Page 37 of Noble Neighbor
Urgh. The band was ending the evening with a slow dance. And yes,that womanmoved in even closer.
And Oliver allowed it.
“Green’s not your color, Sunny,” Bella said, amusement dripping from her voice.
Blinking, Sunny dragged her gaze away from the train wreck on the dance floor to look at her friend as she moved closer. “What do you mean?”
Bella snorted. And Ruth scooted in on the other side,tsking.
Sunny stifled a groan. Boxed in, she was, and the heavy weight of the dog across her legs didn’t help. “I’m not jealous,” she blurted.
Bella’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “I never mentioned jealousy. All I said was green doesn’t suit you.”
Shifting her gaze between the women, Sunny exhaled a hearty sigh.It was just the three of them here, the men starting a new ball game with the kids a short distance away. Maybe she should join them?
But the dull ache in her hip reminded her that jumping around chasing a ball was not a good idea. If she didn’t rest it, she’d be limping tomorrow — something she hadn’t done for years.
“Oliver’s a good man, Sunny,” Ruth said.
Against her will, her gaze drifted back to the dance floor. Any closer and the deputy would beclimbingOliver. And Sunny knew what a potent experience that was.
“Which is why I can’t get involved with him,” she whispered.
Even the deepening dark couldn’t conceal the look shared between her companions. With a sinking heart, Sunny asked, “What is it?”
When neither woman could meet her stare, she grabbed Bella’s arm. “Bella?”
Her friend sucked in a breath and lifted her head to look Sunny in the eye. “Are you in danger?”
“Danger?”
Bella held her gaze. “Beau ran a check on you.”
Sunny blinked. “He … ran acheckon me?”
Dear God, what had he found? Aleck promised they were safe. Nobody would find …
Don’t jump to conclusions, Sunny.“W-what exactly does that mean?”
“He—” Bella closed her eyes for a moment before looking Sunny in the eye. “Beau warned me away from you. Said there were inconsistencies in your past that gave him reason to question your identity.”
11
Courting quilt
For a beat, Sunny could only stare at her friend, disbelief making way for despair. Itwastoo good to be true. She shot to her feet, her frantic gaze scanning.
The lights. The crowds. Happy, laughing faces, all blurring as her eyes filled with tears.
A dream, a beautiful illusion. Her future, shattering.
All because of a nosy sheriff.
The same sheriff talking to the person about to row out to the platform from where the fireworks were to be launched.
“Sunny.” Bella reached out to her, but Sunny moved out of her grasp, needing to get away from the … ambush. Because that’s what they’d done. They ambushed her when she let her guard down.
“Don’t,” she rasped, holding her hands up. “Just—” A nudge on her thigh had Sunny glancing down. Two soulful eyes stared back. “Just keep Hooch with you.”
