Seven Roses (Haremworld)

“I don’t know.” I let out a sigh. “I’m just here for a couple of days.”

“Then maybe we should get a couple of drinks.” He looked up at me and smiled.

What do I have to lose? This guy is hotter than the pavement I’m standing on.

“Okay, sure.” I shrugged.

Axe got the donut on the car and started replacing the lug nuts. He gave each of them a twist that made his muscles flex before he started lowering the jack. Axe wasn’t the type of guy I would normally go out with—not that I really had a type. I thought I was in love once when I was in college and met a guy online. After spending a year on a long-distance text-only relationship, I found out the supposed man of my dreams was nothing more than a guy I had previously turned down for a date trying to catfish me. After that, my trust in men got a little shattered. There were a few dates, but nothing that ended with romance. I was probably the only virgin in my graduation class. I had lived with my father since graduation, completely dateless and working a dead-end job in an office where everyone was much older than me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had a drink.

“Okay, I think you’re all set.” Axe stood up and wiped sweat off of his brow.

As Axe put my jack and tire iron in my trunk along with my tattered tire, I heard a car approaching from the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder to see the familiar outline of a Ford Crown Victoria with red and blue lights on the top. Axe slammed the trunk shut and watched as the police car approached. It was probably a good sign that he didn’t immediately run to his motorcycle and speed away—if he was a bad boy, he wasn’t on the wrong side of the law—or he was just brazen as hell. The car came to a stop and I saw the words Granite City Sheriff’s Department painted on the side. The door opened and a man stepped out. He looked like a typical television sheriff—but a hunky version with a brown shirt, brown pants, and a badge on his chest. He was well built, with large hulking muscles underneath his shirt. He slammed the door and walked over to us, looking at my donut, and then to Axe.

“This guy bothering you?” He turned his attention to me and his steel colored eyes almost seemed to be staring straight into my soul.

“N...No.” I shook my head back and forth. “He was helping me change my tire. I had a blowout on my way to Granite Falls.”

“I was just leaving.” Axe nodded and turned to me. “Seven o’clock tonight at The Water Barn. It’s the only bar in town.”

“Okay.” I smiled as he walked towards his motorcycle.

“Figures.” The sheriff sighed and watched as Axe started up the engine on his bike. “Pretty girl headed to Granite Falls and Axe gets a date with her before she even makes it to town.”

“Does that happen often?” I raised my eyebrows in concern.

“No.” The sheriff shook his head. “There aren’t many eligible girls in Granite Falls. I’m Sheriff James—you can call me Jesse.”

“Jesse?” I stifled a laugh. “Jesse James?”

“That joke is older than you are.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“Sorry.” I looked down at the ground and sighed.

“You’re going to need to get your tire fixed. You won’t go far on that donut. My brother Steve owns a repair shop in town. He’ll take care of you.” He put his hands on his hips. “What business do you have in Granite Falls anyway?”

“I’m here to tend to my grandmother’s estate—Gertrude Grant.” I figured he would know her, if anyone did.

“She was a sweet old lady—she made some killer pies.” He nodded and smiled. “Randy wasn’t able to come himself?”

“You know my father?” I tilted my head inquisitively.

“Not really. He took off a long time ago. I knew your grandmother though. I

hope you like cats.” He turned and started back towards his car. “See you around.”

Cats? I’m deathly allergic to cats.

I got back in my car once Jesse was gone. The donut seemed to hold up well once I started moving, but I knew I couldn’t get very far on it. Luckily, Granite Falls wasn’t too far away. I rolled into the tiny town that had only one stoplight in the middle of town. From that location, I could see the repair shop Jesse mentioned and The Water Barn. There wasn’t much else to see except for a grocery store and a gas station. I could see the courthouse further downtown and while I wanted to head straight to my grandmother’s lawyer, I really wanted to make sure I could leave once everything was done. I pulled my car into the parking lot of Steve’s Auto Body, assuming it was Jesse’s brother’s place based on the name and the fact it was the only repair shop I could see. There wasn’t much going on at the repair shop. There was a car lifted off the ground in one of the repair bays and some parts scattered along the ground. The slim line of grass on the edge of the shop had a couple of broken down cars that looked beyond repair. A couple of cars were parked in the parking area, but I didn’t see anyone actually working.

“Hello?” I called out as I stepped out my car and slammed the door.

Chapter 2: Steve

“Axe already got a date with her, huh?” My brother’s voice echoed in the phone and I could tell he was annoyed. “Okay, I’ll be on the lookout for her car.”

I couldn’t really tell if my brother Jesse was trying to stake a claim on the beautiful girl he described or set me up with her. He was vague, like always, when talking about women. I took a break from watching television and walked out to the front of my garage. We hadn’t seen a serious client in weeks outside of general maintenance, so if there was a customer coming, I was more interested in her money than her looks. My brother didn’t like Axe, so there was a chance he just didn’t want him to find a shred of happiness, but I really didn’t mind our resident bad boy. He was harmless for the most part, but he usually ended up in trouble because he found dishonest ways to make a living. He hadn’t been out of prison long enough for me to get my motorcycle out of storage and go for a ride like we used to do before he got locked up. The fact he had managed to already secure a date in Granite Falls was pretty damn impressive. I lit a cigarette and took a drag as I watched the only road into Granite Falls. A car approached, but it wasn’t the newer model gray sedan my brother described, it was a beater that belonged to Major Baldwin. He turned into the parking lot and got out as soon as he was parked.

“Any work today?” He rolled his eyes, knowing there wasn’t likely to be anything available, but he always stopped by.