Chapter 30

INDIE

^PRESENT DAY^

The days leading up to Christmas were quiet as Indie kept her mind occupied by completing her list of orders, often staying at the shop late and opening early.

She didn’t want to think about the way her heart skipped a beat every time she heard the doorbell tinkle…

Or saw a sheriff’s patrol vehicle drive past, or saw a tall figure with broad shoulders that tapered into a fine—

“Indie?”

She blinked at Grace, who had entered the workshop and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Sorry. Yes?”

“Sarah’s here.”

Indie licked her lips as she considered escaping out the back door. She didn’t feel brave enough to face the one person who looked exactly like Seth.

Sarah had called her and sent her texts asking if they could talk, but Indie hadn’t responded. She needed time to decide what to do.

Seth had swept her off her feet, stolen her heart, and shown her the galaxy, but then he pulled the rug out from under her feet.

She had been home the night before when Seth stood in front of her door. She had been sketching when she heard his truck pull up, and then his soft tread as he passed the window.

Indie had put her pencils down as quietly as she could and stood by the door, waiting for his next move. Waiting to hear his voice…

She heard him lift his hand and waited for the knock, but it never came. Instead, she heard his hand against the door, his palm sliding along the wood.

And then there was silence before she heard his truck start up again, the faint scent of his citrusy cologne blowing underneath the door, making her shiver.

She shook the memory from her mind as she thought about Sarah. She had become a friend to Indie, and it didn’t feel right to punish her for something Seth did or didn’t do.

And she still needed to give her Amelia’s gift. Before she could change her mind, Indie got to her feet and took the wrapped box from her purse, and went into the shop.

Sarah looked tired. Her green eyes had dark rings under them, and her cheeks were pale. Not even the cold brought a hint of red to them.

“Oh, Indie,” she gasped when she saw her. “Please tell me you’re not done with us, too?”

Indie shook her head as she embraced Sarah. “I’ve still got too many bad habits to teach you.”

Sarah laughed in relief as she held Indie. “Indie, I wish I could tell you the full story, but—”

“It’s Seth’s to tell.”

“All I’m going to say is that he ~is~ divorced from Tereza. I was there when they signed the papers.”

Indie released a long, soft breath, relief filling her heart. “Okay. Now buy us a drink.”

SETH

“Deputy Marshall!”

Seth turned at the unfamiliar voice calling his name as he stood in the checkout line of the supermarket. He turned to find the police department consultant standing at the next counter.

He smiled as he recognized her. “Doctor Abrahams!”

“How have you been, Seth?” she asked as they joined up after paying for their groceries.

Seth tilted his head as he looked at her, considering the possible consequences of asking her for some advice. “Are you busy, Fatima? Could I buy you a coffee?”

She tilted her head to the side as she considered his offer. “I have a couple of hours before my daughter gets home from school.”

“Great. I have the same before I need to collect my niece.” She nodded and then gasped when Seth took her groceries from her.

“My mom taught me manners, ma’am. I know of a great place not too far from here?”

“Great. You lead, I’ll follow.”

Ten minutes later they were seated at a booth, Fatima with a black coffee, and Seth with a chocolate mint milkshake. “Sweet tooth?” she asked.

Seth chuckled with a soft blush. “My sister would say it's excessive, which is why she never leaves frosting in the fridge.”

“I’ll remember that in case I need a favor!” she laughed.

“I’ll have a running IOU after this,” Seth retorted. “So no bribe needed.”

Fatima took a sip of her coffee as she sobered up. “What’s on your mind, deputy?”

Seth savored the taste of the chocolate as he looked at Fatima.

She was a beautiful woman with clear ivory skin and a cheerful blush on her cheeks. He doubted that her mouth knew how to do anything but smile, which made him feel safe with her.

“Do you only have one daughter?”

She tilted her head as she looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I have two daughters.”

“Do they look like you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be sure to put a note on your husband’s name that I will handle his case when they come of age.”

This had Fatima laughing again. “I’ll remember that because he is a former MMA fighter. What’s going on, Seth?”

“I tend to try and avoid issues that unsettle me.” He took a sip of his milkshake. “Which is why I’m in this predicament,” he grimaced.

“Want to start at the beginning?”

“Can we skip the beginning for another day? Our time is a bit limited today…” She nodded, and Seth emptied his glass before spinning it in the wet ring on the table.

“In summary, my ex-wife is out of jail because she saved someone’s life.

“She was supposed to serve twenty-five years with no parole for a DUI that killed two adults and three children.

“We’ve been divorced for twenty years. But when I met her three nights ago, she seemed to have forgotten this fact, and more worrying, she seemed to have forgotten our daughter.”

“You think she’s faking it?”

Seth shrugged as he shook his head.

“I would have bet my badge that it was genuine if I didn’t have a history with her. My gut is telling me to trust the history, but my brain isn’t agreeing.”

“Why are you ignoring your instincts now?” Her intelligent eyes were bright as she probed.

“I don’t know. It’s saved my life more than a few times.” He emptied his glass. “How do I prove that she’s faking it?”

“Get her to see a professional.” Seth raised his eyebrows at the simple way she said it.

“This is my ex we’re talking about. A former drug addict who drank alcohol like it was water and lied as fluently as she spoke English and Italian.

“I don’t know if she saw a therapist in prison, but I don’t trust this.”

Fatima put her hand over his. A gasp cut off any further conversation and Seth felt the blood drain from his face when he saw Indie watching them.

~How the hell was it possible to hurt this woman twice in one week~?

He didn’t need to ask her what she was thinking, because he would have thought the exact same thing if he had seen her holding hands with another guy.

That guy would be very happy if he still had a jaw that was intact.

Seth got to his feet and reached for Indie’s hand before she could flee. He wasn’t going to let her walk away again.

It had hurt way too much the last time, and he wouldn’t survive if it happened again. She tried to tug her hand free even as her golden eyes flashed angry sparks at him.

He felt his jaw tense as he bit down the emotions that threatened to spill over.

“Ind—” He cleared his throat as the raspy words got stuck in his vocal cords. “Indie, this is Fatima Abrahams, a therapist with the department. Fatima, Indie Dawson, my…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Indie.” Fatima held out her hand and Indie shook it reluctantly, her polite nature not allowing her to rebuff the gesture.

She smiled at Fatima, but Seth could see the effort it took and held her hand tighter.

“I wouldn’t be so crass as to introduce you to someone I’m dating, Indie, even if I could move on from you.”

She tilted her up at him as she looked for something he wasn’t sure he could offer her.

“Please? Can we talk?”

She tried to free her hand, but he knew that if he let it go, he would lose her and he wouldn’t be able to survive that.

While he waited for her to answer, he soaked up her face, the fact that her eyes seemed larger because of the dark circles that showed her lack of sleep.

Her face looked thinner, and her skin was paler. But what made him realize that she was struggling as much as he did was her hair.

It was a simple braid from the nape of her neck trailing to the middle of her back. Tendrils framed her face, but there were no whimsical clips, no intricate knots, no…~life~…

And it cut him deeply that he was the cause of her distress.

“I don’t have a spare moment until after Christmas.” Seth nodded, slowly allowing his fingers to relax so that she could withdraw her hand, watching them break the contact.

The muscles in his jaw flexed as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. And then his world spun in a tight kaleidoscope when she cupped his cheek in her palm.

“It’s not an excuse, Seth. I have orders I need to finish for Christmas, and I have trinkets to complete for the mayor’s New Year soiree. I’ll be working around the clock till then.”

“I’ll wait till you have a moment. Please?”

She nodded. “Pop in at the shop. We can talk while I work.”

“Okay.” He turned his head and kissed her palm, the feel of her skin against his lips setting tiny flames along his nerve endings.

He was relieved to see the soft blush on her cheeks at the contact and knew that there was still something worth fighting for.