Owen walked as normally as he could into the woods, even though adrenaline was pumping through his veins. As soon as he was out of sight of the house, he stopped and opened the letter.
Dearest Owen,
I love you, too.
Yours,
Sarah
Owen read the words five times before they truly began to sink in. When they did, he jumped into the air, letting out a whoop that startled the birds from the trees. Elation like nothing he’d ever felt washed over him. He didn’t know what the future held, but the present was pretty damned good, and that was enough.
Chapter Thirty-One
SARAH WAS AMAZED AT HOW quickly Gilly moved to get the wedding plans pulled together. She and Jack had originally planned to get married in June of next year, but without missing a beat, she managed to cobble together stunning results. The flowers, the wedding gown and dresses for the bridesmaids, the suits for the groomsmen—it was almost as though she’d known the wedding date would be pushed up and had planned accordingly.
“If I ever get married, I know who to come to,” she told Gilly. They were in one of the private rooms in the back of the church, and Sarah was helping Gilly with her veil.
“I’ll be glad to help, and you know it. You might ought to start thinking about your own wedding, you know. I’m expecting Owen to propose any day now.”
Sarah bit her lip and met Gilly’s eyes in the mirror. “You think so?”
“Oh, yes. Would you accept him?”
“I believe I would.” Taking care not to muss the braided twist she’d just finished, Sarah gave Gilly a hug. “I’m so glad my brother is marrying you.”
Gilly reached up and squeezed her hand. “So am I.”
The wedding went beautifully, and by two o’clock, Gilly and Jack were on their way to a honeymoon at Cumberland Falls. Gilly’s parents had given them a week in the honeymoon suite at the nicest hotel in the area as a wedding gift.
Sarah rode home with her mother, her aunt Nancy, and Owen, who drove them in Sarah’s car. Nancy and Eliza kept up a steady stream of chatter in the back seat, but Sarah was lost in thought.
Owen reached a hand across the seat to touch her arm. “You okay?”
“Yes. Just thinking about things.” Sarah turned her hand over and captured his.
Once they reached the house, Eliza insisted that Owen come in and eat with them. They lingered over the late lunch, and by the time he left, it was nearing five o’clock.
“I’ll walk you out,” Sarah said. When her mother and aunt both giggled, she sent them repressive looks.
“Hold on,” Eliza said. She hurried around the table and gave Owen a long, solid hug. “You take care of my baby girl while I’m away, all right?”
“I will,” he promised.
“And take care of yourself, too. I’ve come to think a lot of you, young man.”
Owen gave her another hug and murmured something in her ear too low for Sarah to hear.
Eliza pulled back and studied him, a soft smile on her face. “Oh, I think I can do that.”
As they walked out to the edge of the woods, Sarah sent him a curious look. “What was that all about?”
Owen grinned at her. “I’ll tell you later. What time are they leaving tomorrow?”
Because the wedding date had been pushed up, Eliza had convinced Nancy to extend her visit by a week. Sarah had noticed her mother getting more and more antsy, though. Eliza was nearing the end of her ability to remain in the house she’d shared with Ira. Sarah had talked about it briefly with Owen, but was trying to ignore Eliza’s departure as long as she could. She figured she could fall apart once her mother was gone.
“Early. Probably as soon as it’s daylight, if I had to guess. They’ve got a long drive ahead of them.”
They didn’t stop walking until they were in the woods, out of view of the house. Owen pulled her close, and Sarah rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there for a while, simply holding each other.
“What time do you want me here tomorrow?” he finally asked.
Sarah pulled back and shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t think today.” Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands, she sighed. “Any time is fine, I guess. Whenever you can and want to.”
“Okay. Listen, you call me if you need me. Promise me that, Sarah.” He cupped her face and tipped her chin so that she met his gaze. “I’m only a phone call away.”
Lifting her hands to touch his face, Sarah rose up on her toes and kissed him. The kiss contained some heat, but was more a gentle, affectionate exchange than anything. Breaking away, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. “I love you.”
Owen’s arms tightened around her waist, and he straightened, holding her off the ground effortlessly. “I never get tired of hearing that, you know. I love you, too.”
With reluctance, Sarah let her arms down from around his neck, and Owen set her back on her feet. “I guess I’d better go in. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Call me. I can be down here in ten minutes.”
Blowing him a kiss, Sarah started the walk back to the house. She knew she only had to make it one more day, and then she could fall apart. She was very glad because she didn’t know if she could hold herself together much longer.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, a knock came at Sarah’s door. She opened it to see her mother standing in the hall, a small package in her hands.
“Mind if I come in?” Eliza asked.
“Of course not.”
Eliza walked over to the window, stared out into the darkened yard, and sighed. “I’m going to miss you, but I’m so very ready to be gone from here. I hope you understand that, sweetie.”
“I do. I’ll miss you, too, but I want to see you happy again.”
“I’d settle for content, to tell the truth.” Eliza turned and held out the brown paper-wrapped package.
As Sarah took it, she was surprised that it didn’t weigh more. “What’s this?”
Eliza’s cheeks turned red. “Something I think you’re going to need. Go ahead, open it.”
Curious, Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed and unwrapped the paper. When she saw the contents, she blinked and looked back up at Eliza, not understanding. “Condoms?”
Her mother twisted her hands in front of her and moved to sit next to Sarah. “Let me start by saying that I’m not ushering you to go out and have sex. I want to make that clear. I’m not giving you permission. Of course, you’re twenty-one, so you’re responsible for your own self, but still. I’m your mother.”
“Um, yes. You are.”
“I’ve seen the way you and Owen look at each other, Sarah, and I know it’s only a matter of time. I’d like to see you wait until you’re married, but I’m not going to shun you if you don’t.”
Sarah didn’t know what to say. She’d expected her mother to give her a parting gift, much as Eliza had when Sarah had left for college, but she certainly hadn’t expected condoms. Considering that birth control for women was illegal in most states, the gift was significant. At the same time, the situation struck her funny bone, and she started to laugh. It was a simple snicker at first, but before long, it had turned into a full, rolling, belly laugh. Within seconds, she and Eliza were holding on to each other for support, the hilarity taking them over.
“Oh, Mama. What am I going to do without you?” That quickly, Sarah’s laughter turned to tears.
“I suspect you’re going to do just fine, Sarah Jane.” Eliza held her, and when the storm was over, she handed Sarah a tissue. “Now, back to these condoms. Do you remember how to use them?”
“Yes. That was a hard lesson to forget.” She shared a grin with her mother, as they remembered the incident in question. Shortly after Kathy had announced her pregn
ancy with Moira when she was seventeen, Eliza had sat both girls down with a box of condoms and a bunch of bananas. What had started as a serious lecture on sex education had quickly devolved, and all three of them ended up laughing until they cried. “That was one of the first times I think I really felt like an adult. And probably the last time Kathy and I did anything remotely close to a sisterly activity.”
“I wish that was different. But she’s changed so much since she married Randall. We can only do what we can do, Sarah.”
“I know.”
Eliza looked down at her painted toenails. “There are other ways to prevent pregnancy, like the vinegar sponge approach. That, and condoms are what your father and I used.” When Sarah winced, Eliza sent her a look. “I’d rather have you a little uncomfortable with the discussion than expecting a child before you’re ready. It’s ridiculous that women don’t have more control over when they bear children. In this day and age, especially. Maybe by the time you have grown daughters that will have changed.”
“I know. And I appreciate the advice.”
“The kit contains condoms, sponges, and vinegar. Promise me you’ll use these things if you and Owen do decide to become intimate.”
Though embarrassed, Sarah was deeply grateful Eliza had taken the time to obtain the devices for her. She nodded. “Okay. And I’m not planning on it. I promise you. But if we do… and if I run out of these,” she said, lifting the box, “what do I do?”
Eliza raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you run out of these things, you’d better be married. Or else I’ll come back up here and borrow Jack’s shotgun.” She bumped Sarah’s shoulder with hers. “But if something happens and you need more, go to Rosemarie. I talked to her about it last week.”
Mortified, Sarah stared at her mother. “Mama! You talked to Gilly’s mother about this? About me and Owen? I’ll never be able to face her!”
“Of course you will. And if it makes you feel better, she had the same talk with Gilly, as soon as she found out Jack was home. Back when we were growing up, Sarah, women didn’t have a lot of choice in the matter. Shoot, we still don’t. But Rosemarie and I both feel like our daughters should have that choice.”
“What if Owen won’t use condoms?”
“Well, then, that’s simple. In order for him to get what he wants, you have to get what you want. And that’s him wearing a condom. But I doubt he’d have much objection. He strikes me as a reasonable man.”
“And if we both want it?”
Eliza looked at her askew. “Maybe I should be having this conversation with Owen, too.”
Just the thought of that scenario sent them both off into another round of giggles. Once the humor died down, Sarah sighed. “If things don’t work out between us, I may come to Georgia.”
“If you need to come, don’t hesitate. But I’m betting you won’t need to. I think Owen’s a good man, and I think you’ll have a ring on your finger by the end of summer, if not sooner.”
Sarah smiled, wistful. “You think so? Gilly said something similar to me. If he does propose, will you come back for the wedding?”
Her mother gave her a one-armed hug. “Of course.” She smoothed Sarah’s hair and kissed her cheek. “I’ll let you get to sleep. We’re going to have a hard day tomorrow, and we need to try to face it as rested as we can.”
“Goodnight, Mama.”
Eliza closed the door behind her, and Sarah stared down at the box. Curious, she sifted through the contents. She found and unfolded an instruction sheet, and her eyes widened as she read how to use the vinegar and sponges.
“Oh, my. That’s not what I expected.” She thought the sponge went inside the condom, but apparently not. She put the paper back and closed the box, then tucked it into her nightstand. Sarah wondered if she’d have the courage to bring up the subject of contraception to Owen. As she thought about Kathy and how miserable her sister seemed to have become with her life, talking to Owen about condoms didn’t seem like a hard thing to do, after all.
Chapter Thirty-Two
SARAH’S MOTHER AND NANCY WERE on the road before seven o’clock the next morning. Their parting had been difficult, but Sarah held back most of her tears until they pulled out of the driveway. That said, they probably hadn’t even reached the mouth of the holler before she was upstairs, stretched out across her bed, sobbing into her pillow. After the tears stopped, exhausted by her grief, she fell asleep.
A persistent knocking woke her sometime later. Groggy and disoriented, she stumbled to one of her windows, which overlooked the backyard, and raised the glass. “Hello?”
Owen’s face appeared over the edge of the roof. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“I fell asleep after they left. I’m sorry. I’ll let you in.”
“Hang on. I’ll come up.” He disappeared, and a few seconds later, his shoes came up over the edge of the porch roof to land on the metal surface. He went to a nearby oak and climbed up its trunk. Easing out onto a branch that hung out over the roof, he dropped down onto the sloping surface with an agility that surprised her. In no time, he’d grabbed his shoes and was standing outside her window, a silly grin on his face.
“Knock, knock.”
Sarah felt her own smile start, and she slid up the screen so he could come in. “Well, I can’t say this has ever happened before.”
“I hope not.” He set down his shoes and replaced the screen. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” Remembering she was clad in her nightgown, Sarah grabbed her robe and put it on. “Come on downstairs. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. You?”
“No. I was too upset to eat earlier.”
Once they reached the downstairs, he stopped her. “Don’t I get a hug?” With a choked sigh, Sarah wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly. She didn’t cry again, but the pain was still there.
“Did they get on the road okay?” Owen asked.
“Yes. You should have seen Mama’s face; she was so excited. I shouldn’t feel so bad that she’s going, not when she’s so happy.”
“Sure, you should. I imagine she felt something very similar when you left to go to college.”
Sarah let out a deep breath against his chest. “I would bet she probably did. I snuck a present into her suitcase last night, just like she did for me every time I left for Berea. It’s the little things sometimes, you know?”
“I do.”
Feeling some of the sadness loosen, she moved back. “How do you feel about pancakes?” Owen’s stomach growled, and Sarah laughed. “I guess that answers that question. Come on. I’ll feed you.”
After they’d eaten, cleanup went fast, a task Sarah was pleased to note that Owen stepped in to help with without being asked.
“So what do you want to do today?” he asked as he dried his hands on a dishtowel. He slung it around her neck and used it to pull her closer, dropping a kiss onto her nose.
Sarah rested her hands on his chest. “I don’t know. All the chores are done, and the laundry’s caught up. What do you think?”
“We could drive over to Buckhorn to the lake, rent a boat, go swimming. Have a picnic.”
“That sounds nice. But the more I think about it, I’d rather not be around other people. Would you mind if we stayed here? We could still have a picnic and swim up at the pool.”
“We could do that. I’ll have to run back to the house and get my swim trunks.”
Sarah pulled away and sent him an impish grin. “Or you could go skinny dipping.” Owen’s eyes widened, and she laughed. “You can borrow Jack’s swim trunks. He left them in the washer and forgot to pack them. They should fit you.”
He shook his head. “You are impertinent. I don’t know. I’m starting to like the idea of skinny dipping.”
Sarah felt her face heat, and she swiped the di
shtowel from him. “Behave.”
“Me? You started it.”
“No, not me.” She swatted him with the towel. “Let’s get a picnic packed, and I’ll go change.”
Once the basket was packed, Sarah gave Owen Jack’s swim trunks, pushed him toward her brother’s bedroom, and excused herself. Upstairs, she dug through her dresser, pulling out the new bathing suit she’d gotten when she and Gilly had gone to Lexington two weeks earlier to shop for a wedding dress. The cornflower blue suit was more daring than anything Sarah had ever worn. Though not terribly revealing, the two-piece left her midriff bare. After putting it on, she considered the box her mother had given her and thought about throwing it into her bag, but she was too embarrassed. She pulled a flowered sundress on over the bathing suit and, after stopping by the bathroom closet to get two large towels, hurried down to Owen.
“I’m ready.” She made sure she had her house keys, and they set out. “Did the trunks fit?”
“They did.”
The day was partly sunny. Clouds were moving in, and Sarah figured it would probably rain later. As they got closer to the pool, Sarah felt her tension start to ease, and she breathed freely for the first time in days.
“I needed this. Thank you,” she told Owen as he helped her up over the large step up onto the top of the boulder. They spread the blankets out on the rock, and sat down. “It’s probably still too cool to swim, don’t you think, being only May?”
“Probably. We might have to stay here for quite a while today before it gets warm enough to get in.”
Chin resting on her upraised knees, Sarah turned to look at him. “Yet you were swimming in there a couple months ago. Weren’t you freezing to death?”
Owen shrugged. He unbuttoned his shirt and removed it, leaving him clad in his T-shirt, then stretched out on his back beside her. “Not really.” He squinted against the sun to look up at her and grinned.
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