For the second time in fifteen minutes, the old cowboy grabbed Rosa’s butt. She was usually good at brushing them away and laughing it off, but it had been a bad day. A really bad day. Her sanity was practically hanging by a thread and these horny cowboys were yanking on it.
“Touch me again, old man, and you’ll be wearing that beer instead of drinking it,” she said through gritted teeth. The man wasn’t a local. There was a bull-riding event going on in town and the little haven of Blossom Hill had filled up with drunk, rowdy cowboys overnight.
Rosa thought the Hollywood people that had been there a few months previously were bad. As it turned out, these professional bull rider types were even worse. Sadie had taken the afternoon off for a doctor’s appointment in San Antonio and Rosa had been left to handle the lunch and dinner shifts all alone. Mickey had hired a full-time bartender when the Hollywood people were in town and she was thankful to have him around today for sure. His name was Travis and he was born and bred in Texas and did some rodeoing himself at one time. He did a good job of handling these rough-around-the-edges cowboy types, and she didn’t have to mix any drinks on top of everything else she had to do. For the past two nights, Rosa had dealt with the cowboys and she’d done a good job of handling them herself. Talking back to anyone, especially men, had always been hard for her…but she had come too far over the past four years to take abuse from men like that. She was just about finished being patient with them.
The old cowboy and the five other wranglers and bull riders at the table laughed loudly at her threat. She was tempted to douse him in beer anyway, but she checked her temper and just glared at them as she walked away.
“Rosa! Order up!” Mickey yelled at her from the window. She wiped her brow and went to pick up the sandwiches, rolling her eyes when she realized she’d have to go back to the rowdy table with the old pervert. She put the plates on a big, round serving tray and with a deep breath in and out, she pasted a fake smile on her face and headed back over.
The old geezer put his hands up and palms out as she approached. “Please don’t hurt me,” he said in mock fear.
The other guys laughed. With the tight smile still in place, Rosa started setting the plates down on the table. As she leaned over to hand a plate to the guy in the far corner, the old man let his fingers brush across one of her breasts. She was instantly taken back to a time and place when her body wasn’t her own and something inside of her snapped. When she pulled back and glared at him he said, “Oops! Sorry!”
Rosa kept the smile in place as she lifted his plate up off the tray. He had a pastrami sandwich with a bowl of Mickey’s famous chili on the side. She set the sandwich down in front of him and then without giving it any more thought—although she might have been smart to do that—she held the bowl of chili up over his head and let the hot, chunky mush pour down all over him like rain.
“What the fuck! You bitch!” He jumped up and Rosa stepped back. The old man had his fists doubled up. He was going to hit her. She was frozen, suddenly back in the bar, a place where keeping a low profile meant staying free and maybe alive. She stared at the man, unable to believe what she’d just done. She closed her eyes as the fist came flying in her direction. She didn’t feel the impact she’d expected, but someone did push her and suddenly her body was being propelled backwards. She fell to the floor on her butt and when she opened her eyes she saw that Grant had stepped in between them and either taken or deflected the blow. It was hard to tell which, since the old man was now on his back on the floor and Grant’s fists were both still doubled up. Even from behind she could see how tense his posture was.
“What the hell is going on?” Mickey asked as he pushed his way through the group of cowboys that had gathered around to watch the fight. He was looking from the cowboy to Grant and then to Rosa, still sprawled on the floor. Grant ignored Mickey’s question and turned around to help Rosa up. The old guy and his friends started talking all at once. They were telling Mickey she’d dumped scalding hot chili on him with no provocation. Mickey was yelling at Travis to bring him a cold, wet towel and helped the asshole up off the floor. Rosa saw and heard it all happening as Grant’s strong arms scooped her up and helped her to her feet, but it was surreal, like she was watching a movie about someone else’s life. Rosa didn’t fight back. She’d been programmed not to her entire life.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not quite sure who she was saying that to.
“You’re not the one that needs to apologize,” Grant told her, his eyes lit with anger.
“I want her fired! I’m going to sue you for everything you have!” The old cowboy was back on his feet now and pointing at Rosa as he used the other hand to wipe the chili off his face. His skin was bright pink. Rosa honestly hadn’t thought about it burning him. She’d just been so mad…and her anger hadn’t even started with him, it had been brewing all day. Damnit.
“You want her fired? You son of a bitch…” Grant let go of Rosa and went toward the cowboy. Mickey stepped in between them. “He was going to hit her, Mickey! With his fist!”
Mickey turned back toward the cowboy. The man was older, maybe in his early sixties, but he was in good shape and he was big. Mickey looked him up and down and said, “You were going to hit that little lady?”
“She poured hot chili on my head.”
“I’m sure she had good reason, but around here there ain’t no reason for hitting a woman, ever,” Mickey said. “Now get outta here and don’t come back.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Do you have any idea who you’re throwing out of here? I own the biggest cattle ranch in Texas. My family has been ranching in Houston for over a hundred years. I own every one of them bulls over at the rodeo grounds right now!”
“Yeah, yeah, good for you. Now get the hell out,” Mickey said, clearly unimpressed.
“I’ve got lawyers on retainer. I’ll sue you for everything you’ve got. I’ll ruin you.”
Mickey laughed. “You want everything I’ve got? I’ll make it easy for you.” Mickey tossed him his keychain. The old man let them bounce off his chest and fall to the floor. “Keys to my bar and my 1999 Ford parked out front. That’s all I got. It’s yours. The house I live in is rented, but you’re welcome to take that over too if you like.”
“Mickey,” Rosa said, finally finding her voice. “This is my fault. I’ll get my things and go.”
“Damn straight it’s your fault you little Mexican tra—” Grant’s reach was about four feet long and he seemed to casually reach his arm around Mickey before the cowboy could finish what he was about to call her, and once again his fist made contact with the old guy’s face. He was thrown back about three feet, taking two other guys down to the floor with him, and this time he was out cold.
Mickey sighed and shook his head. Looking at the shocked faces of the cowboys with the old man he said, “Get him outta here. Tell him if he still wants to sue me and take all this after he sobers up, he knows where to find me.”
As two of the younger cowboys lifted the man up off the floor, Grant said, “Make sure you let him know that if he pushes this, I’ll go to every news outlet in Houston…Hell, in Texas, and I’ll tell them about how he was about to punch a woman half his size in the face. I’m sure that’ll help his reputation in the business community.” Rosa’s stomach lurched at “news outlets,” and she began to shake. The cowboys were already dragging the big man toward the door. Mickey turned and put his hand on Grant’s shoulder.
“Take a breath, boy.”
“I can’t help it, Mickey. Nothing pisses me off more than a man hitting a woman.”
“I shouldn’t have dumped that chili on him. I’m so sorry. I’ll clean this mess up and I’ll go…” Rosa’s voice was quiet and shaky. She had to fix this before she made things worse for herself and for her daughter.
“Rosa,” Mickey said in a voice softer than any she’d ever heard him use. “I don’t know what happened here, but I meant what I said to that arrogant son of a bitch. I’d bet my next month’s income that you had a damned good reason for doing what you did. If you need to go home because you’re upset, you go on. But you’re not fired. You come back when you’re ready.”
Rosa had tears in her eyes. She’d never tell Mickey or Grant, but if that cowboy had hit her, it wouldn’t be the first time she had taken a fist to the face. She’d met so many nice people since coming to Texas, but she wasn’t sure that she deserved their kindness. She wasn’t used to it even after almost a year of living in Blossom Hill. “He kept grabbing me. He touched my breast. But that’s no excuse…”
“Hell yes it’s an excuse!” Grant exploded, glaring at the door. “That guy is a piece of shit. And I don’t care what you dumped on him, there is never any excuse for a grown man to hit a woman. Ever.”
Rosa tried to smile at him and hold back her tears at the same time. One of them escaped and slid down her cheek. “I’m sorry to get you involved in this, Grant.”
“Hey,” he said gently, sliding his arm around her. She could smell that woodsy scent that always seemed to surround him, and his hard body was warm and welcoming. For a second, she was tempted to bury her face in his chest. But in the next second she reminded herself that would be a very bad idea. She wasn’t going to be around long enough to build or maintain any kind of relationship, and despite the fact that she couldn’t have a relationship, she also couldn’t bring herself to have an affair or a one night stand.
“Hey, don’t cry. Let’s go in the back where you can sit down.” Grant looked at Mickey and Mickey nodded.
“I’m sorry,” she said again to Mickey as Grant led her toward the back. The place was packed and as Grant parted a pathway for them Rosa suddenly thought about all the orders she’d taken that Mickey still needed her to serve. She stopped walking and wiped her face. “Grant, Mickey needs my help…”
“Nope. You’re going to take a break. Anything these drunk losers need can wait.”
“But…”
“No buts.”
“Really, I can’t leave him all alone.” Grant sighed and looked around the bar. Suddenly he grinned.
“Hey, Molly!”
“Yo!” The big, blonde mountain woman was dressed to kill in a short black skirt and white crop top. She was over six feet of muscular woman and Grant would love to see one of these drunks try and grab her chest.
“Can you help Mickey out for a while so Rosa can take a little break?”
“Oh, no…” Rosa started to say.
“No problem!”
“Oh, Molly, you don’t have to do that…”
Molly stood up and held her hand out toward Rosa. “I got this, girl. Give me that apron and you go take a load off. I saw how them cowboys were treating you. Trust me, ain’t nobody in here got the balls to grab my tits unless I give them the go-ahead first.”
Rosa couldn’t help but smile through her tears. She untied her apron and handed it to Molly. “Thank you.”
Molly winked at her with one of her giant blue eyes. “Get out of here,” she said.
Grant gave her a grateful look and then continued to steer Rosa toward the kitchen. He pushed open the door and guided her past the hot grill and deep fryer and into the little office he knew was behind the industrial sized refrigerator. He used his foot to roll Mickey’s office chair toward her. “Have a seat,” he said. “I’m going to get you some water.”
Rosa started to protest but the look on Grant’s handsome face told her it wouldn’t do any good. She sat down and watched him go out the door. She’d had a big crush on Grant since the first time she saw him, but while she did her best to be polite when she saw him, she kept her distance. He flirted with her, but Grant flirted with everyone with a pair of ovaries so she didn’t take that too much to heart. He’d called the bar once while he was out of town, and he told her that he missed her. It had made her all warm and fuzzy inside. No one except for her baby had ever told her they missed her, at least for as long as she could remember. But she’d quickly realized that he was drunk and told herself he didn’t mean it. He sounded lonely and she just happened to be the one to pick up the phone, she was sure of it. Grant was gorgeous and he could have any woman he wanted. She knew better than to think he’d want her and the four-year-old girl that came along with her. Besides, even if he did want her, she liked him too much to put him in the position that becoming involved with her would put him in.
She looked up at him as she sat down in the chair he offered her. She’d never seen him like he was tonight. The only time he’d ever seemed down to her was the night that he’d called the bar. He seemed sad that night and tonight, he was angry. Both times she could hear it in his voice. Otherwise, he was always so happy-go-lucky and laid-back…the life of the party. Tonight, if she hadn’t been the one he was protecting, he might have frightened her a little. There was a darkness that had come over him and even though it wasn’t directed at her, it was slightly unnerving. His dark brown eyes blazed even darker with a dangerous glint, like there was a fire burning behind them.
Grant was a big man and she was a small woman. She shuddered and thought about how easily he could hurt her if he wanted to. Then she reminded herself once again that Grant Patrick was light-years away from being like the other men that had hurt her. Those men weren’t only powerful and rich; they were pure evil. If they ever caught up with her again, she didn’t doubt that the confrontation would be deadly.
Rosa began to shake again, thinking about how much attention she’d just drawn to herself while in the meantime, a man was walking around town with a security photo of her, asking questions. She had let her guard down and let herself get too comfortable here in Blossom Hill. She’d struggled all day with the plan she’d come up with in case they caught up to her again and that was what was on her mind when the cowboys began to harass and annoy her. The plan wasn’t foolproof, and it wasn’t what she wanted, but at least for a while it would guarantee her daughter’s safety. She knew now that it was her only choice. It was the only way to assure Ariana’s safety and security and she had to go through with it…even though it meant that she’d never be able to see her baby again.