Second Chance Bride (Montana Born Brides) Read Online Free PDF Page A

that should have been impossible given his intoxicated state.
    “A h hell,” Mitch muttered, knowing dumb luck wasn’t done with him yet.
    The drunk flung out his arm as he spun, the back of his elbow heading straight for the girl’s jaw.
    Mitch wrenched her clear with one hand, blocking the man’s arm with the other. “Calm down, sunshine. We don’t hit women here.”
    The man either didn’t hear or didn’t care, just kept on coming, his face twisted and malevolent as he swung his other fist wildly around. Mitch caught that one too. “Little bitch knocked me over,” the drunk snarled, as he tried to twist his limbs free. There was spit coming from the side of his mouth and he stank of stale beer and sour body.
    “I didn’t see him,” she pleaded, all big green eyes in a face bleached of color, and if she was relieved to see it was Mitch coming to her rescue, it didn’t show.
    “You weren’t bloody looking, bitch!”
    “Calm down!” Mitch gave the drunk a shove, not letting go of his arms just yet. “You’re drunk and you can’t walk straight. Go home and sleep it off.”
    “I don’t have to take orders from you.” He pushed hard against Mitch, a lumbering mass of drunk whose blood alcohol level was higher than his IQ, and Mitch had no trouble slamming him up hard against the wall. “Didn’t you hear the lady? She said she was sorry. How about you accept her apology and go home? Before the police want a bit more than just an apology from you.” The drunk blinked bloodshot eyes at that, the logic of Mitch’s words filtering through the fog of alcohol clouding his brain. “I’m goin’,” he said Not that it stopped him letting let fly a few more curses after Mitch set him free with a shove, and he staggered off down the street.
    The few pedestrians who’d stopped to watch a free show filtered off until just the two of them and an uncomfortable silence remained. He should go too, he thought, before things got even more awkward between them. It wasn’t like he needed to be reminded of what they might have been doing earlier today if she hadn’t decided it hadn’t been working for her. It wasn’t like he needed another lesson in humiliation.
    “I didn’t choose you.”
    The words had stuck in his craw ever since she’d uttered them. Well, fine. He’d done his good deed for the day. He could choose not to hang around here any longer.
    Move along.
    And he was moving along. Heading back to his blessedly uncomplicated life even if that did come with its own frustrations.
    “Wait.”
    He stopped and glanced at the veranda. “Now you and I both know you don’t really want me to.”
    “At least let me thank you.”
    He didn’t bother glancing, this time. “You don’t have to do that.”
    “I do. Let me at least buy you a coffee or something.”
    He turned, all set to say no again, but he saw her looking up at him, her face still pale, and he felt the shadow of his little sister in the hurt and despair in her eyes and his gut twisted so tight he couldn’t breathe.
    What if someone had been able to help Callie but they’d chosen to walk away instead?
    What if this girl needed help and he walked away now? Before at least making sure she was okay? Would it kill him if he stopped long enough to find out?
    The girl made like she was going to say something, her lips poised half way to a word, but then she closed her mouth and gave her head a shake, as if she’d decided against it. Instead she hauled her backpack over her shoulder. “Sorry,” she simply said, before she turned to go. “I’m the last person you’d want to have coffee with.”
    She was right and she was wrong. He’d been happy to leave her at Bella’s. Would have quite happily lived his entire life without their paths ever crossing again. But they had crossed, and she’d needed help, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she still did.
    And maybe she didn’t particularly want his, but hell, it seemed to him like she could hardly