“Hey,” Sarah said. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”
“Hey, yourself. I almost didn’t. I wasn’t sure you would want me here, not after what happened yesterday.”
“I want you here. But I want you to want to be here.”
Some of the tension left his face, and he reached up to touch her face. “I do.” He let his hand drop and cleared his throat. “I brought you something. It isn’t much, but I thought you might… anyhow…” He handed her the book.
Sarah gasped. “Owen, how…? This isn’t supposed to be out for another month.” The book was the latest volume of the Tobias Hedge series. “You didn’t have to do this.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, a move Sarah had learned meant he was uncertain, and shrugged. “I wanted to do it.”
Embarrassed by the tears that pricked her eyes, she smiled and ducked her head. “Thank you. Is this a borrow, or may I keep it?” She started to open the book, but he stopped her, putting his hand over hers.
“Don’t open it here. Wait until you’re alone. There’s a letter inside. And it’s yours. Unless you don’t want it,” he said teasingly as he moved as though to take it back.
Sarah tucked the book against her chest. “Oh, no. You’ll have to pry this out of my hands to get it back.”
His smile told her how pleased he was by the statement, and Sarah felt a little more certain of his affections. Taking a step forward, she rested her free hand on his chest and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his cheek, near the corner of his mouth.
Owen sighed and closed his eyes, wrapping an arm around her waist to bring her closer to him. He rested his forehead against hers for a minute, then placed a soft kiss there. He pulled back when Eliza cleared her throat from the kitchen door.
“Not that I want to interrupt the two of you, but dinner’s ready. Sarah, bring him in before these boys eat up all that food you worked so hard on.”
“Yes, Mama.” Clasping Owen’s hand, she led him into the kitchen. “I’ll introduce you to everyone, and then I’ll take this upstairs to my room.” Though she tried to hide the book against her body, making sure the title was hidden on the inside, Kathy still saw it when they stepped into the kitchen. She reached for it, but Sarah drew back and grasped the book even tighter.
“Well, must be something if you’re that protective of it. What is it, a book of love poems from your sweetheart?” Kathy sneered.
“Of a sort, yes. It’s called The Kama Sutra. You should look it up sometime. You might find it informative.” Sarah didn’t expect Kathy to understand the reference, but when Owen, who had sneaked a cookie off the tray, let out a choking noise, Sarah felt her face heat to an almost painful level. Without looking at him, she managed to squeak out the introduction. “Owen, this is my sister, Kathy. I’m going to put this upstairs.”
It was all she could do not to burst out laughing as she hurried to her bedroom. Once there, she looked around, trying to figure out where to hide the book. She knew that as soon as Kathy got a chance, she’d be upstairs searching for it.
“Shit. Where can I put you that you’ll be safe?” she asked the book. Not surprisingly, it didn’t answer, but Sarah thought she might have the ideal place. Sneaking back out into the hall, she listened to make sure her sister was still downstairs, then hurried along the carpeted runner into her mother’s room. She eased the door closed and went to the vacuum cleaner Eliza had stashed there that morning. Very carefully, she opened the compartment that held the bag and placed the book inside. Satisfied, she closed it and stood.
“What are you doing?” her mother asked in a loud whisper.
With a squeak, Sarah turned, her hands going to her chest. “Mama! You scared me to death!”
Eliza looked over her shoulder, then back at Sarah. “Sorry. What are you doing?”
Sarah ushered her back out into the hall, then pulled the door closed. “Owen gave me a book, and Kathy saw it. She’s curious, and you know what that means. I don’t want her to see it.”
“Well, I came up here to get a washcloth for the baby and saw you come in here. Couldn’t figure out what in the world you were up to.” As they headed back downstairs, Eliza stopped Sarah at the turn of the steps with a hand on her arm. “Is it really The Kama Sutra?”
“No! I only said that because of Kathy. How do you know what The Kama Sutra is?”
Eliza’s smile was wicked. “Never you mind. But Sarah, poor Owen. If you could have seen his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone turn that shade of red. I expect you’ll have some explaining to do later as to how you know what it is. As a matter of fact, I’d like to know the answer to that, myself.”
“Not the way you think, I promise. Remember Portia, from school?” Sarah asked, waving a hand in front of her face in a desperate attempt to cool her cheeks. “She gave it to me before I left. I never would have said what I did if I knew everyone was familiar with it.”
Her mother was clearly struggling to keep a straight face. If Jack hadn’t walked over to check on them at that point, Sarah thought they would have dissolved into laughter right then and there.
There was a little chaos as everyone settled around the dining room table, but once they were all seated, they joined hands, and Eliza led them in the blessing. Conversation halted while the food was passed.
“Owen, you must be special. Sarah never cooks, but I guess she made pretty much all this by herself. I hope you didn’t mix up the sugar and the salt again, like you did that one time,” Kathy said.
Sarah’s hopes for a peaceful dinner evaporated. She knew the expression on Kathy’s face too well. Her sister would do everything she could during the meal to punish Sarah for not letting her see the book.
“Kathy, I believe that happened when Sarah was ten years old. And she cooks all the time; you just aren’t here to see it,” Eliza said. Though their mother’s tone was neutral, she sent Kathy a pointed look. “And yes, Owen is special.” Sarah sent her a grateful smile.
“You made all this?” Owen asked Sarah when Jack distracted Randall and Kathy with a question about the baby.
“Um, yes, most of it. I cook when I’m upset,” she confessed in a low voice. Because there were so many people there, they all were sitting in closer quarters than usual. Sarah could feel the heat of Owen all along her left side, and he didn’t have to move much to be able to speak so as to not be overheard.
“I’m sorry.”
Sarah moved her left hand off the table and touched his leg. “Don’t. I’m not upset now. I just needed a little time to get my head around things.”
Owen covered her hand with his. They left their hands clasped together under the table and resumed eating.
“So what is it you do, exactly, Owen?” Randall asked out of the blue, sitting back in his chair to put an arm around Kathy’s shoulders. “I’ve asked around, but nobody seems to know.”
“Randall! That’s rude, don’t you think? And it’s also none of your business,” Sarah said.
“Now, that’s not a nice thing to say, girl. I’m looking out for you. If this fella’s serious about courting you, he needs to be able to support you.” Randall’s hurt expression didn’t fool Sarah for an instant, and her hand clenched around Owen’s.
He squeezed back. “It’s okay. I do research for people who can’t travel down here, and I help my uncle out in Laurel County on his farm every year. I’m perfectly able to support Sarah, if that’s something she and I decide needs to happen.”
Randall scoffed. “Shoot, you can’t make much money at that. Research. Tell you what, I could put in a word for you down at the county garage. If you know your way around an engine, that is. Your brother sure did, I’ll tell you that.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine doing what I do now.” Owen’s tone clearly bro
oked no argument, but Sarah figured the warning was lost on Randall.
“So are you going to let Sarah keep working? If you do get married, I mean? I wouldn’t want my wife out there, exposed to all those men that go in that library. Might give her ideas, if you know what I’m saying.” His arm, draped around Kathy’s shoulders, tightened, and Sarah saw her sister wince as if in pain. “It’s a good thing for a wife to know her place.”
Sarah didn’t dare glance at her mother. She was afraid of what she’d see.
Owen’s voice was cold. “Sarah and I haven’t discussed marriage yet, thank you, but when and if we get to that point, Sarah’s free to make her own place however she sees fit. I don’t hold with the tradition that a woman should stay pregnant and barefoot unless that’s what she wants.”
Randall’s face turned red, but before he could speak, Jack jumped in, “Speaking of garages, I went and saw Mr. Campbell at the Ford dealership yesterday.” He looked at Owen. “Kin of yours?”
Owen shook his head. “No. Different set of Campbells.”
“Ah. Okay. Well, in any event, I’ll be starting there Monday in the service department. I’ll be working as a mechanic.”
There were congratulations and well wishes all around the table, and Jack took them in stride.
“That was fast,” Eliza said. “I know you were concerned about finding a job.”
Jack nodded and touched Gilly’s hand. “I was. But now that I have found one, we’re going to move the wedding up. We’re not going to wait until next year. Life’s too short.” His pronouncement was met with stunned silence, and then everyone was talking at once.
“Oh, my God. You got her pregnant!” Kathy declared, her eyes wide.
“Kathleen! Watch yourself,” Eliza warned. “We have a guest.”
Sarah saw the color start at Jack’s collar and climb its way up from there. She winced, knowing her sister was about to get lambasted.
“Gilly is not pregnant,” Jack ground out. “We aren’t anticipating our marriage vows, unlike—”
“Jackson Reese Browning!” Eliza shouted. Everyone turned to stare at her. Eliza rarely lost her temper enough to yell. “God help me get through this dinner without strangling someone, and I swear to you, I’ll clean the church every day this week as penance.” Lowering her gaze from the ceiling to look first at Jack, then at Kathy and Randall, she nodded once. “As you were.”
Randall, perhaps trying to smooth things over, asked Jack, “Where are you all going to live once you’re married?”
Jack released a slow breath. “We were hoping we could stay here, just until we got on our feet a little. Mama, is that okay? I mean, you’ll be in Georgia, and Sarah’d be here by herself.”
As the implications sank in, Sarah groaned. Her fork clanged against her plate, and she closed her eyes. “Not again. I don’t think I can survive another pair of newlyweds.”
At the end of the table, Eliza made a strangled noise. She held her napkin up to hide her mouth, but Sarah could tell she was struggling not to laugh.
Fighting to keep her own mouth straight, Sarah looked at Gilly. “Do you think your parents would let me rent your room?”
Completely serious, Gilly met her gaze. “No, but Owen might rent you a room.”
Eliza hurried away from the table with a choked “Excuse me.” Though she went outside, they could still hear her laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Moira asked from beside Sarah. “Aunt Sarah, your face is turning awfully red.”
Flummoxed, Sarah looked down at her niece, trying to figure out how in the world to answer. Kathy came to her rescue, inadvertently, by asking Gilly about the wedding.
“Are you still getting married in church?”
“Of course. And I’m planning on wearing white, too,” Gilly answered.
“Oh, Christ,” Sarah muttered. She let go of Owen’s hand and reached for her water, wishing it was something stronger even though she didn’t like alcohol. Any chance she’d had of presenting a halfway-normal family was out the window. She risked looking at him and felt a little less panicked to see that he didn’t appear offended, but rather amused.
Eliza returned to the table and discussion moved back to Jack’s new job.
“How come you didn’t come to the county garage and put in for work?” Randall asked. “You know I’d have gotten you on there.”
Jack took a long drink of tea. “Because I didn’t want to have to worry about my job disappearing next election year. My family’s security isn’t something I’m willing to risk on politics, and the county garage isn’t known as being the most stable place to work.”
“Oh, ho, how very nice for you, Jackson,” Kathy drawled. “I’d rather have a man who’s committed to standing up for what he believes in. One might almost say your vote is a commodity, if that’s the way you feel.” Before Jack could respond, she turned her gaze to Owen. “How do you vote, Owen? You can tell a lot about a man from the way he casts his ballots. Take my Randall, for example. He’s a straight party man, toes the line the whole way, every year.”
The tension returned, full force, as everyone waited for Owen’s answer. Eliza had apparently given up trying to control Kathy and Randall, and Sarah guessed that she was probably counting the seconds until the dinner was over.
“I vote my conscience,” Owen stated. “I’m more concerned with the man behind the stump speech than whether he’s a Democrat or Republican.”
“That’s a shame,” Randall replied. “A crying shame. Your brother, God rest his soul, he woulda been sick to death with embarrassment. You don’t work a real job; you don’t hold faithful to the party. I bet you don’t even believe in God. Now, Harlan Campbell? He was a man’s man. He died fighting to protect this country from the commies over in Europe. You sure ain’t cut from the same cloth. No, sir.”
Sarah didn’t think there could possibly be another ounce of air left in the room. Everyone had sucked in a breath as the words left Randall’s mouth, even Kathy, who finally had the good sense to look embarrassed.
Owen, however, shrugged nonchalantly and picked up his lemonade. “You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. And I’m of the opinion that any man who so idolizes my brother, God rest his soul, isn’t someone I give two craps and a hoot about. Especially considering that Harlan died in a bar fight over the favors of a whore.” He inclined his head toward Eliza. “Forgive me for speaking so frankly.
“Now, we’ve talked about money, politics, and sex, three things my mother always taught me shouldn’t be discussed in polite company. Knowing Mrs. Browning as I do, I can’t imagine she didn’t teach her children the same thing, which makes it all the more puzzling that all three have come up while we were trying to enjoy this wonderful meal that Sarah prepared for us. It must be some bad outside influence is the only thing that I can come up with.” The last part was said as he stared straight at Randall. The look in Owen’s eyes dared Sarah’s brother-in-law to say a single contradictory word.
“I believe I’m finished here,” Randall said, his face a mottled, ugly red. “I’m going outside for a smoke.” He pushed back his chair with a scrape and left.
“I hear the baby. I’d better check on him. Moira, come help me.” Kathy hurried out of the room, and Sarah felt a moment’s pang of sympathy for her sister.
After they left, Eliza sighed, slumping tiredly in her chair. “Owen, I am so sorry. I didn’t invite you here today to run the gauntlet like that.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Browning. I’m not offended. I expected something like that to happen, to tell the truth. I know how men like Randall work. My brother was one. I apologize for being so crude.”
Though Sarah knew her mother was tremendously embarrassed, the smile she sent Owen was genuine. “Son, I think after this you’d better call
me Eliza. You’ve earned it.”
After the remains of the disastrous dinner had been cleared away, Eliza invited everyone to move to the backyard and play some badminton. Kathy and Randall declined, citing the fussy baby as an excuse to leave early. Sarah didn’t think she imagined the tension level receding as they pulled out of the driveway. She said as much to Gilly.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” Gilly replied. “And yes, I’m being facetious. But your Owen held his own very nicely. You should be proud of him.”
“I am. I’m also deeply ashamed, Gilly. Talk about a trial by fire.”
Her friend poked her in the ribs. “Hey, at least you know he’s not going to turn tail and run away at the first sign of trouble. Come on. Let’s join our men and whip their butts.”
Sarah shook her head, hiding a yawn. “I can’t. I’ve been up since five, and I didn’t sleep last night. Get Mama to go out there with you.”
Gilly pleaded with her to reconsider, but Sarah wasn’t kidding when she said she wasn’t up to it.
“I’ll be asleep if I sit down for more than five minutes, I’m so tired. I’d do you more harm than good.”
She helped convince Eliza to go out in her stead, happy to see her mother smiling again. Once they started playing, Sarah stretched out on the glider, wincing as her sore feet throbbed. Even though they’d not let her help with the dishes, and she had been resting ever since lunch, she still felt as if she’d walked twenty miles.
The next thing she knew, someone was gently shaking her awake.
“Sarah. Wake up, sleepyhead.”
“Owen?”
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