SHELBY GALLAGHER PUNCHED A LITTLE BOY in the nose today.
Holly White bit back a sigh as Shelby walked out of the classroom with her small shoulders slumped. Holly knew she shouldn’t have favorites among her third grade students, but the little girl had already won her heart, which made reprimanding Shelby difficult.
Shy and well mannered, Shelby began Eagle Creek Elementary a week after the start of the new school year. Holly was concerned at first about Shelby’s timid nature, and had been on the verge of asking for a parent teacher conference when Shelby finally began coming out of her shell.
And now, a month later, she was asking for one for a different reason.
Exhaling, Holly looked around at her desk before deciding she’d grade papers at home, and started to pack everything into her bag. Shelby finally broke past that shy nature in spectacular fashion today, punching a boy on the playground straight in the nose, surprising everyone who’d come to know the little girl.
Driving home, Holly lectured herself about jumping to conclusions, but her mind went there anyway. She knew who Shelby’s father was. Practically everyone in Eagle Creek knew of Ian Gallagher, courtesy of the fights he and his friends participated in. Even she, a self-acknowledged hermit when she wasn’t teaching, knew who he was.
And she had to wonder if Shelby’s father’s weekend activities were having a negative impact on the little girl’s life. The Shelby who first started Holly’s class two months ago would never hurt a fly, let alone punch another kid in the face.
Lips tightening, Holly got out of the car, grabbed her bag and let herself into her first-floor apartment. She knew she was making assumptions, but all the facts pointed to Ian being a terrible influence on the sweet little girl. She thought fighting another human for sport was distasteful, to say the least.
But she’d never looked down on someone else for enjoying it. Until now. If that was the kind of life Ian enjoyed, that was fine, but he shouldn’t expose his daughter to it. Shouldn’t teach her that the way to resolve a conflict was through violence.
Dropping her bag on the dining table, Holly squeezed her eyes shut, getting frustrated with herself. There she went, jumping to conclusions again, getting herself all worked up when she didn’t even know if she was on the right track or not. Shaking her head, she switched the television on, always the first thing she did when she got home. Still, after all these years, she couldn’t handle silence. She wasn’t sure she ever would.
Turning to get something to drink, her eyes fell on the pictures displayed on the entertainment center. Her breath caught as she traced the smiling image of herself and Kyle. Their smiles were wide and carefree, neither of them knowing the tragedy that was lurking, ready to strike just a few short weeks later.
“I miss you,” she whispered before she forced herself to turn away, the gold of her wedding band gleaming in the light as her hand dropped.
Pouring herself a glass of water, she took a long drink, and then touched the ring on her finger. Maybe it was time to take it off, time to finally say goodbye to Kyle. There’d been a time when she was scared to take it off. Terrified of losing the memories of him and their life together.
That wasn’t a worry she had any longer. No matter what happened in her life, she’d never forget him. And while moving on with someone new was inconceivable, maybe it was time to finally say goodbye. Finally let the past go.
Twisting the ring round on her finger, she thought hard for a moment, finally pulling it off and setting it in her jewelry box next to Kyle’s wedding ring. Tears burned her eyes and she pressed her fingers over them hard, her stomach churning with emptiness. Taking a deep breath, she went to the dining table to grade papers.
Feeling the absence of the ring to her soul, she let out a shaky breath and pulled out the stack of papers. There wasn’t a thing she wanted to do less than schoolwork right now, but one thing was true, it effectively distracted her from thoughts of fighting and bad influences.
IAN GALLAGHER ROCKED IN HIS CHAIR on the porch as he did every evening, breathing deeply of the rapidly cooling air. It was late September, and the days were cooling off, the nights cold. The leaves on the trees started changing a couple weeks ago, and soon there would be an explosion of color.
It was his favorite time of the year. He always felt revitalized, energized, ready to tackle and conquer anything this time of year. He’d lived in many places, visited even more, and there was no other place quite like Wyoming when it came to fall. This place spoke to him on a level no other place had, and even more so in the fall.
He grew up here in Eagle Creek, but it took leaving and traveling the country for him to realize how much this place meant to him. This time, he was staying. He had everything he needed here—his daughter, Shelby, his fighter crew, who were more like family than friends, and his fighting. That was all he needed. Life had its ups and downs, but it was damn near perfect.
We need a mate. Then it’s perfect.
Brow twitching, Ian shook his head and refused to answer his tiger. The last thing he needed was a mate. He’d learned a huge lesson with Farrah, Shelby’s mother, one he wouldn’t forget any time soon. And it wasn’t something he wanted to repeat, especially now that he had Shelby with him again.
“Dad?”
Just the sound the sound of her voice made him smile. Shelby stood by the door, head down as she looked at her feet. His smile faded as he took in her nervousness. She’d been extremely shy and timid when he finally got her away from her mother and back with him, but it slowly faded as time went on. But this Shelby was far too reminiscent of the Shelby of a few months ago for his comfort.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked, straightening in his chair, his tiger sitting in attention in his chest, a snarl on his lips.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “I’m okay, but I need to give you something.”
He beckoned her forward, and noticed the paper in her hand. “What is it?”
Taking a shaky breath, she handed him the envelope. “It’s from my teacher, Mrs. White.”
Frowning, he ripped it open and read the request to come talk to the teacher. “Shelby, this was dated two days ago. Why did you wait so long to give it to me?”
Peeking up at him with bright blue eyes, so like his own, she shrugged. “I was scared to, I guess.”
“Scared?” he asked, studying her face. “Why don’t you tell me what Mrs. White wants to talk to me about. Was someone mean to you?”
He’d skin them alive if they were, kid or not, his tiger didn’t care. Shelby had been teased and tormented her whole life for the birthmark on her face. Tigers prized beauty, and his daughter being marked as she was made her a target. Even her own mother had been unbelievably cruel to her. That was one of the reasons he fought so hard to get custody of Shelby.
When it came time for Shelby to start school, he was hesitant. She’d finally started to heal from the treatment she endured for the first eight years of her life, and he knew kids could be cruel. But he didn’t have the skills to homeschool her, and everyone else was busy starting their lives with their new mates. He knew they’d all be willing to help, but he couldn’t ask them to teach his daughter. But he’d pull her out of school and figure it out no matter what, if someone was bullying Shelby.
“There’s a boy who teases me a lot. Pulls my hair, tries to jump out and scare me all the time, chases me on the playground. And the other day, he said I looked like I had a bruise on my face, because of my birthmark.”
Ian stiffened, fury burning in his veins. This was exactly why he didn’t want to send her to school. “And what is this boy’s name?” he asked, trying to control his voice and make sure it was even.
She pressed her lips together. “I’m not telling you that. He’s eight, Dad. There’s not a lot you can do, but I know you. You’ll try. Besides, I took care of it.”
Raising an eyebrow, he took in the blush on her cheeks. “Took care of it?”
Scuffing her foot on the porch, she nodded. “I… well, I punched him. In the nose. I told him I could show him what it looked like when your face was really bruised, and I hit him. I didn’t mean to, it just happened.”
She punched the little bastard. He stared at her for a long moment before his lips curled up in a smile. “Good girl.”
Whipping her head up, she stared at him. “You’re not mad?”
“Not at all,” he replied, running a hand over her silky light brown hair. “I’m proud that you didn’t just sit there and take it. Did you get him good?”
“He howled for like five minutes straight,” she said, a smile flirting with her lips before she frowned. “But then I started feeling bad. I should have walked away instead of hitting him. And I hurt my thumb.”
“Did you tuck you thumb inside your fist?” he asked. She nodded. “Next time, leave it out. Like this.”
She studied his hand and mimicked the fist he made before shaking her head and dropping her hand. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to know how. What I did was wrong. You can’t solve conflict with violence. That’s what Mrs. White says. I really disappointed her.”
Frowning, he replied, “Shelby honey, no. I’m sure you didn’t. And she’s right, in a way. Violence isn’t the answer. But it’s always a good idea to know how to defend yourself. If someone is going to hurt you, you should know what to do in return.”
“He wasn’t hurting me, though,” she said, shame on her features.
“Maybe not physically, but he hurt your feelings, didn’t he?”
“Yeah,” she replied, shoulders slumping. “But that was no excuse to hit him. That’s what Mrs. White said. She was right, and I feel really bad now. She told me to apologize to Bobby, and I tried, but he ran away.”
He wouldn’t laugh at the thought of a boy running from his dainty daughter, but he wanted to. “Honey, don’t feel bad. Really. He sounds like he had it coming. But next time you’re having trouble with a classmate like that, come tell me. Maybe I can do something to stop it.”
“Okay, I will.”
“Is that what your teacher wants to talk to me about?” he asked, holding the letter up.
“Yeah. I should have given it to you the other day, but I was scared you’d be upset with me like Mrs. White.”
“I’m not upset, Shelby, and your teacher shouldn’t be, either. I’ll go talk to her tomorrow after school, okay? Now go get your bath and get ready for bed.”
“Okay,” she said, surprising him when she darted in and kissed his cheek.
Touching fingers to where she’d kissed him, Ian watched her go back inside. Shelby was starting to become more affectionate, and he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. Heart warming, he smiled until his gaze dropped to the letter in his hand.
Mrs. White shouldn’t have made Shelby feel bad for defending herself, and he planned on telling her just that tomorrow. What about telling Shelby to apologize to the little shit who made fun of her? He should be apologizing to Shelby, and Ian couldn’t believe the nerve of the teacher for asking that of his daughter, and not Bobby.
He’d go have a talk with Shelby’s teacher, for sure, but she might not like what he had to say. He had a thing or two to tell the old biddy.