I hope that this plan that Killian, Connor, and Liam have come up with will actually work and I’ll get my life back.
But not my old life.
A new one here that Liam has promised me, that I so badly want, that I never thought would be possible.
So many things have to happen before we reach that point. Nothing moves quickly. The pace feels glacially slow at times. But there is that flicker of light at the end of the dark tunnel that once felt endless.
I just have to keep my focus there, not on what might linger in the shadows.
Elaine wanders off to say hello to someone else, and Willow approaches and takes Niall from me, carefully pulling his fingers from around my hair.
“You don’t have to let him do that, you know…”
I smile at her and tickle him until he giggles. “I don’t mind, really. He’s my buddy.”
Willow grins. “I know. Some days, I think he might like you more than me.”
“That’s just the hair.”
She laughs, gives me a quick hug, then returns to whoever she was talking to who clearly wanted to see the baby. I scan the shop for Liam and find him near the far corner with Killian, eyes surveying every person who walks in that door for any unfamiliar faces.
One good thing about this small town—strangers stand out.
And if one shows up today, the McBrides will be on high alert to swoop me out of here if necessary.
At least, Killian and Liam will…I have no idea where Connor disappeared to.
Or Raven, for that matter.
I search for her, anxious to hang back in the rear of the shop instead of dead center of the hustle and bustle, when a familiar voice fills the store from behind me.
“Lucky! There you are!”
LIAM
The moment Sheriff Briggs walks in, Lucky freezes like a deer in headlights where she stands behind the register. Killian goes rigid beside me, and my own spine tightens as I struggle to keep my face neutral and not lunge across the store to her. Which is hard, when all I want to do is throw Lucky over my shoulder and run.
Tony approaches her, a smile on his face. “I’ve been trying to catch you. We never got a chance to formally meet, and it seems as though you might be staying in town.”
He offers her his hand, and I watch as she swallows thickly and accepts it with a stiff motion that tells me she’s trying not to let him feel her trembling.
Fear seeps into her gaze, and her eyes dart across the room to meet mine, begging for help. But if I charge over there and intervene, Tony will know something is wrong.
Right now, this is simply a friendly conversation between McBride Mountain’s sheriff and one of its newest residents.
Don’t turn it into something else.
I make my way toward them as casually as I can, sidling up beside her and sliding my arm around her shoulders. “How are you, Sheriff?”
He pulls off his hat and runs a hand through his hair as his head bobs. “Good. Good.” His gaze travels over the store. “It looks like the opening is going well.”
Better he focus on that than Lucky.
I nod. “It definitely is. Willow has worked hard for this.”
Tony offers a knowing look and glances to where Willow stands, holding Niall and chatting with the town clerk, Eugenia, who gesticulates wildly with her hands, making the baby giggle.
Sheriff Briggs is a good man who is supremely dedicated to his job and to protecting the people of McBride Mountain. He put all his time and effort into helping Killian and Willow figure out what happened to her, and into ensuring my father and aunt were brought to justice for it.
