Part 17 (1/2)
Wow, there must be something going on that's real important for him to lie like that. And he was lying. Billy J always got a little twitch around his left eye when he told a fib. Right now that particular muscle looked as if it was hooked up to his daddy's car battery, it was popping so fast and so hard.
”You must think I'm dumber 'n dirt, Billy J. Cooper, if you think I believe any of that bull you just tossed.” Still, just because he was a miserable excuse for a human being didn't mean she ought to lower herself to his level.
So she folded her hands in front of her and nodded once. ”Fine. I accept your apology. But I'm not ever going to 'take you back.' Not ever.” Okay, so I'm not as mature as I think I am. ”In case your vision has gone fuzzy, I'm still the 'fat and frumpy b.i.t.c.h' you dumped. So you just go on home and have yourself a nice life.”
She turned and barely took one step when she felt a painful pressure on her arm. Billy J had grabbed her, and his grip hurt. She heard the sound of chairs sc.r.a.ping, but poor, dumb Billy J was too focused on his own needs to register that sound for what it was.
”Now you just wait one d.a.m.n minute there, Emily Anne. You will too take me back. And what's more...”
Emily Anne didn't even think about what happened next. He had hold of her left arm, a hot and punis.h.i.+ng grip that spiked her temper like nothing else could have done.
She made a fist with her right hand, pulled back her arm and let him have it. He deflected her blow at the last moment but she'd hit his face. And while there wasn't any blood, his cussing let her know she'd hurt him right back.
And then he let her go. Of course, he had no choice but to let her go, because he was suddenly dangling from the grip of Colt Evan's one hand fisted in his s.h.i.+rtfront.
”Son, we don't take to having our women treated with disrespect here in l.u.s.ty.” Colt turned his attention to her. ”Are you all right, Emily Anne?”
”I'm fine, Colt. Thank you.”
”Someone ought to call Adam.” Mr. Parker had been one of the chair sc.r.a.pers. He stood just a few feet away, hands on hips, a surly look on his sweet face. ”That boy needs a trip to the woodshed.”
”Already done, Mr. Parker, sir,” Cody Harper called out. ”And here he comes, now.”
Emily Anne looked up and saw l.u.s.ty's sheriff, Adam Kendall, making quick tracks down the sidewalk toward the restaurant.
”You put me down, a.s.shole! You're strangling me!” Billy J still didn't seem to understand the mess he was in. Emily Anne wished she wasn't so petty as to be enjoying this moment more than a little bit. But she was. Her right hand began to gently rub her left forearm, and she realized she was subconsciously trying to rub the sting of his grip away.
”I ain't strangling you, boy,” Colt said.
”I ain't no boy, I'm a man. Now put me down!” Billy J sounded like a ten-year-old getting ready to slide into full tantrum mode.
Adam Kendall came through the door and Billy J's eyes lit on him in an instant. ”Sheriff, arrest this man! Look! He's a.s.saulting me!”
Adam's eyes landed on Emily Anne, sending her a sympathetic look. Then he turned his attention on Colt and Billy J.
”What have you got there, Colt?”
”Some young boy who doesn't know better than to come in here ogling and disrespecting our women, Adam. Then when Emily Anne told him to git, he grabbed hold of her arm and gave her a good jerk.” Colt's affable good-ole-boy demeanor vanished. ”She's already got a bruise forming there.”
Emily Anne looked down at her arm the same instant that Adam reached her, gently cupping her elbow to have a look for himself. He hissed in a breath at what he saw.
Red outlined the imprint of where Billy J's fingers had gripped her, and sure enough, she could see the bruise beginning to form.
Embarra.s.sment swamped her. Yes, she wanted Billy J gone, but she didn't want to be either the cause or the center of a full-blown scene.
Huh. Maybe there's more of my momma in me than I knew.
”It's nothing, Adam. Really. I'm fine.”
Adam ran his thumb over the imprint of a thumb and fingers. When he looked up and met her gaze she realized that he was very, very angry.
”Emily Anne, this is going to be one h.e.l.l of a bruise, sweetheart. That's not fine. That's a.s.sault.” He turned his head to look at Billy J. ”I've half a mind to just hold him till your men get back from Divine.”
”Adam, please...” One thing Emily Anne knew without a doubt. Billy J. Cooper was not worth either Connor or Mel getting in trouble over.
Adam sighed and let go of her arm. He nodded toward Billy J and Colt lowered him to the floor, but didn't let him go.
”Who is he to you?” Adam asked her.
”A mistake from my past,” she said. Conscious that whether she wanted it or not she was indeed the center of a scene, Emily Anne soldiered on. Her face had turned beet red, but there was no help for it. ”Up until a few months ago he was my boyfriend. He dumped me, and I moved on.” Forgetting about the witnesses she looked at Billy J and scowled. ”Lately, though, he's been pestering my momma to tell him where I was. I asked her not to, Adam. I told her I didn't want anything more to do with him. Not ever.” She looked over at Billy J. He was slow but not completely clueless. He finally seemed to get that he was in a bit of trouble here.
More than a bit, if she understood the men who lived in this town. They really didn't take to anyone mistreating any of the women who lived here, period.
She put her attention back on Billy J. ”You shouldn't have hounded my mother and she shouldn't have told you where I was.”
”Dried up old b.i.t.c.h wouldn't tell me a d.a.m.n thing. I had to pump Linda Sue Powers, if you know what I mean, to find out where you were. h.e.l.l, she wasn't even a good lay.”
Emily Anne revised her opinion of Billy J. Apparently, he was clueless. She was glad to hear her mother hadn't betrayed her trust, though.
”Boy, you need to learn some manners.” Colt gave him a shake that made his head bob.
”He does, indeed. But that's a discussion for down the street.” Adam reached behind and pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his belt and slapped them on Billy J before he could even think of a protest.
”You can't arrest me! I didn't do anything!”
”Are you denying that you put a hand on Emily Anne?” Adam asked. ”When everyone here saw you do it?”
That seemed to stop Billy J, but only for a moment. He shook his head, and then put his full focus on Adam Kendall. Emily Anne watched as his sly and charming smile-the one he'd always used to get his a.s.s out of trouble-spread across his face.
”C'mon, Sheriff. You know how these females are. I know you don't know Emily Anne all that well. Heck, she's little more than a stranger in town herself. But believe me when I tell you she's been leading me on for a long time. Just look at her! I suppose y'all can't blame her chasing after a man, she must be desperate, you know what I mean? So what do you say you remove these cuffs and let me take the b.i.t.c.h someplace private where I can explain things to her?”
His cajoling question was met with absolute silence. Emily Anne felt shame flood her. She couldn't prevent her eyes from drifting down to the floor.
How could I ever have thought this loser was the best I could do?
”Adam, I believe we have all heard quite enough.” Kelsey Benedict had emerged from the kitchen. She followed up her words by approaching Emily Anne and slipping her arm around her. Miz Bernice came to stand on the other side of her, and she slipped her arm around her, too. The message was clear, and even if Billy J didn't get it, Emily Anne did. She was one of them. She belonged.
”Please remove that odious little boy from my daughter-in-law's restaurant,” Bernice Benedict said. ”He's not fit to be in polite company.”
”Yes, ma'am,” Adam said. He stopped long enough to duck his head and catch Emily Anne's attention. ”Sweetheart? I want you to go on over to the clinic and let Doc have a look at that arm. Make sure it's only bruised-which is bad enough-and not actually damaged in any way.”
”I'll see that our Emily Anne is taken care of, Adam,” Kelsey said. ”You can count on it.”
Adam nodded. ”Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take this trash outta here.”