Chapter 48 #2
Harper felt the sick change to fury in her gut. She made a move to sidestep Linc, but he was already halfway across the cooler. Luke met him in the middle, and Harper shrieked when the first blow landed.
Georgia Rae, Mr. Scotts, Sheila, and Peggy Ann stood in the doorway, mouths agape.
“Call Ty,” Harper yelled, grabbing at a thrashing arm and a jacket. “Stop it! Both of you.”
She wedged herself between them, Luke at her front and Linc at her back.
“You ever touch her again, and I’ll?—”
Harper slapped her hands against Luke’s chest. “Shut up! Just shut up!” She shoved him back with all her strength. “You have no say anymore in who does and doesn’t touch me. I don’t belong to you anymore.” Her voice broke, and she hated herself for it.
Luke gripped her wrists and brought his gaze to her face. Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks, and time stopped.
His lip was cut, his eyes wild. He hadn’t shaved in days. She could see the hurt, the anger. But he wasn’t hers to love or heal. He was the man who discarded her.
She wrenched her hands free.
“Harp.” It was hurt now in his tone.
“No,” she whispered, staring at his chest.
He made a move toward her, and she stepped back, holding up her hands.
“She said no,” Linc said, pulling her back.
“Stay the fuck out of this, Reed.” Luke shoved Linc, and they tangled again, crashing into a rack of six-packs.
Two tumbled to the floor and shattered as Harper jumped out of the way. Linc shoved Luke up against the rack. “Why do you have to be such an asshole?”
Luke’s fist caught him on the jaw, and Harper yelped. “Someone help!”
A crowd had gathered in front of the cooler. Every door was wide open so the spectators could get a better look.
“Damn, that was the lager they just broke,” someone sighed as another six-pack fell to its frothy death.
Harper flinched as Linc’s fist plowed into Luke’s middle. They were going to pound each other into oblivion. Harper grabbed Linc’s arm as he pulled it back to hit Luke again. Her body felt weightless as she was carried through the air by the momentum of Linc’s blow.
Luke threw another punch, and Harper felt the breeze of it brush her face. He was too angry. She wasn’t going to be able to stop him.
An arm nipped her around the waist, dragging her out of the fray.
Ty, in uniform, deposited her in the doorway of the cooler.
“Ty! Make them stop!”
“On it. Stay here.”
Ty threw himself into the brawl with the practiced form of law enforcement. In seconds, he was able to disengage Linc. It took a little longer with Luke, who took an angry swing at his brother-in-law. Ty shrugged it off and punched Luke square in the jaw, knocking him back a step.
“Don’t make me tase the shit out of you. I’ll do it and probably enjoy it,” he warned.
Luke held up a hand in surrender. “Just keep that asshole away from her.” He shot a look at Harper. A bruise bloomed on his chin, and blood trickled from his mouth. “Are you okay?” Those hazel eyes held so much.
She could only shake her head and turn away.
“Harper,” he called after her.
Insulting her one second and then looking at her like he just wanted to pull her into his arms the next.
Making love to her like he couldn’t survive without her and then discarding her like yesterday’s trash.
She couldn’t survive the wait for him to figure out what he really wanted. He might never know.
“Can I trust you to not kill each other for a few seconds?” Ty asked before stepping out of the cooler. “Georgia Rae, you mind keeping an eye on those two for me?”
Ty drew Harper over to the cereal aisle.
“Are you sure they won’t fight?” Harper worried.
“They wouldn’t dare fight with Georgia Rae in the middle of them. She’ll have their hides. So what the hell happened?”
Harper filled him in. “I was just trying to get Joni’s groceries.
You know, do something nice for her since she’s been so great to me.
And I can’t even do that…” She stopped herself before she screamed in frustration.
“This is the first time I’ve seen him since he asked me to leave, and this is what happens. ”
“The guy is stupid in love with you, Harper.”
“I don’t think so, Ty.” She shook her head.
“Honey, I know stupid in love when I see it. He’s just stupider than most.”
“How much trouble are they going to be in?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Gotta talk to the owner and see if she wants to press charges. Do me a favor and stay put while I figure this out.”
When Ty brought them out of the cooler, Linc, sporting the beginnings of an excellent black eye, winked at her. Luke started toward her, but Ty slapped a hand on his chest. “Not gonna let you do that, Luke.”
“You can’t stop me from talking to her.” Anger crackled off him like electricity.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing until she says different. Now stand over there and try not to hit anyone else.”
“Do I need to remind you that when my sister broke up with you, I was the one who told her she was being an idiot?”
“The difference is I wasn’t busting up a grocery store and some guy’s face at the time, and now you’re the one being the idiot. Now stand there, shut up, and we’ll get this worked out.” He said it so amicably that Harper just blinked.
Luke stayed where he was but didn’t take his eyes off her.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored the crowd that had grown to over a dozen people.
Tangles of abandoned carts blocked aisles while customers and store staff mingled around sale displays of boxed stuffing and canned pumpkin.
Linc leaned against a cooler door and chatted up a pretty stock girl.
Harper did her best to look everywhere but Luke’s face. It felt like an eternity before Ty came back.
“Okay, here’s the deal. Miz Valencio won’t press charges if you agree to the following terms. One, you split the cost of the nine six-packs that died unnecessary deaths and clean up the mess.”
Linc shrugged at Luke. Luke rolled his eyes and nodded.
“And two, you finish Harper’s shopping and pay for her stuff.”
“Give me your list,” Luke said, holding out his hand to her.
“Oh, no. Ty, they don’t have to do that.” She had tampons on the list.
“It’s Miz Valencio’s call. She doesn’t want you to leave empty-handed because these two ‘yahoos got their testosterone in a bunch.’”
“Give me your list.”
She was being lured to her doom but couldn’t see a way out of it. Harper approached slowly. She pulled the list out of her back pocket and held it out between two fingers, eyes on her hand. Luke’s hand closed over hers and pulled her closer.
“Harper. ”
He waited until she looked up at him.
“I’m sorry for what I said. Are you okay?”
She nodded slowly, not trusting her voice. His touch sent a heat spreading through her.
With his free hand, he reached up and gently brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Christ, Garrison, keep your hands to yourself,” Ty said, stepping between them. He took the list from Harper and handed it over. “Peggy Ann is bringing a broom and a mop. Harper, why don’t you go next door and get yourself a coffee. We’ll be done here in an hour.”