Tied Up With Love. Holly Martin

noticed.’ Though Izzy knew Bex had seen her blush. Thankfully she was momentarily saved by the arrival of a cowboy, wearing jeans over beaten brown boots, a blue shirt rolled at the sleeves and a black Stetson.

      ‘Mmm, now that’s a rump I’d like to get my teeth into,’ Bex said, her eyes suddenly dark with lust.

      She stood up and stalked over to the unknowing cowboy, sank her talons into his behind and nipped at his ear. To his credit, he only jumped a little bit, then he whirled round and gathered her close, kissing her so deeply it was almost pornographic.

      ‘Put her down,’ called Brian the landlord as he plonked a pint down on the bar. ‘You don’t know where she’s been.’

      Bex parted from her conquest and he whispered into her ear. Bex giggled. ‘Give me half hour.’

      He whispered in her ear again and her eyes widened. ‘Ten minutes then.’

      Clearly satisfied with this response, he dipped his hat in Izzy’s direction and walked back out.

      Bex stared after him for a moment, and then finally recovering herself she re-joined Izzy at their table.

      ‘I’m in love with my fiancé, did I ever mention that?’

      ‘Only a few thousand times. You should have asked Gabe to join us for a drink.’

      ‘He’s gone home to sort a few things out.’ Bex ran her tongue across her teeth unconsciously and Izzy tried to block out from her mind what exactly Gabe had gone to sort out.

      Izzy quickly changed the subject. ‘So apart from the womanising are there any other reasons I shouldn’t work for Ethan?’

      ‘Well rumour has it he’s a drug dealer.’

      ‘Come on, I don’t believe that for a second.’

      ‘I’m just saying what I’ve heard. Whenever things get stolen in this area, everyone points to his family. They’ve never had any money or real jobs but they all live in nice houses. He’s got a hell of a temper.’

      Izzy had already borne witness to some of that, she could cope with grumpiness.

      ‘Quite violent, I hear.’ Bex took another big gulp of cider.

      ‘With women?’

      ‘No, I’ve not heard that, but he’s got into quite a few punch ups in his time.’

      ‘Maybe wrong place, wrong time.’

      ‘Wrong man more like. He hit a policeman when he was younger.’

      Although Izzy was not surprised about this, she still felt like she needed to defend him. ‘I prefer to judge people on the type of person they are now, not who they were in the past. We all have a history, ours is hardly squeaky clean.’

      Bex had the good grace to blush, but it was only fleetingly. ‘A leopard never changes its spots.’

      ‘You’re so cynical for someone so young.’

      ‘And you’re so naïve for someone so old.’

      ‘Eight months Rebecca Dale, eight months older than you does not make me old.’

      ‘Look, your decrepitness aside, the whole Chase family is a bad lot from what I hear, one of them went to prison.’

      ‘Gizmo. Ethan’s brother. He’s been in prison.’

      ‘Sexual assault. I’m sure it was.’

      Izzy felt affronted on Gizmo’s behalf. ‘That definitely wasn’t Gizmo. He’s not the type to do anything like that.’

      ‘So rapists are all a type are they, tall, white, brown hair, evil look in their eyes?’

      ‘No, but Gizmo is … kind of innocent.’

      Izzy had chatted to him when he had driven her home earlier and it had become obvious very quickly that he had a sweet childlike naivety. He loved Ethan with a fierce loyalty that was incredibly endearing. He loved his job, loved the frost on the trees that clung to the bare branches like fur. He loved his dog Sampson so much that there were fifteen photos in Gizmo’s wallet that Izzy had seen. After ten minutes in the van with his exuberant enthusiasm Izzy had fallen a little bit in love with him too. There was no way he could be a rapist.

      ‘Of Mice and Men, that’s all I’m saying,’ Bex said.

      ‘He’s not stupid Bex, nor is he violent.’

      ‘You always like to see the best in people.’

      ‘And you always like to see the worst.’

      ‘I’m a realist.’

      ‘I’m an optimist.’

      Bex smiled. ‘And that’s why I love you. Just be wary of him, both of them, and if they lay one finger on you – you tell me and Gabe, we’ll sort them out.’

      Izzy decided, then and there, that she wouldn’t tell Bex how she had met Ethan and Gizmo in the first place.

      Bex fished around in her bag and pulled out a pot of green cream. She stuck her fingers in and scooped out a dollop which she rubbed into her hands. It stank of a peculiar combination of coriander and green tea. Bex was always carrying these homemade concoctions around with her, but her skin always looked radiant and blemish free so it must have some benefits. Bex had made cures for dry skin, spots, scars, burns and chapped lips to name but a few. Izzy was sure she probably had a truth telling ointment and one for eternal life somewhere up her sleeve. Five hundred years before, Bex would have been burned at the stake.

      ‘Do you have anything for sweat spots?’ Izzy sniffed at the green gloop.

      ‘Where are the spots?’

      ‘On my bum. I bought some new jogging pants and I wore them once and they made me sweat so much I came out in spots. Most of them have gone but one little bugger remains.’

      ‘You’re such a classy bird, I do wonder why you’re still single. Please tell me you’ve done something about your scary bikini line. Last time I saw it, it was like some kind of terrifying swamp monster was trying to escape from your pants.’

      Izzy blushed. ‘Admittedly I have let things lapse a bit lately. It’s hard to find the motivation when the only person that sees it is me.’

      ‘And me. And to be honest darling, that’s not something I ever want to see again. Come on then, show us your spot.’

      ‘I’m not pulling my jeans down in the pub for all and sundry to see.’

      Bex stood up and frogmarched Izzy into the nearest toilet. ‘Drop them.’

      Izzy rolled her eyes. She had known Bex since before she could walk. There were no secrets between them. Izzy unzipped her jeans and slipped them down a bit so Bex could inspect the spot.

      ‘Bloody hell, Iz, that’s huge. It’s got a life of its own that one. It probably has its own brain cells, its own thoughts. We should give it a name. Bert.’ Bex prodded it and Izzy winced. ‘Hello Bert.’

      Just then the toilet door swung open and a very glamorous women walked in. The Frog and Sausage had a very strict dress code. Jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, trainers, wellies and the occasional cowboy hat were all welcome. This lady looked like she’d come straight from Ascot with her tailored suit jacket and matching silk dress.

      She took one look at Izzy with her bum out and Bex bent over to inspect the spot up close and hurried back out again.

      Bex burst out laughing and Izzy groaned.

      ‘I’m going to the loo whilst I’m in here, get another round in will you?’ Bex handed Izzy a tenner.

      Izzy walked out into the pub and saw Ethan with the Ascot Lady. His eyes caught hers and Izzy felt something shift inside her.

      ‘I just walked in on two lesbians about