Keeping What's His(32)

Tate waited for her at the front of his truck, holding out his hand. A warm feeling struck him when she immediately placed hers in his.

“Jessie was as good in sports as her brothers.”

“You aren’t their biggest competition in the county,” he answered.

The Hayeses were the most clannish in town, keeping to themselves even when it came to school. The two brothers and one sister were allowed to participate in the school’s sports activities, but remained homeschooled until they graduated.

“Jessie should be; they treated her just like one of the boys, and still do. She can out hunt and out shoot them, and she wouldn’t wear a dress if someone threatened her life.”

“She’s sweet,” Sutton argued.

“That’s what you said about the possum, and it nearly ripped my arm off when I set it loose.”

He held the door open for her to enter the bar. It was already filled, though it was still early. He saw Greer standing at the bar with his hand on Diane’s ass. The local woman was the biggest slut in town. She was constantly promising Greer he was the only one she was seeing, and inevitably, she would be found out to be lying when one of her lays would brag to Greer. He was constantly getting in fights and paying out for the damages the fights caused. Tate was getting damn sick of bailing him out of jail over the lying bitch.

Greer grinned at him when he and Sutton took the bar stools next to him. “You finally decide to come out and have some fun?”

“Been having plenty at home.”

Greer gave Sutton a smirk. “My brother keeping you busy?”

“Watch your mouth,” Tate warned his brother. He could tell from the dazed look in his eyes he had already had one too many beers.

Greer held his hands up in the air. “Didn’t mean any disrespect. Sorry, Sutton.”

“It’s okay—”

“No, it’s not,” Tate cut in. His brothers were going to treat Sutton right, even if he had to knock the hell out of them.

“I’ve been waiting for Greer to pick a fight with someone. Didn’t expect it to be his own brother,” Mick quipped, coming to stand in front of them behind the bar.

“Hi, Mick,” Sutton broke in, diverting the tension between him and his brother.

“Heard you were back in town. Good to see you, girl.”

She gave him a sweet smile that, if Tate didn’t know Mick wasn’t interested in her, would have made him jealous. He had only seen that particular smile a couple of times, and he wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else.

“What have you been up to?” Mick opened a couple of beers, placing them down in front of them.

As Sutton described her life in California, Tate noticed the Hayeses studying her from across the bar. He caught their eyes, giving them a silent warning.

“Been a while since we’ve had a good fight,” Greer said, seeing where he was staring.

“We’re not going to have one tonight. Sutton’s here.”

“Good luck with that,” Greer said, getting off his stool. “Let’s go dance.” He took Diane’s hand, leading her toward the dance floor.

Tate thought it wasn’t a bad idea. When Mick moved away to wait on his customers, he turned to Sutton.

“Feel like dancing?”

“What do you think?” She jumped down from her stool, eagerly taking his hand. The woman used to love to dance when they had dated in high school. Mick was nice enough to let them sneak in the bar and dance for a few hours before it became crowded. He had never served them liquor, only gave them a place to hang out on a Saturday night.

Sutton slid her arms around his neck, pressing against him as the music turned slow. His hand went to her ass, securing her against him, and her head fell to his shoulder. Tate thought it was the most perfect moment he had experienced in his life. He didn’t want it to end, even when the music switched to a different song with a faster beat. Still, they didn’t move, staying pressed against each other, neither wanting the moment to end.

Tate stiffened with her in his arms when he felt a hand tap him on his shoulder.

“I’m cutting in. Pretty girl like her needs to dance with someone who knows how.”

Tate didn’t budge. “Go find your own woman to dance with. This one’s taken.”

“What does she have to say about that? Maybe she wants to dance with me.”

His jaw clenched.

Sutton raised her head. “He’s right; I’m taken.”

Tate’s chest swelled with pride.

Asher’s eyes went to Sutton’s hand that rested on his arm. “Sorry, Tate. I didn’t realize you had gotten married.”

Instantly, he understood that Asher had seen the wedding band on her hand.

“We’re not married.”

“Didn’t know the Porters fucked around with married women.”

He felt Sutton tense in his arms, expecting him to punch Asher.

“She’s a widow.”

The smirk on Asher’s face disappeared. “Sorry.”

Sutton nodded, and Asher moved off onto the crowded dance floor.

“I’m shocked that you didn’t hit him.”

“Nah, I’m not letting that asshole get to me tonight. I’m having too good a time.”

She relaxed back against him. “Me, too.” He barely heard her whisper over the loud music.

When the other couples on the floor kept bumping into them, Tate led her back to the bar. He suspected Greer was still dancing with Diane, but he couldn’t see him among the crowd.

Holt was dancing with Reva, a woman Tate had occasionally fucked on and off for the last couple of years. He hadn’t been with her in the last eight months since she had started hinting at him that she wanted a ring. They came off the dance floor and sat down next to them at the bar.

Tate finished his beer. “Ready?”

Sutton nodded.

“You’re not leaving, are you, Tate? I thought we could dance.”

“No, thanks, Reva.” He took a twenty out of his wallet, laying it down on the bar to pay his tab.

“Come on … Don’t leave. Holt can keep her company until you get back.”

“Don’t want another of Tate’s leftovers,” Holt spoke as Tate gave Sutton his hand to help her down. Tate’s hand dropped.

Jerking around to face Holt, he made himself give the man a chance. “I don’t give a fuck if you insult Reva—she’s not my woman—but keep your mouth off Sutton.”

“Don’t want my mouth on her. The way you two were acting on the dance floor, my dick would rot off if I fucked her. Heard Cheryl’s picked up the clap and been giving it out. Since you were with her a couple of months back, maybe Sutton should be getting herself checked out.”

Fury exploded in Tate’s head. The Porter temper was notorious throughout Treepoint. It was actually hardest to rile in Tate. Most of the fights he found himself involved in were because he enjoyed fighting.

With blinding fury, his fist swung out, landing a punch on Holt’s stomach. He fell back, knocking over barstools as the customers hastily moved out of the way.

“You son of a bitch!”

Tate didn’t give Holt time to recover before swinging his fist again, but it was caught midair by Asher who shoved him against the bar.

“Don’t fucking touch my brother!” Asher reached for the beer bottle he had finished, about to bash it against his skull, but Sutton grabbed his arm.

“Leave him alone.”

“Stay out of this, Sutton,” Tate ordered. He didn’t think the brothers would stoop low enough to touch her, but he wasn’t willing to take the chance.

Before Asher could make another move, Greer was there, jerking Asher away from Tate and Sutton. It took two seconds before the men began laying into each other. At the same time, Asher had gathered enough air in his oxygen-deprived lungs to come back for more. The two men fell onto the table next to the bar, knocking the customers and drinks out of the way.

Tate felt Asher land a lucky punch on his eye before he could put him in a stranglehold.

“That’s enough!” Mick yelled out, coming from behind the counter.

A couple of The Last Riders pulled Greer off Holt, who was steadily gaining momentum and was threatening to twist Greer’s arm off. Greer swung his arm back, trying to knock Rider off him.

“I’m trying to help your drunk ass.” Rider barely managed to let go of Greer before he succeeded in hitting him.

“I don’t need your help.”

“That isn’t what it looked like to me,” Rider mocked Greer, angering Tate.

“We can handle this ourselves.” Tate kicked Asher in the balls, forcing him to his knees.

“No skin off my nose. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight tonight, anyway.” Rider and Train moved away, leaving them alone to deal with the Hayeses.

Tate reached down, jerking Asher’s head up with his hand in his hair. “I’m getting tired of you two fucking with us. Do it again and Jessie is going to be looking for your bodies for the rest of her life.”

Holt wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand. “Big talk from a man who hid behind a woman to keep from going to jail.”

Tate went for him, but stopped when Sutton tugged on his T-shirt. “I’m ready to go home.”

Tate stopped, seeing the concern she didn’t try to hide. He turned back to Holt. “Next time,” he promised.