Chapter 6

INDIE

Indie wiped a bead of sweat from her lip as she drove away from the scene, barely hearing Grace and Faith arguing beside her.

Seeing the deputy at her window was a shock to her barely-conscious mind.

Grace’s phone had interrupted an exceptionally vivid dream and Indie wasn't sure if she was relieved or irritated.

~She could still feel the heat of his body against her own as his weight settled between her legs. ~

~The feel of his smooth skin set her fingers on fire as she pulled them up his spine, her legs curling around his hips, anticipating the next move…when her phone rang… ~

And seeing those green eyes peering at her through the snow had her body tightening in response. The man was driving her crazy!

***

~There he was again~! Indie gasped in annoyance as she spotted the deputy walking along the cobbled path between the booths on his patrol route.

The tall female deputy was standing at one of the other booths, speaking to the exhibitor about his wares.

He glanced at Indie over his shoulder and grinned. She could feel her cheeks flush and reached for the tray of rings she was polishing.

~He has a nice smile~, she thought as she watched him interact with El, the carpenter selling wooden toys. There was very little wrong with him, and his major flaw was that he was married.

“Just checking my facts, but I’m sure that silver gets thin when you rub it too long.” Indie gasped in surprise and dropped the ring onto the tray when she heard his voice so close to her ear.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him, his eyes soft with humor and something else that sent shivers down her spine.

~How does his wife handle that raspy baritone daily without dissolving into a puddle every time he opens his mouth~?

“What do you want, deputy?” Indie challenged, afraid that he would see how he affected her.

He shrugged. “Maybe to find out the reason why you're reluctant to get to know me?”

Indie blinked up at him and decided to get the wondering over with. “Are you married?”

He chuckled softly. “That’s it?”

Indie nodded.

“I’m divorced. I have been for fifteen years, though few people know.”

“You look too young to have been married and divorced for that long—” Indie bit her lip as the thought popped out of her mouth, making him laugh out loud.

Her stomach fluttered as the deep sound surrounded her. He leaned onto the counter, bringing their eyes to the same level.

“Thank you for the compliment.” His smile faded as his eyes darkened, and Indie noticed that his right thumb rubbed a spot on his left forearm.

“I was married at eighteen and divorced at twenty.”

“Oh,” was all Indie could say. She watched as the other deputy joined them, then blushed as she caught ~him~ watching her again.

“She’s harmless and won’t bite…unless you want her to…” He raised his eyebrow as he watched Indie frown at him. “She would prefer your company as much as I do.”

“I, um…”

He straightened. “If you’d prefer her company too, I’d totally understand. I mean, that’s how she met her ex, so…” He held out his hands as he shrugged.

“Stop it, Seth!” Deputy Rhodes said, slapping his shoulder. “You know she’s not into me. Are you?” she asked Indie.

Indie shook her head. “No offense, but nope.”

“Good. ‘Cause he’s a great guy…if you can get past the rules.”

“Rules?” Indie asked.

“Felicity,” Seth groaned, but she didn’t pay attention.

“Yeah. He has rules,” she continued. “Don’t say no to a steak dinner. And ~never ~say no to a chocolate dessert.”

“Who on earth would do that?” Indie asked in shock.

“My ex,” Felicity said.

“No!” Indie gasped. “She turned down a chocolate dessert ~and ~chose you over him? Was she crazy?”

Seth started laughing as Felicity realized what Indie had just said.

“Oh, it’s like that, huh?”

Indie shrugged. “I’ve been called some things in my life, but never crazy.”

Felicity laughed. “You will be if you don’t go out with him.”

“Is he married?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“Hello. Right here.” Seth said, waving his hand.

“Then who is the little girl who calls him ~Pops~?” she asked Felicity.

“That’s his sister’s kid. She’s adorable, isn’t she?”

Indie felt her bones melt in relief and held onto the edge of the counter to stop herself from sagging to the floor. “The sweetest.”

She looked at Seth as he sucked in a deep breath and realized that she couldn’t stop smiling.

His eyes had darkened to a soft mossy green, and the heat shining from them seared her insides. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, no matter how hard she tried.

Everything seemed to fade away except Deputy Seth Marshall.

A call came over the radio, drawing his attention, although he maintained eye contact. But then something in the message made him go pale.

“That’s SignoraBianchi,” he growled at Felicity. Then he reached for Indie’s hand, squeezing it gently and leaving it tingling when he pulled away. “I’ll call you later.”

She nodded, then realized that she was still nodding as their patrol vehicles left the parking area with lights blazing.

Something had changed between them during their conversation, and she wasn’t sure if the shivers down her spine were a good thing…or a bad thing.

The one thing she was definitely sure of was that Deputy Seth Marshall was going to change her life.