“I’ve changed things around quite a bit,” she said as she strolled down the aisle at his side. “If you’d like some help with your list—”
“I don’t.” He knew he’d been curt, but that seemed the best way to say what needed to be said.
“Okay.” Apparently without taking offense, she left him, humming as she returned to the front of the store. She certainly appeared to be a good-natured sort of person. It made him wonder if she knew about his leg. The only telltale sign was his limp, which was more or less pronounced according to his mood. Some days it was hard to remember, and then on other days there was no forgetting. Days like this one, when he saw a woman as lovely as Maddy Washburn….
Once he’d collected everything he needed, Jeb pushed the cart to the check-out stand where Maddy stood, waiting for him. He set the groceries on the counter and she quickly rang them up. “I’m starting a delivery service,” she announced as she bagged his purchases, using several white plastic sacks. “Would you be interested in adding your name to the list? Of course, there’d be a small fee, but I’m sure many folks will find it cost-effective. I’d bill you once a month.”
He was interested. Having to rely on anyone, his sister included, was a thorn in his pride. However, he doubted Miss Scarlett O’Hara would be willing to drive that far out of town. “I live by Juniper Creek,” he told her.
“Is that close to the Clemens ranch?”
So she’d done her homework, after all. That impressed Jeb. “I’m not far from there.”
“Then I know where you are. You can either fax or e-mail your order. Or send it by post. As long as I have it by five on Wednesday for a Thursday-afternoon delivery.”
It sounded good, but Jeb still wasn’t sure this would work. “I don’t have to be at the house, do I?”
“Not at all,” she assured him. “If you’re comfortable leaving your door unlocked, I can put the perishables in the refrigerator for you. It’s all part of the service. Heavens, no, I wouldn’t expect you to be there to meet me.”
His nod was abrupt. “All right. Sign me up.”
She handed him the form, which he folded and stuck inside his shirt pocket. Taking his bags, he started to leave.
“It was nice to meet you, Jeb.”
“You, too,” he replied brusquely and headed out the door.
Once he’d deposited his groceries inside his truck, he walked over to Sarah’s store. No doubt his manipulating older sister would gloat when she saw him, but that was a small price to pay. This visit had a purpose: He didn’t like being coerced and he wanted to be sure she understood he wouldn’t allow it again. That aside, he wanted to tell her how nice the quilt shop looked and dammit all, he was proud of her. Not that he intended on letting her know it, at least not right away. He was in town, but he wasn’t happy about it, especially now that he realized why she’d worked so hard to get him there.
Sure enough, shock flashed in her eyes before she recovered enough to greet him with a wide, sassy smile. “Well, well, if it isn’t my reclusive brother. What brings you to Buffalo Valley?”
“As if you didn’t know,” he snapped.
“Lovely to see you, too,” she said sweetly, disregarding his irritation. “This is the first time you’ve been in my shop, isn’t it?”
He glanced around. Bolts of fabric lined two walls, and a large table dominated one end. Sewing machines, quilting frames and stacks of books were arranged throughout the room. She’d done a good job, making the place look both professional and comfortable.
“It was a big step for me, moving the business out of the house, but it’s gone well so far.”
“Don’t change the subject,” he countered, refusing to be distracted by her genuine joy at seeing him. “I know what you’re up to, and I’m here to tell you it isn’t going to work, so stop. Understand?”
“You met Maddy.” Sarah did nothing to disguise her glee. “Isn’t she wonderful?”
He ignored the question, although he had the feeling his sister was right about the other woman. “What in the world would convince someone from Savannah to buy a grocery store in North Dakota?” he asked instead.
“Well, for one thing, her friend is here. Lindsay.”
Calla might have been keen on Lindsay Snyder, but his sister had shown no such enthusiasm. In the beginning, Jeb had attributed it to the natural reserve, even suspicion, most folks in North Dakota felt toward newcomers. Even if Lindsay had roots in the community, that didn’t explain her interest in the town.
“I thought you didn’t care for the new schoolteacher.”
“I like her,” Sarah said.
“That’s not how it looked to me.” As far as he could tell, Sarah had never said anything against Lindsay Snyder, but she hadn’t gone out of her way to welcome her, either.
His sister sighed and shifted one fabric bolt, exchanging it with another. “First,” she said, her words stiff, “I never figured Lindsay would last the winter. But she did.”
“Apparently she intends on making a life here, since she married Gage Sinclair.”
“True.” Sarah avoided his eyes, which suggested that the subject made her uncomfortable. “I guess it has more to do with Calla than anything.”
“Calla?” Jeb didn’t know what to make of that. Then it occurred to him—his sister was jealous of the new teacher’s relationship with Calla. So often these days, Calla and Sarah were at each other’s throats. Calla didn’t like the fact that her mother was seeing Dennis Urlacher, and Sarah disapproved of Calla’s clothes and hair and typical teenage attitude. More than once, Jeb had wanted to suggest she “chill,” as Calla put it, but in the end, always decided not to get involved.
“She likes Lindsay.”
“And doesn’t like you,” Jeb added.
“Exactly.”
“But you don’t mind Lindsay now?”
Sarah sighed. “I don’t dislike her, if that’s what you mean. Actually, she’s very nice. Maddy, too.”
Naturally Sarah would find a way to turn the subject back to the new woman in town. All right, he’d admit to being curious.
“What did she do in Savannah?”
Sarah shrugged and brushed her long hair away from her shoulder. “I don’t know. Is it really important? I think she’s going to be a good addition to the town. The Hansens needed to retire. We both know what Marta’s like. It’s amazing they managed to hold on to the store as long as they did. Maddy’s working hard to bring back the business the Hansens lost. A lot of locals were going into Devils Lake to shop, you know.”
In other circumstances, Jeb might easily be taken in by Maddy’s charm and warmth himself. “That’s probably why she’s offering home delivery.”
“You signed up, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
“Wonderful.” Sarah all but clapped her hands. “You’ll like Maddy. She’s—”
“I said I signed up to have her deliver my groceries, I didn’t say I was dating her,” Jeb broke in, frowning.
“But you should.”
Hard though he tried not to, Jeb snickered. He couldn’t think of one good reason someone as beautiful as Maddy Washburn would date a one-legged buffalo rancher. He wasn’t the only eligible man with eyes in his head, either. It wouldn’t be long before she had more men buzzing around her than she knew what to do with.
“It’s time you were married and started a family,” Sarah insisted, without amusement.
“Forget it, Sarah,” he warned, his voice low.
“Maddy’s perfect for you.”
“You can stop right now, because I refuse to have anything to do with this crazy idea of yours. Is that understood?”
She beamed him a huge smile. “Stop? Not on your life!”
Jeb realized arguing with her would result in a serious case of frustration. He knew only one person more stubborn than his sister, and that was him. “I said you can forget that idea and I meant it.” Without another word, he walked out the door, leaving it to s
lam in his wake.
Sarah watched her brother climb into the cab of his truck and barrel out of town, leaving a dusty trail behind him. It did her heart good to witness Jeb’s reaction to Maddy Washburn. As detached and disinterested as he tried to make himself, he hadn’t been able to conceal the effect Maddy had on him. Oh, yes, he was interested. Maddy had bowled him over the way she had everyone else. Half the eligible men in the county were in love with her already, and Sarah would gladly add one more man to that list.
The instant Sarah had met Maddy, she’d decided this was the woman for her stubborn, difficult brother. She’d been waiting a long time to find the right person for Jeb, and Maddy was it. She was friendly, accepting and kind. Her striking beauty was a detriment, though. It meant she was likely to attract a lot of male attention. Which, in fact, she had.
The stir caused by Maddy’s arrival was what had prompted Sarah’s underhanded method of forcing Jeb to drive into town. Had she known about Maddy’s delivery service, she would have signed him up immediately and saved herself the grief. Her plan might still backfire, but she could see from Jeb’s reaction that she’d done the right thing.
Although she wouldn’t have admitted it twelve months ago, Sarah had seen many positive changes in BuffaloValley, thanks to Lindsay. Before she moved here, a lot of people had given up caring about the town. Caring about one another, too. Lindsay had brought an infusion of life to the dying town.
Never having taught school before, Lindsay had asked for help from the community and invited a number of business owners to speak to the class. Sarah’s father, Joshua McKenna, who also happened to be the town council president, had been the first to volunteer. Her father had shared his knowledge of state history and been gratified by the students’eager reception. Other speakers had come away with a similar feeling. Within a few weeks, she’d seen the first evidence of a new and fragile pride in the beleaguered town.
For example, her father started sweeping the sidewalk outside his second-hand, fix-it shop every morning. Other business owners had followed. Jacob Hansen even bought new paint for the outside of the store, although the place didn’t get repainted until after he’d sold it to Maddy. Little by little, people began to show pride in the town again. It didn’t take Sarah long to realize it had all come about because of Lindsay.
At the end of the school year, when they heard that Lindsay had decided to return to Georgia, everyone in town was sick at heart. Even Sarah found herself wishing Lindsay would agree to stay on as teacher. As it turned out, Gage Sinclair was the one to convince her. Apparently he was less concerned about her teaching than making her part of his life. They were married in July, and Lindsay had asked her lifelong friend to stand up with her. Maddy Washburn had flown in for the wedding.
At the reception, Sarah had seen Maddy talking to the Hansens, their heads close together, and then, only a few days later, Jacob and Marta Hansen had jubilantly announced that they’d sold the grocery. Two weeks after that, Maddy had moved to Buffalo Valley.
Sarah had liked Maddy on sight and each time they talked, she liked her more. Soon a plan had begun to form in her mind—she would introduce Maddy to her brother, even if she had to use devious means to do it.
Now all Sarah had to worry about was Jeb. Her brother, at thirty, was still young…and damned attractive. The accident had changed him, until she barely recognized the man he’d become. He was quiet by nature, had always been undemonstrative, but the loss of his leg had caused him to draw deeper and deeper into himself. He hardly ever ventured into town or, for that matter, anywhere else. Sarah could think of no better way to draw him back into life than to introduce him to Maddy.
A burst of late-morning sunshine spilled into the shop and Sarah stood by the window and looked outside. This was going to be a hot day for October, she thought, as she ran her finger over the white lettering that read Buffalo Valley Quilting Company.
What she’d told Jeb was true. It had been a bold move to take her fledgling business out of her father’s home, although she and Calla continued to live with him. Eventually that would change, but she could only manage one small step at a time. As it was, she barely made enough money to survive financially. A business executive studying her accounts would have discouraged her from assuming the added expense of renting space, but in Sarah’s view, it was worth the risk.
Every day when she walked into her store, she experienced a sense of accomplishment. She’d had precious little success in her life and she was fiercely determined to see her quilting business succeed.
A loan from her father had jump-started her efforts and thus far, three months after opening her doors, she’d met every payment. Naturally she worked long hours, longer than she wanted, but for now that couldn’t be helped.
Reaching behind the rows of fabric, she flipped the switch that turned on the air conditioner. The first week of October and it was eighty degrees and climbing. She was teaching her quilting class that afternoon; the store would be an oven if she didn’t start the cooling process now.
Sarah had been pleasantly surprised when ten women enrolled in the class, many of them farm wives, looking for a creative outlet. Already she had a waiting list for the second session. Sharing her love of quilting, talking about its traditions and teaching its craft, gave her a sense of immense pride. For more than a hundred years, the women of the prairie had expressed art and creativity through their quilts, and Sarah believed she was part of that continuum.
The bell above the door chimed, and Dennis Urlacher walked into the shop, wearing grease-smeared coveralls printed with the gasoline company’s logo. He operated the one and only filling station in town and was a certified mechanic. Now that she worked outside the house, she saw more of him. That was the good news, and also the bad.
Her relationship with Dennis was a dead end for both of them.
“Was that Jeb’s truck I saw earlier?” he asked.
“Yeah.” In an effort to hide her smile, she headed into the back room, not wanting to confess what she’d done to lure Jeb into town. Dennis followed her, and she automatically poured him a mug of coffee, along with one for herself.
“He didn’t stay long,” Dennis commented.
“He never does.” Then, because she wanted to change the subject, she added, “It’s going to be warm today.”
“It already is.” He sipped from the mug, but his gaze remained focused on her.
“What did Jeb want?” It went without saying that her brother hadn’t come into town on a social call.
Sarah hesitated, wondering if she could say it and keep a straight face. “Coffee.”
“Coffee,” Dennis repeated slowly, and she could see a smile hovering.
“Apparently I forgot it when I brought out his supplies.”
“Sure you did,” Dennis murmured, then grew serious. “You wanted him to meet Maddy, right?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Jeb isn’t going to take kindly to you intruding in his life.”
“I know.”
His eyes held hers. “However, I didn’t stop by to talk about your brother.”
Sarah lowered the mug and forced herself to look away. She couldn’t let him continue to hold her gaze, because then he’d know how much she loved him, how hungry she was for his lovemaking. And how damned guilty that made her feel.
“I want you to have dinner with me—”
“I can’t,” she replied, not allowing him to finish.
Dennis scowled. “You could at least let me ask before you turn me down.”
“It isn’t a good idea. I—”
“Sarah,” he said, shaking his head in frustration. “I love you. I know your first marriage was a disaster, and I’m sorry, but I’m tired of having you put me off. If you think your father and Calla haven’t figured out that we’re lovers, you’re wrong. Everyone knows. The only question people ask is when you’re going to get smart and marry me.”
Sarah bit her lower lip. “I…can’t.”
“
Okay, if you can’t go out to dinner tonight, when?”
She hesitated, stifling a groan. It wasn’t dinner she referred to but marriage. “Next week,” she murmured, defeated and angry with herself.
Turning, she walked back into her shop.
He sighed loudly, and she glanced in his direction. His jaw was tense, his eyes hard. “Kiss me,” he said.
“Dennis…”
“Kiss me,” he said again, more insistent this time. Apparently unwilling to wait, he reached for her, anchoring her against his chest. Before she had a chance to object, he ground his mouth over hers. The kiss spoke more of frustration than love, more of disappointment than hope. If she hadn’t known better, Sarah would have thought he’d already guessed the truth about her. That he’d long ago accepted she would never marry him and why. How could she, when she remained legally married to a husband who’d forsaken their wedding vows long before she had? Dennis and everyone else in Buffalo Valley assumed she was divorced. Sarah had gone along with the lie, wanting so desperately to believe it herself…and now that lie had taken on the form and substance of some malignant truth.
Two
Minutes for the October 24th meeting of the Buffalo Valley Town Council
As recorded by Hassie Knight, Secretary and Treasurer, duly elected.
The meeting was opened by council president Joshua McKenna with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. Council members in attendance included Joshua McKenna, Dennis Urlacher, Heath Quantrill, Hassie Knight and Gage Sinclair. Robert Carr (also known as Buffalo Bob Carr), Maddy Washburn and Sarah Stern sat in as observers.
In the matter of old business, Joshua McKenna commended everyone for their hard work over the summer months. He declared the downtown clean-up program a great success and praised the council members’ efforts.
He also reviewed emergency procedures in case of fire. Jerome Spencer, head of the volunteer fire department, gave the council a readiness report and reviewed the emergency readiness situation in regard to tornadoes and blizzards. Joshua McKenna thanked him for his report and asked that it be distributed to everyone in the area.
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