Liam hesitates for a moment before responding. “Uh, sure.”
And I can feel his eyes on me.
He wants to discuss what just happened, but I’ve been gifted the perfect opportunity to get out of here while the sheriff is occupied with the man whose kiss has left my head spinning.
I push up and move toward the register where I left my purse, keeping my head tipped down so my hair falls to cover most of my face. “I actually have to get going. I will leave the key, if you don’t mind giving it back to Willow?”
Liam shifts in my peripheral vision, clearly distressed with being interrupted and by my abrupt attempt to leave. “Okay…”
Glancing up, I see the confusion marring his handsome face. The way his hooded eyes watch me, the lips I just kissed turned down slightly, he’s searching for a reason.
Please let me go…
I gather my things, throw my purse over my shoulder, and set the key on the counter, turning toward the door while the sheriff examines the shelves we hung. If he stays occupied, I might make it out of the shop without an issue.
And I almost make it to the door when Liam takes a step toward me, hand out like he wants to try to physically stop me. “Lucky, please, don’t run off. I’m?—”
Shit.
My gaze darts to the sheriff, and Liam’s follows.
His head snaps back to me, his brow furrowed and eyes narrowed on me now like he just saw the answer to the question he was about to ask.
As much as I hate the idea of him thinking I’m so desperate to get out of here because of our kiss, the thought that he figured out I don’t want the sheriff to really see me is even worse.
Because Liam isn’t stupid.
He’s far, far too observant.
Plus, he isn’t the type of man to just let things go.
I turn and slip out before he can say anything else, before he sees the fear in my eyes. The fear of what that kiss meant. The fear of the man in the uniform in there. The fear of what staying this long may bring down on him and everyone else here.
When the door closes behind me, I don’t look back.
I can’t.
Because even though there’s paper blocking the windows, I can still feel Liam watching me. I can feel his pain and his confusion. And I know I’m not going to be able to resolve it for him. I’m not going to be able to make it better.
All I’m going to do is cause him more of it if I don’t leave.
8
LIAM
She’s going to run.
I don’t know how I know that, but I do, deep in my gut. The moment she saw Sheriff Tony Briggs walk in, Lucky shut down and hid behind that wall of blue hair like it was a waterfall concealing her. But then I saw it in her eyes when she reached the door.
Lucky wasn’t just leaving the shop.
She is going to flee from McBride Mountain—today.
Whatever brought her here, whatever she’s running from, seeing the sheriff has set her in motion now.
She won’t stay.
She’s been threatening to leave since the moment she walked into the diner, and that gave her the reason to do it.
