Page 4 of Wild Bliss

“I don’t have a problem with Sawyer,” the sheriff argued. “Iunderstand him better. He’s a good man, but you have to admit he’s got someserious issues. He’s surly and secretive and can be quite rude at times, as ournew friend recently discovered.”

Callie didn’t look convinced but shook her head. “I bet ittook a lot for the man to walk in here, and you immediately get into his spacelike he was going to do something wrong.”

“I wanted to know what he was making,” the sheriff admitted.“The eggnog is awful and probably needs to be tossed out before it poisonssomeone, and I’m not going to try whatever the essence of winter is. I can’tfind the beer, so I was kind of hoping Sawyer would make me an Old Fashioned.”

“Well, you could have asked him nicely,” his wife countered.

“No, I couldn’t because he took one look at the new girl andran away,” the sheriff argued. He then winced and tipped his head Sabrina’sway. “Like I said, Sawyer’s a deep one.”

He probably could sense desperation. He’d looked at her,said that girl hasn’t had a date in forever, and ran the other way. She wasn’tin his league looks-wise, and her mother had always been on her about losingwhat she called the “baby” fat. As she neither was a baby nor had she givenbirth to one, she had to figure it was her mom’s way of “politely” calling herfat. She didn’t have her sister’s height or her elegant looks. She took afterher father’s side of the family. Short legs, big boobs, and wide hips werepretty much the only gifts her dad had ever given her. “It’s okay. Though inhis defense, he wouldn’t have been able to pull off an Old Fashioned. There’sno bitters here.”

“Oh, there will be when Marie wakes up and realizes Teenylet the children decorate her like a Christmas tree,” the sheriff promised.“And Sawyer… Well, I’ve honestly never seen the man react the way he did. I’mgoing to assume he had certain feelings he is not ready to deal with.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “You think he saw me, fell madly inlove, and ran because he’s too damaged to ever love someone? I doubt it.”

“Oh, it happens.” Callie took another sip of her drink. “Ithappens way more often than you would think. I’m pretty sure Caleb couldn’tspeak for the first six months after he met Holly. I mean he could, but hedidn’t make much sense around her and he’s got an MD.”

“Sometimes I question the university who handed him hisdegree. They obviously didn’t teach a class in bedside manner.” The sheriffmoved around the bar and poured himself a couple of fingers of whiskey. “Thoughyou’re right about him not being ready at the time. It took Alexei showing backup to get Doc in gear. It took Noah showing up to make Jamie look at Hope. Lotsof guys are dumb.”

Callie stared at him as he talked about all the other menwho hadn’t been ready to find the loves of their lives. The sheriff wasexcellent at not noticing the death stares his wife was sending him.

“Six years, Nate,” Callie said with a frown.

The sheriff winced. “So all I’m saying is if he wasn’tinterested, he likely wouldn’t have noticed you at all,” the sheriff concludedafter remarking on most of the trios in Bliss. “But it’s probably a good thingbecause I don’t know Sawyer is marriage material.”

“I wasn’t looking to marry the man. I thought I might get aCosmo out of him.” Did everyone in the world see her as some wallflowerdesperate to get a man?

Of course, when she’d first caught sight of him, her hearthad fluttered. She’d had to catch her breath because he was a stunning man. Itdidn’t mean she was desperate. Just a little lonely. He didn’t have to run fromher. It wasn’t like she would have tackled him or anything. Not when it wasclear he didn’t want her to.

A brow rose over the sheriff’s blue eyes. “Really? That isnot the reaction most women have to Sawyer Hathaway.”

Callie snapped her fingers. “Hathaway. And Nate’s right. Heis like every gorgeous bad-boy stereotype wrapped up in an emotionallyunavailable package. Don’t get me wrong. I like Sawyer. There’s a good manunder all his growly protestations, but he’s not a guy I would set up with oneof my friends. Now I do know some men who are looking for something moreserious. We’ve got a couple of part-time deputies coming in. I’m pretty surethey’re partners, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, the Creede boys have stopped making fun of all thetrios and started asking intelligent questions about how it works,” the sheriffexplained.

Callie’s eyes lit, and Sabrina knew she had to shut it downand quickly. She had no idea who the Creede boys were, but she wasn’t about toget connected to horny, curious dudes who would likely run like that Sawyerperson had the minute he’d seen her.

“I’m not looking to be set up. I’m simply here to see mysister and then I’m heading home.” Back to the house she grew up in. It didn’tfeel like home. It was so odd. She was sleeping in her sister’s biologicalfather’s guest bedroom, and it felt warmer than the house she’d spent the lastfew decades of her life in. Of course her mom had never gently woken her upwith the promise of pancakes and bacon. And beets. But she could handle beets.Cassidy Meyer was weird and warm and lovely, and Sabrina low-key wished she’dbeen the one to find out her bio dad was a short-term affair of her mom’s whileshe was in the Army. Elisa was so happy with her new family, and it wasinevitable time and distance would isolate her if she didn’t find a way to stayclose to her sister.

Wow. She actually was desperate, but not for some man. Shewas desperate to have any kind of family at all.

“I was hoping I could talk to you about that,” a deep voicesaid. She turned and a dark-haired man stood a few feet away from her. He worea button-down and slacks and loafers Sabrina identified as designer andexpensive. “Hello, Ms. Leal. My name is Stefan Talbot and I was impressed withhow you handled the kids earlier this evening.”

She’d seen the kids needed some planned and organizedactivities and she’d taken them in hand. No big deal. “I had fun with them.Honestly, the older kids just needed some guidance about the crafts Nell andHolly set up and then they helped with the younger kids.”

“You were great with them. I hear you’re a teacher back inNorth Carolina,” Talbot said, and that was when she noticed the woman standingbehind him. She was almost certain the woman’s name was Rachel Harper, and shewas the mom of Paige, who’d proven so helpful with the younger kiddos. Rachelwas watching the conversation, biting her bottom lip like it was takingeverything she had not to intervene.

What was happening here? “Yes. I’m teaching kindergartenright now, but I’ve taught third and fifth as well.”

“How would you feel about teaching in an…unorthodoxfashion?” Talbot asked.

Was this obviously rich dude looking for a tutor? “I prefera classroom setting to one on one, Mr. Talbot. If you’re wanting to hire afulltime tutor, I can give you some places to look. I’m afraid I would missrunning a classroom too much.”

The tutor would almost surely end up being more nanny thantutor. She knew she should probably hear the guy out since she wanted to movehere but couldn’t without the guarantee of a job. But she had to be honest. Herjob was all she had, and she couldn’t compromise on it.

“What if you could run a whole school?” Talbot asked.

She felt her eyes widen but before she could ask what hemeant, Rachel Harper rushed to his side. “Not all on your own, of course. Stef,you’re making it sound way bigger than it is.”

---