Loving an Ugly Beast (6 page)

The glass set before her, Marie continued. “Benton is far from what would be known as a looker, but he could have his pick of any woman in the village to take to his bed.”

“He could have?” That was news to him.

“Oh, yeah,” Marie enthused. “He has the most perfect body I’ve ever seen on a man, and he’s all growly and possessive. That does something to a woman. Most of us get hot over the caveman side of guys. Not all the time, but when a guy has that edge it does something for us.”

“And Nissa thought if Benton ever discovered he could have any woman he wanted…” He trailed off, despising the logical conclusion of that thought. That was her opinion of him? That he would be that casual with her feelings? Maybe he didn’t truly know her. She obviously didn’t know him. But if he didn’t have Nissa’s memory to hold onto during the cold days, where he faced every kind of horror, how would he keep going? If he didn’t have Nissa—

“He’d tramp it up in a heartbeat?” Marie asked, finishing his thought. “No, she didn’t believe that at all. She told me once, that if Benton ever broke her trust, she’d never trust anyone again, because he was the best man she had ever known.”

Relief surged through him. She did know him. She did. “Then why isn’t she with Benton?”

Marie gave a tight smile. “I could say something about how you are a stranger and why would I tell you all my friend’s secrets, but heck with that. Truth is, I don’t know. Nissa is a wonderful woman who has thick, high emotional walls to protect her, and Benton, for whatever reason, never tried to ram through those walls. They are a love match that never connected. Fear, pride, complacency, on either or both sides – who the hell knows what’s kept them apart.”

“Let me assure you, I’ve never been afraid of heights.”

Marie studied him for several moments, and then a rather smug smile grew over her face. “You just might be all right.”

He inclined his head. “Thank you.”

“But I do have one final warning for you. Friendly, just putting the words out there because they’re true and I think you should hear them.”

“And they would be?”

Marie stood up, stretching her arms above her head and then lowering them to cradle her enormous stomach. “Benton is not going to be happy to meet you, and an unhappy Benton can be a little scary sometimes. Be careful when he returns.”

“From what I’ve heard, no one expects Benton to return.”

“Oh, he’ll be back.”

“How can you be so sure?”

She looked him in the eyes and threw down the proverbial gauntlet. “Because he would never willingly leave her. Wherever Nissa is, that’s where Benton will be.”

“Are you going to push Nissa away from me so she’ll still be available for Benton?” That was a possibility he hadn’t foreseen, and with the way his luck had been lately, it seemed more than possible.

But she surprised him by shaking her head. “Benton had his chance and didn’t take it. If you have the balls to go after what you want, well, it will be a nice change.”

Ouch
.

Marie nodded to his drink. “On the house today. Good luck.”

Chapter Six

As empty as the tavern was, it would have been very easy for the group of women to sit anywhere except where they eventually settled, which was the table right next to his.

He had never seen so much hair flipping in his life as Benton, but this was an everyday occurrence for Byron.

Nissa was supposed to return today, and only the thought of seeing her after missing her yesterday kept him seated around the squealing females.

The door opened, but hope was dashed as Councilor Hale walked in. Hale walked over to the giggling group of ladies, saying, “Ladies, a pleasure to see you out today. How are you enjoying yourselves?”

Tara smiled up at the man. “It has been an excellent day. Byron has been entertaining us and keeping us out of trouble.”

Hale looked over at Byron, and then turned back to the women. From this angle, the sardonic twist of Hale’s lips was evident to Byron. “Well, when a man has no real obligations, he must learn some skill to pass the time.”

The women twittered. Byron’s hand tightened around his glass, but his smile and tone were easy when he answered Hale. “Nonsense. Spending time with such lovely ladies is nothing as low as passing the time. I would call it more a true calling.”

The laughter from the women this time was lower, more seductive, and Tara gave him a flirtatious look beneath her eyelashes. With a nod to the women and a last glance at Hale, Benton went to the bar.

“He’s being an ignorant ass.”

Nissa’s voice sounded behind him. He was almost getting used to being constantly surprised, but she was a very welcome one. He turned to face her. She was a little paler than usual, but no other visible sign of the upset of two days ago marked her. Her attitude was back to the easy friendliness that marked the first days of his arrival, but minus the undercurrent of nerves that he only now – when she wasn’t displaying them – realized existed. He leaned back and let his elbows rest against the bar, projecting nonchalance to put her at ease. “Who?”

“Hale.” Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, which emphasized her sharp, pointed features. “As sad as it sounds, he was once considered the best catch of the village. Now that you’re here, his star has plummeted. He’s not happy about that.”

“Was he courting any of the women in particular?” Not that he cared about the answer. His only desire was to keep Nissa talking.

“He wasn’t interested in courting as much as testing out the merchandise. He is very much enjoying his widower-hood.” She leaned closer to him and said in a confidential tone, “In my opinion, he should be a little more concerned about fatherhood. His son is growing a little wild. He needs a mother.”

Nathaniel, the same boy who frightened Nissa on the path. “Are you having a hard time teaching the boy?”

She sighed and nodded. “He’s disruptive, the leader of a few other boys he brought together to form a gang of bullies. I tried talking to Hale last year and throughout the summer, but he says it’s nothing more than boys being high-spirited. It makes teaching very stressful.”

He shouldn’t have just threatened the little bastard when he had him by the scruff. “I’m sorry to hear you are having so much trouble.”

“What makes it so hard is he was such a sweet boy before his mother died. She kept the worst of his father from him. But with her gone, he’s like every other boy – he wants to be just like his daddy.”

Byron snorted. “It doesn’t get much worse than that.”

“Believe me, as much of an ass as Hale is, some fathers are much worse.”

Her voice was hard and full of experience. This was a rare glimpse of Nissa’s life from before she arrived at the village, something she refused to talk about.

Then her jaw softened, and she graced him with a small smile. “Thank you for allowing me to vent a little. I love my job, but it’s nice to sometimes be able to complain about the parts that bother me.”

“Don’t you have anyone else to talk to?”

“It seems rather petty to complain to Marie when she’s dealing with the various indignities of pregnancy.”

He leaned closer. She had been receptive to his company so far, so maybe he could push it a little further. “What about your friend from the cabin?”

She caught the teasing tone and returned it, folding her arms over her chest and leaning closer to him as well. “My friend who hunts criminals for a living? Sure, let me tell him about boys who are bothering me. Maybe I should include a map to their houses and a list of their deepest fears, make it easier to extract his revenge.”

“The extra step is always appreciated.”

She smiled in genuine amusement, her eyes shining at the exchange. The smile faded too quickly but softness lingered on her features. “It has been brought to my attention that I might be a bit too defensive in my personal interactions with people.”

He brought his hand up to his face and affected a look of shock. “You! Say it isn’t so.”

“Smartass,” she grumbled, but the smile returned. “I would like another friend, and I think I’d like that friend to be you if you’re willing.”

“I’ll take it.” He held out his hand to her. “Friends?”

She grabbed it and gave a shake. “Friends.”

Before he could add anything her gaze flickered to the window that showed the area behind the tavern and the happiness that had shone so brightly slid off her face. She walked to the door and flung it open, with him following close behind.

Marco was talking to a middle-aged man, a shifty character dressed in dirty fabric and the stench of days without a bath. Before he could stop her, Nissa yelled, “Marco!”

The boy startled, but the man’s stance and face remained calm and calculating. Nissa stormed up beside Marco, taking the side that kept her farthest from the man. She didn’t acknowledge him in any way, saying, “Marco, I need you to finish your chores in the kitchen. Joseph will be arriving soon to start preparing for the dinner crowd.”

The boy didn’t look happy, but he left. The man left as well, but not before running his eyes over Nissa and giving the tavern a final, lingering glance.

Nissa watched until the man was out of sight, her mouth tight and forbidding. “I told him never to come here again,” she said, her voice so low she was more likely talking to herself than to him.

“What do you mean?” Fury simmered through him and he ground his nails into his palms to keep from showing it. When had this started, and why hadn’t she mentioned this to him before?

She startled, confirming his earlier thought that she was lost in her own thoughts. She shook her head, downplaying the question. “I don’t want someone like that hanging around Marco and leading him down a bad path.”

“And when did he start coming around?”

She shrugged, turning to go into the tavern again. “About two months ago.”

Two months? She had shrugged off Benton’s warnings and acted as though he was foolish to worry, and this had been going on for two months?

“Don’t worry,” she continued. “”He’s opportunistic scum. Marco is smart enough to stay away.”

Helpless, seething anger settled low in his stomach. Why was she being this stupidly
blind
? Because it had to do with her ex-student? “Does Joseph know about this man?”

“I’ve mentioned it to him. He’s keeping an eye out.”

“On Marco or on the man?”

She crossed her arms. “Marco has nothing to do with this.”

He clenched his jaw tight, refusing to say any anything more. It would only lead to an argument, and Byron had no right to be angry.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and left Nissa.

***

“You are very quiet tonight.” Nissa polished the glass in her hand as she eyed Byron sitting across the bar.

He wasn’t the only thing quiet. The tavern was empty except for the two of them and Marco, who was sweeping the floor. Joseph was currently at Marie’s side as she gave birth to their first child.

It had been three weeks since The Incident, as Nissa had taken to calling it in her mind. Byron’s anger had been tangible, and he hadn’t come back to see her for three days, the longest they had been separated since his arrival. When he finally returned, he glared at Marco and gave her a hurt, bewildered look, as though she had betrayed him.

“Thinking,” said Byron, and for a moment he reminded her of Benton, terse and keeping another secret he wanted to shelter her from.

Benton. Six weeks since he disappeared, and every day it seemed a little more certain Benton was not coming back. Earlier today she had gone to his cabin, but it was still locked tight.

Of all people, she never believed Benton would abandon her. She had begun to think maybe he was attacked, but when Joseph had looked around the cabin and the surrounding woods and said there were no signs of foul play, she was both relieved and in one tiny corner of her heart, disappointed. If he wasn’t taken from her by someone else, that meant he had left her of his own will.

Marie was at long last proved wrong. Benton didn’t love her. If he did, he couldn’t have left, not like he did. Because if he loved her, he would be walking around right now with a hole in his chest, an ache that nothing could calm.

She eyed Byron again. He stayed with her every night, refusing to let her be in the tavern alone. There was a strength of spirit to him she never would have expected him to possess those first moments she had seen him. He was a good man, strong and dependable, and a whisper of shame flitted over her heart when she recalled those first unkind thoughts.

The door opened, and four men walked in. They were unwashed and unshaven, but not in the way that told of decent people who had been traveling hard and wished for a night’s rest and refreshment. No, these were men who thought of bathing rarely, who were used to living with filth and rot, who reveled in it. As they glanced around the room, it was avarice and not curiosity that lit their gazes.

Nissa turned to Byron, but he was looking at Marco with fire in his eyes. And Marco met his gaze with a defiant twist of his lips, a ghost of a smug smile in his countenance.

Benton’s warnings came back to her, the many times he warned her to watch Marco. Her sweet Marco, such a good boy who always helped her with the other children.

That Marco was not present. Here was a young man who would take and use, and who had no concern if it was his by right or not.

The largest of the rowdy group looked over at her and called out, “Mead for all, and bring it now.”

“Yes sir,” she called, to buy time as much as anything.

Nissa turned to Byron. He was half out of his seat, an uncomfortable position that suggested he felt the same warning as she did. “You should leave—”

“I will not leave you.” His voice contained a harsh finality, a strength he’d never shown before. He sat down, but pushed his chair out so that his legs were clear of the table.

Arguing would be pointless and would only focus the men’s attention on them. Nissa didn’t spare a final glance toward Byron. She hurried behind the bar to fill their order and within moments was in front of the group.