Page 43 of Wild Bliss

“Maybe I should have driven it down and taken it to hermyself.” Wyatt stood beside him, watching the tow truck slowly make its wayaround the curve.

The road up the mountain had just been cleared, and Wyattwas already planning how he was going to get into the valley tonight for hisdate. Sawyer was pretty sure if the road crews hadn’t cleared it, Wyatt wouldhave walked down. Or called up Mel and begged for a ride. He’d caught Wyattlooking up books about aliens. The little fucker.

“Roger wants to take it in and have a look at it,” Sawyerreminded him. Wyatt was like a kid with his first crush. Or a man who knew he’dfound a good thing and wasn’t about to let it go. “He’ll take it to the schoolor have Jesse or Cade deliver it back to her cabin. Trust me. They’ll take careof her.”

“Should I pick her up? For the date.” Wyatt tugged hisgloves back on as Bella bounced around in the snow. “I should pick her up. Shesaid we should meet at Trio, but I should pick her up.”

“The valley is fine.” Sawyer turned back to his Jeep, parkedfifty feet away. They’d come down to help Roger out. Naturally Roger hadbrought his tiny chihuahua, bundled up in a dog coat and tiny boots, and Sawyerhad spent most of his time trying to ensure Bella didn’t sit on the thing andsquash it. That dog was Long-Haired Roger’s baby. Sometimes he wondered ifRoger had ever tried to breastfeed when it was a pup. “The roads are clear.She’s got a meeting in town before dinner, so it’s easier for her to meet youthere.”

Wyatt made it to the passenger door and sent him a look. Alook that let Sawyer know he’d said way too much. “So you listened in?”

Sawyer sighed. He was out of practice. “You’re loud.”

“I was in my bedroom.”

“Which is next to the living room,” Sawyer pointed out.

Wyatt nodded. “Sure. I’ll try to be quieter. Especially whenI have her over.”

What? Have her over? No one had said anything about havingSabrina over. Was he supposed to watch them date? Know not to come home whenthere was a sock on the door? There was an easy solution to the problem.“Shouldn’t you stay at her place? Also, this is your first date. I don’t thinkyou should be thinking in terms of staying overnight with her.”

A snort came out of Wyatt as he swung himself up into thecab. “I think last weekend counts as a first date. We spent two and a half daystogether. This is simply our first public outing.”

“The town will think it’s a first date,” Sawyer groused, andhe wasn’t sure why. Well, he was. He just wasn’t sure why he felt the way hedid.

Left out. Abandoned.

It had, in fact, been his idea not to join them in the wholelet’s-be-normal-and-date thing. Well, normal for Bliss. The whole only datingone person thing would put them on the outer corners of normal in Bliss. Theywould have to hang with Nell and Henry and Marie and Teeny. Cassidy and Mel.

Huh, the town weirdos really were a little weird. It saidsomething when Marie Warner was the most normal of the group.

The point was, he knew he’d made this decision. So why didit rankle?

“Good. I want everyone to know we’re dating, and maybe thenpeople will stop trying to set my girlfriend up,” Wyatt said with a shit-eatinggrin on his face. “It’ll put those deputies on notice. She won’t be going outwith them again. They texted her while she was here. Did I mention it? Theyactually texted her and said they would be willing to risk life and limb tocome get her and take her home.”

Those Creede boys definitely knew a good thing. The truth ofthe matter was there was a dearth of women who wanted to settle down here inBliss, so when they showed up they tended to be popular. “Be careful around thedeputies. The sheriff’s okay, and I think Elisa and Cam are fine, but I don’tknow the Creede boys. They’ve only been working shifts since Logan left and Camwent part time.”

He could never be sure about law enforcement. Some of themsimply looked at him and decided he was a criminal. If the deputies who wantedSabrina didn’t mind playing a little dirty, they could fuck with Wyatt.

Another reason to stay away. Sawyer whistled, and Bellabound down the road and without missing a beat, leapt into the back of theJeep. She hit the seat and shook the snow off her big body, sending it all overthe place before she snuggled down into the thick blanket he kept there.

It was supposed to be for emergencies, but somehow it hadbecome a dog bed.

“Hey, girl. Did you have fun playing with Princess Two?”Wyatt reached around and petted the dog, whose tail thumped happily.

Sawyer shut the door and put the truck in drive, startingdown the road toward the bottom of the mountain and Hell on Wheels.

Wyatt might have nothing better to do with his time, butSawyer had a business to deal with. He needed to get the bar up and running nowthat the sun was out again. He would probably have to take over the shit Wyatthad been doing. The accounting stuff he hated. But could he count on Wyatt tostill want to work when his head would be down in the valley? How long would itbe before he started staying in the valley full time?

“You’re such a good girl,” Wyatt was saying.

Would Bella miss Wyatt if he moved out?Whenhemoved out?

What if Wyatt asked to take Bella with him? It wasn’t likeSawyer hadn’t told him a million times it hadn’t been his idea to get a dog andhe didn’t even want a dog. And he’d complained about the dog taking up spaceand having to feed her and getting mud everywhere.

Wyatt wouldn’t want Bella. Right?

“You know she’s my dog.” Why had he said that?

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