Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,145

one to help the dress’s shape and push your boobs up.”

The corset wasn’t tight, didn’t restrict her breathing, but …

“Wow. I do have boobs.”

Lila laughed. “I went out with a guy last week. He wasn’t invited to stay and become a resident. Don’t know why. But he seemed really interested in me and suggested we go out in order to get better acquainted. I didn’t get any odd feelings about him, so I agreed.”

“Not much to do around here yet unless you went to the diner or the bookstore.”

“It didn’t take long for us to get acquainted,” Lila continued. “After the third time I caught him staring at my chest and looking disappointed, because my chest isn’t as interesting without the corset doing what it does, he made some sorry excuse about forgetting that he needed to make an important phone call and we’d have to get together another time.”

“Better off without him.”

“Absolutely.”

Scythe was behind the bar when Barb came back downstairs. She gave her temporary employee a long look.

“Stay behind the bar,” Scythe said. “If men touch you, it will upset Virgil—and Tolya.”

Not if the touching upsets you first, Barb thought.

Being a substitute saloon girl was fun. Craig and Dawn Werner came in for a cold drink, and they chatted about their puppy, their work as land agents, and when they expected to reopen the movie theater and start showing movies on the weekends.

She served one of the Simple Life men who now worked on the Skye Ranch and had come into town with Truman Skye to pick up the mail and some supplies. They had what Barb figured was meant to be an interesting conversation about manure.

Her hour was almost up, and she toyed with the idea of going into Scythe’s office and offering to substitute for one of the girls during the quiet hours whenever someone needed time off.

Then the stranger walked in. He had the look of a man who had been on the road for a few days or had been working outside—not offensively dirty but not clean either.

“Good afternoon,” Barb said when he reached the bar and stood facing her. He had a weird gleam in his eyes that made her uneasy, but she told herself she was safe enough with the bar between them and Scythe nearby. “What can I get you?”

“Girl who works in a place like this has got game.”

What did that mean? She was just supposed to pour drinks. Besides, Freddie was the only one who ran the blackjack table and dealt hands for poker.

Then the man looked at her chest in a way that made her want to grab a shawl and cover up. There was looking and there was looking.

She was certain now he was more than just an asshat. There was something very wrong about him.

“You got game, girl?” He smiled—and Barb shivered.

“Stop.” She tried to sound firm; she could barely make a sound.

“Maybe you like it dog style.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed until she felt bone grinding against bone.

“No.” She pulled and pulled, but she couldn’t break his hold on her hand. She needed to yell, cause a fuss and catch Scythe’s attention. But he scared her so much she just couldn’t draw in enough breath to do that.

He leaned closer. “Or maybe I should come around to that side of the bar and …”

“Hey!” Candice shouted as she rushed down the last couple of stairs. “Let go of her, you son of a bitch!”

He released her hand. Barb stumbled back and hit the shelves behind the bar. A bottle fell and shattered on the floor.

Suddenly Candice disappeared from view. Don swung himself over the bar. He glanced past Barb’s shoulder, then snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor before looking down.

Even scared past thinking, she remembered Lila telling her that was the warning to look away.

Barb turned her head and focused on Don’s hand as a harsh female voice snarled, “Human.”

The man made a choking sound before he stumbled out of the saloon.

Movement on her left. The swish of a skirt. The sound of Scythe’s office door closing.

A different kind of signal because suddenly Don was beside her, muttering that he’d had a feeling there was something wrong. Candice was there too, and the two of them started guiding her to a table.

“I’m going to be sick,” Barb gasped. “I’m …”

They hustled her to the women’s toilet and got her inside before she vomited. When she was finished, she rinsed her mouth