Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(67)

“Okay. Renee?”

The other woman turned after a few steps. “Yeah?”

“Maybe next time you can fix my hair for me? Trim it up and make it more even?”

“Yeah, Zara, I can do that. Later.”

“Bye.”

Zara watched as Renee walked away, her hips swaying as she went, making most of the men at the bar sit up and pay attention. Apparently she wasn’t going to introduce her to Meat, after all.

A hand landed on Zara’s back, and she knew in an instant it was him.

“You okay? Things looked pretty intense there at the end.”

How did she tell him that Renee had as many misgivings about him as he had about her?

She couldn’t. She trusted Meat, and she was embarrassed that the woman she was so excited to meet had been suspicious of him. She didn’t want to burden him with the fact that her only friend other than Meat didn’t seem to like him. Meat probably wouldn’t care, but Zara did.

She shrugged. “It was okay.”

Meat studied her for a long moment. “You don’t look happy,” he observed.

Forcing herself to smile, Zara shook her head. “No, I’m good. I just didn’t realize how many memories meeting with her was going to bring up.”

“How about we get home and I run a long bath for you? You haven’t tried all the bubble bath scents Morgan brought over for you yet, have you?”

Zara couldn’t help but remember Renee’s words.

You need a friend, and not someone he’s picked out for you.

Was that why Meat had pushed her so hard to hang out with Allye, Chloe, Morgan, Harlow, and Everly? He wanted to choose her friends? She didn’t think so. But then again, Renee was right about one thing—she wasn’t all that wise to the ways of her new world . . . or men.

Put her in the middle of a slum in Peru, and she could survive just fine. But here in the States, it was a completely different story.

Hating that she was second-guessing everything Meat had done for her, and the things he continued to do, she let him help her off the stool, and they walked side by side to the door and out to his car.

They were silent on the way back to his place. Zara struggled for words, but her mind was stuck on everything Renee had said.

After they’d parked back at Meat’s house, he turned to her. “You’ve been pretty quiet. I don’t know what you and Renee talked about . . . but I hope to God she wasn’t trying to turn you against me. I swear on my life that I only want the best for you, Zara. If you don’t want to stay at my house anymore, I’ll bend over backward to find you a safe place to live. I’ll ask Everly what apartment complexes have the fewest criminal complaints, and I’ll investigate the landlords to make sure they’re on the up-and-up.

“But please—don’t doubt what we have between us. You’re special, and my feelings for you have only grown deeper with every day we spend together. It’s not pity. Or gratitude. And I certainly couldn’t give a shit about your money. I just . . . You’re important to me, and I can’t stand to see you hurt.

“Here’re the keys to the house. Make sure you put in the code for the alarm within a minute of going inside. I’ll be out in my workshop if you need anything.”

And with that, he placed the keys in her hand and climbed out of the car, making his way toward the large barn next to the house.

Zara watched him until he disappeared through the door to his workshop.

She knew deep in her soul that Meat wasn’t doing anything underhanded. She’d let Renee plant the seeds of doubt . . . but wouldn’t she tell her friend to be cautious if their roles were reversed?

She owed Meat an explanation and an apology, but she felt confused, out of her element. Not only that, she felt guilty for letting Renee’s words get to her, even a little bit, causing Meat to be unnecessarily concerned. She felt particularly horrible about the latter, as if she’d just kicked a puppy.

She wasn’t used to having to make such emotional decisions. In Peru, her hardest tasks were finding something to eat and staying out of notice of anyone who might think she was easy prey.

Feeling confused and heartsick about keeping things from Meat, she trudged to the house to do as he suggested. Take a bath. Later, she’d talk to him, try to explain everything that was going on inside her head.

She entered the house and turned the alarm off. Then she went upstairs and stared at the multitude of lotions, soaps, and bubble baths Morgan had sent over for her. She’d included a short note that said, When things got stressful for me, I found there was nothing better than a long shower or bath to make me think clearly again. There’s nothing like being clean, is there?

Zara knew the other woman was trying in her own way to make her feel welcome. She hadn’t tried very hard to get to know Morgan or the others—another thing to feel guilty about—and regardless of what Renee had insinuated, she didn’t think the other women were trying to befriend her for nefarious reasons.

It was time to pull her head out of her ass. She’d been back in the United States for almost a month. It was time to get out of her comfort zone and make some friends . . . other than Meat and Renee. And while she still wanted to talk to and see Renee, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get to know the significant others of Meat’s friends too.

Her decision made, even if it made her anxious, Zara picked out a scent called “spiced gingerbread” and poured a liberal amount into the running water of the bath.