I walked over to Asher, glowering down at the pummelled man. I’d have felt bad for him if I couldn’t see exactly where this was going. He was going to try to do something and then blame it on Asher, then he’d tell me that he was right about the stranger all along.
“I was comin’ to check on you!” Marcus protested as he pushed himself up. “There was no tellin’ what this hoodlum would be up to in the middle of the night!” He said, brushin’ himself off and glarin’ at Asher, as if he were in the wrong.
But for his part, Asher stood quietly by, holdin’ the crowbar out of reach.
“He was sleeping. That’s what he was doin’ in the middle of the night! And you woke ma up and everythin’, I had to put her back to bed and you know how disoriented she gets! Asher ain’t gonna do a thing here, he’s just a guy needin’ a job and a place to lay his head like any man.”
I was breathin’ hard, my heart racing. I could barely hold myself back.
“That’s what you think, Shelby!” he said in accusation as he began to walk off, wiping his bloodied face with the back of his hand. “You best be watchin’ out, you don’t know what he’ll do!”
“He’ll do his job!” I screamed at the back of his head, my hands tremblin’ from anger and frustration. I’d never seen Marcus so worked up about something before, and it scared me a little. What lengths would he go through to keep Asher off the farm?
And rememberin’ what Asher’d said about the cops and not wanting them involved... What if Marcus did call Hank?
Asher and me watched Marcus stalk off in the dark, off towards where his truck must’ve been parked along the road away from the farmhouse. Until finally he was far enough away we could talk with some privacy, and he turned to look at me.
“I didn’t break his jaw or nothin’, didn’t hit him near hard enough for that. He’ll be fine,” he remarked, looking down to the crowbar in his hand, twisting it around before giving it a toss onto the dirt by the shed.
“I’m so sorry about that, Asher,” I said with a resigned sigh, as I went over to pick up the discarded flashlight. “He never shoulda done that, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
“He’s got a thing for you,” he said so casually, brushin’ off his low-hung jeans as he looked around the place, doin’ some final check of the area. “I know he’s your cousin, but he does. Whether he knows it or not,” Asher stated, matter-of-factly like.
I stared at Asher, aghast, though it wasn’t like I could even see him so good in the dim light of the moon and the stars and the flashlight.
What?
Part of me didn’t believe him and was going to protest but then there was that deep, hidden part of me that I’d always ignored. The way we got into tickle fights for too long and how every summer we always went swimming and he’d cling onto me. It was all games, but then with Asher’s words, it wasn’t.
“No he don’t,” I protested.
He didn’t disagree any further, maybe ‘cause he knew it was an uncomfortable subject, but all’s he said was, “Alright” and escorted me back into the house.
“I dunno if he had time to do anythin’ while he was out there, but I’ll check come mornin’,” he said to me, so in control of the situation.
“It’s fine,” I sighed. “Just get some sleep, I know you ain’t got a peaceful night in who knows how long, and I know I’m gonna be beat tomorrow. Probably won’t even be able to sleep with my heart poundin’ like this.”
He nodded, but before we parted ways and he headed into his room he stopped.
“Oh, and Shelby?” He looked at me expectantly, pausin’ for just a moment. “If he goes causin’ problems with the cops, I’m gonna have to head on. I don’t wanna cause a fuss anywhere.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I said with a bit more of a pout than I intended. I was exhausted and not able to hide my emotions so well as I wanted to.
But beneath it all, I was burnin’ with curiosity about why he was so afraid to get them involved...
“Thanks,” was all he said simply, before he disappeared into his room and the night resumed its lonesome course.
The day began bright and early, more so for Asher than me. ‘Cause by the time I woke up and knocked on his door, it fell open to show an empty room. One peek out the window showed him already bustin’ his butt outside, haulin’ junk about and preparin’ for the day.
He was true to his word, had to give the man that.
I headed on down to the kitchen and decided to get to work on some breakfast. If he was gonna be workin’ hard right from sunrise, I figured it was only right I’d get a good meal in him to aid the process along.
It was another bright an’ sunny day, and though he was still wearin’ his shirt now, I knew that wouldn’t last long like this. Not with how hard he was workin’ and how intense that sun was.
And I was really trying to enjoy the view of his hard, sexy body, but my mind was distracted. I was worried about Marcus, about what he might say or do. Especially if Asher was right about him. Just because Marcus knew nothin’ could happen between us didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to keep me from fallin’ for someone else.
Especially someone he definitely didn’t approve of. He was as hard skulled and stubborn as a mule, but I couldn’t let him take that slice of excitement and happiness from me.