Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Sawyer stood there because something odd happened. Maybe it was the scent from whatever Nell brought. Maybe it was a contact high from standing too close to the eggnog. Maybe it was a stroke. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn the damn world slowed down and a fucking spotlight came out of nowhere, shining down on that woman. So pretty. She practically glowed. She smiled at someone, though Sawyer didn’t see who because the stroke he was obviously having made it hard to look at anyone but her. Yeah, this was a dangerous health situation. His eyes should be able to move.
In the distance he could hear music playing. Hopefully it was from the speakers and not from whatever was happening in his fucked-up head.
Had he taken a bunch of drugs and forgotten he’d done it? Should he see if Doc Burke was here? He probably was. What would he tell him? My eyes only want to look at the new girl and damn she’s pretty.
She turned his way and looked at the martini in Callie’s hands, her eyes going wide as though she’d finally seen heaven.
Or was she looking at him?
Wasn’t there a broom closet in this place the Harpers had already christened? It wouldn’t be the first time some adventurous tourist tried to get him alone for a memorable time. He wasn’t sure why a tourist was here, but she’d probably stumbled in and everyone welcomed her because she was obviously sweet and friendly. He would welcome her boobs. They pressed against her sweater, round and tempting, and he could already feel them in his hands, feel the silk of her hair as he pushed it back so he could kiss the soft skin of her neck.
The woman started walking his way and Sawyer wondered if Ty was here somewhere and could watch the dog for a little while.
Maybe he should ask her to dinner.
Definitely a medical emergency.
“That’s Sabrina. She’s Elisa Leal’s sister,” Callie was saying. “She’s so sweet. She teaches kindergarten. We all love her.”
A schoolteacher?
“Elisa is my new deputy, Mel’s daughter,” a familiar voice said. Nate Wright’s deep tones finally broke the spell. Sawyer turned, and the sheriff stood there with his wife. He wasn’t in uniform this evening, but there was no way to mistake the air of authority he oozed. “Sabrina’s only here for a few days. She lost her momma a couple of years back, and then she nursed her sister through cancer. She’s a good one.”
A good one. A sweet woman. A freaking schoolteacher, and he’d thought about banging her in a broom closet. He’d done things Sabrina Leal wouldn’t be able to imagine. Now that he really looked at her he could see the way she smiled at him, expectation in her eyes.
This wasn’t a woman looking for a quick lay. She would need love and affection and attention, and he had none of those things to give to anyone. The most he could give a woman was a good time in bed and a slap on the ass as she left, preferably before morning because he slept better alone.
Sabrina Leal approached the bar, her eyes on him and him alone.
She felt the pull, too. She just didn’t understand what a bad fucking bet he was.
He had the sudden urge to ask her to dance.
He did not dance.
He did not play bartender for friends at a Christmas party where kids ran around and people danced and exchanged gifts like they were some sort of a family.
Sawyer didn’t have a family.
“Hi, I’m Sabrina.” She held out her hand like they were meeting at a fucking church social. “What’s your name?”
Sawyer felt the weight of the sheriff’s eyes on him, honestly the weight of the world on him, and said the only thing he could think of. “No. Nope. I’m out of here.”
He strode away, not looking back. When he got to the Jeep it was only habit to let the dog in. He thought about leaving her behind, too, since someone in that warm, friendly, homey building would surely take better care of her. But then she was in her seat, and he couldn’t kick her out.
Not even the baddest man in all of Bliss County would toss a dog out into the snow a few days before Christmas.
He heard someone call his name and turned the engine over.
He drove away and didn’t look back.
* * * *
Sabrina watched the gorgeous man stride away. Tall and so handsome it nearly hurt to look at him, she’d felt something when their eyes had locked, but it was obvious he hadn’t felt the same thing. He’d felt the opposite, apparently, since he’d run.
Everyone in Bliss was so friendly except the one man who’d caught her eye.
It had been a long time since she’d connected with a man. She’d started to tentatively dip her toe into the dating pool back in North Carolina, though she was almost certain she wouldn’t be there for long. Her sister had found a home here, and if there was any way, she thought she might come west, too. Oh, not to Bliss. There wasn’t even a school here for her to work at, but maybe one of the larger towns. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be good to be closer to her sister.