Not once.
The storm rolled outside.
Rain.
Thunder.
Danger circling the tavern.
But somehow the most terrifying thing in the room was still him.
Hersh McDougal loved me.
After sixteen years.
After believing I abandoned him.
After all the damage.
And God help me…
I loved him enough to ruin both our lives over it.
Trigger finally broke the silence first.
“Well,” he muttered. “Since everybody’s emotionally spiraling, I’m gonna make coffee.”
Wolf snorted quietly.
Even Ava looked relieved for the interruption.
Tate rubbed a tired hand across his jaw. “I’ll get deputies covering the outer roads.”
“Trusted deputies,” Ava warned.
“Obviously.”
Isabel stayed curled near the bar, wrapped in one of the tavern blankets now, watching all of us with exhausted, frightened eyes.
Like she couldn’t quite understand why these people were willing to fight for her.
I understood.
Because months ago?
I wouldn’t have understood either.
Hersh’s thumb brushed lightly over my knuckles again.
Tiny movement.
Tiny comfort.
Enough to completely destroy my ability to think clearly.
I looked down at our joined hands.
Then slowly back up at him.
