Her eyes shuttered, and she just let herself feel the intensity of the moment. The warmth that his arms around her brought…and not just a physical warmth. The peace she felt when she laid her cheek against his heart. She hadn’t felt peace in so long.
When the music eventually sped up, she stepped away from Colt, but there was resistance in his hold.
She cleared her throat. “I might go get a drink.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No. It’s okay. I won’t be long.” She needed a second to breathe without him. And maybe to cool down a little.
Colt’s brows lowered, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to let her go. But then he nodded. “Don’t take long.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
She headed to the bar, and the second she got there, she sucked in a deep breath.
Yep. The space was definitely needed.
The bartender hadn’t reached her yet when someone stepped up beside her. She only noticed because he stunk of smoke and stood far too close.
She looked up—and gasped.
Gordon.
She shot a look over her shoulder, but a group of people were now standing between her and the table, blocking her view of Colt. But even if they weren’t, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to see Gordon so close to her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said firmly.
“Really? Where should I be?”
“Away from Amber Ridge.”
One side of his mouth lifted, but the smile was all wrong. “Indie, right?”
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s a small town. Information is easy to come by.”
“I’ve got to get back to Colt.”
She took a step away from the bar, but Gordon moved quickly, blocking her path and towering over her. “Wait. We’ve barely had a chance to get to know each other.”
CHAPTER 12
Clara frowned at him when Colt returned to the table. “Where’s Indie?”
“Getting a drink.”
“You look like you could use one yourself,” Noah said.
He needed a hell of a lot more than one after holding Indie on the dance floor.
Clara touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
“Just fighting like hell to get my wife back.”
“You’ve already made so much progress in such a short amount of time. Hopefully this dinner with your mom will be the final step in Indie trusting your relationship is safe for her.”
He frowned. “How would a meal with my mother help?”
