“Max,” RJ called out, “can you carry this tray of drinks over to table five?”
“Are you sure you want me to?” he asked.
RJ grinned. “It takes practice.”
He shook his head. “It’ll be your loss if it all ends up on the floor.”
“I’ll take my chances,” she said. “You’ve got this.”
He lifted the heavy tray off the counter and limped across the room to table five, proud of himself when he delivered the drinks without spilling the contents, dropping the tray or making an idiot of himself.
JoJo collected empties off a table with five rowdy men seated around it. Just when she laid the last bottle on the tray and was about to pick it up, a big, booted foot swept out and clipped her ankle. JoJo toppled onto one of the men’s laps.
“Hey, JoJo, didn’t know you cared,” the man with the big foot said. “Come give ol’ Roy some sugar.”
Max stiffened as JoJo’s eyes widened, and her face blanched white. “Let me up,” she said. “Let me up.” She struggled against the meaty hands holding her down.
Roy wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. “Hey, sweetheart, all I want’s a little sugar.”
Max flew across the room, yanked the man’s hands away from JoJo and pulled her off his lap. He let go of her immediately, and she ran past the bar through the swinging door and into the kitchen. And from the way a door slammed in the kitchen, she was headed out the back exit.
Max pointed to the man seated in the chair. “Out.”
Roy’s eyebrows rose. “What? I didn’t do nothin’. She fell into my lap.”
“The hell she did.” Max glared at the man. “You tripped her and made her fall into your lap. Get out.”
The man pushed to his feet. He must have been at least six-feet-seven. He towered over Max’s six-feet-three inches and weighed at least twice as much as Max.
Max didn’t give a rat’s ass how big the guy was. The man had been an asshole to JoJo. Max pushed his shoulders back and squared off with Roy. He wasn’t backing down.
Roy’s lip curled up on one corner. “You gonna make me leave?”
Max’s eyes narrowed. “If I have to.”
“You and what army?” he sneered.
“I don’t need anybody else. I am the Army.”
“And if he needs any more help, he has the Marines with him,” Gunny said beside him. “Get out, Roy.”
“And I’m the Marines’ back-up.” RJ appeared beside Gunny, carrying a shotgun.
Roy eyed the shotgun. “I’ll bet you don’t even know how to shoot that.”
Gunny’s bark of laughter made all the heads turn in the dining room. “Then you don’t know my daughter. She’s a better shot than I ever dreamed of being. And I was a sniper. A damn good one. You telling me you want to test her skills?”
Roy stood for another second or two, and then shook his head. “I don’t have to take this crap from anybody, and the food wasn’t that great either. I ain’t payin’ for it.” He turned and pushed past Gunny and stalked out the front door of the bar. The men sitting at the table all looked away, their cheeks red.
“Sorry about that, Gunny. Didn’t know he was going to be such a jerk,” one of them said. He threw a couple of twenties on the table. “That should cover his and ours. Don’t worry. We won’t bring him back again.”
“Good, because he’s not welcome here. Thank you for understanding.” Gunny smiled. “Stay for a while. Have a drink on the house.”
The man grinned. “Thanks, Gunny.”
Gunny turned to RJ, meeting her gaze.
RJ nodded. “I’ll go check on her.”
Max wanted to go with RJ to find JoJo. He was worried about her. He suspected whatever had happened to her had to do with men, and that would explain why she’d flipped him in the barn and lost it when Roy grabbed her.
“Think you could handle making sandwiches?” Gunny asked.
Max nodded. “I think I can figure that out.”
“Good.” Gunny grabbed the tray full of empty mugs. “I’ll take care of the bar and wait the tables.”
Max wished that Jake hadn’t gone into Colorado Springs to talk with contractors about the renovation plans. They could sure use his help now.
Soon enough, the lunch crowd thinned. Eventually all of them left. Max helped Gunny clean the tables, the floors and the kitchen before he headed for the lodge. He found himself looking for JoJo, skipping the lodge and going out to the barn. As he approached the door to the barn, he whistled a tune just to make sure she knew someone was coming. He met RJ coming out as he entered the barn.
RJ shook her head. “I wouldn’t go in. I think she needs some time alone.”
Max wanted to go in and at least talk to JoJo. He wanted to tell her that things had worked out and the guy had left, but he took RJ’s advice and didn’t go inside. Instead, he leaned against the door all casual like and stared into the shadowy interior of the barn.
JoJo was on her knees beside an ATV, tinkering with the engine.
“Do you go out on the ATVs much?” he asked.
For a long moment she didn’t respond, but her hand stilled on the socket wrench she was holding. Then she quickly tightened a bolt. When she finished, she pushed to her feet and turned to face him. “Yes, I’ve been out on the ATVs a lot since I’ve been here. Don’t you have anything better to do than lurk around the barn?”
He chuckled. “I was hoping you’d give me a lesson on that move you performed on me that flipped me over your back and landed me on mine.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m betting you know a few of your own.”
“I do,” he said, dipping his head. “But I was impressed with yours.”
“I can give you the number of
