Cowboy Outcasts by Stacey Espino Read Free Book Online

feeling. She wasn’t
his and he had no plans on changing that. She squeezed some fruits, knocked on
others, and smelled the rest. It was amusing watching her choose what to buy.
When he’d come alone, he’d grab what he needed and be gone in the blink of an
eye.
    “What do you
think?” Hailey approached him with a watermelon in her arms. He took her load,
weighing it in his palms. “Do you like watermelon?” she asked.
    It was one of
his favorites, a rare treat.   “There
ain’t much I won’t eat.”
    “We can have it
tonight after dinner. This one has to be sweet.”
    He chuckled.
“It’s passed all your tests, has it?”
    His carefree
mood was spoiled when he spotted one of the objects of his angst. Jeremy Majors
and two of his lackeys entered the market. Normally he wouldn’t care about
dealing with them. He was used to their verbal abuse and was man enough to
handle anything else they wanted to dish out. But he was with Hailey. The
thought of being humiliated in front of her brought his nerves rushing to the
surface. His Tourette’s immediately flared, embarrassing guttural sounds
escaping from his lips in a rapid sequence. He felt like a spectacle, unable to
stop the train wreck he was becoming.
    “What’s the
matter?” she asked, a look of concern on her face.
    “Nothing. We
should go, though.” His eyes must have been zeroed in on Jeremy’s approach
because she turned around to see.
    “Look, the
retard has a girlfriend.”
     
     

Chapter
Five
     
    Hailey was
brushed aside as Callum barreled forward. He grabbed the other man by the
collar, nearly bringing him off his feet. Callum was bigger than most men she’d
ever met, tall and built. For another man to goad him was a fool’s cry for
attention.
    One of the guy’s
friends hit Callum from the side, which only appeared to aggravate him more. He
tossed the man he held to the ground and threw a solid punch to the gut of the
other. His enemy crashed into one of the fruit displays, apples spilling out in
every direction. Shoppers created a wide arch of space around the melee,
careful not get too close to Callum. He looked like a born fighter, every
muscle taut and defined.
    Her only concern
was that he didn’t get hurt.
    “You no-good,
piece of shit,” called the first guy, picking up a broken, wooden table leg as
a weapon.
    “Callum!” she
yelled.
    He turned around
just in time to grab the club before it struck him. She hadn’t noticed at first
but there were three guys against Callum. As he wrestled the weapon from one,
another came up from behind and sucker punched him several times in the side.
He was weakening, the sight terrifying her. Nobody else would step in to help
even though the fight was three to one. She screamed as they ganged up on the
lone cowboy. She felt desperate, unable to help.
    Just as one of
attackers got the wooden table leg free, raising it to strike Callum in the
head, a stranger grabbed it in a strong fist.
    “What the fuck?”
The man turned around, coming face to face with the cowboy she only knew from
pictures.   “Ar–Arden O’Shea?” He grabbed
the collar of his friend, all three looking like they’d seen the angel of
death. They ran off, not looking back. She’d never seen grown men become so
afraid by the presence of one solitary man. Was
Arden
’s reputation that severe?
    Callum was still
on the ground. She was about to run over to him when
Arden
blocked her way. He tilted her chin up
so she was forced to look at him square in the eyes. He looked strikingly
similar to Callum, the same height and broadness, but his hair was unruly and
eyes as blue as the mid-day sky. “You best take my little brother home.” It was
all he said, his Irish accent working magic on her libido. Then he strode off,
people clearing a path for him. He had a strong air of confidence, as if he
owned the ground he walked on.  
    Was he home for
good? Callum said he hadn’t seen him in a year. Would he take back his