Page 42 of Breaking Him

“What things?” He was frowning now.

Um…crap. I hadn’t thought that far. “Women’s things,” I blurted.

He pulled his T-shirt from the back of his jeans, where he’d tucked it after taking it off, and dragged it over his head. “I’m coming with you.”

I knew he wouldn’t let me go alone; I’d been counting on it. He was far too protective for that. “You don’t have to do that,” I fake-protested.

“You’re not facing those people on your own.”

He led me to the passenger side, and I climbed in. His cap was still on backward, and when he got behind the wheel, I couldn’t stop sneaking peeks at him. He was so damn handsome, even when he was frowning, full lips held in an unforgiving line. He was worried for me, and I understood why. Yes, a lot of people cared about me in Deep River. They loved me, and they’d loved my dad. They also knew I didn’t suffer fools. Not only were a lot of these people friends, we’d done business together. They knew I had a good head on my shoulders, that I was a decent judge of character. I didn’t know what would happen today. Eli and me going to town together could make everything worse, but my theory was the more they saw us together—the more they saw how much he cared for me, how much we cared for each other—the sooner they’d get over it and eventually accept it.

I was doing this for Elijah, not me, and sure as hell not them.

He needed his mind put to rest that I wouldn’t lose anyone because of him. At least anyone worth holding on to. I hoped like hell I could show him we could weather this. I just needed one person to act like a civilized human being toward us. Just one.

Tension radiated from him. He was unhappy about this, worried for me. I equally loved and hated it.

We finally reached Deep River, and I pointed to a parking spot in the dead center of town. Market days had everyone crawling out of the woodwork, and it was no different today. The street was busy, lined with stalls, and already a few people had spotted the truck and had stopped to look at us.

He shook his head. “Why don’t we park a little farther down the street?”

“Here’s fine.”

Still frowning, he did as I said, then climbed out, coming around to open my door. He was on guard, in full-on protection mode. He moved in behind me, keeping a little ways back, doing his best to curb talk while trying to act as my own personal bodyguard. I wasn’t having any of it. Nope. I ignored my racing pulse, and as soon as we hit the sidewalk, I reached out and grabbed his hand, leaning into his side.

He froze and looked down at me. “What the hell are you doing, Abi?”

I shrugged. “Holding my boyfriend’s hand, what does it look like?”

His Adam’s apple slid up and down his neck. “Angel,” he choked out, “don’t do this.”

People had stopped to stare, not even trying to hide it. I smiled and waved, greeting people as I usually did. Most mumbled a reply. I held my breath, waiting to see what Eli would do. If he’d pull away and deny us to protect me, or if he’d face these people with me and show them we didn’t care what they thought…

He gripped my hand tighter, and I glanced up at him. He held my gaze, his eyes searching, conflicted. For a split second I thought he might pull away, but then he took a step forward—and we started to stroll down the street together, moving deeper into the crowd.

We’d only gone a little ways when Jack Elders, the man who’d bought two horses off us, walked up.

He shook our hands. “Elijah, Abigail, nice to see you both.” There was a softness in his eyes when he looked at me, and I had to blink back tears of gratitude. “Thought I’d let you know how well those horses have settled in. You have a magic touch, Elijah Hays. My daughter’s taken a shine to the mare. Not sure how much ranch work she’ll be doing now that Emily’s claimed her.”

Eli offered one of his subtle grins. “That doesn’t surprise me. She’s got a gentle soul. I’m sure she’s just as taken with Emily.”

Jack’s smile widened. “Think you might be right there.”

After Jack moved on, things changed, just a little, but they definitely changed. People weren’t just staring, they were assessing. There was no way to miss the way Elijah guided me through the crowd, his protectiveness. The way he looked at me, the affection in his eyes. I pulled him to a stop in front of one of the vegetable stalls, making a show of picking out some tomatoes. If people were going to get used to us, they needed to see us together. Eli was uncomfortable, but his shoulders had relaxed a fraction. The Deep River knitting club had a table set up next to the vegetables, and several eyes were now aimed our way.

A chair scraped and Mrs. Chambers, a member of the club, stood and rounded the table, coming right over to us. She was old as dirt and highly respected in the town. She knew everyone, was sweet, quiet, and extremely kindhearted. So when she looked up at Eli and shook her head, I had no idea what to expect, what she might say.

A tight knot coiled in my belly.

“You always were a big boy,” she said, grinning when Elijah’s eyes widened. “I knew your mama, son, since she was just a girl. She loved you with all her heart.”

Elijah stilled beside me. I squeezed his hand.

“She was a good woman, ended up with the wrong man is all.” She shook her head and laid her hand on his forearm. “There are a lot of flapping jaws at the moment, but I don’t want you to listen to them.”

Eli was frozen beside me, and I edged in closer, trying to offer him support. Several people were openly listening now, and with the respect this woman had around here, what she said next could help or hinder my cause.

“You’ve got none of him in you,” she said gently. “None. You’ve got your mama’s eyes and her heart. I’ve known that since you were a boy. You probably don’t remember this, but I used to watch you sometimes. Always so sweet and gentle, kind to others. Glad to see you finally happy, Elijah Hays.” Then she walked away, returning to her knitting group.