Sadie recognized his answer for what it was: avoidance. She went along with it because she was well acquainted with the tacticandthe reason for using it. “You need blackout curtains.” She carefully twisted the cap off her water bottle and took a sip.
“I suppose I do.”
Sadie’s phone vibrated against the counter, instantly drawing her attention. She figured it was Haylee offering to bring that change of clothes she no longer needed or Mom asking her to pick up some groceries on her way home. But the number tied with the text message wasn’t one she recognized. Out of habit, she pulled the phone closer to read it.
Her stomach plummeted into her toes.
“Everything okay?” Conner asked, halfway to the door.
Sadie couldn’t manage words, so she forced a nod instead. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen, feeling sick. She’d blocked his number. And the two subsequent numbers he got after that. She’d also changed her own. Aaron shouldn’t be able to bother her anymore. Her heart rate doubled, then tripled. Her entire body buzzed in chaos, warning her an anxiety attack was imminent unless she did something to immediately diffuse the bomb about to go off inside her.
“Sadie,” Conner said, his tone soft and firm. He leaned over the counter, dropping a hand to her shoulder. Staring at her until she lifted her gaze to his. “Breathe.”
His simple words offered reassurance she didn’t deserve. She had no one to blame over the Aaron situation but herself. How many times had her friends and family told her to leave him? If only she’d listened early on. Or better yet, never met him at all.
“Take a deep breath in through your nose.”
When she finally obeyed, it made her acutely aware of his warm hand pressed against her shoulder. Tingles of an entirely different variety danced up and down her arm. The warmth both soothed and distracted her. The early panic dissipated, as if it were never there at all. All that existed was this moment.
The bells above the front door clamored, announcing Marylou’s return.
Conner straightened instantly, taking his delightfully warm hand with him. She felt the absence of his touch, making her painfully aware of one troubling fact. She was in way deeper than she thought.
With a couple more deep breaths, Sadie cleared her head enough to stuff her phone in her tote bag before Marylou found it out.
“Everything okay?” Marylou’s question was laced in suspicion.
“Yep. It was quiet while you were gone.” She yearned to run her phone over or throw it in the ocean. She hated how powerless a stupid text message could make her feel. Hated that Conner could so easily prevent an anxiety attack that had the promise of being a big one. Her life hadn’t been fair in forever, and she was growing tired of that.
“Dr. Michaelson?”
“Everything was quiet, Marylou. Just as Sadie said.”
“Can I take my lunch now?” Sadie asked, avoiding Conner’s concerned gaze. She only hoped he didn’t mention anything to Marylou. Or worse, Marc.
“Sure, go ahead. But be back in an hour.”
Sadie felt Conner’s gaze follow her to the front door, but he thankfully didn’t follow. She had enough to sort out without the too-attractive-for-his-own-good man clouding her senses. Her shoulder still tingled from where his hand had rested.
Desperate for fresh air, Sadie turned off her phone and headed for her favorite scenic pull-off to practice the meditation she was so terrible at. It was that or admit she was more than crushing on Conner Michaelson. She was full-on falling.
4
CONNER
Conner collapsedin his recliner seconds after he made it inside. Boomer, thankfully, allowed their greeting to take place in Conner’s lap. Never mind that the dog was eighty-five pounds and barely fit within the confines of the chair. He jumped at any chance to embrace his inner lap dog.
“Am I glad to be home,” he said to the pup, who answered with a full-cheek lick.
After Sadie left for her lunch break, all chaos broke out at the clinic. If it wasn’t enough that their schedule was packed, three emergencies came through the door. He and Marc divided and conquered to attend to it all. Marylou rescheduled the patients she could to accommodate the golden retriever who’d swallowed a phone charger, the tabby cat who’d ingested an entire lily, and the Persian who’d been having seizures.
They’d saved them all.
It felt great to be a part of something.Reallya part of something. Sunset Ridge was certainly tugging on his heartstrings. He wondered if Marc realized how special his clinic was from others.
Which only made his stomach knot.
He hadn’t heard from Detective Harlow today, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t show up in town unannounced if she’d been in Anchorage last night. He only hoped that when she did, it wouldn’t cost him everything he’d found here. This place was special. More than he ever thought it could be.
