Wild Bliss (Nights in Bliss, Colorado #14)

Prologue

Sawyer Hathaway stared at the Bliss Town Hall like it was a snake that could bite him. Would bite him. Might bite him. Maybe.

He growled and was reminded he wasn’t alone when a canine head came up, swiveling and looking around for a threat. The German shepherd mix was proof that things happened to him when he moved into this weird world. He’d found the dog eating out of the trash bin behind the bar he owned. She’d been skinny as hell and flea bitten and scared. He should have shooed her away, but he’d known the minute she whined and tried to grab a moldy, half-eaten sandwich that he would at least take her in for the night. He’d fed her and given her a warm place to sleep and taken her straight to Noah Bennett’s animal clinic here in Bliss.

And somehow he’d left with her and a bunch of medications Noah had convinced him she needed. Now he had a dog.

He wasn’t a guy who had a pet. He was a badass, a once upon a time criminal, a dude the sheriff feared. He wasn’t a dog dad.

“It’s okay.” He reached out and patted her head. “The only threat here is to my dignity. The sheriff doesn’t like me. Probably because he’s an ex-DEA agent and I used to be a member of an MC that ran a shit ton of drugs. I didn’t do it for the money, but I don’t think the sheriff wants a rundown on how I went into a life of crime to try to save my brother.”

The same brother who’d stood in front of him and told him he didn’t want to see him again because Sawyer was part of a life he wasn’t ever going back to. Now Wes had a wife and kid and a house in Denver, and Sawyer hadn’t seen the brother he’d spent much of his life and pieces of his soul trying to protect in years.

The dog stared at him with soulful eyes. She was a good listener. She was probably the only listener Sawyer’d had since he’d joined the Colorado Horde. He’d had friends before then. Ty and Lucy and River. He’d pushed them away because of the danger he’d represented in those years and was only now finding his way back, which was precisely why he was sitting in his Jeep as the town Christmas party went on in front of him. He watched as Max Harper herded one of his kids inside. The boy. Sawyer would bet his wife Rachel had taken their oldest, Paige, with her when she came in to set up for the party. Sure enough, Rye Harper, Max’s twin brother and Rachel’s other husband, hustled in behind them.

Max Harper. Sawyer shook his head. “Even after all these years it’s weird to think of Max as a dad. As a husband, really. He’s the single biggest asshole I’ve ever met, and I’ve met Taggart. Max was born an asshole. Like the man was born without a single fuck to give. The good news is his brother seems to have gotten an adequate amount. Still have no idea how Rachel puts up with him. Not that I know her well. She doesn’t exactly frequent Hell on Wheels.”

Hell on Wheels was a world he understood. It was the bar his granddad had started over forty years before, and Sawyer had ended up in charge when he’d died five years back. Just in time for Sawyer to find refuge there. The bar had become the bane of his existence and his sanctuary. He worked and then went home to sleep, and then started it all over again. He rarely came into Bliss, preferring to drive hours to larger towns where no one asked questions or tried to make small talk.

No one asked about his dog or if he’d finally named his dog, and how the hell did he have a dog?

There was a tap on his window, and it took everything Sawyer had not to reach for the gun he kept close at all times—a habit mostly from those years when the world had been brutal and dangerous. Luckily he’d trained it out of himself enough so he didn’t point a gun in Jax Lee’s face.

The smiling dude waving at him while standing in the snow had married Sawyer’s childhood friend years before. “Hey, Sawyer. How’s it going? You missed the dinner party last Saturday.”

It was past time to get this over with. He might be able to pawn everything off on Jax and get back in time to… Work a shift he wasn’t supposed to work? Lark would get pissy with him since she rarely got to handle the bar by herself. Apparently he was overbearing or something according to his employees. Lark had been happy to send him off, perfectly thrilled to have a Saturday night all to herself. Well, and the other three employees working this evening. Lark and Sidney would handle the bar and customers, while Gil worked the fryer and Joe punched the crap out of anyone who thought Lark and Sid were on the menu. The Saturday night crowd could be rough. It was precisely why he almost never skipped one.

“Sorry, had to work.” He’d gotten the evite complete with a picture of River and Jax and their big dumb dog looking cute standing in their kitchen. It was sweet and normal, and he’d known he couldn’t sit at their table, and it wasn’t because of the vegetarian fare. It was because he would have to sit with them and Lucy and Ty and their partner, Michael. It was because he would be the only one there alone, the only one who didn’t belong. Not that he’d ever actually belonged with them. They’d formed a family over the years, and didn’t every family need a black sheep?

Black sheep didn’t go to family dinners.

Jax merely smiled and waved it off. “Of course, but you should know River’s determined to get on your schedule. You going in? Hey, girl. How are you? Buster’s inside. I’m sure he would love some company.”

The dog’s tail wagged madly as though she knew a good thing when it came into her life. Jax was a good thing. Sawyer was… He was the one who’d found her and gotten talked into keeping her. Would Buster like some company? River had always loved dogs, and weren’t two better than one?

The idea of pawning off the pup on River actually didn’t make him feel good. He’d gotten kind of used to her being around. Not because he liked her or anything. No. He didn’t like having her lie her head on his lap or wag her tail when they went for a walk. She forced him to be more active. Yes, an excellent and logical explanation. He had to take her on walks and out to the bathroom, and it felt good to move more.

“I was just going to drop off some stuff.” He wasn’t sure why, but he’d bought presents for his friends this year. Some bug had gotten into him. Maybe because Michael and Ty had started coming in regularly with Lucy, and they always found some reason to force him to sit down for a while and share some truly greasy fries with them while they talked about what had happened up at the resort during the week. River and Jax would join them from time to time. The last year had made him…the word made his stomach turn…long. He needed to stop longing. It wasn’t manly. “Hey, I should get back to the bar. Could you take some presents in for me?”

Jax’s head shook, and he held up his hands, both carrying large bags. “Sorry, man. River loaded me up. Come on inside. There’s turkey and dressing, and I’m sure Max is going to spike the hell out of the punch. Oh, and Stella made chocolate pies. You know since she’s semi-retired no one except her husband gets chocolate pies.”

It had been a long time since he’d been to Stella’s. He used to go a lot as a kid. When he would play at Ty’s place, and Ty’s mom invited Sawyer’s granddad to dinner sometimes. They would always go to Stella’s and let Ty and Sawyer and his brothers sit in their own booth like big men while they laughed and shared stories of raising wild boys, as they called them. River’s father would join them every now and then, and he would look over from the table he sat at with his friends to see his grandfather smiling, and the world didn’t seem so awful.

A deep sense of nostalgia swept over Sawyer.

He was a long way from that boy. His grandfather was gone. His brothers were out in the world and didn’t seem to care about him. Did he have to lose all his friends?

Jax’s smile faded, a serious look coming over his face. “Sawyer, River misses you. It’s been years, man. You can’t hole up forever.”

He didn’t see why he couldn’t. He’d holed up pretty well. And yet he found himself opening the door and letting the dog bound out. There was something magical about seeing her tail wag, her whole body bouncing around like this was the greatest moment of her life. Mere weeks before she’d growled and snapped and tucked her tail between her legs.

He could do this. He hauled the gifts out and followed Jax up to the town hall. The place practically glowed against the snow and velvet winter night. He felt weird walking into this particular Hallmark movie.

Until he looked around and realized this film would never make the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movie list since everyone was throupled up.

Threesomes were all the rage in Bliss, and he was surrounded by them. He caught sight of local rancher James Glen sitting by one of the many Christmas trees decorating the hall, his wife, Hope, in his lap, and the aforementioned vet he shared said wife with at his side. The mayor of Bliss was dancing with his wife, Laura, though their partner Cameron Briggs was plastered to her back, his hands on her swaying hips. Ah, Christmas in Bliss. He was pretty sure one of those trees was decorated with beets. Yeah, Mel Hughes would have brought the beet tree in. He glanced over and, sure enough, there was the old guy sitting with his girlfriend, who would be his wife if the man wasn’t worried aliens could track him through government paperwork. He was talking to the newest trio in town. Elisa, Van, and Hale were sitting at a table with Mel—Elisa’s father.

“Can I help you with those?” Callie Hollister-Wright gave him a big grin. She was a pretty brunette with shining eyes and a smile capable of lighting up a room. She had a Santa hat on her head and blinking Christmas tree lights she wore as earrings.

She was also married to the sheriff, who didn’t trust Sawyer. And for good reason. “I just need to set these down and then I’ll get out of everyone’s hair.”

Callie leaned over to pet the dog, who was drooling, though Callie didn’t seem to care. “Why would you say such a thing? Come on in and stay awhile. It’s cold out there. You need to warm up. Though be careful with the eggnog. Max spiked it.”

“You should have known that would happen.”

She straightened up, lips curling in a mischievous grin. “Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if it was only Max. I’m afraid Van spiked it, too. And Ty. And then Mel added a couple of drops of his whiskey tonic…”

“Let me guess.” Despite how out of place he felt, a smile crossed his face. This town was beautifully weird. “To keep the aliens away.”

The old man was serious about keeping the aliens away.

“You know it’s high mating season for… I don’t remember what he called them, but the outcome for us is the eggnog is seriously spiked.” She frowned. “It’s too much. I was hoping for something sweet with a little kick, but I’ll have to settle for a beer, I guess.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “I thought you brought in a full bar for these things.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but it’s kind of a self-service thing, and I am not a bartender.” Her stare focused in on him. “Not like you are. You know there are rumors you once worked at a super-fancy hotel in Denver and know how to make way more than you pretend to.”

He shouldn’t. He should run and run fast. The sheriff wouldn’t like Sawyer mixing his wife’s drinks. And yet he couldn’t quite turn her away. Callie was kind to him despite knowing as much as she knew about his past. “I’ll see what you have. You want sweet, right?”

“So it is true. You pretend to only know how to pour beer,” she said as though she’d solved a mystery.

Sawyer placed his gifts on the big table designated for them and sighed. “I might be better than I tell people, but honestly, I don’t get many requests for espresso martinis at Hell on Wheels. And I might be out of practice, so this could be terrible.”

He made his way to the makeshift bar and quickly figured out his best bet was a chocolate martini. He found the shaker and was pouring it out for Callie in no time at all. Dog sat patiently beside him, her tail thumping.

She needed a name.

“Here you go.” He slid the glass Callie’s way.

Her eyes lit up. “It looks delicious.”

Sawyer frowned. “You know I’m not the only bartender here.” He pointed across the room. “Alexei literally tends the bar at your restaurant. And so does the new kid. Van.”

She shrugged. “But you’re here.”

Jen Talbot strode up, slapping a hand on the bar and giving him a long-suffering sigh. “Thank the universe. Sawyer, I’m going to need one of those. Max ruined the eggnog, and I don’t know what is in the thing Nell brought. She said it was an old recipe from her momma, and she called it winter’s dew. I don’t think it sounds good. She said it’s the essence of winter, which is pretty much snow and cold.”

Jen kind of scared him so he made a big shaker full. Like her best friend, Rachel Harper, Jen could be quite a lot to handle, but then most women in Bliss were. “Here you go. This should take care of you for a couple of drinks.”

Jen took a sip, and her eyes closed. “Damn, it’s good. I thought Alexei knew how to make a martini.” Jen pointed his way. “You are a keeper, Sawyer…” She frowned. “I don’t know your last name.”

And he was okay with that. It wasn’t like he was angling to get invited to dinner. It wasn’t like he wanted to belong here. “It’s just Sawyer.”

“Okay. Maybe I don’t know your first name,” Jen acknowledged, and then her attention was wrenched away as two small boys ran by like whirling dervishes. “Logan Talbot and Charlie Hollister-Wright.”

Both boys froze like they were playing Simon Says and Simon had said freeze.

Jen moved in front of her son, wrinkling her nose with obvious affection. “Slow down.”

“Yes, momma,” the little boy who looked an awful lot like Stef Talbot said.

“Yes, Auntie Jen,” Charlie Hollister-Wright replied politely. And then they were off again, though slightly slower this time.

They ran past a woman in a red sweater and jeans, her dark hair flowing around her shoulders.

Sawyer stood there because something odd happened. Maybe it was the scent from whatever Nell brought. Maybe it was a contact high from standing too close to the eggnog. Maybe it was a stroke. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn the damn world slowed down and a fucking spotlight came out of nowhere, shining down on that woman. So pretty. She practically glowed. She smiled at someone, though Sawyer didn’t see who because the stroke he was obviously having made it hard to look at anyone but her. Yeah, this was a dangerous health situation. His eyes should be able to move.

In the distance he could hear music playing. Hopefully it was from the speakers and not from whatever was happening in his fucked-up head.

Had he taken a bunch of drugs and forgotten he’d done it? Should he see if Doc Burke was here? He probably was. What would he tell him? My eyes only want to look at the new girl and damn she’s pretty.

She turned his way and looked at the martini in Callie’s hands, her eyes going wide as though she’d finally seen heaven.

Or was she looking at him?

Wasn’t there a broom closet in this place the Harpers had already christened? It wouldn’t be the first time some adventurous tourist tried to get him alone for a memorable time. He wasn’t sure why a tourist was here, but she’d probably stumbled in and everyone welcomed her because she was obviously sweet and friendly. He would welcome her boobs. They pressed against her sweater, round and tempting, and he could already feel them in his hands, feel the silk of her hair as he pushed it back so he could kiss the soft skin of her neck.

The woman started walking his way and Sawyer wondered if Ty was here somewhere and could watch the dog for a little while.

Maybe he should ask her to dinner.

Definitely a medical emergency.

“That’s Sabrina. She’s Elisa Leal’s sister,” Callie was saying. “She’s so sweet. She teaches kindergarten. We all love her.”

A schoolteacher?

“Elisa is my new deputy, Mel’s daughter,” a familiar voice said. Nate Wright’s deep tones finally broke the spell. Sawyer turned, and the sheriff stood there with his wife. He wasn’t in uniform this evening, but there was no way to mistake the air of authority he oozed. “Sabrina’s only here for a few days. She lost her momma a couple of years back, and then she nursed her sister through cancer. She’s a good one.”

A good one. A sweet woman. A freaking schoolteacher, and he’d thought about banging her in a broom closet. He’d done things Sabrina Leal wouldn’t be able to imagine. Now that he really looked at her he could see the way she smiled at him, expectation in her eyes.

This wasn’t a woman looking for a quick lay. She would need love and affection and attention, and he had none of those things to give to anyone. The most he could give a woman was a good time in bed and a slap on the ass as she left, preferably before morning because he slept better alone.

Sabrina Leal approached the bar, her eyes on him and him alone.

She felt the pull, too. She just didn’t understand what a bad fucking bet he was.

He had the sudden urge to ask her to dance.

He did not dance.

He did not play bartender for friends at a Christmas party where kids ran around and people danced and exchanged gifts like they were some sort of a family.

Sawyer didn’t have a family.

“Hi, I’m Sabrina.” She held out her hand like they were meeting at a fucking church social. “What’s your name?”

Sawyer felt the weight of the sheriff’s eyes on him, honestly the weight of the world on him, and said the only thing he could think of. “No. Nope. I’m out of here.”

He strode away, not looking back. When he got to the Jeep it was only habit to let the dog in. He thought about leaving her behind, too, since someone in that warm, friendly, homey building would surely take better care of her. But then she was in her seat, and he couldn’t kick her out.

Not even the baddest man in all of Bliss County would toss a dog out into the snow a few days before Christmas.

He heard someone call his name and turned the engine over.

He drove away and didn’t look back.

* * * *