Serving Trouble(16)
But staring down a wild-haired woman sporting a wood-nymph-meets–GI Jane look, complete with the gun pointed at her, and Josie’s fear rose fast and furious. Her heart pounded and she couldn’t for the life of her tell if she was still breathing.
“You can put the gun down,” Josie said. “I work for Noah. The assistant manager at Big Buck’s.” Oh, she was definitely landing a promotion out of this mess. “We’re going to Portland to—”
“Caroline,” Noah said, his voice surprisingly calm as he stepped in front of the gun-wielding woman he’d spent the past five nights searching for in the woods. “Put the gun down.”
She stopped breathing this time. No question about it. Every muscle in her body begged to move, run in front of Noah, save him—and stay frozen all at the same time. It felt as if her brain had gone haywire and started sending out mixed signals. Go! Stay! Save Noah!
“Please, Caroline,” he added.
Ms. Crazy-Hair GI Jane lowered her arms and tucked the gun into the waist of her cargo pants. But she didn’t offer a sorry, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to shoot Noah’s employees in his barn.
Of course, if Josie had gone to war and been attacked by the good guys, she’d probably keep a gun or two in her pants as well. She’d heard enough while walking up to the barn to piece together why Caroline had come looking for Noah. He’d been Caroline’s hero when she needed one most.
Welcome to the club, GI Jane.
Josie looked past Caroline to the mechanical bull. The last time she’d seen that bull, it had been wearing her dress and spinning to a slow, sensual beat while she lay naked on the padding below. And Noah had just walked out the door to greet her brother . . .
Did Caroline belong to the naked-bull-riding-with-Noah club too? He would jump to a woman’s defense even if she wasn’t his. But she’d also bet the marine looked pretty with her hair brushed. Pretty and kind of like Josie’s more athletic twin in a strange way.
Not that it mattered. Noah wasn’t hers. And from the sounds of it, Caroline had much bigger problems than whether Noah wanted to take her for a naked ride, on his bull or anywhere else. Problems Caroline had delivered straight to Noah’s doorstep.
“I need to go to this meeting,” he said to Caroline. “But I’d like you to stay. My dad’s up at the house. I’ll take you up and introduce you before I head out. And we’ll lock up that gun.”
Caroline pushed her hair out of her face. “I’d love a shower. But I need—”
“You’ll get the gun back,” he promised. “But tonight. After we’ve had a chance to talk and determine your next step.”
Caroline let out a brittle laugh. “I’ve just been trying to get from one day to the next and not burn through all the money my sister gave me too fast.”
“Take a shower, rest, and we’ll talk,” Noah said as he walked over and picked up her backpack. He let her keep the gun, Josie noted as they headed past her. She followed them out into the parking area.
“Josie, wait here. I’ll be right back,” Noah said, glancing at her over his shoulder.
She nodded and turned to her car. Her heart rate had slowed after Caroline lowered the gun, but it wasn’t anywhere close to normal. Not yet. She’d landed herself in stupid situations before. But a gun pointed at her? That was a first.
But it had almost been worse seeing it directed at Noah.
Fifteen minutes later, Noah walked down the porch steps and headed over to her. “Let’s go. You’re driving so I can sleep. Consider it part of the assistant manager job.”
“So I get the promotion?” She followed him to her red Mini and opened the driver’s side door. “And a raise?”
“Don’t say a word about Caroline, and yeah, I’ll bump up your hourly.” He opened the passenger side door and settled all six-foot plus of his muscular body into her compact car. Thank goodness she’d unloaded most of her belongings at her dad’s place.
“I won’t tell a soul.” She buckled her seat belt. “I mean if word got out about how you helped Caroline no one would ever buy your I’m-a-surly-jerk routine again.”
“You heard a helluva lot,” he muttered.
“Enough.” She slid the key into the ignition.
“Look,” he said, turning his head to face her. “A lot of people wouldn’t agree with what I did. Testifying against my commanding officer. The marines are like a band of brothers. And I broke that bond. But if I hadn’t said something, it would have been her word against Dustin’s and he claimed he never touched her. My testimony proved otherwise and he changed his story to an affair, pretending she’d consented to sleep with him. And after all that, they expected her to go back and finish her term of service alongside some of the other guys who’d harassed her.”