Page 66 of Knot my First Rodeo

Kelsey stumbles backward with a startled cry.

"What the fuck!" Her hands fly to her face, and blood immediately spills between her fingers.

"Oh my God!" she shrieks. "She broke my fucking nose!"

"Keep your damn hands to yourself,” Autumn snaps.

"Are you insane?" Kelsey yells, staring at the blood coating her palm. "Somebody call the police!"

I stare at Autumn for half a second, because what the actual fuck.

I should be furious…I am furious…Mostly.

Under the shock, somewhere I absolutely refuse to acknowledge, a laugh tries to climb up my throat. She absolutely rocked Kelsey with a clean hit, too.

Which is not the point, and I know that, but Jesus Christ.

“Truck,” I say, grabbing Autumn by the elbow before Kelsey gets her hands free, or the owner comes to see what the ruckus is.

Autumn jerks against me immediately. “I’m not done.”

“Yes, you are.”

“She touched you.” Autumn looks one insult away from committing another felony.

The words hit harder than they probably should, hard enough that I almost stop walking before forcing myself toward the door.

Kelsey's scream follows us all the way to the door.

"She broke my nose! What is wrong with her?!"

Outside, the air is cooler but not enough to cut through the heat rolling off her. I get her to the truck and open the passenger door, but she doesn’t climb in. Of course she doesn’t. She turns on me instead, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with something I’m not dumb enough to call just anger.

“You broke her damn nose,” I say, keeping my voice low because we’re still in public and I’m not giving this town a free show if I can help it.

“Good.”

I blink at her. “You cannot just punch people.”

“She deserved it.”

“You assaulted somebody in a feed store.”

“She touched you!”

There it is again.

I go still, my hand resting on the open truck door while the words settle between us. Autumn’s breathing is faster than it should be, her fingers curling against her palms like she needs something to do with them. That scent of hers slips through again; sweet, sharp, and stronger than it was an hour ago.

“She was hanging all over you,” she says, voice dropping. “And you just stood there.”

“She works there.”

“She practically climbed you like a horny fucking cat.”

“She touched my arm.”

“She touched your chest.”