Dare thought maybe he’d consumed some tainted alcohol and passed out somewhere, dreaming this whole scene.
“Bubba!” the man in the overalls yelled again followed by a string of threats.
“Don’t hurt Fuzzy Butt!” one of the kids yelled.
“Bad Bubba!” another yelled.
It was then Dare figured out why they were all chasing the alligator named Bubba. On Bubba’s back was a small gray cat that did, in fact, have a very fuzzy rear end. It looked as if the cat was riding a bronc in the rodeo. Fuzzy Butt had his feet splayed out as he crouched low and hung on for dear life while the gator ran down the street.
The sidewalk was filling with people who rushed out after hearing the commotion. A man with oversized jeans and a sweatshirt at least two sizes too big pulled a rather large knife from under that baggy sweatshirt and joined the chase.
Dare grabbed his bike and moved it closer to the route the alligator was running and jumped to the far side of the bike. Using the bike for cover, Dare waited for the gator to get closer. As soon as the alligator neared the bike, Dare leaned over and snatched Fuzzy Butt off Bubba’s back.
Bubba hissed and snapped as Dare hurled himself and Fuzzy Butt backward to the safety of the far side of the motorcycle. He was feeling pretty good about himself until Bubba decided he wanted his sidekick back and followed them to the other side of the bike.
Dare scrambled up and ran with a curse caught in his throat. The damn cat pulled himself free in order to climb onto the top of Dare’s head where he hung on by the tips of his claws.
“Zigzag!” Dare heard someone yell.
“Bubba is closin’ in!” he heard someone else yell.
“Run toward me!”
Dare stopped trying to pull the cat down and found who was yelling to run toward him. It was the man in overalls. If he wanted the gator to run at him, then so be it. Dare sprinted toward the man. He tried to zigzag, but that sent the cat sliding from his perch on Dare’s head so it was a full-out sprint to the man in overalls.
Dare ran past him without slowing as the woman and her kids scattered. He heard an umph sound and slid to a stop. When he turned he saw that the man in the overalls had leapt on top of the alligator. His large hands were pressed down on the gator’s snout, using the road to help keep the jaws closed.
“I got the tape!” a little guy yelled running toward them.
“Hurry up, Turtle!” the man in the overalls hollered as the man in baggy clothes leapt on the large gator’s tail.
“Thank you for rescuing Fuzzy Butt.”
Dare was pulled away from the gator wrestling by a soft tug of his jacket and a small voice. He looked down at a cute little girl with pigtails. Dare bent down and the girl smiled. She couldn’t be more than six years old and was missing a front tooth. “I think he’s scared. Do you want to grab him from my head?”
“He’s not scared, mister. He’s . . .” Her face crinkled as an older boy approached them. “He’s horny!”
The little girl smiled proudly as she pulled Fuzzy Butt from Dare’s head, leaving what felt like huge gashes from the beast’s claws. “Fuzzy Butt, you’re so horny. Momma is so mad at you.”
Dare tried not to laugh as the older boy rolled his eyes at her. “Ornery. Lindsey, the word is ornery.”
“Well, thanks for saving my horny kitty, mister.” The little girl placed a kiss on Dare’s cheek and went skipping off to her mother who was trying to stop two younger boys from going near the alligator.
“Yeah, thanks. My sisters would have been even more of a nightmare if Bubba ate the cat,” the boy said as he eyed Dare. “You new to town?”
Dare smiled as the boy stepped protectively between Dare and his mother and siblings. “I am. I’m a friend of Harper Faulkner. Do you know her?”
The boy’s look of suspicion spilled into a large smile. “You the fella she’s dating?” Dare nodded. “And I got to meet you first! Hot damn. Don’t tell my mom I said that. You must be some kind of badass to make it past the first date. And don’t tell my mom I said badass.”
“I did rescue a cat from an alligator so I guess that makes me a badass.”
The boy shrugged. “You rescued Bubba from Fuzzy Butt more like it. I’m Landry. My daddy is Landry too, so everyone calls me Junior when he’s in town between deployments. He’s not in town right now so you can call me Landry. Mom’s real ornery about that too.”
And probably horny.
Dare held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Landry. I’m Dare Reigns.”
“Dare, that’s a cool name. I need a cooler nickname than Junior if I want Bethany to like me. I’m in the fifth grade, but she’s in the sixth so maybe a cool nickname would get her to pay attention to me.”
“I’ll let you know if I think of one. Do you think they need help with the alligator?” Dare asked as he watched the little guy wrap some tape around the gator’s jaws.
“Nope, Gator has it under control,” Landry said with a shrug.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Don’t the guys need help?” Dare asked as the guy with baggy clothes yanked off his sweatshirt and covered the gator’s eyes with it.
Landry laughed and shook his head. “The gator’s name is Bubba. The guy in the overalls is Gator. Then the guy who just put his shirt over Bubba is Skeeter and other guy is Turtle. They do this all the time.”
“Levi! Lyle! So help me God. I’m going to count to three and if you ain’t off Bubba’s tail . . . One!” the young mom yelled.
“Don’t worry, they never make it to three,” Landry said, turning back to Dare. “So, are you here to see Harper? How did you get her to like you?”
“Two!”
Dare watched as the young mom put her one free hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at the boys. They took one look at her and scrambled off Bubba. Impressive. Maybe he needed her help interviewing suspects.
“Did you kiss her yet? I’ve heard kissing is sloppy, but that doesn’t seem right and see there’s this party . . .” Landry continued on.
Dare looked back at the boy who was on the cusp of puberty and he felt for him. His dad was away and his mom clearly had her hands full. Dare didn’t know anything about young kids although he remembered the growing pains of being an eleven-year-old boy. “Best advice I can give you is to be yourself and be confident in who you are. Women love confidence. Could you see Harper dating a guy who couldn’t walk without his head held high?”
Landry shook his head. “I’ve seen Miss Harper make men cry.”
Dare could believe it. “Here’s the secret, though. You can still be confident and a gentleman. You respect the girl, open the door for her, use your manners, and be confident and that’s something women love.”
Landry nodded this time. “My mom tans my hide if I’m not a gentleman. So be a gentleman, walk with my head up, and be confident. Oh, and get a cool nickname.”
“What’s this about a cool nickname?”
Dare looked up from Landry to find the mom coming to stand by her son.
Landry was practically bouncing as he turned to her. “This is Dare Reigns. He’s dating Miss Harper and he’s teaching me about being a man.”
Dare got the mommy stink-eye as she glared at him. “And what has Mr. Dare Reigns taught you about being a man?”
Dare really needed her in interrogations. He was pretty sure she was going to ground him in a second and he’d be too afraid to not take the punishment.
Landry ticked the list off with his fingers. “That I need to be a gentleman, use my manners, be who I am, and have confidence in myself. And I still think I need a cool nickname. Maybe my friends can help me. Thanks, Mr. Dare!” Landry yelled as an afterthought as he ran toward a group of boys.
“Sorry if I overstepped,” Dare apologized as he saw Harper making her way down Main Street toward them.
“That was good advice. I’ve given it to him before but kids never listen to their parents. Now a stranger on the road, sure,” she said wit
h a roll of her eyes. “I’m Lydia. Thank you for giving him good advice. And for saving Fuzzy Butt.”
“Dare Reigns. You’re welcome. It’s a story no one will believe.”
“Yeah, well right now you’re the story no one believes. Harper never has second dates and this must be number three. We’re all keeping track,” she said, smiling then.
“No pressure,” Dare said with a little laugh.
Lydia suddenly spun around as if she had eyes in the back of her head. “Leah, you will stop picking on your brother right this instant!” Lydia turned back around. “Sorry, I have to go. Thanks again and good luck.”
Dare watched her round up the kids better than the Border Collie on his family ranch kept a herd of cattle together. Turtle had taken off and was now driving a large truck down the street toward Gator, Bubba, and Skeeter. People started to head back inside as a man in a sheriff’s jacket and jeans approached.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Dare Reigns. I’m here to see Harper,” Dare replied with the same no-nonsense tone the sheriff used.
“No shit. You actually came back for another date,” the sheriff said with a large grin. “Granger Fox. I’m a friend of the Faulkners. I’ll text them that you’re here. Tinsley has a thorn in her side about the fact Harper hasn’t said anything about your last date.”
“Granger! Put down that phone or I’ll cut you off at the bar for a week,” Harper yelled.
Granger slid his phone into his pocket, but not before he hit Send on a text. “Me? What did I do?”
Harper rolled her eyes. “How long do I have?”
Granger blinked innocently. “Until what, Harp?”
“Until I kick your ass.”
“In your dreams,” Granger said with a smile showing this kind of banter was commonplace between them.
“Don’t make me get my weapon from the church,” Harper threatened.
Granger held up his hands in surrender, although Dare didn’t know why Granger would be fearful of a Bible.
“Good luck, man. You’ll need it,” Granger laughed as Harper punched his arm.
Dare watched Granger stroll back into the courthouse before turning to Harper. He reached over, took her hand in his, and gave it a little squeeze. “It’s good to see you.”
Harper smiled and stepped closer before freezing. She turned her head and Dare followed her gaze. Everyone who had been heading inside was now frozen in place as they all stared at Dare holding Harper’s hand. Harper rolled her eyes and groaned. “I’m glad you came. We have a couple of minutes until my family arrives so let me give you a little tour of downtown.”
Dare watched as Harper strode over to his bike and straddled the seat. She left enough room for him to get on in front of her and when he did, she slipped her arms around his waist and leaned against his back. Dare felt as if he were young Landry at this moment. His whole body was alive with just the simple touch of her.
Dare kicked the bike on and began driving slowly down Main Street as Harper pointed out the diner, the museum her cousin and his wife started, her cousin Tinsley’s art studio, and various other places.
“Stop here,” Harper told him. He pulled to a stop in front of her bar. “Across the street is the church. The pirates who settled Shadows Landing built it. The river you follow from Charleston splits off and there’s a small branch of it that runs behind the church. Pirates would come in during high tide. Low tide hides the waterway, so it seemed the ships had just disappeared if any outsiders ever went looking for them. When in reality, the pirates were unloading their stolen goods into tunnels that led from the shore to the church.”
“Do the tunnels still exist?” Dare asked as he looked at the old church that resembled every other old church. Although there did seem to be more ornate stained glass than one usually saw in small towns.
“I’d have to kill you if I told you,” Harper teased. “I can tell you the church has a very nice collection of antique weapons that the women of the town used to protect themselves when the men were off sailing the high seas.”
Dare turned to look over his shoulder at her. They were still sitting on his bike and her hands still rested against his abs as they talked. “Wait, there’re actual weapons in the church?”
Harper smiled wide and nodded. “There are not only hidden weapons, but there’s a whole armory. Women in town still train with them.”
“Including you,” Dare said, putting the exchange between Harper and Granger together.
“Yup. You don’t want to get in a sword fight with me.”
Dare chuckled as he shook his head. Could this woman get anymore perfect for him? “Just another thing to admire. Now tell me about your bar.”
Harper climbed off the bike and he followed. The door to the bar was heavy, but Dare stopped walking as he held it open and stared. “Are these bullet holes?”
“Yeah,” Harper said casually as she walked past him and into the bar. “The building was once owned by the pirate Black Law. I kept what I could and I used some of the old materials I had to remove in order to update the place to build the bar.”
Dare took a look around and instantly felt comfortable. This was a place to relax with friends. It wasn’t pretentious. The wood accents and shining wood bar made the bar feel warm and cozy.
“It’s perfect. It’s exactly the type of place I’d like to hang out at. It’s welcoming. You must be very proud.”
Harper took a deep breath and Dare watched her take in her bar though his eyes. “That’s exactly what I wanted this place to be. And I am proud. I know I shouldn’t say that . . .”
“Why not? Why shouldn’t you say you’re proud? You’re a business owner who has built a great place for your community to gather,” Dare told her as he pulled her into his arms. “If you don’t like saying it, then I’ll tell everyone who walks into this door just how proud I am of you.”
The door opened and Dare winked at her. “Here’s my first chance.”
11
Harper stared in surprise as the door opened and Dare turned toward it with his arm around her waist and his hand resting on her hip. “Welcome to Shadows Bar. I’m so proud of the owner here for running such a great place.” Dare told the figure silhouetted by the sunlight outside.
Normally she’d feel embarrassed, but she wasn’t. Dare was right. She should own her accomplishments. It wasn’t bragging and she certainly wasn’t going to tell everyone who came in that she was proud of herself, but she was. And she should tell herself that more. She was all about empowering other women; she should empower herself.
“Okay,” the man’s voice said slowly. “I’m here for a meeting with Ms. Faulkner.”
“Manny?” Harper asked, stepping past Dare. The door closed and she finally saw the manager of BGM Resort Distribution. “Welcome to my bar.”
Harper felt her heart begin to race as she hid her nerves. She was not part of the investigation. She was just here to get an estimate from a potential distributor. Nothing more. She just needed to do what she’d done many times before.
Manny looked around and let out a low whistle. “This place is great.”
So he might be a shady distributor, but that didn’t mean Harper didn’t fill with pride at the compliment. “Thank you.”
“What a great history it must have.”
Harper nodded as Dare took a seat at the bar. “The property once belonged to the pirate Black Law. I was just telling how the pirates used the town for storing bootlegged and stolen goods.”
Manny’s warm brown eyes rose with interest. “You don’t hear that everyday. I can honestly say no other bar owner I work with has a story that comes close to it.” Manny turned to Dare and he cocked his head slightly at him. “Do you work here too?”
Dare let out a sigh that sounded annoyed. “I work for my cousin’s construction company. They’re on a slowdown with the weather right now so I help out here to make some extra cash. It’s a pain in the ass not having constant payc
hecks coming in. I’d like to find a steadier job if I can.”
Manny nodded with understanding.
“Well, don’t let me interrupt your meeting. Harper has a great collection of liquor, but she’s been excited to meet with you and hear what you can offer.”
Harper watched as Dare pulled out his phone, took a seat at the bar effectively turning his back to them, and gave her the opportunity to talk business. Dare had laid whatever undercover groundwork he needed to. She just needed to do what she did with every other vendor.
“I hope you don’t mind tight spaces,” Harper said with a smile. “My storage area is under the kitchen in an old root cellar.”
“Do you mind if I take a picture of your bar stock?” Manny asked, pulling out a cell phone with a heavy-duty case surrounding it.
“Not at all,” Harper said. Manny went over to the bar and snapped pictures of the taps and the displays while Harper slowly made her way to the end of the bar closest to the kitchen. When he was done, Harper showed him to the storage area.
“You weren’t kidding,” Manny said, watching his step as they made their way down the narrow stairs that more resembled a ladder.
Harper made it down ahead of him and turned on the one light. The dirt floor was cool and the wood shelves that had been built by her cousins, Trent and Ridge, were filled with her inventory.
Manny turned on the flashlight on his phone and scanned the area. “This is actually really nice. Everything is kept in a cool dark space, allowing you to extend the life of your inventory.” Manny took some pictures and then started counting bottles.
“The inventory list is by the door. You can take a picture of it if you’d like,” Harper offered.
Manny did so and then put away his phone. He took one final look around and asked about her typical sales as they made their way back into the kitchen. “Thank you for letting me see your space. I think we can come to an arrangement that will make you happy. Plus, I’m already getting ideas for some special products your patrons would enjoy.”
Harper led Manny back to the front door as they talked. “I appreciate it. I’m excited to see what you have.”
Fierce Shadows: Shadows Landing #4 Page 8