Standing His Ground: Greer (Porter Brothers Trilogy 2)

A shard of jealousy pierced Holly’s heart at his words. She hadn’t really believed he would ask her out. Jo wasn’t the type Greer usually dated. In fact, she hadn’t dated anyone in town that she knew about. Jo kept to herself when she was at church, usually saying only a word or two to Rachel before leaving in that huge tow truck Greer always ogled.

“I don’t know if she’ll accept. When I try to talk about it, she changes the conversation,” Rachel warned.

Greer’s face brightened. “That’s not a bad thing. Hell, you mention my name to most of the women in town, and they’ll tell you everyone I’ve”—he shot Holly a cautious look. Holly had no doubt that if she weren’t sitting there, he would have used a different word than what came out of his mouth next—“seen in the last five years. Her changing the subject may mean she likes me.”

“How in the hell do you think that?” Cash buttoned up Ema’s jacket as the night grew cooler. “In my experience, women will talk their heads off about who they’re interested in.”

Greer snorted. “You don’t know shit about women.”

Rachel stared at her brother as if he had grown another head. “You think you know more about women than Cash does?” she asked, disbelieving.

“Course I do. About good, God-fearing women. The only experience Cash has with women, other than you, is with sluts. There was no more God-fearing than Ma, and she raised me, didn’t she?”

“Mag raised Cash, and she’s God-fearing.”

“No, she ain’t. God fears her. There’s a difference.”

Rachel smacked her own forehead before turning toward her husband. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Cash raised a brow at her irate gaze. “No. It’s the truth. We’re all afraid of Mag.”

Trying to forestall the budding argument, Holly tried to soothe Rachel’s temper. “Just because someone goes to church doesn’t mean they live a good life. There are several people who go to our church I wouldn’t give my trust to.”

“I can name a couple,” Rachel agreed. “You want Jo because she’s God-fearing? When was the last time Diane went to church?”

“I didn’t say that was one of my requirements. That’s not the only thing I like about Jo.”

“You don’t know anything about Jo,” Rachel retorted.

“I know she drives that big-ass tow truck. It’s sexy as …” Greer saw Holly’s fingers curl around her soda can as she stared at him while he tried to find the acceptable words that wouldn’t get her drink thrown at him. “I find it very attractive.”

“Me, too.” Dustin grinned. “If I thought Jo would date a younger man, I’d go for her myself.”

Tate and Cash didn’t take their attention away from their hot dogs, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. Their wives gave them narrow-eyed glances at their silence.

“Do you find Jo attractive?” Sutton pointblank asked her husband.

“Do I have to sleep on the couch tonight if I do?”

“If I were a guy, I would find her attractive, too.” Holly took the heat away from the two men who were in danger of spending uncomfortable nights away from their wives. “Jo’s really nice. She tries to help anyone who needs it and never asks for anything in return. Last week, when I got off work, I came out to see her changing my tire. At first I thought you”—Holly nodded toward Dustin—“had her take care of it, but she told me that she had been driving past and saw I had a flat tire. She had gone back to her tow yard and brought back one to put on my car. When I tried to pay for it, she wouldn’t take it, telling me she has dozens of tires and not to worry about it. She kind of made my day doing something nice for me.”

“Is that the same tire I told you to take care of, Dustin?” Tate grated out harshly.

Dustin’s remorseful eyes met hers. “I’m sorry, Holly. It slipped my mind.”

Holly realized what she had done too late. “I didn’t want you to get angry at Dustin. I was just saying—”

“I know what you were doing. You were trying not make Greer come across as a jackass. Don’t waste your efforts. It’s a lost cause. You’re always trying to protect those you care about, and we don’t deserve it. I saw that tire was bald. I should have changed it myself instead of telling Dustin to do it.”

“He asked me to pick one up for her, and I forgot.” Greer took his own share of the blame.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s fixed. Now, can we go have some fun? Logan, you want to go ride the Ferris wheel?”

“Can we ride the bumper cars first?” he pleaded.

“That works. It’s next to the Ferris wheel. We can ride the cars first then ride the Ferris wheel.”

Holly was relieved when the atmosphere lightened as they threw out their trash then braved the even larger crowd. Cash and Tate both wrapped their arms around their wives’ waists, leading them through the crowd. Holly fell in step beside Dustin as he swung Logan back onto his shoulders. Greer followed behind them, so close it made her self-conscious.