Chapter Seven #3
Garrett looked his way. “Well, that confirms pretty much
everything she said.”
No one saw her as more than a golden ticket to something
better. No one except the boy she loved as a child, and he couldn’t love her
back the way she needed.
She needed them. She needed him and Garrett to show her not
everyone was out for themselves. He didn’t want her money or family
connections. He wanted her gorgeous body and free spirit. He wanted all the
love he sensed she had to give.
“Hey, Lola,” a deep voice said. “What the hell are you doing
here? I told you to stay home.”
Lola turned and put a hand on her hip, cocking it perfectly
like this was her I’m-arguing-with-my-man pose. “You don’t get to tell me what
to do, Jason. You ain’t my husband and it sounds like you’re never going to be,
so I can do what I like.”
The two faced off, and Keane got a good look at what seemed
to be one of the men who treated Olivia like crap.
Jason Football Asshole was roughly six foot three, and while
he was undeniably athletic, there were signs that he was starting to let
himself go. His belly wasn’t quite flat and there was the start of a double
chin, but the vestiges of his former glory still clung enough that Keane could
see why he would be sought after. Though obviously not for his personality.
“Lola, I told you why I’m doing this. Now get your ass back
home. Once I convince her to give me another chance, we can quietly see each
other,” he said through clenched teeth. “But I can’t go after our cash cow if
you’re hanging around making a spectacle of yourself. And stop going places
with Amy. I told you she’s a whore.”
Amy simply grinned up at Garrett like nothing the other guy
said could bother her. “I’m not a whore. I’m a slut. No cash required, big guy,
though I wouldn’t mind you buying me a drink.”
The urge to spank Olivia’s gorgeous ass damn near overtook
him. He was here in this weird reality show hell because of her insecurities.
“You two should handle your shit. I’ve got a woman to find, and Jason, if you
try to even talk to Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood, I will personally kick your ass.”
Jason looked over like he just realized someone was there.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Olivia’s man, and I’m not about to let some
gold-digging, sad-sack, peaked-in-high-school asshole pester her,” Keane
announced.
Jason’s eyes flared. “Olivia doesn’t have a man. Not since
that city asshole dumped her. My sister talked to her last week. She didn’t
have a boyfriend.”
“Now she has two,” Garrett offered, gently pressing against
Amy’s arm. “Sorry, buddy. You lost her a long time ago, and we have her now.
We’re not going to let you use her.”
Amy huffed and put a hand back on Garrett like she could
claim him with touch. “You ain’t with that whore.”
Keane felt his whole body grow larger. “What did you say?”
“Hey, get your hand off him.” Olivia moved through the
crowd. The crowd parted to let her through as though she was the queen and
everyone knew it.
Well, except for Amy and Lola.
Jason’s whole demeanor changed. “Olivia, it’s good to see
you. I was looking for you.”
“I call it like I see it,” Amy announced. “And everyone
knows that family is perverted. Her dads sleep together. Her mom is only there
to give them babies. I don’t know why they haven’t thrown that old whore out.”
Keane started to move, but Olivia was faster.
She threw the first punch, and Keane knew his night had
taken a turn.
* * * *
Garrett looked to the deputy with a calm demeanor.
He’d learned sounding calm even when his heart was threatening to explode
usually worked best in these situations. “Deputy, I’m so glad we can handle
this without having to drag anyone to jail.”
The deputy was a man who looked like he was on the brink of
retirement and wanted nothing more than to keep things quiet. “I do not want to
call Jack Barnes and tell him his daughter is in jail for pulling out a bunch
of fake hair and trying to shove it down Amy Lou’s throat because she called
her momma a whore. Trust me. Amy Lou doesn’t want that either. If Olivia’s
daddy hears about this…”
Garrett put a hand out, waving off the worry since he fully
believed the gossip mill would take care of that girl. “We have no need to talk
about this evening. I’m going to take Olivia home and everything will be fine
in the morning.”
The deputy sighed like he knew that was an impossibility,
but he was stuck in this position. “I can only let her go because the manager
said there’s no real damage. Jack’ll find out about it eventually, but I figure
he’ll be in a worse mood if he has to leave his vacation to deal with this.”
“I’m an adult, you know.” Olivia was still a little
unhinged.
It was weirdly sexy. He watched that woman pull hair and
throw punches and kick another woman where no one wanted to get kicked and all
he could think was how damn pretty she was.
“I don’t care how old you are. You are Jack Barnes’s baby
girl and until he’s dead and gone, I will avoid having to deal with him if I
can. Your daddy’s scary.” The deputy frowned and pointed to the two young women
behind Olivia. “And I’ve met that one’s daddy, and he’s as scary as damn Jack
Barnes. Do I want to know who the other young lady’s father is?”
Gigi grinned even as she held an ice pack to her cheek. “I
got in trouble once when we were out here visiting. They got to meet the real
Winter Dawson.” She gestured Miranda’s way. “Her dad is an ex-NFL quarterback.”
“Hey, don’t forget my papa,” Miranda complained. “Papa is
just as scary as Dad is.” She shook her head. “Nope. I can’t even lie. Papa is
a puppy compared to Dad. I blame the hookers and the cocaine. I shouldn’t have
read that bio. Momma told me not to.”
Miranda and Gigi had Olivia’s back. He knew that now. They
were strangely good in a girl fight. He got Miranda. She was from a ranching
family and had rodeoed a lot. She wasn’t some pampered princess who had never
seen the bad in the world, but he kind of thought Gigi was. After all, her
father was a billionaire, and he hadn’t made that money off of cows. He’d made
it through finance and ruthless will.
“George, she attacked me,” Lola yelled from her
place in the back of the police car. “This is discrimination.”
George’s eyes rolled. “No. This is me making sure when
Barnes comes after you for calling his wife a whore, he doesn’t actually kill
you and bury your body.”
Lola frowned. “That was Amy. I called his daughter a
pathetic bitch for trying to steal my man.”
Olivia’s eyes rolled. “Like I want your man. I don’t even
know who your man is. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t keep up with
you. I don’t care about you.”
Keane stood beside her. The minute the cops had shown, Keane
had let Garrett do all the talking. He’d stuck close to Olivia and her friends,
watching over them, though they had proven they could take care of themselves.
Miranda knew how to punch a tit, and Gigi didn’t mind slapping someone. She’d
been pleased that she did it all and hadn’t even broken a nail.
Keane leaned in and whispered something to Olivia, whose
face went red. He could tell even in the parking lot lights.
“Jason Hart?” Olivia laughed and shook her head. “I thought
I saw him earlier. I avoid him at all costs.”
Jason had fled immediately when it was clear the girl fight
was happening. The coward had lost himself in the crowd and left them all
behind to deal with the cleanup.
Lola pointed a finger her way. “I know you’ve always wanted
him but he only wants your money. He loves me. Everyone knows your pervert
family made a deal with the devil.”
Gigi cracked her knuckles and started forward, but Keane
caught her.
“Bad Gigi. No.” Keane shook his head. “I would have brought
my sprayer if I’d known all the kittens were going to show their claws
tonight.”
Olivia sighed. “Don’t bother, Gigi. It’s nothing I haven’t
heard before.”
The deputy turned to Olivia. “Livie, she’s jealous. Look, I
joke about your daddy being scary and he is, but only when he’s protecting his
family. I know he’s had problems with the sheriff’s office in the past, but not
now. We know how much your whole family does for the county.”
The words were polite and sincere, and all Garrett could
wonder was how it felt to have to hear them. To have to hear that the reason
she’s respected is for what her father does. It infuriated him that those women
talked to her that way.
The way it pissed him off how people used to tell him and
Keane they were useless, wastes of flesh.
But he couldn’t show that right now because de-escalating
the situation was paramount. “We appreciate that, Deputy.”
The deputy gave him a tight smile. “Well, I appreciate that
we don’t have to wake the sheriff up over a spat.”
“That wasn’t a spat,” Olivia argued, and she looked so
perfectly bratty it hurt his cock. “That was nothing. They can’t even fight.
She did that flailing hands thing. It was pathetic. I would think a country
girl would know how to fight, but she just cried a lot and looked for men to
save her.”
The men had been too afraid to get in Olivia’s way. They had
stepped back and bet on who would win, and no one had bet against Olivia.
“We will take them all back to the ranch now,” Garrett said.
“As long as no one is pressing charges.”
Lola huffed. “Her daddy would get her out anyway, and I’m
not a snitch.”
The deputy shook his head and sighed. “I’ll get her back
home. I’m pretty sure her friend already fled. Well, if the owners of The Barn
are happy and I don’t have to do any paperwork, I’m going to call it a good
night. Miss Olivia.”
He tipped his hat her way and moved back to his car.
The crowd dispersed, most of them going inside where the
music had already started up again and the party was moving on.
But for him it was time to get serious.
He turned and stared at Olivia. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
He seriously doubted that. “How would you like to get home?”
Miranda frowned. “Uhm, I thought I would have more time to
sober up. Not that I’m drunk or anything, but my dads will kill me if I get a
DUI.”