Read Sassy Ever After: Kiss My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) for Free Online Page B

clean, so what gives?”
    Clearly she’d startled the poor guy with her outburst if his step back was any indication, but really, a girl could only take so much.
    “I’m sorry,” he replied. “It’s nothing bad at all, I promise. Actually you smell really good. I apologize for being rude.” He took a tentative step forward, extending his hand. “I’m Luke, by the way.”
    “Ashelynn, and this is Lilly. I’m sorry I snapped, but I swear just about everyone I’ve seen today has sniffed at us. It’s weird as hell.”
    A chuckled from behind had her turning, only to realize that Lilly had ahold of Benson’s finger.
    “She’s got a strong grip for such a small girl. Her daddy will have his hands full when this little heartbreaker gets older too.”
    Benson’s comments, while sweet, still managed to hit on a subject Ashe was trying to come to terms with.
    “I don’t know where her dad is. I know who he is—I’m not that kind of girl—we just lost touch.”
    “I’m sorry,” he immediately offered, exchanging a glance with his friend.
    “Why? It’s not your fault. It just is what it is.” All she could do was shrug it off. She sure as hell didn’t want pity from these two men. “Thank you again for helping us, and for getting my purse back.”
    “How’s your arm? It seemed like it hurt for you to raise your arm when I tried to hand that back to you,” Luke asked, pointing to her bag in the cart.
    “It was on my shoulder when he snatched it, so I got wrenched pretty good. It’ll be fine, just a little tender,” Ashe replied with a blush. Both men seemed very sweet.
    Benson stepped around to Ashe’s side, causing Lilly to squirm to see him still. “How about we help you to your car then? Are you almost set?”
    “Um, you really don’t have to bother. I just need a few cold items and I’ll be good to go.”
    “Let us give you a hand,” Luke insisted. “I’d hate to wonder if the two of you got out of here okay.”
    Seeing as her arm was really starting to ache, Ashe relented and thanked them for the help. Not to mention she was still shaken enough to be nervous about loading her car in the parking lot alone.
    Once she’d finished loading up with meats, frozen foods and other cold items, Benson pushed the cart to checkout where Luke proceeded to unload it, then place the bags back in when they’d been rung up.
    After she paid, they pushed her things out, allowing her to continue to hold Lilly, which was doing wonders for calming her nerves.
    “So where are you parked?” Benson asked.
    “I’m the silver SUV over there.” Ashe pointed off to the right, though she ended up distracted by the police cruiser with a very angry man in the backseat. “That’s the guy, isn’t it?” she asked, feeling a shiver run down her spine.
    “Yeah. Luke caught him, but a clerk had already called the law to report a suspicious man in the store,” Benson replied.
    Luke nodded. “They caught everything on the surveillance footage, but they’ll still want to get a statement from you, I’m sure.”
    “That won’t be a problem,” Ashe assured. “If a little paperwork is all they need to keep him from doing that to someone else, then I’ll be there.”
    They arrived at her vehicle and both men gawked when she unlocked the back. Admittedly, it was pretty full.
    “How the hell were you planning to unload all of this?” Luke asked. “Do you have help at home?”
              “Carefully,” she laughed. “I’ll have to be very careful. Don’t worry, I’m tougher than I look.”
    “I don’t doubt it, but it’s your shoulder that has me worried,” Benson pointed out. “Would you be okay with us following you back and unloading for you?”
    Ashe was definitely tempted. The bags of fertilizer were sure to give her trouble, but did she want to have two virtual strangers follow her to her house outside of town? With no nearby neighbors, she could be setting herself up for