Page 76 of The Best Man Wins

My shoulders sag with relief. “Thank you,” I tell her. I mean it. Cora’s happiness today is paramount.

Her soft brown eyes meet mine, and she smiles. “Of course. It’s what I do.”

“All right, Braxton West.” Sheriff Colburn sifts his keys until he finds the right one and sticks it in the lock, twisting the door open. “You’re free to go.”

I feel a pinch of confusion in my chest, and I knit my eyebrows at Susie. “You bailed me out?”

Susie shrugs casually, but I can tell from the small smile at the corner of her mouth that she’s proud of herself. “I’m a problem solver. Haven’t you figured out by now that there’s nothing I can’t do?”

As I exit the holding cell, Ace starts to follow me out. “Thank God,” Ace huffs. “Utterly humiliating—”

“Hold on there, boy.” The sheriff lifts his hand to stop Ace. “I’ve only got bail for Mr. West. You hang tight.”

Ace’s jaw goes slack. He stares at us as the door closes once again behind me.

“This is rich, Susie,” Ace spits. “Real petty of you. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“Ace…” Susie sighs, takes a step forward, and wraps her hand around a holding cell bar. “Just think of this as a learning experience.”

With that, she steps away. Ace looks like he’s been slapped.

I don’t care. Ace has dissolved completely from my focus. There’s only Susie now. Always, only Susie. I drop my hand, and she takes it and links her fingers in mine.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

We step out of the sheriff’s office and into the cool autumnal air. I’m sweat-slicked and the breeze feels good.

Susie clutches her bare arms, and I see goose bumps start to form on her skin. “Don’t you ever dress for the weather?” I ask.

She looks at me apologetically. I shrug off my jacket and drop it around her shoulders. She sticks her arms through the sleeves—it swallows her completely.

“My flight leaves tonight at eight,” Susie says. “What about you?”

“Nine thirty.”

“Look at that.” She smiles, but it’s a sad smile. “We just miss each other.”

She’s distracted, looking away, and I tug her hand to pull her focus back to me. “Are you nervous?” I ask.

“Honestly?” Her eyes flicker up to me. “I’m a little worried that we’ll never see each other again. I mean…the wedding is done. We have no reason to.”

I glance back at her and pause at that. “You have my jacket,” I tell her. “I’ll have to come around to pick that up sometime.”

Susie laughs at that and tugs the jacket tighter around her. “True,” she says. “As long as I have something you need.”

“You have my heart. And I’m pretty sure I need that.” The confession leaves my lips effortlessly.

Susie’s eyes grow wide and hopeful as she looks up at me. A smile inches up her lips, and she grazes my chest with her fingertips. “I must be rubbing off on you…the tin man has a heart after all.”

Enough of tiptoeing around what I want. “Hush, Dorothy.” I cup her face in my hand and close my mouth over hers. I lock her lips in mine hard, passionately. This is where I belong, I tell her in my kiss. This is where you belong.

She sighs against my mouth, and her fingers cling to my shirt. We linger for a moment, sharing kisses and boldly tender touches out in the open.

Finally, Susie peels back and presses her lips together thoughtfully. “We have a few hours to kill before I have to go to the airport.”

“I have a few ideas about that,” I murmur, my hand resting on her face.

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