Sami appears beside us, relief washing over her face.
“Clay, thank goodness.” She gestures toward me with obvious frustration. “This guy has been harassing me for the past twenty minutes. He won’t take a hint and leave me alone.”
Clay’s eyes flick to me. “Who? Axel?”
“Yes.” She crosses her arms. “He came in here, told me I shouldn’t be working here, and then had the nerve to say he’s ‘my man now’ whatever that’s supposed to mean. I told him I’m not interested, but he won’t back off.”
I watch her face as she reports my behavior, enjoying the fire in her eyes even when it’s directed at me. She’s magnificent when she’s angry.
Clay chuckles knowingly. “Is that right?”
Sami’s expression falters. “It’s not funny, Clay.”
“Axel Ruins is many things,” Clay says, clapping me on the shoulder. “But dangerous to women isn’t one of them.”
The betrayal on her face is almost comical. “You know him?”
“Of course, I know him. He’s best friends with my wife. Actually, speaking of which…”
Clay trails off, and I turn to my left just in time to see Ruby barrel toward us.
“Axel!” She squeals my name and launches herself at me.
I give her a friendly hug. “Hey, Red. Long time, no see.”
Ruby pulls back and looks me over.
“You look good! When did you get back? How was the tour?” Then she slaps me on the shoulder. “And why haven’t you called me?”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Clay’s growls as he slides an arm around Ruby’s waist and pulls her back against his chest.
The movement is smooth, but I recognize it for what it is. The same instinct that’s been hammering through my blood since I first laid eyes on Sami this morning.
Ruby rolls her eyes but settles comfortably against her husband.
“Ignore him. He still gets growly when I hug other men.”
I glance at Sami, who’s staring at all of us with undisguised confusion. Her eyes dart between me and Ruby, then to Clay, trying to put the pieces together.
“Wait.” She holds up her hands. “So, you all really do know each other?”
Ruby finally seems to notice Sami’s presence.
“Of course! Axel and I have been best friends since high school. Plus, he dated our other best friend, Lainey, before she married his dad.”
She says this like it’s the most normal thing in the world, which in our small mountain town, it kind of is.
Sami’s eyes widen with recognition. “Lainey Ruins? From the Piney Creek diner?”
I nod. “The very same.”
“So, when you said you knew my last name because you ‘asked around’...”
“I asked Lainey this morning after I saw you there.”
“Wait.” Her eyes narrow. “Did you follow me here?”
“You’re my woman. Of course, I followed you.”
