Chapter 6

Motherfucking women.

It'd been a long time since I'd fallen for a woman, and even then, it had been nothing like what I felt today. Ridiculous, considering that had been a four-year relationship. We'd even lived together for a while. How was it possible that in less than an hour, this woman had blown into my life, shaken up everything, and settled into my heart, only to stomp on it on her way out the door?

But she wasn't out the door yet. She was in the bathroom, changing back into her clothes. I was still reeling from what had happened, and I wasn't sure what to make of her reaction afterward. She'd pushed me away, but she'd done it in such a sweet, upbeat way, I couldn't tell if she was dumping me or trying not to be a burden.

I'd just finished putting away the leftovers when a knock on the front door interrupted my thoughts. It was a forceful knock. Probably one of my buddies. We had football practice tomorrow afternoon. A group of us were on a team, and we were playing against the motorcycle club up here in Rosewood Ridge. We'd gotten our asses whooped in last night's game, so we had a lot of work to do.

I was so sure it was a buddy, I had a half-smile on my face as I opened the door. I was fully prepared to get rid of whoever it was, maybe by telling them I had a woman in the bedroom. But it wasn't one of my football teammates standing on my porch. Instead, it was the sheriff, a burly tattooed guy around my age named Garth.

"Hey, Derek," he said. His eyes were already scanning the area behind me. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why he was searching. "We have a woman missing. You can't miss her. She's wearing a wedding dress."

I wasn't a fan of lying, especially to law enforcement, but an image of Sadie's face flashed before my eyes—the fear mixed with exhilaration, those beautiful green eyes when she first saw me. She looked as though she'd broken free from a prison.

"I haven't seen her," I said, shaking my head. "I've been working in the yard all day. Just came in for a quick shower. So if she had shown up, I would have seen her in the yard, right?"

Garth watched me for a long moment. I was sure he'd ask to come inside and look around. If he stood here long enough, Sadie would exit the bedroom, and he'd get his answer.

Trying to get rid of him, I backed up. "See you at the game," I said.

Surprisingly, that seemed to do the trick. He gave a nod and said, "See you then."

As soon as I closed the front door, the main bedroom door clicked open just enough for me to see part of Sadie's face. Her eyes were wide.

"They were looking for me, weren't they?" she asked.

I could lie and say no. Then maybe she'd stick around. Telling her the truth might mean sending her over to the retreat center. But looking at that sweet, trusting face of hers, I knew I had to be honest with her.

"He's the sheriff," I said. "Nice guy. Not scary at all. He's a buddy of mine."

She pulled the door open and stepped out. She'd put on the T-shirt and jeans from earlier and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.

"I can't stay at your cabin," she said. "I realize now that I have to go back. My parents are worrying about me, I'm sure."

The sheriff's visit had probably made her aware that running out on her wedding had been serious. It wasn't just about her and her groom. She'd left behind a family who was so worried about her, they called the sheriff to help.

"I'll go with you."

The words spilled out before I even realized I was going to say them. The thought of letting her return to that setting where she might feel coerced into marrying some guy she didn't love bugged me. I wanted to play the knight in shining armor. Though it might not be right, getting involved in her business like that, if there was any chance I could fight to keep this woman in my life, I had to take it.

She was eyeing me suspiciously. "Why would you do that?" she asked.

"You might need defending. If everyone turns on you, I've got your back."

Her expression relaxed, then she smiled. "I could use that. Do you want me to grab my wedding dress?"

I shook my head. "We'll come back and get it later. Maybe I'll even fuck you in it."

It was a daring thing to say. She could be offended by it. But her eyebrows arched and her mouth slowly spread into a smile. I wasn't sure if she liked the naughtiness of what I was suggesting or if she was glad I wanted a future with her beyond whatever would happen at the event venue.

Either way, if it meant I'd have a little more time with her, I could work with it. Maybe by the end of the day, I'd find a way to convince her to stay in Rosewood Ridge with me for good.