Page 120 of Thaw My Heart

Averie:

What??? OMG! What do you mean by might have?

Sadie:

I was half-asleep. Maybe I dreamed it.

Averie:

How do you feel about it?

I tuck my phone in my pocket, unsure how to answer her. All I know is that my heart is safe with his. Words he’d said to me last night while holding me tight in his arms. Anything beyond that is just too complicated right now.

My phone buzzes again, but thankfully, it isn’t Averie bugging me about Kit’s random midnight I love you. It’s a message from Tanner telling me that my furnace is finally fixed. It should be a relief, but some part of me never wants the sleepovers to end.

Would he expect me to move back to my cabin? Would he ask me to stay? I feel like I already know the answer, and somehow it doesn’t scare me.

Yup, complicated.

All of it.

Fluffy cows poke their heads through the fence, greeting me. Their soft moos call to me, as if they’re trying to speak.

“Yes, I’ll feed you soon,” I say back to them.

The sight of a familiar shiny black sports car sitting in the driveway stops me in my tracks. There’s no mistaking his average height, dark brown cowboy hat, medium-length brown hair that peeks around his ears, and pressed suit pants. A suit-jacketed snake.

Markus.

He shows Annie a piece of paper, and I can only guess that it’s a picture of me. Or our wedding certificate, which he was always proud of.

After all this time, he’s finally found me.

I want to run, to try to escape, but he knows I’m here, and I know he won’t leave until he finds me. There are too many people on this ranch that I care about. And right now, he’s got Annie cornered.

I quickly tie Sugar to a post and head towards them, trembling with each step. His voice crawls down my spine, constricting blood flow as sweat forms at my temples.

“Yes, that’s Sadie,” Annie confirms with a soft smile. Eyes snapping up to meet mine. “Oh, she’s right there.”

If only she knew that the man in front of her was the devil.

He turns and smiles widely, eyes running the length of my body. “Well, there’s my beautiful wife. I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Emma.” He looks at me like I’m something to be devoured. To be owned, because he thought that he did.

Annie’s eyes snap to mine, confused. “Emma?”

“Yes, Emma. My wife,” he repeats.

“Wife,” Annie repeats in a whisper, seemingly confused.

My scared eyes meet hers. I try to control my facial features, faking a smile. “Annie, I left something cooking in the Kit-chen,” I cough, accentuating the word Kit, hoping she catches on. “Could you please go get it before I burn it?”

Markus laughs, knowing how often I used to burn food, so he’s not even surprised. He buys it, accepting my lie.

“In the kitchen?” she questions.

“Yes. I need it.”

I need him. Please, Annie. Get Kit.