“Mom, don’t.”
“Well, you were. Have you fallen for Korbin? Macon said there was something going on between the two of you.”
Savanna wasn’t sure her mother believed Korbin was innocent. Her mother was very open-minded. And she was the kind of parent who let her kids learn things on their own. She rarely intervened. Other than at her impromptu family gatherings.
“No. I haven’t known him long enough.”
“It’s not like you to get close to a man so soon.”
“No, it’s not.” Normally she was extra careful about waiting an acceptable amount of time before certain things happened—like having sex. “What has Macon told you?”
“He said he thinks you slept with him.”
Another trait her mother had was that she said whatever was on her mind, regardless of the subject. In this case, sex.
“Mother...”
“It helps to talk about it, honey. Why did you sleep with him so soon?” Her mother rubbed her back the way she had when Savanna was a kid, crying over a scraped knee or something another kid said that hurt her feelings.
“I’m not sure. It just...happened.” They were alone in the yurt, trapped by a snowstorm.
“How do you think he feels about it?”
Savanna scoffed. “Guilty. He’s still in love with his wife.”
Her mother’s face fell in distress. “He’s married?”
“Not anymore. His wife died a year ago.”
“Oh.” Camille nodded in understanding. “Well, maybe meeting you will help him get past it.”
Savanna didn’t see how. It had made him feel worse. “I don’t want to be his rebound girl.”
“Funny thing about love is that once it happens it doesn’t go away and it doesn’t matter when it happens. It just does.” She patted Savanna’s shoulder. “If it’s meant to be, he’ll come and find you.”
Before or after his trouble cleared? How long would that take? What if he was sent to prison? And would Korbin come for her at all? She didn’t believe it. She couldn’t allow herself that luxury. She’d believed in men before and they always let her down.
“Did you leave because you felt he was too much of a risk? Are you afraid to feel the way you did for your fiancé?”
Savanna faced the window again. Her mother was reading her thoughts.
Her mother moved to stand beside her. “That’s a yes if I’ve ever seen one.”
“Mother...”
“You shouldn’t let that stop you, Savanna. Aside from his being a murder suspect, if you believe in him, then you should go after him. Don’t let fear stop you. If you felt strongly enough for him to sleep with him already, there might be something good between you. Don’t let your past spook you away.”
She hadn’t been spooked with her fiancé or the lawyer. She liked calling him “the lawyer” instead of his name because it made him mean less.