Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall
Читать онлайн книгу.
the garbage.”
“I can handle myself,” the lady argued.
The guy in the strangle hold gripped Gray’s wrists. “She shouldn’t dress like that.”
Gray’s face literally turned red as he reared back with a closed fist. Noah jumped in just in time, but managed to take the brunt of that fist on his jaw. He shoved the other guy out of the way, someone screamed, and Noah held both of his arms out. Keeping these two guys from fighting was key, not the fact his jaw was throbbing.
“Damn, man. You all right?” Gray asked.
Noah shot him a glance. “Maybe you need to go in the back and cool off. I’ll take care of things here.”
Gray glared at the other guy.
“Now, Gallagher,” Noah demanded.
Gray turned to the woman and she merely shook her head and went back to her table of friends. Now that Noah was close, he recognized her as one of Lucy’s friends from the meeting that first night.
Whatever the story was, he was sure he’d hear it because he was going to go have a detailed get-to-know-you meeting with Gray Gallagher very shortly.
Once Gray left them, Noah turned to the other guy. “What happened?”
“He tried to punch me.”
Noah wasn’t in the mood. He had a burger waiting on him and he highly doubted Gray would’ve just sabotaged his business and threatened a patron for no reason. Yes, a woman was a valid motivation for a man to get fired up over, but Noah figured he would’ve heard about issues with Gallagher’s if a bar fight was a normal occurrence.
“What did you do to her?” Noah asked, thumbing over his shoulder toward Lucy’s friend.
Of course the guy said nothing, but kept his eyes level with Noah in an arrogant expression.
“Now would be a good time for you to go.”
The guy snorted. “And who the hell are you?”
“Officer Spencer, Stonerock PD.” He waited a beat. “Any more questions?”
The guy glanced to where Lucy’s friend sat, then back to Noah. “She’s not worth it.”
“She’s worth more, so get the hell out of here.”
Muttering a string of curses, the guy headed out of the bar.
Once he’d left, Noah crossed to the table of ladies. “Everything all right here?”
Lucy’s friend stared up at him with wide brown eyes. She flashed him a smile that no doubt had many men bowing to her commands. He felt nothing.
“I’m fine.” She extended her hand. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Kate McCoy.”
Noah shook her hand. “Noah Spencer.”
“I’ve heard about you from Lucy.”
Fantastic. Just what he wanted to be part of. Girl gossip.
“I’m Tara Bailey.” Noah shifted his attention to the raven-haired beauty across the booth. He recognized her from the meeting, too. “I figured Lucy was with you since we invited her out tonight and she turned us down. She never turns us down.”
They figured she was with him? Just what did that mean? No way was he about to tell them she was with his daughter. That would only add more fodder to the rumor mill. With him being new to town, he was trying like hell to stay off the radar. Plus, being an officer of the law, he prided himself on privacy. Clearly he was failing on both counts.
“I’m just here for the burgers,” he replied, ready to be done here. “Have a good evening, ladies.”
As he headed back to his vacated stool, he wondered if he should get his food to go so he could get back to Lucy and Emma. Then he noticed Gray standing on the other side of the counter.
“Sorry about that.” The bartender gestured toward Noah’s jaw. “You going to arrest me for clocking you?”
Noah shook his head. “If I thought you meant it for me, you’d already be at the station.”
Gray gave a clipped nod. “The burger is on the house.”
Noah laughed. “I’d rather pay for my food.” He rubbed his jaw. “You have a mean hook.”
Gray eyed the side of Noah’s face and Noah was confident there was a bruise because he knew it was swollen. “How about some ice?”
“I’ll take care of it when I get home.” Noah took a seat on the stool and rested his elbows on the bar. “Care to tell me what set you off, other than that guy was a jerk?”
The muscle in Gray’s jaw ticked. “I saw his hands moving toward the hem of her skirt and she shoved him. Then he grabbed her and hauled her against him and I lost it.”
“Before you lost it, was she aware how you feel about her?”
Gray laughed and shook his head. “We have a history.”
“Were you married?”
“Hell no,” Gray declared. “We’ve been best friends since high school. Lucy, Tara, Kate and me. We grew apart when I went off to the Army, but since I’ve been back, we’ve reconnected. They come in here pretty often, but Tara and Lucy don’t push my buttons the way Kate does. It’s like she knows exactly how to irritate me.”
Noah figured he may as well eat while his food was somewhat still warm. “She’s taunting you,” he stated as he picked up his burger. “None of my business. Just offering my unsolicited opinion.”
He took a bite and nearly groaned. This was the best burger he’d ever had. No wonder the place was so popular.
“Oh, she’s taunting me, all right.” A waitress came to the bar with an order and Gray grabbed two frosted mugs and filled them with beer before passing them over. “She knows how I feel and it’s like she thrives on it.”
“Have you dated other women?” Noah asked. “I mean, maybe you should and see if that helps you get over her or makes her realize that she likes you.”
Gray raked a hand through his hair. “I’m the bar owner. I give advice and opinions to my customers. Not the other way around.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll get your chance with me,” Noah replied as he picked up a chip. “I’m the new guy in town and I’m sure you’ve heard all about my life.”
“Heard you had a tough time in Texas. Sorry about your loss, man.”
Noah nodded. “Thanks. It’s hell trying to move on, but there’s little choice when you have a child looking to you for guidance and stability.”
“We all carry our own hell,” Gray muttered as he glanced to the guy at the end of the bar.
“What’s his story?” Noah asked.
Keeping his eyes on the guy toying with his beer bottle, Gray replied, “That’s Sam Bailey.”
Bailey… Bailey. “Isn’t that the same last name as the lady over there with Kate?”
“Tara is Sam’s ex-wife. They’ve been divorced for a year. That’s a mess. Hell, he’s a mess.”
Obviously. “So why is he here if she’s here?”
Gray grabbed a rag from beneath the counter and started wiping off the pass-through where the waitresses came for drinks. “He comes here all the time for dinner and tends to stick around to talk to me. I think he hates being home, if I’m being honest. He kept the house in the divorce. They have a five-year-old little girl. Sam just told me she’s at his mom’s tonight for a sleepover.”
Noah glanced to the man at the end of the bar. He had no idea what