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14. Irish for that Fräulein

Charlie elbowed Noah behind the bar—hard. "Your kryptonite's here, and she's up to something."

Noah lifted his gaze to Ursula standing on the third riser leading to the chained-off mezzanine, which made no sense until he took in the length of slack links. Helping herself to what she had no right to claim. Again.

Her eyes locked on to him, as if she'd been waiting for him, and a triumphant smile curled on her face. In that same instant, a pair of honey-blond pigtails belonging to a sexy-as-sin Irish Fr?ulein snapped with the motion of her head whipping toward him.

Shit! Dread chilled his veins as those pretty blue eyes flew to his. What the hell kind of garbage was Ursula shoveling into Hailey's head? The day that had been humming nicely along after turning itself around had once again crash-landed at his feet, dashing any hope of the kiss he wanted desperately to replay.

Shaking his head vigorously as he tried to convey a warning to not listen to anything Ursula said, he crooked his finger at the Fr?ulein and motioned her over. She pointed at her herself, mouthing, "Me?"

"Yes, you!" Heads turned to look at him, but he didn't give a fuck.

But Hailey didn't get the message—or Ursula snatched it from her. Noah sucked in a breath as his ex headed toward him, a grin plastered across her face. He told himself it didn't matter what the women had exchanged because he and Hailey weren't a thing. He had no business being a thing or starting a thing with anyone, especially with a girl with plans to go places. Even if kissing her had rocked his world in a way it had never been rocked before. What would someone like her want with a loser like him?

When Ursula reached the bar, she practically elbowed Germaine out of the way. Noah didn't want anything to do with Germaine either, but he felt bad for her. Once Ursula set her Medusa glare on someone, they were woefully outgunned.

"She's cute." Medusa dropped the words as if he was supposed to pick them up and do something with them.

"Dixie always loves compliments," he replied dryly.

Ursula plucked the derby from his head and dropped it on her own, tilting it just so. She had a knack for turning everything into a show. Then she turned toward Germaine and gave her an amusedly evil eye-sweep from top to bottom, and Noah found himself relieved when the poor girl didn't turn to stone.

"You like to hang around a lot, don't you?" The words Ursula directed at Germaine were pure ice. "You know, they hold AA meetings in the firehouse once a week."

He raised a finger. "Hey!" But before he could tell Ursula to retract her claws, Germaine vacated her stool. Ursula watched her go, her eyes glinting as if she enjoyed hurting the redhead. Turning to Noah, she shrugged. "Something I said?"

"No doubt," he grumbled.

She tossed her hair. "She's overly sensitive. Probably on her period." Her entire demeanor shifted into sex-kitten mode. "Serve me my favorite?"

"I'm fresh out of spiced hemlock."

"Oh, you're so funny, Noah." To Charlie, she said, "Mudslide, please, Hunky Blue Eyes."

"No problem," Charlie replied easily, even though his eyes weren't blue. "Hand me your credit card, and I'll start a tab."

"Oh, didn't you hear? Noah's buying."

"No can do, sweetheart," came Charlie's smooth counter. "His partners put a stop to the freebies."

Surprise flashed across Ursula's features. "Since when do you have partners, Noah?"

Ignoring her, Noah glimpsed the clock on the POS screen: 9:10, and the crowd had grown disappointingly thin, which meant he wasn't as busy and couldn't escape Ursula as easily as he might otherwise. Where had everyone gone? He looked toward the unchained staircase. Where had Hailey gone?

Ursula seemed to read his thoughts about the dwindling crowd, drawling, "There's an awesome Celtic band playing at Dell's tonight. Looks like your customers decided to head that way and get away from these tone-deaf amateur singers from the trailer park. Really, Noah, a karaoke machine?"

"People like it." He began slicing limes he didn't need.

Beside him, Charlie waited, giving Ursula a pointed look. With a huff, she extracted a credit card from her tight vest, where a bra should have been, and handed it to him before leaning across the bar so only Noah could hear. "It's not like your little bar is lighting the town on fire, lover. Dell's vibe is a whole lot more exciting, but I'm loyal, so I decided to stay here." She sat back with a self-satisfied grin.

Loyal?Trying not to choke, Noah put on a casual tone. "That place barely accommodates customers. Where did they find room for the band to set up?"

"The remodel is almost done, and Bruno put them in that unfinished section. The space is really, really looking good, by the way."

Charlie piped up. "That's a code violation."

"I wouldn't know," she sniffed.

"Charlie would," Noah threw in.

She ignored them both. "All I know is that Silver Summit is taking a really hard look at Dell's. Bruno does a good job of ingratiating himself. You should try it sometime." Her smirk broadcast that she enjoyed needling him as much as she had Germaine, and a question popped into his head: Had Ursula always been this vicious, or had she grown into it?

He couldn't be sure if anything she was telling him right now was truth or fiction. Then again, he'd never been sure, and she'd railroaded him many, many times. "I'd ingratiate myself too if I could get with them face-to-face."

Dixie appeared with a tray of empties. Wanting an escape and a moment to look in on Chance, Noah lifted the tray. "I'll take these back to be washed."

"Okay. I'm following you to see how Dewey and Reece are holding up. Amy can cover the tables for now since folks seem to be dribbling out."

Noah strafed the dining room one last time for Hailey, his gaze probing all the places she'd been and coming up empty. She'd been like a green firefly, flitting from one table to the next, eluding him like the proverbial pot of gold. He wanted to capture her before she could flit away. All the while, she'd drawn appreciative looks from the male population that made the green guy inside him restless. But right now she was nowhere to be found.

He dropped his voice as Dixie fell in beside him. "Any sign of the Fr?ulein?"

"You mean the Irish hoochie mama? No. Maybe she's checking on your dog? I think it was her turn. How 'bout you go upstairs and find out? We can spare you for a few minutes."

"Thanks, Dix." Noah handed off the tray and took two steps at a time to his apartment. The dog had been unexpectedly mellow so far, though it should have come as no surprise. He'd been dosed with meds, and Neve had warned the mutt would sleep a lot while he recovered.

Noah entered, dismayed to find no living thing besides Chance lying on his couch. The dog looked up, and if a dog could have a guilty expression, this one was all that. As Noah approached, Chance dipped his head and began to quiver. Noah dropped into a crouch and scratched the pup's soft ears, deriving a surprising sense of tranquility from the action—even if the animal was on his best piece of furniture.

"The couch is for humans, dude. You're supposed to hang out on this really expensive bed I bought you, remember?" Noah patted the fluffy fleece oval beside him. "See? Super comfy. Boy, I wish this was my bed."

The door opened, and Noah's pulse jumped with expectation. Grinning, he turned his head, ready to take in blue eyes, blond pigtails, and a killer bod squeezed into something small and green. Instead, he got smoky brunette. The smile slid from his face.

"You do?" Ursula's sultry voice sent shards of ice skittering down his spine. What the hell was she doing in his sanctuary? Why was he even surprised?

Without asking, she strolled in, squatted beside him, and stroked the dog's head. She still wore the leprechaun hat. "Who's this?"

"Lex Luthor," he gritted out as he rose to his feet and backstepped.

She looked up at him, eyebrows arched. Whether she was questioning his distancing move or the dubious choice of dog names, he couldn't say. Didn't care. Her mere presence was scattering what was left of his Hailey cloud until it was a handful of wisps.

He leaned his hip against the narrow expanse of kitchen counter. "What do you want, Ursula?"

She stood and faced him, something foreign flickering in her eyes. Whatever it was, it didn't move him. Instead, a voice in his head shouted that this was not the woman he wanted standing in front of him. That woman possessed a warmth and candor he found alluringly refreshing, and he wanted to get back downstairs and find out where she'd gone.

Ursula's gaze swept the room. "This place is a bit of a downgrade, isn't it?"

A major downgrade from his folks' spread, but at least it was his. "Works for my needs."

"And what is it you need, Noah?" The question held an invitation he didn't want to accept.

"I need to know when the Silver Summit owners are coming together again to discuss their plans so they can hear mine. I need to stop being fed bullshit and kept in the dark like a damn mushroom." Though he'd made overtures aimed at the resort's principals, their response had been lukewarm at best. He needed to get in front of these guys.

She shrugged and checked her nails. "Can't help you there. They don't share their schedules with me."

Frustration simmered inside him. "But you can find out. You are the liaison between them and the communities." A notion struck. "Or don't they want you knowing their plans?"

She ignored the jab. "Why not motivate me, and I'll see what I can do?"

He narrowed his eyes, suddenly weary of her and her puppeteer games. Against his better judgment, he asked, "Motivate you how?"

"Hmm … well, why don't you give me a ride home, and we can discuss it along the way?"

"Now?" he blurted and immediately gave himself an inner smack for not out-and-out refusing her. She probably assumed he was willing to take her to her place later and relive old times, but he was done taking Ursula anywhere voluntarily. The only girl he was willing to give a ride home tonight was named Hailey Bailey.

"I'm willing to wait. We need to talk, Noah."

Her statement wasn't a request; it was an imperial command. And her "willingness to wait" was couched as though she was doing him a favor. Had she always sounded like this and he was only now hearing her with a different set of headphones?

"About what?"

"About us."

"Ursula, there is no ‘us.' I'm sure Dixie or Dewey can take you if you can't find someone else."

Her mouth flattened into a thin line. "Vail was over a year ago! I can't believe you haven't moved past it, especially after I apologized."

"I have moved past it. This isn't about Vail," he ground out. It was about all the times that came before. Vail had been the last straw, the final wake-up call, the key that unlocked the prison cell and let him see the light. "And just when did you apologize?" If an apology had come, it must have been so faint he'd missed it. Not that it mattered now.

Chance whimpered, snagging Noah's attention. The dog's worried eyes bounced between him and Ursula. He was probably picking up the tension vibrating between the two humans.

Why were they even having this conversation? Noah pointed at her. "Time for you to leave, Ursula. You're upsetting my dog."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Pretty self-explanatory. You're a clever girl. Figure it out."

Creaking on the stairs gave Noah pause. What if Hailey chose now to walk in and got the wrong idea? Once more, his mind darted to what Ursula had said to her, but he didn't want to give his ex the satisfaction of knowing the question was nagging at him. His single-minded purpose became getting Ursula out of there; all of him wanted her gone more now than he had when she'd first walked in.

In one explosive move, she sent the derby sailing, and it knocked over the empty YETI water bottle he'd placed by the side of the sink. The clatter startled him and drew a sharp bark from Chance.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he spurted. Picking it up, he examined it for dents. He'd forgotten her propensity to throw things at him.

"I don't want it anymore. I've been wasting my loyalties on the wrong guy." She jutted out a hip and slammed a fist on it. "You're acting like a jerk."

His barely tethered temper flared. "I'm acting like a jerk? That's rich! You're the one throwing shit and fucking up my day. You're also the one who had no qualms about sleeping with someone else at a wedding I took you to. Would you agree your loyalties are a little jacked-up, babe? That was a rhetorical question."

Her brows crashed together, and she opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "No. Just. No. I don't want your lame excuses. I don't want anything from you but the sight of your back as you leave."

The door opened, and Noah's heart jumped into his throat, only to settle back down the moment he laid eyes on Reece poking his head through the opening. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to check on the dog."

Noah waved him in. "You're fine. Come in. Ursula was just leaving." He gave Ursula a pointed stare.

"Except I don't have a ride," she threw back.

Reece's gaze moved from Noah to Ursula and back again. "Actually, I'm leaving in just a few, Urse. I'll take you."

Noah didn't counter his brother, and she let out a defeated sigh she directed at Noah. "Have it your way."

Noah mouthed a thank-you to his brother. Reece sent Noah a wink over his shoulder as he followed her out.

When the door closed, the air felt lighter. Noah looked down at Chance and snorted, "Notice she didn't ask for more details about you or thank Reece for taking her home? Just so we're clear, this'll be the first time I've ‘had it my way' since I've known her. And that's one hell of a long time." Fatigue weighed heavy in his bones.

The dog whimpered again, and Noah gave him some reassuring pats. "You're right. I gotta stop letting her get under my skin, but she's kinda holding some cards right now that affect me. And you too. It could cost you in kibble if I can't turn this boat around."

Chance's worried eyes darted between Noah's face and the ground, and Noah thought he could read what was going through the mutt's mind … which was weird. When he'd first walked in and discovered Chance on his couch, he'd been ready to admonish the pup and order him to get down. But that anxious sheen in his brown eyes plucked a heartstring, and Noah caved.

"Okay, but just for now. When the bar closes, which isn't looking like much longer, you're curling up somewhere besides my good couch, got that? I have big plans for this couch that include eating and drinking, watching old Westerns, and making out with a tavern wench. I can't have it covered in dog fur." Noah stared him down, and Chance averted his eyes and shivered.

Noah sighed. "I still don't know what insanity possessed me when I decided it was a good idea to take on the responsibility of another living being. I can't even take care of myself."

Now the pup cowered, and a reminder from Neve about sustained eye contact with dogs sparked in Noah's brain. Whoops. He cast his gaze toward his darkened window for somewhere else to park it. Movement beyond snagged his attention. As he made his way across the room for a closer look, he absently apologized to the dog. "Sorry, bud. Didn't mean to freak you out by staring at you. This whole night has to be freaking you out."

Peering out the window, Noah spotted a long line of bundled-up people snaking between buildings, walking from the street parallel to Bowen toward his bar. They stopped when a van with symbols on its doors blocked their way. "What the hell is going on?" His words fogged the glass.

Laughter rose up from outside, and his alarm bells quieted. Whatever these folks were up to, they were happy about it.

Preparing to leave, he paused to pet Chance one more time. "Tell you what. I'll go find Hailey and have her visit you. I know that'll make you feel better. She's the ultimate Chance whisperer."

Chance's tail gave a little thump, and he seemed to actually smile.

Noah barked a laugh as he headed out his door. "Can't blame you there. Thinking of her makes me smile too … even if I have no business thinking of her in the first place."

Amy slid onto a barstool as he arrived back behind the bar, puffing out a breath and grinning. "Not bad for a Monday night, Noah."

"It would have been better if the band had showed," he groused. He looked around, expelling air from his lungs when he didn't see Ursula. But his spirits took flight when he spied a flash of bright green skirt.

Amy chuckled. "People seemed to like the karaoke, though."

"A few people—the ones doing the singing who were immune to their own sound." Noah pulled an open bottle of chardonnay from the bar fridge, splashed a generous amount into a glass, and pushed it toward her.

She accepted the drink. "Yeah, I'm not sure my ears will recover."

"Thanks for your help tonight, Amy. Can you hang out for a sec while I ask Hailey to—"

A commotion at the front door snatched his attention. A clog of people who'd obviously been getting their Irish on came pouring through his door. He recognized them as the same folks he'd spied out his window.

"We're baaaaack!" one reveler called out. "And we brought some friends who apparently owe you an apology." People parted, and in strolled a quartet of guys dressed like they were fresh from Leprechaun Lane, complete with green plaid kilts and flaming red beards.

As Noah stepped out from behind the bar, Dewey nearly ran him over from behind. The man's demeanor—more agitated than his usual tepid level—signaled he was excited about something. Sure enough, he jabbed his forefinger toward the door where the leprechauns and the crowd clustered.

Noah dipped an eyebrow in Dewey's direction. "Do we know these guys?"

"They're the Celtic Knots," Dewey enthused. "Seems things were kinda dead at Dell's, so he cut their set—and their pay—short."

"How do you know this?"

Dewey tapped his temple and grimaced. "I know things. I see things. I hear things."

Noah huffed, "Well, I'm not paying them."

"They're not looking to get paid. Well, not in cash, but they did mention they're mighty fond of Jameson's. And I'm suspicioning we could even get themto pay for their libations." Dewey gave him a sly wink. "They want to know if we're willing to let them join our party and play for a while. Seems they still have some music in them. I could set them up in the mezzanine in a jiff. Are we willing?"

Noah looked around at the pumped-up crowd and let the din of their laughter ring in his ears. Would he prefer a professional rock band over folks singing their drunk lungs out very, very badly? Oh hell yeah!

"Do we have any food left?"

"Stew's mostly gone, but we still got fixin's for burgers, Reubens, and BLTs. And lots of fries since people mostly wanted stew tonight."

"But Reece left. Who's gonna help serve it?" Noah posed, mostly to himself.

Their part-timer, Luanne, overheard and rushed over with a bright smile. "I'll help Dewey."

"But I was about to send you home," Noah protested. "It's your day off."

"And what am I gonna do there? Sit on the couch eating chips and dip, bored to tears while I watch some reality show about a golden bachelor? No, sir."

"What about your boy?" Luanne was a single mom to a seventeen-year-old.

"I'm thinking you could use a dishwasher right about now." Her smile widened.

"Yeah, but—"

"Boss, I'd rather bring him aboard, if you're okay with it. I'll pay out of my tips if it's not in your budget. I'd rather stay right here and listen to these fellas play." She turned and waved to a band member who beamed her back a smile. "One of them's kinda cute, and I think he likes me."

"Then okay … and thanks." Noah shooed her away, more to disperse the electric charge coursing through him. He turned to his cook, the ex-roadie. "Tell you what, Dewey. While our warblers are having at it, help these guys set up. Once they're ready to roll, pull the damn plug on that karaoke machine and get it out of here before anyone sees you. After their first set, I'll pour them as much Jameson as they can hold."

"You got it, boss. Let's get the party started!" He gave Noah an awkward shoulder pat and dashed off with a hoarse whoop, and Noah had to corral a laugh.

As the crowd moved in, Dixie got them seated and Hailey started collecting their orders. Back at the bar, Amy downed her wine and slid from her stool. "Looks like it's time to get back to work!"

Guilt sat heavy on Noah's shoulders. He hated that he needed the help but was damn grateful for it. It was a weird concoction of emotions. "Amy, you've done enough. Luanne's sticking around, and we can cover it from here."

"What? And miss the best party of the year? No way!" She practically sprinted toward the teeming tables to help gather orders.

At the bar, a grinning Charlie chatted with the people who filled the stools. Noah executed a mini fist pump and jogged back to his station, suddenly re-energized. He slapped down paper coasters along the bar. "What'll it be?"

Dixie appeared beside him, and Noah nearly jumped. Jesus, he wished he could get used to her sudden appearances. She didn't seem to notice him flinch. "Incoming at one o'clock, boss. I'll handle the bar while you take care of Hulk Hogan's baby brother."

"Hulk Hogan?" Confused, Noah looked toward the front door. His befuddlement disappeared when his gaze landed on Bruno Keating standing with legs spread and arms crossed at his entrance like a bouncer. Two huge guys who actually could have been bouncers flanked him.

Jesus, what now? The night was getting weirder and weirder.

Noah crossed the dining room, pondering why bouncers were needed in a town of six hundred. Behind him, Dixie's voice carried above the tavern's burble. "I can make you Irish coffees, Irish slammers, black and tans …"

Noah slowed his gait as he approached his rival, but Bruno's attention was fastened elsewhere. Following his point of focus, Noah suddenly understood. Keating was fixated on Hailey. Noah didn't like it, but he couldn't blame the guy. He nearly slipped on his own drool every time he got a full frontal of her in that skin-tight bodice thing and those tiny green bows at the top of her tights.

As Noah approached, Keating spat, "What's she doing here?"

Not what he'd expected. "Excuse me?" Maybe Bruno wasn't gawking at Hailey. "Who are you talking about?" When Noah glanced back at her, Hailey's eyes had gone as wide as his coasters.

Rather than answer him, Bruno's mouth curved into a savage smile. "There's no trick you won't try, is there, Hunnicutt? First you cheat your way into opening this place, then you sic her on me, and now you bribe the band out of from under me!"

Noah locked on to the last accusation and jabbed his thumb against his chest. "I bribed the band out from under you? That's really funny, Keating! Even if I had, I'd only be taking a page out of your playbook."

The twin towers took a step closer while Keating shook a finger in Noah's face. "If you think—"

The door whooshed open, and in stepped Reece and one of his search and rescue team members—who also happened to be the county's deputy sheriff, Shane O'Brien. Both men matched Keating's bodyguards in height but weren't cut like the jacked-up beefcakes. Nevertheless, Noah would put his money on his brother and Deputy O'Brien without blinking. Fortunately, he didn't need to.

"Mind if we come in and join the party?" Shane drawled, making a show of appraising the posse of three while Reece hid a smirk.

Recognition flickered between the trio, and Keating growled, "Be my guest. We were just leaving this dump." They pushed past Reece and Shane. Keating paused at the doorway, glanced over his shoulder, and barked in Noah's general direction, "Hunnicutt, this is far from over. You're going to regret tangling with me."

You started this, asshole, Noah refrained from saying to his back. No need to add fuel to Keating's fire.

Shane's eyebrows hit his hairline. "Did he just threaten you?"

Noah flapped a hand at the vacated doorway. "Nah. He's just blowing smoke. As usual." Noah clapped Shane's shoulder. "Come on in. The band's about to get started." Behind his back, Noah shot Reece a quizzical look that communicated his question about whether Reece had deposited Ursula at her door. Reece answered just as silently by giving him a thumbs-up. At least Noah didn't have to worry about Ursula's antics anytime soon.

Which sent his mind—and his wandering gaze—toward a different woman. What had Keating meant when he'd laid eyes on Hailey? Noah wasn't going to find out anytime soon because the Irish Fr?ulein had vanished.

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