Rules of Protection (Tangled in Texas #1)(40)

“How’d they die?”

“Disease or sometimes gnats. Most of these were already dead,” Jake explained, picking up another. “Well, except for this little guy right here. He was on his deathbed. Hank pulled his head off this morning.”

My God! First squirrels and now his own birds? If Dog wasn’t already dead, I’d worry about his safety.

“This is disgusting,” I said, openly disapproving of Hank’s methods. “I’m not going to stand out here in the weeds, watching you throw dead birds into a smelly pond.”

I turned to walk off, but a dragonfly flitted past my nose. Flustered, my right heel caught on a cypress knee, and I stumbled backward into the pond. I was surprised at the depth. No shallow area to stand in, just a sheer drop-off into deep water. I broke the surface of the water, used my hands as a squeegee to wipe the slimy film from my face, and thought about crying.

Hank peered over the old tractor he tinkered with and laughed. “What you doing in there, honey? Checking to see if those fish have balls?”

Jake grinned as he continued throwing dead birds into the pond. Three young men ran out to join Jake on the bank, but no one appeared overly concerned about my situation.

One wearing a white straw cowboy hat asked Jake, “You going to fish her out?”

“Nope.”

“Mind if we do?”

“Have at her,” Jake said, throwing the last dead bird into the pond.

I waited for one of them to produce a rope or lean down on the bank and offer me a hand, but nooo…the morons stripped off their shirts, hats, and boots, then jumped in.

“Might want to hurry,” Jake told them. “Charlie’s lost interest in the birds.”

I splashed some floating algae away as the man who wore the cowboy hat reached me. “Who’s Charlie?” I sputtered, clueless.

The man grinned. “Hell, darlin’, he’s the gator you’re sharing this pool with.”

I shrieked and flailed my arms, trying to grab anything I could on the side of the bank to pull myself up. The man grabbed me and hauled me quickly toward the side of the pond as the other two men swam next to us. I screamed all the way there.

“Sweetheart, I’m starting to go deaf. Now, stop thrashing around before you drown both of us.” We reached the side where the slope of the bank wasn’t as severe, and he dragged us both out of the water, dropping me on the muddy bank. “See, you’re fine. That hissy fit you threw was uncalled for. God always takes care of helpless creatures.”

Yeah, sure. Tell that to the squirrels and the birds.

Once the other two men crawled out of the pond, the man who saved me pulled me to my feet. “You must be wearing lotion or something. I’ve caught salamanders in here that weren’t as slippery as you,” he said, making me want to roll my eyes. Sure, it had nothing to do with the green slime clinging to me. “You all right now, sweetheart?”

“Yes, thank you.” I glanced over at Jake, who casually talked to the pretty blonde with the overinflated chest. She walked up and hugged him, which made my eyes narrow. “Excuse me for a moment. I have to go borrow a gun from Hank.”

I stormed past the man, but he grasped me firmly by the arm and threw me over his shoulder. “Oh, no you don’t, Tiny. I haven’t seen Jake in over a year. You can’t kill him until I’m through with him. Now, let’s go get you cleaned up.”

The man carried me up to the house before putting me down. He turned on the hose and sprayed me from head to toe. The well water sprayed out warm at first, but quickly changed to freezing cold. I shivered.

“Cold?” he asked.

“F-f-freezing.”

He pulled me to his chest and kept his arm around my waist as the hose rained down over the both of us, rinsing off the green algae. I tried to move away, but he tightened his grip.

“Stay still, darlin’. I’m trying to keep you warm.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about some strange guy—especially a friend of Jake’s—holding me against his shirtless, nicely toned body. That is, until the others walked closer to the house, the blonde’s arm looped through Jake’s and her right breast resting comfortably against his bicep. They were deep in conversation, smiling at each other, and…and well, it pissed me off.

I did the only thing I could in this situation. I leaned into Jake’s friend and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds and the color deepened. My lips were close to his as I breathed out, “Is there anything I can do to thank you?” I purposefully made my tone sultry.

Jake’s mouth hinged open, followed by the mouths of the men and the woman on Jake’s arm. The only one who didn’t look shocked was the man holding me, though his breathing was a little ragged. He turned the hose on himself and sprayed his chest, letting the ice cold water run down his front. The ridge in his pants led me to believe it wasn’t the algae he tried to do away with.

“Oh, daaamn. I wanted to hose her down,” the biggest guy said. “Why does Cowboy get to have all the fun?”

I looked back at the man with the hose, knowing Jake was walking toward us. “Cowboy, huh? That’s a strange name.” Cowboy winked at me and grinned. My eyes scanned to the swell in his jeans. “So, Cowboy, is that a kink in your hose or are you just happy to—”