“I’m fine. I’ll meet you at Abe’s house.”
Harper knew Celia couldn’t see Lainie’s wince. Had Celia really stopped thinking of the Lawson ranch as home?
As soon as Lainie was gone, Celia upended her beer. “Dammit. I do not want to deal with this right now. I’d much rather stay here and get rip-roarin’ drunk with you.”
“Much as I want that too, Cele, you’ve gotta get a handle on this situation. It’s been eating at you. I’m sorry I didn’t push harder to get you to open up to me.”
“I’m stubborn that way. I ain’t gonna talk until I’m ready. So maybe it was a cosmic sign that Lainie just happened to be standing right there. She’s pushy as hell, which I actually really love about her.” Celia smiled and stood. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Try to have some fun tonight.”
Famous last words. Harper nursed her drink while listening to the band. She turned down four invitations to dance—two from Ralph, owner of the C-Mart. Creepy jerk made her skin crawl. But she’d managed to stay polite. When the band segued into slow songs, she grabbed her coat and headed to the door.
The covered entry way to the bar protected customers from the harsh Wyoming winter elements. She stopped in the empty hallway to slip her gloves on. The tap on her shoulder caught her off guard and she whirled around.
Creepy, leering Ralph stood there—way too close for her liking. “Where you goin’? You promised me a dance.”
Harper ignored him and kept walking until she was outside.
But Ralph was relentless. He followed her. “Hey, I was talking to you.”
She didn’t respond, figuring he’d give up.
Wrong.
Ralph grabbed her and pushed her face-first against the building. “I tried to be nice to you, but you’re a stuck-up bitch, ain’t ya? So you must think you’re better than me?”
“No. I didn’t feel like dancing. I didn’t dance with anyone else either.” Why had she thrown that in? She owed this drunken jerk nothing.
He pressed closer. “Maybe I want a private dance from you anyway.” His boozy breath burst across the side of her face like a sour dishrag. “Maybe I’ll settle for a kiss instead of a dance.”
“Maybe I’ll give you a bloody lip if you don’t let me go right now.”
“Ooh. Feisty thing. Makes it more challenging.”
When Ralph bumped his hips into her backside, Harper lost it. She threw her head back, connecting with his nose.
He made a sound somewhere between a shriek and a groan, immediately releasing her.
She spun and kicked him in the crotch while he was still trying to figure out if his nose was broken.
Ralph grunted and fell on the ground, curling into a ball.
Harper was in a red rage. She kicked him in the back, aiming for a kidney. She would’ve kept kicking him if not for the two steel bands that immobilized her flailing arms and lifted her feet off the ground.
“Let go of me right now or I swear to God I’ll—”
“Harper, sweetheart, it’s okay. He ain’t gonna hurt you now.”
She stopped fighting. “Bran? What’re you—”
“I watched him follow you. I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at you, so I came out to see what was goin’ on.”
“What’s goin’ on?” Ralph spit out a mouthful of blood. “This f**king psycho bitch attacked me!”
“You liar!” she shouted. “You pushed me up against the building—”
“I’m calling the sheriff,” Ralph said. “Havin’ you arrested for assault.”
No. She couldn’t go to jail. She would not end up like her mother. A sob caught in her throat and she thrashed against Bran, yelling, “You bastard,” at Ralph.
But Bran didn’t release her. If anything, his hold on her tightened. His mouth moved closer to her ear. “Harper. Calm down and listen to me.”
For some reason Bran’s voice soothed her and she stilled.
“Let me handle this.”
Ralph struggled to his feet. He patted his pockets as if searching for his cell phone.
“I wouldn’t call the sheriff if I were you, Ralph.”
“It’s a f**kin’ good thing you ain’t me, Turner, because I can’t wait to see her handcuffed as she’s getting her ass hauled off to jail where she belongs.”
“Yeah? They’ll be arresting you too, dumb shit.”
“For what?”
“For attempted sexual assault.”
“I’m the one bleeding,” Ralph practically whined. “It’d be her word against mine.”
“And mine. I saw you grab her. I saw you throw her up against the building. I saw her defending herself against a man who attacked her,” Bran said tersely.
“So? She’s a two-bit bar whore just like her mama. I’m a taxpaying business owner in this county. Who do you think they’re gonna believe?”
Bran released her and stalked Ralph, who cringed on the ground. “I oughta bust your teeth out for sayin’ that, you worthless piece of shit. Now you listen up because I’ve had enough of your senseless blathering. You’re gonna get the f**k outta here and you ain’t calling the sheriff.”
“Don’t threaten me.”
“You really want people knowing that she kicked the crap outta you? How the f**k you think you’ll hold your head up in this town? Jesus. I’m embarrassed for you and I knew you had it comin’ to you. Imagine what other folks will think.”