“And this just in,” the pretty blonde anchor began. “We now have a confirmed identity on the man who foiled the assassination attempt on Vice President Scott Baker this morning as he was making a speech during a campaign stopover in Blackstone, Colorado.”
“What?” Sarah exclaimed. “Someone tried to kill the Vice President?” After her overnight shift, she’d crashed for a couple of hours at home, then came here to meet Darcey for a late lunch.
“Yeah, it’s been all over the news this morning,” her sister said. “Look, they’re playing the footage again.”
A video, obviously taken from a cellphone camera, showed the handsome young VP on a stage delivering a speech from behind a podium. Suddenly, someone from the audience hopped on stage and charged at him with a gun. Before he could reach the VP, a fast-moving brown blur came from out of nowhere, tackling the would-be assassin down to the ground. Screams could be heard from the background as the camera pulled away from the stage, the footage turning into a shaky blend of trees, sky, running people, and then dirt as the phone landed on the ground.
“Holy shit.” That was intense.
“The Blackstone Police Department has put out a statement and identified the previously-unknown savior.” The anchor’s face disappeared as the headshot of a man filled the screen. “That man’s name is—”
“Daniel Rogers,” Sarah said at the same time, her heart slamming into her chest.
“Sarah?” Darcey asked, her delicate blonde brows snapping together.
Everything around her seemed to stop as a buzzing sound filled her ears. For a second, she thought she was imagining things, but no. That face … there was no mistaking it. That was definitely the man she woke up next to in that motel three months ago.
Her husband.
“It’s him,” she whispered, unable to break her gaze from the screen. Though the image had been replaced with a commercial break, it was still burned into her mind. And those eyes—silvery blue, just as she thought she’d remembered. And then more memories came slamming back into her brain at the same time.
Strong arms wrapping around her.
Firm lips on hers.
The cotton fabric of a shirt, warm from the heat of golden tanned skin.
You. Only you from now on.
“Sarah!”
Fingers snapping in front of her face jerked her out of the memory. “Oh God.”
“The anchor said his name was … was that him?” Darcey asked, her blue eyes widening. “Your hus—”
“Yes,” she confirmed, slumping back in her seat. “Oh God.” Her nerve endings felt frazzled, and hot and cold flushes alternated in her system. Somehow, when he was just a faded memory and a name, it was like he was a figment of her imagination. But now, it all came crashing down. The reality of it all, the consequences of her one night of indiscretion. “Fuck my life.”
“This is great!” Darcey clapped her hands together.
“Great? What do you mean, great? This whole thing is a disaster.”
“No, no.” Darcey shook her head, her light blonde curls bouncing against her soft cheeks. “I mean, now you know who he is. Just wait a few minutes and Google his name again. All those news sites will have all his details, and you’ll be able to find him. Then you can go and ask him to sign the papers, and voilà, instant annulment.”
A strange thrill of excitement coursed through her veins at the thought of going to him. What the hell? Excitement? What was she thinking?
“Well?” Darcey asked. “Are you going to do it? Seems like it’s the best solution to our problems.”
And that was how Sarah found herself, days later, driving out to Blackstone Colorado.
Just as Darcey had predicted, information about Daniel Rogers was splashed all over the Internet the next couple of hours after he was identified. While she thought he was a cop or Secret Service Agent, turns out he was some kind of forest ranger. Pictures of him looking dashing in his khaki uniform were everywhere—from social media sites to local news reports, and she tried her best to ignore that stab of desire in her gut, then told herself it was a blessing, not a disappointment, that she didn’t sleep with him that night. Not that she would have remembered anyway.
After getting all the necessary papers ready, she set off for Colorado. She left before dawn and arrived eleven hours later. Exhausted from driving nearly non-stop for half a day, she drove into the small Main Street area of the town.
Blackstone seemed like a lovely place, with its cute little houses and gorgeous mountain scenery now lush and green in the full bloom of summer. But there was no time to be idle and explore; she planned to find Daniel Rogers, have him sign the annulment papers she had in her purse, and then drive back in the morning after getting a couple hours’ sleep at the motel she had booked online.
As she drove down searching for a place to grab a quick bite to eat and figure out how to find her soon-to-be ex, she saw a place called Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe. It sounded like a good place to stop, so she parked in the lot behind the building, and walked inside.
Wow. It was only four o’clock, and the place was already busy. The waitress in front informed her it was half an hour’s wait to get a table, but she was so tired, she didn’t want to go anywhere else, so she sat in the waiting area, drinking sips of the free water they offered. Finally, her name was called, and she got up.
“Sarah, party of one?” the pretty older woman in a retro-style dress asked. The name tag on her chest proclaimed her name as Rosie, which meant she was probably the owner herself. “Sorry for the wait, but it’s high season, and we’ve been getting a record number of visitors.”
“No worries,” she said. “I’m famished. Just need something to eat and some coffee.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” she said
