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)
Sabrina laughed, the sound magical to his ears.
She was important to the town.
He was going to make damn sure he didn’t screw it up for her.
He started toward the dining room. The door to the guest room opened and Sawyer stood there, glancing down the hall to make sure the coast was clear. “I don’t think it’s a great idea to let Mel know what went down this weekend.”
That ship had sailed. “He caught me and Sabrina in the bedroom, so I think he probably knows.”
“He knows about you and Sabrina,” Sawyer pointed out. “Not about me and Sabrina.”
“You think the town is going to believe Sabrina was here and you didn’t touch her even though she obviously touched me?” Wyatt asked.
“I think we can talk to Mel and explain maybe he shouldn’t mention anything at all. He’s a good man. He knows how to keep a secret.”
“He thinks aliens are real.”
“I don’t know they’re not. According to the rumors, Mel worked with Elisa’s mother, who was an Army intelligence agent. The word is he might have been CIA. Like black ops CIA,” Sawyer said with a straight face. “The kind no one ever talks about.”
“Well, then he’s terrible at keeping secrets because he explained alien mating to me,” Wyatt pointed out. “Look, man, don’t hurt her like this. Act normal. If you don’t, she’ll think you’re embarrassed you slept with her.”
Sawyer straightened up. “I’m not.”
“I know you’re not,” Wyatt conceded, “so act normal.”
“Maybe she’s embarrassed she slept with me. Did you think of that?”
Wyatt sighed. “You could ask her.” He needed to give the man some space. He couldn’t solve the situation by pushing him. It would be solved by having Sabrina around a lot to tempt him. “Or not. It’s fine. I’ll let Mel know Sabrina only had eyes for me. She wasn’t even interested in you.”
“No one is going to believe that.” Sawyer frowned.
“Which way should I handle this, brother? Are we going for humiliation? Or do we keep up your reputation as an asshole and tell everyone you turned her down?” He was being completely unreasonable. It made Wyatt hopeful. Sawyer was always steady. He didn’t care what anyone thought. Except he didn’t want anyone to think Sabrina didn’t like him.
Sawyer growled. “Fine. She turned me down. It doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is her being safe and happy. I’ve got to find a way to get her car off my mountain. I’m going down to look at it now that the snow’s stopped. I’ll take Bella with me.”
“Bella is cuddled up in front of the fire, and she’s going to want to hang out and wait for Sabrina to drop bacon,” Wyatt pointed out. “Or feed her leftover eggs from a spoon when she thinks you’re not watching.”
Sawyer sighed. “She’s going to ruin that dog.”
And yet Sawyer hadn’t stopped her. Not once. “If you wait and have breakfast with us it will likely feel more normal to Mel. He’ll probably believe nothing’s wrong and you’re just a friend.”
“And when I look at her like I want to lay her out and make a feast of her?” Sawyer asked.
Now they were getting somewhere. He’d been waiting for days for Sawyer to talk honestly. “Man, I do not get this. Come on. You care about her. She cares about you. Why all the tough act? I know you think you’ll end up being bad for her, but why borrow trouble? Instead why not make the decision to not be bad for her.”
It felt like the simplest thing to do.
Sawyer’s head shook. “That might be the most naïve thing I’ve ever heard you say. Do you think I wanted to be bad for my brother? Do you think I want the shit that happens in Hell on Wheels to happen? I’m a magnet for bad shit, and I’m not going to bring it into her life. At some point it’s coming back to bite me in the ass, and I’m going to make sure she’s well clear of the damage.”
“Or you could understand bad things happen to everyone, and it’s better to have people you love around you when it does.” Again, a truth that should be simple.
“Would you put her in your brother’s way?” Sawyer asked.
The very idea of Sabrina being in the same room as his brother sent a chill down his spine. “Of course not. I would make sure he couldn’t get to her. But it doesn’t matter because I’m out of the life.”
“You might be done with the life, but it’s rarely done with you,” Sawyer said gravely. “And that’s why I should stay away.”
The subtext was obvious. If Sawyer’s past was dangerous, then Wyatt’s was beyond. Sawyer had gotten out on fairly good terms. Wyatt had paid in blood and sacrifice and sin. At least they thought he’d sinned, and if they ever found out…