Absentminded Angel(Divine Creek Ranch 20)(76)

Whit whimpered and she wrapped protective arms around him as she glowered at Paul and said, “When I’m not working my ass off I’m taking care of my son. You’ll forgive me if I don’t pay much attention to the Top Forty.” Under other circumstances, Jared would’ve enjoyed the show of spirit.

Jared shook his head and said, “She’s not a country and western music fan.”

Paul took a breath and then looked at the twins. “My responsibility is protecting the two of you. It’s obvious a conversation needs to happen here but it needs to be on the bus, not where everyone can watch. And we have a schedule to keep. We need to get on the road.” He turned to Presley Ann and said, “Whatever little media surprise you had planned didn’t work but don’t worry, I’ll take care of getting you what you really came for. Now get your gold-digging ass on the bus.”

Jared sprang at the man and growled. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” He had surprise in his favor as he pushed the man back against the bus, before the muscle-bound guy clocked him in the jaw and sent him sprawling to the asphalt.

“Damn it!” one of the pair of twins said. “Just hold on a second! Paul, you’re making a bigger spectacle of this than anyone else. Everybody just calm down!” He turned to Presley Ann and drilled her with cold, black eyes. “Who in the fuck are you? And what are you trying to do?”

Presley Ann shrank back from him and clutched Whit, who had begun to wail.

Truehart, who hadn’t said much yet, grasped his brother by the shirt front and said, “Noble, stop it.” That was when Jared finally focused on Truehart’s face. He stared at Presley Ann, and there was no anger in his expression, only shock.

Presley Ann consoled Whit as she stared wide-eyed at him. Jared had to grit his teeth as her guarded expression turned to one of relief. “Is it you? Your hair…” she whispered before running out of steam.

He pulled his hat from his head, his expression changing from one of shock, to something much more unsettling to Jared. Much softer. He tugged one hand through the long, jet black strands and said, “I grew it out. It’s really you, isn’t it? And…” His gaze shifted to the baby and he drew in a deep breath.

She nodded and then looked down at Whit. She gulped loudly, a vulnerable, lost sound, as she gently tugged the hat from Whit’s head, revealing all his thick tufts of jet black hair. Hair exactly like the man standing in front of her. Finally surmising that the baby was related to him, Noble let out a curse and his cowboy boots echoed like gunfire as he stomped onto the bus.

Paul reached out for Presley Ann as if he planned to drag her onto the bus. Jared and Kendry closed in around her to protect her from his touch, and the other man put his hand on Paul’s shoulder. “I know it’s part of your job to protect us, but you will fucking respect this woman. Is that understood?”

Paul looked down at her and curled his lip and said, “Respect a fucking groupie looking for an easy meal ticket? Please.”

The black-haired man seemed to grow a few inches as he got in the bodyguard’s face. “She is not a groupie.”

Paul looked over their heads at the restaurant and said, “The rest of the guys are coming to load up. I don’t care what she is, True. Get her on the bus so you can deal with this fuckup.”

True turned to her and said, “Could we talk for a few minutes in private on the bus?”

Other members of the group joined them, having various reactions—confusion, shock, disgruntlement, and in one case amusement, as they spotted the baby.

“True, you dog!” one long-haired guy said, lifting his hand for a fist bump before schooling his expression, as he caught on to the tension around them. “My bad. We’re going,” he added as he pushed the others toward the bus next door. “We’ll ride with the roadies on this leg of the trip. Let y’all have some privacy.”

Presley Ann looked back at Jared and Kendry with trembling lips. “I–I’m so sorry, guys. I–I really do need to talk to him.” She gazed at them as if waiting for a response and then turned back to True. “There…there are things I need to tell you.” She was obviously still in shock, and it was gratifying when she latched on to Jared’s arm, as if she was drawing strength from him. Jared nodded and moved with her toward the bus.

Paul put a beefy hand out and latched on to his shoulder. “Only her. You two stay out here.”

Jared and Kendry both argued with Paul, rejecting the idea of letting her out of their sight with these strangers, most of whom had greeted her with hostility. They didn’t know for sure how many people were on the bus and he didn’t like the thought of her being unprotected. True looked like he wanted to argue, too, but Presley Ann held up a hand. “Stop. This is getting us nowhere.”