Emmett. That name fit him, although since he’d introduced himself as Sheriff Haywood, clearly Regina didn’t get to use it.
“It’s okay. He did a nice thing bringing me here instead of making me sleep it off in jail. Can’t ask for much more than that. And my name’s Regina, by the way.” She reached up, removed her veil, and tossed it on top of her purse, which had been placed on the coffee table, and not by her. At least, she didn’t remember doing it. “Obviously, yesterday was a rough day. I’m sorry if I caused any inconvenience. I’ll, um, find my car and then make a plan to get out of your hair.”
“We’ll get to that after breakfast,” the sheriff said. “How do you like your coffee?”
“Caffeinated.”
He cracked a smile—an actual, full smile with a hint of teeth. And as she walked toward the steaming mug he offered, it felt like maybe one day she could look back at this whole ordeal and there’d be more than just bad memories in the mix.
Emmett glanced across the cruiser at Regina, who was now wearing a pair of his sister’s too-short jeans along with a fuzzy sweater that made him want to pet it and see how soft it was. The thought of her leaving bothered him for some reason, even though the woman had only brought about a lot of complications.
Regina made a wistful noise as she peered out the window. “Look how cute this place is with all the garland, ribbon, and ‘Season’s Greetings’ flags. You’ve got the whole town decorated, and I bet there was a tree lighting ceremony and everything.”
“It’s tonight, actually. It always causes a big ol’ fuss too. Every year I nearly have to break apart fights over who gets to flip the switch to light the tree.”
She laughed. “Okay, Grinch, I hear you loud and clear. You think the town celebrations are silly.”
He sighed. “Not all of them. People here just take every little event so seriously, and someone always gets offended, and guess who they come running to?”
“The obvious answer says you, although I’m not sure why. If I wanted to rant, I’d choose a more sympathetic ear.”
“And how do you know I’m not sympathetic?” he asked, trying not to be offended and experiencing a pinch of it anyway.
“I never said you weren’t. In fact, between the help you gave me and offered to Gabe last night, I know you are. But sympathetic acts and a sympathetic ear are two different things, and I bet you cut rants short by telling people things like ‘suck it up.’ Possibly even suggest they’re complaining about First World problems.”
“I would never use that phrasing, even if it fits.”
She grinned like she’d caught him red-handed, and her smile hit him right in the chest. He’d already figured out plenty about her too. For example, she seemed like the type to expect a lot, which led to constant disappointments. Emmett had dated a woman with the same personality, and he and his small town had fallen short. Still, he felt bad Regina had been left at the altar, and clearly that guy should’ve had the guts to tell her before she’d gotten all dressed up in that beautiful gown. On account of that, he’d help her to her car and then wish her good-bye and get to work—he was already an hour behind schedule thanks to last night’s shenanigans.
“That’s my car,” she said, her entire body tensing, and he frowned as he looked it over. The snow had dusted it, but with the sun moving higher in the sky, most of it had melted, revealing decorations that declared her “Just married!!!” Someone had really gone overboard on those exclamation points.
“Why don’t I drop you off at the Cozy Cottage—I’ve got some business to settle there anyway—and then you can get your car later. It’s only a couple of blocks to walk it, or you can ask most anyone to give you a ride.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “So I can’t give away rides to strangers, but I can accept them?”
“I can vouch for the people at the Cozy Cottage, along with the folks who run the convenience store and the diner, as well as Grumpy, who you met last night even if you don’t remember.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “It’s the gray-haired quilting ladies you have to be careful of. One minute you’re walking by, the next they’re trying to teach you to sew.”
Her laugh filled the air, lifting the mood in the cruiser and causing a sensation in his gut that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“What do you say? Will you let me take you to the B and B?”
“Sure,” she said. “Let me just grab my suitcase.”
He pulled next to her car, and when she ducked inside, he sent a group text to the guys who’d been so sympathetic to her plight last night. He told them to make sure that, by this afternoon, her car no longer showed any sign of her failed nuptials. He figured with the help of Fern—mad at him or not—he could at least convince Regina to stay for long enough that she didn’t have to drive around with the reminder of her failed wedding trailing after her.
The conversation died when Regina and Emmett stepped into the Cozy Cottage, all eyes moving to them. Emmett had insisted on carrying her suitcase inside, and he moved it in front of him, almost like a shield, setting Regina’s nerves on high alert. What kind of place was she walking into?
“Are you our bride?” a woman with a knotted gray bun on the top of her head asked, and Regina glanced down to make sure she had, in fact, c
hanged out of her wedding dress.
“This is her?” another woman inquired, taking a step toward Regina, and then several others were closing in.
Regina clamped her hand on to the sheriff’s rather firm arm without thinking, and when she peered up into his brown eyes, her heart skipped a beat, making it that much harder to convince herself to let go. “These are the people you vouch for, right?”
The corner of his mouth twisted up a fraction, but it was like he refused to let himself actually smile because that was as far as he let it go. “You’ll be perfectly safe. Now, whether or not you’ll ever get a moment’s peace again …? That’s another story.” He gave her an encouraging nod and turned to the woman with the bun, calling her Fern and asking if she had an open room for Regina.
“Of course! I mean, it’d be easier if someone made the plumber fix our burst pipe yesterday, but since I went and got the parts myself—in a snowstorm, no less—I should have that issue fixed soon.” Fern tapped away at the keyboard of her computer. “In the meantime, I do have one last open room, although it’s one of the smaller ones.”