Run To You

so, he’d lived at the JH with Sadie. It seemed natural and right and better than he’d ever thought possible.
    Unfortunately, it also gave the town something to gossip about besides the Hendersons’ mysterious septic tank explosion. His moving into the JH had even eclipsed the scandalous discovery that the newest deputy had shacked up with Lily Darlington. Stella’s arrival would give the town something new to feast on. Hollowell gossip was the juiciest kind, and he went in search of the long-lost sisters.
    He found them in the kitchen. Giggling. The bags in his hands hit the floor as he watched his fiancée down a straight shot. “You’re drinking?” He looked at the bottle on the counter. “Tequila?” Sadie never drank tequila. It made her wild and crazy. The last time she’d had one too many margaritas she’d sung “I’m Too Sexy” at Slim Clem’s karaoke night, then passed out on the pool table.
    Sadie smiled. “It’s okay, Vince. Stella is a professional.”
    He turned to the petite woman squeezing lemons into a martini shaker. Lord, she was small. “Professional what?”
    “Mixologist,” Stella provided, her big eyes all innocent as she added a bit of sugar. “It’s one of the more highly skilled and sought-after careers in the industry. It takes a quick mind, steady hand, and knife skills.”
    What industry?
    Sadie nodded like she knew what the hell her sister was talking about. “Like all impalement arts.”
    “Exactly. It’s like sword swallowing or knife throwing.” She put the lid on the shaker. “Or open heart surgery.”
    Sadie laughed like her sister was just hilarious. Vince didn’t get the joke, but that was okay. Sadie’s laughter was more than enough. He moved toward the woman he loved and cupped her face in his palms. “You good?”
    She nodded. “Thanks, Vin.” She kissed the side of his hand. “I owe you.”
    “Hooyah.”
    “Maybe two hooyahs.”
    He chuckled and dropped his hands.
    “Are we ready for round two?” Stella asked as she poured from the shaker into three tall shot glasses.
    Vince preferred a cold beer, but what the hell.
    Stella passed out the glasses.
    “What is this?”
    “A lemon margarita shot, minus the infused vanilla.”
    “ La familia ,” Sadie said as she held up her shot.
    Stella raised her glass. “To family.”
    “Family.” Vince took his shot. It was a little sweet and girly for his liking.
    Sadie’s lips puckered.
    Stella blew out a breath and smiled. “Where’s Beau?”
    Vince would stick with a cold Lone Star. “He left to meet Blake at the Road Kill.”
    “Oh.” Her smile fell and she looked behind Vince as if Beau was hiding behind him. “Is he coming back tonight?”
    Beau might be one cool hard-to-read dude, but Stella was an open book. “He said to give him a call if you need anything.”
    “Oh.” She turned and put her shot glass on the counter, but not before Vince noticed the confusion pulling at her forehead. “So, I guess that means he won’t be back tonight.”
    Vince shot a glance at Sadie, who lifted a brow in response. “I’ll take your bags upstairs,” he volunteered.
    She looked so young as she glanced from Sadie to Vince, then back again. “I guess I’m staying here?”
    “Of course!” Sadie moved toward her sister and put her hand on Stella’s shoulder. “Where would you stay if not here?”
    “Well, I thought I’d stay in a motel.”
    “Why? Why would you even think about staying in a motel?”
    “Well, what if you saw me and didn’t like me? Or . . . or I didn’t like you?” She shrugged. “It’s weird being here.”
    Vince felt bad. Bad that she didn’t feel comfortable in her father’s house. Bad that she hadn’t been sure if her sister would like her.
    “I’ll take your stuff,” he said, and reached for her bags. Yeah, he felt bad, but he was still going to grill the girl like a cheese sandwich.

Chapter Twelve
    B eau woke to the sound of someone puking his guts up. Blake . Beau bunched the pillow beneath his head and looked up at the ceiling fan over his head. Vince’s apartment was your typical two-bedroom, two-bath space. The complex was new and still smelled of new carpet.
    The water in the bathroom down the hall turned on, and Beau sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He’d have preferred to wake up in a hotel room with Stella curled up by his side. Like the last two mornings. Her warm, soft bottom pressed into his hard dick and one of his