by Kadie Scott
“You always did need someone to punch you in the face, Hill. Make you a little less pretty.”
Autry ran a hand over his stubble-covered jaw, the small hairs rasping against his palm, and flashed his most charming grin. “Awwww. You think I’m pretty?”
Wrong thing to say.
Autry barely saw the punch Dan threw coming before he stumbled with the force, his head snapping back and instant pain lighting up his right eye. Dan managed to nail him right on the bruise still left over from Larson Miller. Punched twice in a matter of weeks. What were the odds?
“No—” Beth’s cry barely penetrated the immediate anger and adrenaline pumped through Autry fueling instinct that told him this guy wouldn’t quit.
Without a scrap of hesitation, Autry engaged.
He’d been in his fair share of fights, and if anyone needed a lesson, it was Dan. Autry ducked under the left Dan threw next and barreled into him, driving his legs to force the other man backward, as far away from Beth as he could get them. He didn’t quit until he slammed Dan into the large oak tree in Beth’s front yard.
*
Beth stood on the bottom step of her front porch, hands over her mouth, and watched in silent dismay as the two men on her front lawn went at it.
She had to admit to a secret satisfaction when Autry rammed Dan into the tree. The leaves quaked with the force of the impact, droplets of water cascading over them. Not that either of them seemed aware. Nor did Autry appear remotely concerned by the fact that he was doing this in only boxers and socks.
A couple of jabs to the face followed by a punch to the gut slowed Dan’s progress. He doubled over to suck in the air that had exited his body with a pained whoosh.
Autry backed off. “Apologize to her.” He rolled his shoulders and brought his fists up and head down, ready to go. Dang if she didn’t find that sexy as all get out.
What is wrong with me?
Dan stood more slowly, his face turning beet red with his fury. “Screw you if she hasn’t already,” he snapped.
He stepped forward only to stumble backward as Autry popped him twice with two more sharp lefts to the face.
Dan came back swinging. The next exchange of hits happened fast enough that they blurred for her. All Beth knew was both men were getting in solid punches. Both had blood spurting from some part of their faces, flinging drops around her yard with each new round of violence. The crack of bone against bone when each landed a punch was a sickening sound, pulling nausea up her throat in sour waves.
She couldn’t deal with that though, because the other thing that was happening as the two men fought was they moved. Across her yard and out into the busy main street that her property sat beside. Not willing to try to get between them and break it up, because an accidental punch would probably knock her out, Beth ran into the street right in front of an oncoming car, her hands up to warn them to stop.
Autry and Dan didn’t seem to notice, both too caught up in ending the other man.
Mrs. Duncan, her white fluffy hair barely visible above the steering wheel of her ancient station wagon stared first at Beth, then at the two men going at it in the middle of the busiest street in town. Behind Mrs. Duncan, more cars and trucks started to pile up. Beth wasn’t paying them any attention, because the fight was taking the two men across the median to the other side of traffic.
Before she could run around to stop oncoming cars on that side too, a white car with the word “Sheriff” emblazoned across the side pulled up in the turn lane and stopped. Someone called the cops? The lights went on, the red and blue reflecting off the low clouds above and lighting up the dark. None other than Autry’s brother, Cash, opened the door.
Of course, it has to be Cash. Was it possible for this evening to get any weirder? Or more ridiculous? This story was bound to circulate the entire county by morning.
Cash stayed behind his door and spoke over the bullhorn, the sound blasting out over all of them. “This is the sheriff. Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up.”
Autry immediately jerked back and Beth was pretty sure the word “fuck” popped out of his mouth, except Dan chose that moment to land one more punch, the crack echoing off the wet pavement.
The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked had all of them swinging to face Cash who had his state-issued firearm aimed at the two men standing in the middle of the road. “I will shoot if you don’t cooperate.”
Jeez.
This time, both Autry and Dan stopped and put their hands up. Cash reset his gun and replaced it in the holster at his hip. Then came around the car door, pulling cuffs out of the spot where they attached to his utility belt.
“Cash—” Beth took a step forward, only to stop when he held up both hands and shook his head.
The man was the definition of grim, his eyes hard and cold. Why? Because he was having to arrest his brother? As soon as Cash started putting the cuffs on Dan first, the guy started loudly protesting his innocence and shouting for all to hear about how he was going to bring charges against Autry for assault.
Another car, the local police, showed up just as Cash was walking Dan to his car. He shoved Dan at the officer. “You take this one. I’ll follow with Autry.”
Mack Hardigan, brand-new on the force, merely nodded with wide eyes and took over the care of Dan. Cash returned to Autry and pulled out a second set of cuffs. He said nothing to his brother, merely taking one hand and pulling it behind his back to cuff him before repeating the action with the other hand. Autry said nothing as well, his lips a flat slash, shoulders tense. Six-foot-some-odd of pissed off cowboy.
“Jeezus, Autry, why do you reek of skunk?” Cash turned his head into his shoulder in a vain attempt to block out the smell.
“Because—”
“Actually, don’t answer that. A person more likely to believe you should be the one to question you.”
Autry grunted, his hazel eyes dark and as cold as his brother’s, his usual easy smile nowhere in sight.
It’s all my fault.
Cash paused in front of her on his way to put Autry in the back of his car. “Did you witness this?”
“Yes! And it’s not his fault—”
“Save it for the report,” Cash snapped.
“You don’t have to get ugly with her, Cash,” Autry spoke up.
Cash flashed around to aim a glare at his brother guaranteed to melt the hide off a longhorn. “You keep your mouth shut.”
He turned back to Beth but managed to lower the level of his glare from pure fury to vaguely irritated. “Get in the front seat, please.”
Beth swallowed but did as he asked.
Fat raindrops splatted the top of her head as she swung inside, the next wave of rain hadn’t made the fight worse at least, but had chosen this moment to start back up. The ride to the station was done in complete silence except the sound of the rain and the windshield wipers. Luckily the police station was only a short distance away, not far from the courthouse which sat at the center of the town square, about five blocks from Beth’s house.
Unfortunately, as soon as Autry was in the car, the space filled up with a smell no one wanted to ever experience. Beth cracked her window, the rain preventing her from rolling it all the way down. Water splashed in on her, but she was still soaked from the river and the earlier downpour, so she didn’t pay it much attention. Except the AC was turned way up, making her shiver.
Even with the quick drive, Cash muttered at Autry the entire way. “Fighting in public. In your boxers no less, which could mean indecent exposure. What the hell were you thinking? Especially given the bet.”
Bet? Beth bit her lip but took her cue from Autry, who brooded silently in the back seat, and kept quiet. As soon as they interviewed her, she’d make sure Autry wasn’t blamed for any of this.
“Beth, don’t say a thing until you talk to my lawyer,” Autry said as they got out of the car at the station.
“What?” Didn’t he want to get this over with fa
ster? “I could just clear everything up…”
“No,” Autry snapped loud enough that she jumped. He grimaced then softened, eyes imploring her to listen. “Trust me, okay?”
“Finally, he shows some common sense,” Cash muttered as he walked them inside.
Had Autry been through this before? She didn’t remember hearing any stories about Autry getting arrested. Only stories about him getting a bit wild, mostly with women.
“I won’t,” she called after his retreating back as Cash led him down one hall and Lou Garrety, another officer, led her down another. Beth had never been inside the police station, but she was too worried about Autry to do more than vaguely note the faded yellow brick walls that harkened back to the seventies. They’d updated the flooring to a new white tile, and interior walls were painted a simple white.
After checking her in and taking her information down, Lou sat her in a freezing cold room with more yellow brick walls, a one-way mirror on one, and a simple wood table with two chairs which had seen better days.
“Any way I could get a blanket?” she pleaded as goose bumps the size of houses raced down her arms and legs.
“Sure. I’ll bring you coffee, too.”
Beth smiled. “You’re a saint, Lou. I always knew you were my favorite police officer.”
His chuckle followed him out the door.
After that, Beth spent a whole lotta time waiting. She waited until Lou came back with the blanket and coffee. “Your boyfriend is sure stinking up the place.”
Beth snorted around her coffee. “Not my boyfriend.”
“Then why was he only in boxers in front of your house?”
Only she couldn’t explain that bit until she talked to Autry’s lawyer. She’d promised. So, she bit her lip and stayed quiet.
With a shake of his head, Lou left her alone and she waited until he returned with Becky Barnes, yet another officer, in order to take her statement. They both left as soon as Beth lawyered up. Lots more waiting until eventually Mr. Reisen showed up.
In his midsixties at least, the lawyer had to be close to retirement. Not that one would guess his age given how he still had a head of dark hair she was pretty sure wasn’t dyed. Only his thick beard showed any gray. Beth stood and held out a hand, clutching her now damp blanket around her.
“Autry told me his side of things, Beth,” Mr. Reisen took the seat across from her and sat, opening his computer. “Now I’d like to hear it from you.”
Beth went over the course of events in as much detail as she could remember. Which was a lot, because she’d been sitting here thinking of nothing else for a solid hour at least. There were no clocks in the room, so she honestly wasn’t sure of the time.
When she got to the part about where the trap was located, she paused. She was a teacher and lying was a big deal in her world. On the other hand, no way was she letting Dan get away with what he’d tried to do to that poor skunk because of a technicality, so she bit the bullet and lied.
As soon as she said the skunk’s cage had floated over to her property, Mr. Reisen looked up from his notes, a speculative glint in his gaze. “You’re sure about that?”
Beth bit her lip. Had Autry told the truth? “How sure do you need me to be?” she fudged.
She caught the ghost of a smile on the lawyer’s thin lips. That encouraged her to fudge a little more. “It all happened fast, and the rain was coming down hard right then, and the river was way up so it was difficult to tell exactly…”
She trailed off, all those things were true enough.
“Stick to that story. The river was up, so you thought the trap was on your side.”
Relief buzzed through her and she continued with the story. As soon as she was done and had answered all Mr. Reisen’s questions, he sat back and ran a hand over his thick, graying beard. “Would you be willing to appear as a witness for Autry in court?”
“Yes, sir.” No way was she letting him take the hit for this when most of this was her fault, or Dan’s.
“Even if Mr. Fogelman plans to bring charges for assault.”
Beth jerked forward in her seat. “You tell Mr. Fogelman…” The name came out more as a sneer, because that jerk didn’t deserve the title of “mister.” “That if he charges Autry with assault, I will bring charges against him for trespassing, attempted assault against me, and I should hope the county will address the animal cruelty issue as well. If they don’t, I’ll sue him for that, too.”
Mr. Reisen’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “You sure you want to take on the Fogelmans?”
Beth leaned forward and pinned the lawyer with what she considered to be her best teacher “don’t even think I won’t” look. “Yes, sir.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, Mr. Reisen’s mouth twitched again under all that hair. “Fine. Please wait here?”
“Of course.”
Which led to more waiting and shivering. At least another hour had to have passed by the time Mr. Reisen returned, and her clothes were almost dry. All except the seat of her jeans which still stuck to her behind like an itchy, rigid second skin.
“Okay, young lady. Dan has decided not to bring any charges.”
Beth blew out a pent-up breath. “Good.”
“However, because the fight went into a public street and disrupted traffic, Autry and Dan are both being charged with disorderly conduct.”
Beth squeezed her eyes shut for a second. Dang. Now she could pile guilt onto her already terrible day.
“Autry’s case is on the docket for tomorrow at ten in the morning.” Mr. Reisen’s comment had her opening her eyes again. “Can you be there?” he asked.
She’d have to get a substitute to watch her class, which meant taking the full day off. “I’ll be there.”
Beth stood, then paused as she realized she had no purse and no car.
At her blinking hesitation, Mr. Reisen stepped in. “A ride back to your house has been arranged.”
“Oh.” Beth smiled uncertainly.
She followed the lawyer out of the blank room and into the hallway only to pause at finding Cash Hill standing in there waiting, glower in place and hand resting lightly on his holstered gun.
Beth slowed. “Are you my ride?”
Cash gave a sharp nod.
Awesome.
Older than Autry, she hadn’t been in school with Cash, but the man intimidated her nonetheless. Those Hill blue eyes all the siblings except Autry had inherited were this side of piercing, at least for the sheriff in the family.
Beth cleared her throat and tried to shore up her courage. “What about Autry?”
Cash crossed his arms. “I’m letting that hothead cool off in a cell overnight.”
He wasn’t going to post bail? For his own brother? Didn’t he listen to any of either Autry or her stories? “Does Autry get arrested often?”
She hadn’t heard anything like that, but most of her town gossip came from fifth graders.
“No,” Cash owned, reluctantly. “This is his first arrest.”
Beth narrowed her eyes and mimicked his posture, crossing her arms. “And big brother is going to teach him a lesson? Is that it?”
She couldn’t get a read on Cash’s response to the question, because the man had a fantastic poker face. “I never took you for one of Autry’s groupies, Beth,” he finally said, quietly.
Beth rolled her eyes. “I’m not even a little bit his groupie. But Autry’s in trouble because he helped me and because Dan Fogelman is a big butt. I’m not letting him sit in jail all night reeking of skunk. Where do I go to bail him out?”
She stomped purposefully past him down the hallway.
“The other way.” Cash’s dry voice reached her before she’d taken more than ten steps.
Beth paused, then about-faced, ignoring the heat climbing into her face at the gaff. “Thanks,” she muttered on her way past both men.
As soon as Cash realized she was serious about bailing Autry out herself, he shouldered his way in to pay, grumbl
ing the entire time. Beth had no idea how this stuff worked, and was relieved to discover that they didn’t have to wait for a judge to set bail. Autry’s charges were pretty basic and they had a charge of standard bail amounts they could pay that night. In short order, bail was dealt with.
The stench reached them several seconds before Autry was brought out. At least this time, the drive home was without rain, so they were able to put down the windows.
“My car is going to reek for weeks,” Cash complained as he pulled in behind Autry’s truck in Beth’s driveway.
“You could’ve let me shower and change before hauling me in,” Autry reminded him, equally grim faced.
The station had at least provided Autry with a prison jumpsuit to cover up in. How the guy could come off sexy even in the ridiculous orange outfit was beyond her. Maybe it had to do with the way his dark hair stuck up in spikes and the scruff on his face. Maybe the broad shoulders and capable hands.
Cash’s comment about Autry’s groupies pinged around in her head, and Beth shut down those thoughts in a hurry. She got out and waited while Autry exchanged low-voiced words with his brother before Cash tipped his hat at her and drove away.
Autry watched his brother go with an unreadable expression before giving his head a shake and turning to find Beth waiting. “I hear Dan dropped the charges because of you.”
She gave an inelegant snort. “Only because I threatened to charge him with trespassing and attempted assault,” she revealed.
Autry’s lips kicked up in a sideways grin that had her heart inexplicably tripping over itself in an unguarded, unwanted response. She would not be just another notch on this man’s belt, like his brother had implied.
“Well…” He almost didn’t seem to know what to say to that. “Thanks.”
He turned to his truck.
Beth stepped forward. “You’re going to stink up your truck if you get it in like you are.”
What am I doing? I should let him leave, help him out with the thing tomorrow, and let that be the end of it. If neighbors witnessed him going inside with her, no way was gossip going to be just about the fight. However, Beth had always been a good girl. Even though the guy in question was Autry, no way would people believe she’d done anything other than offer a helping hand.