head. “No, let’s go. I’d love a drink.” She walks up behind me. “Want me to braid your hair?”

The idea of her hands on my hair makes my heart skip a beat. “Sure.” Of course I’m perfectly capable of braiding my own hair. I’ve been doing it practically all my life.

“Have you always worn your hair long?” she asks as she runs her fingers through my hair to make sure there aren’t any tangles.

As she tugs on the strands, a shiver streaks down my spine. “Uh, yeah. As long as I can remember.” Right now I’m struggling to hold onto a coherent thought. “I started doing it as a kid because I saw other Native Americans wearing theirs long and in braids. It made me feel closer to my mom. She wore her hair in a braid.”

“And your sister does, too.”

I nod. “I guess it’s a family tradition.”

Her fingers are quick and nimble as she weaves the strands together. At the feel of her touch, all the nerves in my body are firing and part of me is responding in a very inconvenient way. For a moment, I close my eyes and let myself enjoy the sensations.

When she’s done, she holds her palm out. “Hair tie?”

I pull a thin strip of leather from my front pocket and hand it to her. “Tie it off with this.”

A moment later, she pats my back. “All done. Now, let’s go.”

After we put on our coats, I set the alarm, and we exit the cabin. The sun is already setting, and we’re losing the light. I don’t think I’m imagining it when Robyn walks so close to me that our arms brush. I suspect she’s a bit nervous being outside, especially near dark.

When we reach the parking lot in front of the shop, I open the front passenger door, and she climbs up into the cab.

“Thanks,” she says, uncharacteristically quiet as she buckles her seat belt.

As I walk around to the driver’s door, I’m very much aware that this feels like a date. It’s a Friday night, and we’re going out, just like any couple. Only we’re not a couple. We’re not together, and she’s not mine.

Whose bright idea was this?

Oh, right. It was mine.

* * *

When we arrive in town, the street parking is full, so I pull around to the parking lot behind the tavern. When we walk inside, we’re hit with the dull roar of voices barely audible over the music playing over the sound system. The place smells like fried food, burgers, and beer. It’s only seven, and already the place is crowded. That’s typical for a Friday night. Ruth’s Tavern is the place to be in the evenings, at least for the locals.

It’s definitely a full house tonight. The barstools are already taken, and many of the tables are as well. Both pool tables are seeing action, as are the dart boards. There are even folks out on the dance floor already doing a popular line dance.

“Robyn!” My sister steps out from behind the bar to greet us. Or, rather to greet Robyn. She ignores me. “I’m so glad you could make it.” She gestures to the bar. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’d love a strawberry daquiri,” Robyn says.

“On it,” Ruth says.

“Actually, we should probably eat something first,” I say.

Robyn rolls her eyes at Ruth, who laughs. “My, aren’t you the responsible one, dear brother?”

I notice a large group getting up from one of the bigger tables. We’ll need that once everyone’s here. “I’ll grab our table,” I say, leaving Robyn with my sister.

Casey beats me to the table and starts clearing it off, stacking glasses in a plastic tub before he wipes down the tabletop. “Hey, Micah, who’s the hottie?”

“Her name is Robyn , not hottie .” It doesn’t escape my notice that Casey and Robyn are about the same age.

“Isn’t she the new server at Jenny’s I been hearin’ folks talk? Her car broke down, and now she’s stranded here?”

Christ! She’s worked there five days and already folks are talking about her. This is what happens when someone new moves into a small town. There’s lots of interest and idle curiosity. Especially from the guys.

“She single?” he asks, still watching her.

“Don’t even think about it, Casey. She’s off limits.” Just the idea of him wanting to ask her out makes me want to hit something.

Ruth and Robyn have moved up to the bar counter, and now they’re chatting with Jack, who’s standing behind the counter pouring drinks. He hands Robyn something pink, undoubtedly a strawberry daquiri, and Robyn takes a sip and nods, smiling. Then Jack hands her a tall glass of beer, and Robyn heads my way.

Grinning, she hands me the beer. “This is from Jack. He said you should drink it and lighten up.”

“Thanks.” I take a sip. “We still need to eat. I’m hungry, and I imagine you are, too.” I take a seat, and Robyn sits next to me.

She picks up one of the laminated menus lying on the table and starts perusing it. “This place is packed.”

“It usually is, especially on the weekends. It’s the only bar in town.”

Before I know it, Jess steps up to our table and smiles at Robyn. Our server is petite and curvy, with short dark hair and dark eyes. “Hey, Robyn. I’m Jess. Welcome to Ruth’s. I’m glad to finally get a chance to meet you. So, what can I get you guys to eat?”

“I’ll have a burger and steak fries,” Robyn says. “Hold the onions, please.”

“And for you, handsome?” Jess winks at me.

“I’ll have the same.”

“Coming right up.” Jess returns to the bar to hand in our food order.

“She sure seems friendly,” Robyn says, her eyes following Jess.

“She’s curious about you. I think everyone in this room is.”

“Me?” Robyn frowns. “They don’t even know me.”

“Sure. Because you’re new. And because you’re pretty. And, it’s a small town. We get our excitement wherever we can.”

Robyn laughs as if I’m joking, but I’m not. I mean every word of it, especially the pretty part.

I notice more than a few pairs of eyes on Robyn. Mostly men, of course, but there are a few curious women staring at her as well. I should have thought this through. Now I’m going to end up acting like her guard dog, running off strangers. I can’t help it. I feel responsible for Robyn. Her car is sitting idle in my lot. She’s going to be sharing my cabin for the foreseeable future. That definitely makes her my responsibility.

Before long, Chris walks in, clearly off duty. Instead of his khaki uniform and hat, he’s wearing blue jeans and a teal Henley shirt. When he spots us, he heads right over. He smiles down at Robyn. “Hi, Robyn. It’s good to see you again. How’s it going at the diner?”

Robyn smiles, looking genuinely happy. “Good. Jenny’s a great boss. I really lucked out getting that job.”

Chris meets my gaze as he says, “That is lucky.”

I can tell he knows that I asked Jenny to hire Robyn. Of course he does. Jenny would have told him. When Robyn’s attention is elsewhere, I glare at Chris, motioning for him to keep his mouth shut about the job.

Chris takes the seat directly across from Robyn. “Who else is coming tonight?” he asks as he glances around the bar like he’s looking for someone specific. I have my suspicions.

“The usual suspects,” I say. “Are you looking for someone in particular?”

“No.”

“Right,” I say.

Jess stops by to take Chris’s order.

Not long after, the others start to arrive—Hannah McIntyre and her boyfriend, Killian Devereaux; Maggie and her husband, Owen; Gabrielle Hunter and John Burke; Maya McKendrick; and Travis Hicks. Except for Maggie and Owen, the others all work at the McIntyre Wilderness Lodge. They also volunteer for McIntyre Search and Rescue, as do I.

While Jess takes everyone’s orders, I make all the introductions. The women seem quite keen on meeting Robyn. Maya claims the empty seat on Robyn’s other side. Now, that’s a scary prospect. Maya’s a bit of a wild card, and there’s no telling what will come out of her mouth. She and Robyn seem to hit it off right off the bat.

When I spot Jenny walking in, I kick Chris under the table.

“What?” he asks.

“Look who just walked in.” I nod in Jenny’s direction.

After spotting her, Chris glares at me. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what ?”

I grin at his discomfort. Jenny, Chris, and I grew up together. The three of us met in third grade, where we became fast friends. We must have been maybe nine years old at the time. For years, we were the three amigos. We did everything together, and life was good. We were inseparable all through school. After we all graduated, Chris went off to college to study law enforcement, I joined the Army, and Jenny stayed here in town working at the diner, which she eventually inherited from her grandmother.

Eventually Chris returned to Bryce and started working as a deputy in the sheriff’s office. It wasn’t long after that, when the presiding sheriff passed away, he was elected to fill the role. I returned a few years later after my commitment to the Army ended.

I’ve suspected for a while now that Chris has a crush on Jenny. But she treats him like a brother. She treats both of us like brothers, which is fine with me. But I don’t think it’s fine with Chris.

“So, Jen,” Chris says, “how’s the new server working out?” He winks at Robyn.

“It’s working out great,” she says. “Robyn has a lot of restaurant experience, so it was easy for her to get up to speed.”

Jess brings pitchers of beer to the table, along with a variety of appetizers. “Drinks and appetizers are on the house,” she says. “Courtesy of Ruth.”

My sister joins us for a little while to visit with the ladies—her posse, as they like to refer to themselves.

“Oh, crap,” Robyn says under her breath.

I follow the direction of her gaze as she watches a group of guys walk in and head for one of the pool tables. Tommy Hoffman’s leading the pack.

I notice the moment he spots Robyn. When he smiles at her, she looks away.

There’s a lot of bad blood between me and Tommy, and I have a sinking feeling it’s about to get a lot worse.