Part 14 (1/2)

”It's good to see them having fun,” Seth shouted over the music.

Chanel smiled and nodded. The music pulsed through her, and excitement started to push away her doubts about the evening. ”It's good to have you here,” she said.

They danced the rest of the song in silence. It didn't surprise her when Lila drug Maddox onto the floor and started to b.u.mp and grind despite the family environment.

A slow George Strait song began, and Chanel saw Fritz step up to Christine and take her hand from Mitch's. Her dad's face clouded for a moment, but he turned it into a smile and nodded at his longtime friend before striding toward the exit. Fritz pulled Christine close, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Chanel's heart melted. Hopefully someday someone would make her feel like that.

She spotted David and Faith dancing on the far side of the room. He'd placed second in steer wrestling, and when Chanel tried to congratulate him behind the chutes, he'd just given a curt nod and brushed pa.s.sed her. His att.i.tude was getting old, and Chanel wondered how long her dad would continue to play along. It'd been a couple of weeks since he'd been at work. The only time he'd come out to the ranch was with a borrowed horse trailer, so he could take his big sorrel roping horse and a few other things back to town.

Maddox met them at the table, minus his busty friend.

”Where's Lila?”

He shrugged. ”Told her I was going back to the ranch tonight.”

Seth gave his friend a little salute with his beer. Chanel wondered what those two talked about when she wasn't around but decided she was better off not knowing.

”So, Chel, wanna dance?”

Her skin p.r.i.c.kled hearing her nickname roll so naturally off Maddox's tongue. The answer was no, but it wouldn't find its way to her mouth.

”Sure,” Seth answered for her, giving her a little push toward Maddox.

She shot him a death stare, and he grinned back as he swiped her cup from her hand once more. This friends.h.i.+p between the two men had become a real pain in her b.u.t.t.

Maddox took her hand and led her out on the floor. His big hands circled her waist making her s.h.i.+ver.

”You hate me that much?”

Chanel kept her eyes trained on his broad chest. ”It's not that.” Rather than wrap her arms around his neck she settled them on his shoulders, his body heat radiated through the thin fabric of his t-s.h.i.+rt.

”Then what is it?”

She shook her head and continued to move with him. ”Why'd you let go of Lila?”

”There wasn't anything to let go of,” Maddox said with a shrug.

”Right, she was just a one-nighter.”

She felt a hand leave her waist, then found it pus.h.i.+ng her chin up so she was looking him full in the face. His eyes were hard, blonde brows drawn into a deep scowl. That look, in combination with his size, made for an intimidating sight, but Chanel refused to let him bully her. She tried to jerk her head away, but he pulled her in tighter.

”Listen to me.” Maddox's voice was so low it was almost a growl in her ear. ”I'd just got here. You weren't exactly approachable. I was bored and lonely, so I met up with her in town. One thing led to another, but I never promised her anything.”

”Why are you telling me this? I don't care who-” A loud crash cut her off mid rant.

Together they whirled to see what was happening. Seth was picking himself off the floor near their table. Blood streamed from his nose.

”What the h.e.l.l?” Chanel murmured to herself, trying to sort out what she was seeing.

Just as Seth regained his footing, Clint MacIntosh stepped up and slugged him in the stomach.

”HEY!” someone yelled. ”Take that s.h.i.+t outside!”

A couple of Clint's buddies grabbed Seth by the shoulders and tossed him out the door into the beer garden. The music stopped, and people shouted and milled about trying to figure out what was going on.

”That son of a b.i.t.c.h,” Chanel said heading for the door, Maddox on her heels.

”Chanel, hang back,” Maddox said, but she ignored him, charging out the door.

She hoped the cops were hanging around to put a quick stop to the attack, but they weren't in sight. Clint's crew had drug Seth clear out of the beer garden, and a crowd was gathering. Chanel fumed when she realized no one was stepping in, including David, who was standing on the fringes with a horrified looking Faith.

”You don't belong here, f.a.g!” Clint shouted throwing another punch into Seth's face. His two friends held him up between them. ”You sure as h.e.l.l don't need to be queerin' up our rodeo and flirting with our boys!”

Bile crept up Chanel's throat as she clawed her way through the pack of looky loos. Seeing red she leaped onto Clint's back and tore at his hair and face with her nails. He screamed and reared backward but couldn't shake her loose. From the corner of her eye, she saw Maddox step up to Clint's cronies and start swinging.

”That's enough! Break it up!” Fritz and a couple other men crashed onto the scene. Clint froze, and Chanel dropped to the ground, landing on her feet. When she saw Seth crumpled in the dirt, she ran to him and knelt. Christine was already at his side running her hands over her son. Tears flowed silently down her cheeks. She didn't seem to register Chanel's presence.

Seth's eyes were swelling shut, and he was breathing. Blood oozed from his nose and trickled from his lips. Clint's friends were out cold, Maddox panting beside them, looking like a giant.

”Somebody call the ambulance!” Chanel shouted.

”Already done,” Fritz said. ”Cops are on their way too.”

”I'm pressin' charges! You Ebers don't own this place,” Clint bellowed.

Chanel looked up, pleased with the b.l.o.o.d.y tracks she'd left on his chubby face. Her body began to tense up, but Fritz sensed it and put a hand on her shoulder to hold her down. ”Stay put. He's not worth it. They've got him covered. Lots of witnesses, you're good.”

”He's been hara.s.sing Seth all day,” Chanel said.

”I know it. And Seth, as always, was the bigger man. Way to get in there, though.” Fritz winked at her.

Sirens started small in the distance but quickly grew louder. Someone shouted for the crowd to clear out and make some room. Lights flashed, and the world seemed to swim with sound and rus.h.i.+ng people. A firm hand took her by the elbow and hauled her to the fringes.

Chanel fought it. ”No, I have to go with him!”

”Chel!” Maddox's firm voice brought her back to herself.

She lifted panicked eyes to his. They were steady. ”We'll meet them at the hospital. Christine is with him. He's just knocked out. Bet he has some cracked ribs.”

”How do you know?” She wriggled her arm free but didn't try to leave his side.

”See it all the time.”

A familiar man in uniform stepped up to the couple. ”Chanel, I need to ask you a few questions.” He nodded at Maddox. ”I'm Deputy Scott Travis. I'll need a statement from you too.”

Behind him the sheriff and another deputy were cuffing a bl.u.s.tering Clint and shoving him in the back of a patrol car.

”They attacked him!” Chanel said, her voice bordering on hysterical. Medics were settling Seth's limp body on a stretcher, and it took every ounce of restraint she had not to shove the deputy aside and run to join Christine at his side.