Page 16 of Survive the Night
Ripping her gaze from his face, she glanced around. “I think I’ll finish my walk. It looks like the road is elk-free. They probably went to the diner for breakfast.”
That almost-smile came and went quickly, but it still gave Sarah a charge that she’d caused it. As she started to walk back toward Jules’s driveway, she expected to hear the squad car engine roar to life, but the morning stayed quiet. The wind had dropped to a gentle breeze, and the rising sun warmed her. When she reached the turnoff for her driveway, she couldn’t resist—she glanced behind her.
Otto was still parked by the carport. She wondered if he was watching to make sure that she made it home safely. The thought gave her a warm thrill, but she quickly quashed it. Monroe was just a temporary stop on her road to freedom. She needed to focus on building her new life, not on a Viking–lumberjack cop with steady blue eyes and huge, warm hands.
At the memory of his firm grip, another frisson of excitement whirled through her. This time, she let it stay. She’d enjoy it for a few moments, she promised herself, but then she would do her best to avoid Officer Otto Gunnersen. With a final glance at the surprisingly intriguing man behind her, she strode up the rutted dirt driveway, smiling.
Chapter 6
“Can’t decide?” Jules asked.
“No.” Sarah looked back and forth between the two pairs of winter boots. “They’re both so amazing.”
Grace chuckled, but her laughter died as she looked at Sarah. “Oh. You’re serious.”
“Yes.” Grace’s dismayed expression didn’t bother Sarah. Even though she knew they weren’t fashionable, Sarah still loved the boots. They were functional and soft inside and would keep her feet warm in the snow. The thought of snow gave her a thrill. The ground was still uncovered now, but her new housemates had assured her that snow was expected any day. The boots, the idea of snow, even her new name—everything was so different from her life under her family’s thumb.
She was in Colorado now, and she was free.
“Get the green ones,” Tio offered, and Sarah looked at him in surprise. Of all of her six shopping companions, she’d thought that he’d be the least likely to offer fashion advice—well, maybe least likely after Sam.
“The green?” She looked back and forth between the pairs again. Now that she was able to make choices, she found the process to be wonderful but hard. She didn’t trust herself, even with the simplest decisions.
“Yes. The green ones don’t have laces, so you won’t get snow or water in them.”
“Oh!” Sarah put the blue boots back on the shelf. “That makes sense. Thank you, Tio.”
As Sarah carefully placed her chosen boots back in their oversized box, Grace gave her a teasing nudge. “We’re going to have to go to Denver and do some real shopping.”
“Sure.” Sarah forced a smile but cringed inwardly. Monroe felt like a safe haven. She really didn’t want to leave yet, especially to go to a big city like Denver.
As if she could read Sarah’s mind, Jules frowned and said in a quiet voice, “It’s too early for that. It’d be safer to shop online right now.”
“Right.” Grace wrapped an arm around Sarah and gave her a side hug. “Sorry. I forgot.”
“That’s okay.” Now that the threat of having to show her face in Denver was off the table, Sarah’s smile felt more genuine. “Can we look at coats next?”
Jules’s siblings headed for the small sporting goods section as Sarah, Grace, and Jules moved toward women’s outerwear. As she walked through the aisles, Sarah knew she was beaming like an idiot. She couldn’t help it. This place was amazing. It was part farm supply, part hardware store, part department store. According to Jules, it was one of the few businesses in Monroe that stayed open all year round. Most of the shops and services closed for the winter.
They cut through a car parts aisle. Rounding the corner, Sarah sucked in a sharp breath.
“What?” Jules grabbed her arm and yanked her back into the aisle they’d just left. Grace followed, her expression concerned. “Is it someone you know? Do we need to go out the back?”
“No,” Sarah said hastily, embarrassed by her overreaction. “Sorry. I just saw…” Otto. The name rang in her head, but she didn’t want to admit that she remembered it. She hadn’t shared the details of her eventful morning walk three days earlier. Since Grace and Jules weren’t aware of the garage roof conversation, Sarah knowing Otto’s name after so brief an introduction seemed like evidence of her budding, illogical crush. Her cheeks got hot, but she tried very hard to ignore that she was blushing—and the reason for her red face. “I just saw that cop I met last week. It was dumb. I just overreacted.”
“Otto?” Grace asked, and Sarah nodded, feeling her face heat even more at the sound of his name. Seriously, something was wrong with her. “Oh, he’s harmless. Really. I mean, so are Hugh and Theo, but they just come off a little more…harshly?” Grace gave Jules a help me look before turning back to Sarah. “You don’t need to be afraid of any of the cops here. We just didn’t want to overwhelm you by introducing you to all of them. They can be…” She looked at Jules again.
“Intimidating,” Jules supplied helpfully, and Grace nodded. “Otto really is the easiest to get along with of all three of them. You’ll love him once you get to know him.” Sarah tried not to grimace at the phrasing. She couldn’t admit that was why she was so nervous around Otto. The big cop was already in her thoughts much too often, and they’d exchanged just a few words. If she got to know him, she had a feeling she’d be in serious trouble.
Linking arms with Sarah, Grace started to lead her out of the aisle. Even though she was freaking out at the thought of talking with Otto again, Sarah tried to hide it. Her feet wanted to drag, but she forced her body to cooperate. She’d only known Grace and Jules a week, and they’d been nicer to her than anyone she’d ever known before. She didn’t want to admit her weird issues to them…not yet, at least.
“Otto!” Jules forged ahead, waving as she hurried over to the cop. He gave her a small smile before looking past her. When his gaze locked on Sarah, his expression stilled.
What does that mean? Why is he looking at me like that? she asked herself frantically. Unfortunately, she didn’t have an answer. Her previous life had kept her isolated, her social interactions limited to employees and business associates of first her father and then her brother. Sarah wasn’t sure how to read the big, blond cop, but she guessed that the frozen look was not a good sign.
He didn’t look away as they approached. Sarah couldn’t hold his gaze and dropped her eyes to the floor. It was impossible not to look at him, though, and she kept darting furtive glances in his direction. His hair was nearly white-blond, cut short in a no-nonsense style. He wasn’t just a Viking lumberjack; he was like a Viking and a lumberjack had a baby, and that baby grew up to serve in the army and then become a Monroe police officer.
