Page 8 of Entranced in the Mountains
Every time I glance up, he’s there.
Watching.
By the time we finish, I’m flushed and breathless.
And I’machingdown there.
Mira stands in front of Tessa and bows dramatically, which I know will set off an epic fight once we’re in the van.
The crowd cheers and claps and waves at us as we stand up and collect our instruments. A few thousand people cheering for me, but I only look at one.
The Sheriff of this tiny mountain town doesn’t clap.
He doesn’t smile.
He just stands there, arms crossed over that broad chest, watching me like I’m the only woman on earth.
The air feels thinner and heavier. My fingers tremble as I gather my sheet music. The world around me fades—Mira soaking up the applause, Tessa glaring daggers, Sloane already halfway off the stage—and all I can see ishim.
Our eyes lock one last time before I grab my harp and head into the back.
“What the hell was that?” Tessa snaps at Mira, the two of them already going at it.
I just ignore them. I can’t deal with this right now.
My pulse won’t calm down. My skin is still tingling. I’ve never had a man staring at me likethat.
I press a hand to my racing heart wondering what that was.
A warning?
A promise?
I don’t know what it was—only that something inside me has shifted.
That look felt like the start of something I’m not sure I’m ready for.
And as my quartet starts imploding around me, one thought burns hot in my mind.
If the hot Sheriff of this town decides he wants me—I don’t think there’s a force on earth that could stop him.
CHAPTER THREE
Ryland
“Are you feeling okay, Sheriff?” Henry asks, looking at me funny.
I’m so far from okay. I don’t even know what this is.
My heart is hammering in my chest as I stare at the empty stage, the image of that angel playing the harp still fresh in my mind. I was in awe as I watched her.
That gorgeous face concentrating on the notes… Those slim, skilled fingers dancing along the strings… She was the most mesmerizing woman I’ve ever seen.
And when she looked at me… It was like lightning striking my soul. I can still feel the energy buzzing through my body. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again.
“Sheriff,” Henry says, giving my shoulder a firm jolt with his hand.
It snaps me out of my daze long enough to turn to him. I almost order him to lock the festival down. To block the exits, so she can’t slip out of here before I can talk to her.
