Serving Trouble by Sara Jane Stone Read Free Book Online Page B

western saddle over the bull’s back. Now the damn thing looked like it wanted to go for a ride even though it probably hadn’t been turned on since he’d left for basic training.
    He followed Caroline into the light and over to the pads surrounding the bull. A backpack rested on the edge, packed and ready to go. It was the only sign she’d been staying in his barn.
    â€œHow long have you been here?” he asked. “After you talked to Josh Summers, hell, I’ve been out looking for you every night.”
    â€œYesterday afternoon,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I could trust Josh. He started talking about how they needed to start clearing the land. And he mentioned the police would be called in to remove anyone found on the premises. So I slipped away when he went to get his phone.”
    â€œHe thought you were trying to save the trees,” he said. “But Josh is a good guy. He just thought it sounded a little nuts when you claimed someone was after you.”
    â€œDustin wants revenge,” she said simply. “He thinks you stole a lot from him.”
    â€œHe took a helluva lot more from you,” he said. “I remember, Caroline. Shit, I got up every night to walk you to the bathroom and make sure he wouldn’t find you alone in the dark again and take what he wanted even if you made it clear you weren’t interested. If Dustin shows up here, I’m going to start throwing punches before he says a word. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to hit him when he tossed out those degrading commands? Every damn time he ordered you to his bed in front of the guys, laughing it off a second later like it was one big joke?”
    â€œI know,” she said.
    â€œIf he shows ups here—­”
    â€œNoah?” Josie’s voice came from the open doorway and he heard the sound of her shoes clicking on the barn’s cement floor. What the hell was she doing in heels in his freaking barn?
    Breathing life into my fantasies . . . Another ride on the bull. . .
    But they had an audience and Josie was wearing the office-­ready dress she’d worn for her first shift at the bar.
    â€œI heard your voice,” Josie said. She came to a halt and looked past him. The sunlight formed a halo around her as she slowly raised her hands, palms up in a show of surrender.
    â€œAnd you must be Caroline,” she added, looking past him. “Please don’t shoot.”

 
    Chapter Six
    A S A RULE, Josie usually forgot to feel fear until it was too late. Her ex-­boyfriend had towered over her, her cheek still stinging from the smack of his palm, and she’d thought, I’m going to kick the shit out of him. The fear hadn’t seeped in until after Noah had chased him away.
    But staring down a wild-­haired woman sporting a wood-­nymph-­meets–GI Jane look, complete with the gun pointed at her, and Josie’s fear rose fast and furious. Her heart pounded and she couldn’t for the life of her tell if she was still breathing.
    â€œYou can put the gun down,” Josie said. “I work for Noah. The assistant manager at Big Buck’s.” Oh, she was definitely landing a promotion out of this mess. “We’re going to Portland to—­”
    â€œCaroline,” Noah said, his voice surprisingly calm as he stepped in front of the gun-­wielding woman he’d spent the past five nights searching for in the woods. “Put the gun down.”
    She stopped breathing this time. No question about it. Every muscle in her body begged to move, run in front of Noah, save him—­and stay frozen all at the same time. It felt as if her brain had gone haywire and started sending out mixed signals. Go! Stay! Save Noah!
    â€œPlease, Caroline,” he added.
    Ms. Crazy-­Hair GI Jane lowered her arms and tucked the gun into the waist of her cargo pants. But she didn’t offer a sorry, I forgot I