He pulled back enough that their eyes could meet. “Somewhat?” One corner of that beautiful mouth lifted in a half smile that coaxed her to smile, too. “You freaked.”
And then she did smile. “Yeah. I kind of did.”
“But you’re over that? You’re okay?”
“I am, yeah.” She thought how amazing he was. She wished she was someone else, someone still capable of really going for it, opening her heart, trusting that everything would work out all right in the end.
But she was just Sarah, strong enough to go on, yet cautious to a fault when it came to trusting a man again. Even a wonderful man who seemed to want to give her the world.
“And I have to ask...”
“What?”
“Petunia?” she taunted. “Seriously?”
“Hey. He was already named. I didn’t want him to suffer an identity crisis on top of everything else.”
She knew she shouldn’t ask. “So...Petunia has had a difficult past?”
“He had mud fever and cracked heels from being left out in the open in bad weather. The vet’s receptionist found him wandering around in the park. No owner ever showed up to claim him.”
“How did they know his name was Petunia?”
“He was wearing a frayed bridle with Petunia tooled into the cheekpiece.”
“Poor guy.”
“Yeah. Dr. Smith treated him. When no owner appeared to take him home, he was offered for sale.”
“And you took him.”
“I like a survivor. Petunia is my kind of guy.” He skated a finger down the bridge of her nose as Sophia let out another of her happy sounds. “How about I introduce you?”
“Sure.”
He let her go. She resisted the urge to huddle close a little longer, make him hold her and her baby some more. Xander started forward again, the stocky little pony following right along behind him.
When Xander reached them, Sarah passed Sophia to Logan and petted the pony. Petunia stood placidly as she stroked his nose. When she smoothed his thick mane, he gave a friendly nicker. He really did seem like an amiable creature.
Logan teased, “I think he’s going to be so happy living in the backyard at your place.”
She groaned. “Don’t even kid about it.”
“Your loss. Wren’s already in love with him.”
“Good. I’m sure she’ll take wonderful care of him.”
The pony was so gentle and easy-natured that Sarah gave in and let Logan set Sophia on his back just for a moment. Logan held the baby steady and Xander moved in close to the animal, taking the lead right up under Petunia’s chin with one hand, soothing him with the other.
Sophia waved her fists and bounced in Logan’s hold, trusting completely the strong hands that supported her. Sarah might have choked up just a little at the sight. She bent and dug her phone out of the front pocket of the diaper bag and snapped a couple of pictures. What proud mama wouldn’t?
Leaning close as he handed Sophia back to her, Logan whispered, “What’d I tell you? Sophia loves her new pony.”
Her heart just melted. She gazed up at him adoringly and let herself imagine that they would stay together, that one of her baby’s first words would be Dada, and when Sophia said it, she would be reaching for Logan.
For a brief and beautiful moment, Sarah knew it would happen.
But really, who was she kidding? Life was a challenge and things didn’t always work out as a woman hoped they might.
She wouldn’t start counting on anything. Expecting a magical happily-ever-after just wasn’t wise.
* * *
Saturday was the painting party.
Logan and Sarah welcomed the same crew as the week before, and also two of Logan’s brothers, Knox and Hunter. Hunter brought Wren, who was a sweet girly-girl. She carried Opal around with her and spent a lot of time with Sophia, handing her teething toys, thrilled to get a chance to give her a bottle.
With only two rooms to paint, they were finished in the early afternoon. After cleanup, everyone hung around to eat the wings and pizza Logan had ordered and wandered out to sit on the front porch or to gather under the big tree in the back.
Logan loved watching Sarah play hostess. She was so conscientious. She made sure to visit with everyone, to thank them for coming, to tell them how much she appreciated the help.
Once all the guests had left, he and Sarah straightened up the place and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Sophia was already asleep in her freshly painted room, which had been tackled first so it would have plenty of time to dry before her bedtime.
He and Sarah went to bed early and made slow, tender love.
Later, he held her as she slept and thought about all the things he wanted to say to her. He wanted to talk with her about the future—their future.
About where they might go, as a couple, from here.
No, they hadn’t been together for that long. And she was skittish about making any real plans with him. He had a feeling his best move was no move, that he should just let her be for a while, enjoy this time with her, give her the space to come to fully trust him on her own.
But damn it, life was too short. Why waste a moment being cautious and careful when he knew what he wanted, when he was certain that, deep in her heart, she wanted the same thing?
Yeah, all right. She’d been disappointed more than once. He got that. But he hadn’t disappointed her so far, now had he? And he wouldn’t disappoint her. He would be there for her and for Sophia. Whatever happened, she could depend on him, through the good times and the bad. He aimed to prove that to her.
Yeah, it was a little crazy, how gone he was on her. But he knew what he had with her. He didn’t question it. He knew it was real. After all the years of never letting himself get too close to anyone, he finally wanted it all. With Sarah.
It kind of scared him how important she’d become to him—both her and Sophia—and so swiftly, too. But being scared didn’t bother him. He found fear exhilarating. He would bust right through it, overcome it to claim what he wanted.
Sarah, though, held back. She guarded her heart. She just couldn’t let herself trust him, not in the deepest way.
And he wanted everything with her. He wanted it now, wanted to break through the barriers she put up to protect herself, and show her she didn’t need protection—not against him.
She stirred in his embrace.
He smoothed her tangled hair, wrapped his arms a little closer around her. She settled.
And he started thinking that hanging back, waiting for her to decide it was okay to trust him, was no solution. Action was called for.
He needed to make a real move. The move had to make a clear statement of his intent, of his purpose, of what he held for her in his heart. He needed to prove to her that he wasn’t going anywhere. To show her that she was his and he was hers, and she didn’t need to be afraid anymore.
He pulled the covers a little closer around them and closed his eyes. As sleep crept up on him, he smiled to himself.
It was really so simple. He knew what to do.
Chapter Ten
“Sarah?” her mom called as she came in the door of Falls Mountain Accounting early Monday morning.
“Be right there.” She glanced down at Sophia, who was sound asleep in the carrier. The baby didn’t stir. Sarah hurried into her office, put the carrier on the desk, set her laptop beside it and then let the diaper bag slide to the floor.
She went on to her dad’s office, where her father leaned back in his leather swivel chair, looking happy and relaxed in a way he never had while she was growing up. Her mom, in a silky blouse, high heels and a pencil skirt, had hitched a leg up on the corner of his desk. Flo Turner looked downright sexy, kind of lounging there, eyes twinkling, grinning like the cat that got two bowls of cream.
Mack gave a low, gravelly chuckle. Flo leaned close to him and whispered something in his ear before turning her glowing smile on Sarah. “Come in and sit down, honey. We need to talk, the three of us, before we open for the day.”
For no logical reason, Sarah felt a prickle of unease tighten the muscles at the back of her neck. But her parents seemed happy and totally in love as usual, so what was there to be anxious about?
She entered the room and took one of the guest chairs. “Everything okay?”
Her mom and dad exchanged another way-too-intimate glance, after which her dad said, “We have some big news and we felt it was time to share it with you.”
Big news?
The craziest thought occurred to her: Could her mom be pregnant? Growing up, she’d longed for a little brother or sister.
Her mom was only forty-four. Sarah had read somewhere that there were women who didn’t reach menopause until their sixties. Was her mom one of those?
If so, well...
A new brother or sister...?
Given the way her parents carried on lately, a new baby Turner didn’t seem completely out of the realm of possibility.
The more she considered it, the more she liked the idea—loved it, even.
It would be great. Sophia’s new aunt or uncle would be a year or so younger. They would grow up together, do all those things that siblings do. Fight and make up, keep each other’s secrets and have each other’s backs.
Life. It never ceased to amaze.
Her dad said, “Your mother and I are planning a big change.”
“A move,” Flo added, excited and so pleased as Sarah felt her big smile fading. “A move to the Gulf. We want to mix it up in a big way. Go where it’s warm, live near the ocean.”
What?
Wait.
Her mom and dad were moving, going miles and miles away?
No...
It couldn’t be. Not now.
Not when she’d just come to realize how happy she was to have them nearby, to know she could turn to them whenever things got rocky. She’d let herself picture them helping her raise Sophia. She’d imagined how she would be there to support them as they grew old.
Yes, all right. There had been that initial shock of coming home to find her dried-up, depressing parents had fallen in love with each other and couldn’t stop going at it right here in the office.
But in the past couple of weeks, she’d grown used to the way they were now, even come to like how open and loving they’d become with each other. She enjoyed being around them.
And now they were leaving?
They seemed oblivious to her distress. They grinned at each other, so pleased with their big plans. Mack said, “Fishing charters. That’s what we’re thinking. But first, we’ll find a nice little place, get settled in, take it easy, you know, just your mother and me.”
Flo leaned toward Mack again. She touched his face, a tender caress. “Your dad never wanted to be an accountant. Did you know that, sweetheart? This was your grandfather’s office and it was always just assumed that Mack would enter the family business.”
“I had hopes I would maybe try something different,” Sarah’s dad said gruffly. “I wanted a job where I could work outdoors.”
“But then I got pregnant with you,” said her mother. “We had to be responsible. And we were.”
“So responsible,” her dad echoed sadly, the lines in his face etching deeper as the corners of his mouth turned down.
“And I know, I know, we’ve spoken of all of this, of the bleak years.” Her mom looked sad, too, for a moment. But then she brightened right up again. “What matters is that those days are behind us. You turned out amazing—our baby, all grown up now, with a baby of your own, so capable and smart, taking care of yourself and doing a great job of it. Your father and I feel it’s okay now for us to move on, to make a change.”
Mack caught Flo’s hand and pressed his lips to it. “We’re going to live the life we’ve both been longing for.”
“At last.” Her mom turned to beam at her again. “Honey, the office will be yours.”
“And there’s plenty of money,” said her dad.
Flo laughed. “My parents and your Turner grandparents were big savers. We inherited a lot. And the business has done well. All these years, we never spent a penny we didn’t have to spend.”
“And we’ve invested wisely,” added Mack.
“We have a hefty retirement,” Flo said, “so we’re all set. The cottage, our house, the business and a nice chunk of cash will all be yours. You’ll have no problem hiring an office manager—and another accountant, if you think that’s the way to go. And I know you’ve been resisting day care, but Just Us Kids is right here in town and it’s excellent. They take babies. And you can definitely afford it, so just consider that, won’t you?” Before Sarah could speak, she continued right on. “Of course, we plan to return often to be with you and our darling Sophia.”
“However...” Mack sat forward in his chair and braced his forearms on the desk. “We have been thinking about Chicago.”
“Yes,” Flo chimed in. “We mustn’t forget Chicago.”
Sarah had no idea what they were talking about now. “Uh. We mustn’t?”
Her mom plunked her hand over her heart. “Honey, when you decided to come home to live, we did offer to pitch in so that you could keep your high-powered job and your life in the city. You refused to take our money.”
“Mom. You’d already put me through college. You paid for everything my scholarship didn’t cover. I’ve got a degree from Northwestern and I have no loans to repay. It was enough. More than enough.”
Her mom made a tutting sound. “Having Sophia was just such a challenge, we understood that. What I’m saying is, we probably should have pushed you harder to take what we offered and keep on with your original plans—and since then, it has occurred to us that maybe what you really want is to return to your life in Chicago. But you insisted on coming home and, well, of course we do love that you’re here.”
“We should have questioned you further as to what course you really wanted.” Mack frowned regretfully. “But we didn’t. And that’s why we’re offering again now. If you want that big-city life you always yearned for when you were growing up, we want you to have it. There should be more than enough money, especially if you sell the properties and the business, for you to make that happen comfortably, without all the stress and pressure you were under before.”
“Whatever your dream is, you will be living it,” said Flo. “I admit, it has seemed to me that you’re making a good life for yourself here. And things do appear to be going so well with you and Logan...”
“But we realize,” Mack jumped in, “that we might only be hoping you’re happy here because Rust Creek Falls is our hometown and of course we would love to return here whenever the mood strikes and have you and our granddaughter right here waiting for us.”
“That’s simply not fair,” said her mom. “We can just as well come and visit you and Sophia in Chicago. So we want you to know that however you choose to go forward, we will support you one hundred percent.”
“Absolutely,” Mack agreed. “Whatever you want to do next, we will help make it happen.”
Both of them stared at her expectantly.
Sarah realized they were waiting for her to say something.
Well, she had plenty to say. Yeah, okay. They were being sweet and understanding and so very generous.
But it didn’t matter.
She wanted to yell at them that their plans were utterly foolish, wildly irresponsible, to argue that they had no right to go pulling up stakes and running off to the Gulf, because...fishing charters? Seriously?
She wanted to beg them to change their minds and stay.
But none of those reactions would be right or fair or kind of h
er.
In all those unhappy years while she was growing up, she wasn’t the only one who’d suffered. Her parents had suffered, too, locked into what they saw as their duty, every day gray and uninspired, a challenge to get through.
And now they’d changed everything. They’d found their happiness. And they had a dream they longed to pursue. She got that, about having dreams—even if her own dreams hadn’t turned out the way she’d planned.
Their dreams were all new and shiny. And she wanted them to have those dreams. She wanted them to have it all.
“Honey?” Her mom was starting to look worried now.
“Just tell us,” said her dad, “if there’s something we’re missing. If you have objections, we want to know.”
“No.” She gave them her brightest smile. “No objections.”
“You’re sure?” asked her mother.
“I am positive.” Surprisingly, she sounded convincing even to her own ears. “And I’m happy for you two. I really am.” Well, at least that was true. She was so glad for them, for what they’d found together after all these years. If only she and Logan might...
No. Really, she was fine on her own. Better on her own. It just didn’t work for her, to go counting on a man, to start hoping for what wasn’t meant to be.
Sometimes she worried that she might be getting too attached to him, that she shouldn’t let him spend so much time with Sophia, who might suffer when the relationship ended. Really, though, he was so good with her.
And why would Sophia suffer if Logan left? She was just a baby, after all. Sophia required a steady, loving presence in her life, someone to count on now and all through her growing-up years. Other people—Sophia’s father, her grandparents, Sarah’s boyfriend, neighbors, babysitters—everyone else might come and go. But Sarah would be there for Sophia, always.
As for herself and her own relationship with Logan, well, maybe she was getting in too deep. Maybe she needed to think about having a talk with him, reminding them both that they shouldn’t get serious, that this was just for now and it was absolutely perfect and not everything had to turn into a lifetime of love.
Her Favorite Maverick Page 14