Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) by Laylah Roberts (good book club books txt) 📗

“You don’t? But he’s your boyfriend!”

“Eww, no he isn’t.” Kiesha shuddered. “Take that back. You cannot just put those words out into the universe, you’ll give it ideas.”

“Who?” She was really having trouble following this conversation. Alcohol might not be the friend she thought it was.

“The universe. Telling it that I am with Ed. I mean, that’s really gross. Come here.” Kiesha grabbed hold of her, dragging her off the dance floor to a quieter area.

“Why is that gross?” she asked, feeling like she had to defend Ed.

“Because it’s Ed,” Kiesha said. “He’s like my big brother. My annoying, grouchy, way too overprotective big brother. There is no way that I could ever be with Ed like that!”

She froze. She wasn’t Ed’s girlfriend.

“But the way he acts around you. He leaned over and cupped your chin.”

“Yeah, Ed seems to think that he has some right to tell me what to do. It’s because our mothers are friends. He thinks I need guidance and boundaries. Or was it rules and discipline? I don’t know, I tend to zone out when he’s lecturing. Word of warning, he lectures a lot. Think he likes the sound of his own voice. Or the feeling of being important.”

“So him acting like that around you, it was . . . “

“Like siblings might be. You know, how a big brother might act towards a younger sister he had to take care of.”

“Right.” She had six older brothers, but she didn’t see them much anymore. They were all so busy.

Except, she was the one always turning down their offers to come stay with them, wasn’t she?

“Then you don’t care that I kissed him? I didn’t have to be so scared to tell you?”

“Now, I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not sure I’m down with my best friend and my brother getting together. What if you break up? Where does that leave me? I’d be forced to take sides. I mean, obviously, I’d take your side. Because, you know, he’s got a dick.”

“We’re not . . . I mean, there is nothing . . . “ Well, there was definitely nothing after the way she’d acted today. She groaned. “I thought he was with you. I was kind of . . . rude.”

Kiesha’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry, he’ll forgive you as soon as you explain what’s going on.”

“Oh no. Nope. I never intend to see Ed Granger ever again.”

Kiesha just smiled.

5

Ed stood and stretched.

He should have gone home hours ago, but he was one deputy down since Steven was out with the flu. He hoped like hell that it didn’t go around the station. That was the last thing he needed.

But now he was ready for a shower and bed.

Jesus, when did he become such an old man? It was barely twelve and he was ready to turn in. As he walked through the main area, Wendy took an incoming call.

“Sheriff’s office, what’s the problem?”

Ed grimaced at her greeting. But Wendy was at least eighty, chain-smoked, and was a law unto herself. Between Kiesha during the day driving him nuts and Wendy at night it was a wonder he wasn’t completely gray.

“Really? A brawl? Got it, I’ll let the sheriff know.” Wendy ended the call.

“A brawl?” he asked tiredly.

“Yep, at the Wishing Well.”

The Wishing Well? That was usually a pretty quiet spot. His heart started to race. “Wait, what night is it?”

“Friday. Trivia Night,” Wendy said with far too much relish.

He groaned. “What are the odds Kiesha and her girls went home early?”

“I’d say slim to none.”

Yeah, that’s what he’d thought. “Send Jace and Jimmy to back me up.”

“Already on it, sheriff. Have fun!”

Fun. Right.

It started out innocently enough.

She and Isa were up on the dance floor doing their own thing. Kiesha had headed to the bathroom, Juliet had disappeared and Cleo was at the bar. Georgina was getting tired, but she didn’t want to leave. To go back to her lonely motel room.

Some guy moved behind Isa, wrapping his strong arm around her waist and grinding up against her. Georgina frowned, pausing. That seemed kind of forward. Maybe Isa knew him, though.

Then Isa suddenly grabbed at his arm, trying to pull it away from her.

“Get off me, Grabby Gary!” Isa’s face went red as she pushed at Gary’s hold on her.

Well, obviously she did know him. But it seemed that she definitely didn’t want him touching her.

Georgina wasn’t going to have that. Gary needed to learn some manners.

“Hey! Let her go!” Georgina grabbed his arm, tugging it away from Isa.

Why wasn’t anyone helping? She glanced around but they’d somehow become surrounded by a group of men.

“Let go of her!” she growled. “Last warning.”

“Fuck off!” Gary snarled at her, shoving her back. “Isa is mine.”

“I’m not yours! You’re an asswipe, Gary!”

“You’re mine, Isa.” He attempted to draw Isa around for a kiss.

Oh, hell no.

Someone bumped into Gary.

“Watch out, Mike!” he snarled.

“Hurry the fuck up, Gary!” Mike snapped back.

But it was all the distraction she needed. She grabbed Isa, pulling her back behind her.

“Hey!” Gary turned and reached for Isa and Georgina grabbed his arm then lowered her shoulder and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed on his back and lay there, still.

Had she actually hurt him? She looked down at her hands. These things might need to be registered as lethal weapons.

“Holy fuck!” Isa stared at her. “How the hell did you do that?”

She opened her mouth but then she saw Isa’s eyes widen. She turned, just as Gary got to his feet and charged towards her with a roar.

Shoot. Never take your gaze off the enemy. She blamed the pink flamingos.

Georgina dived to the side, grabbing Isa. They both fell against some of the other men, knocking them down.

“What the fuck!”

With a gasp, she looked over to see that Gary had crashed into a huge, tattooed man with a long beard.

This wasn’t going to end well.

For Gary.

“I was just . . . that bitch attacked me.” He