Sarah walked with him to the family room. There she found Robbie. “Robbie, do you know why Anna was crying?”
He sat up and said, “I didn’t do nothing!”
“Robbie, I didn’t mean for it to sound like I thought you did anything wrong to Anna. I was just asking if maybe you had some idea why she was crying.”
He seemed to relax. “Some older boy said something mean to her at school.”
“Do you know who?”
“Yeah.”
Holding back her own frustration with the two boys, she calmly asked, “Can you tell me his name?”
“I don’t think I should.”
Sarah stared at him, wondering if she should press the issue or get Nick and Abby involved. In the end, though, she figured she’d let him be and go ask Anna herself.
She left the room and went back to the kitchen, keeping her eye out for Brad and Anna to return.
It seemed hours by the time she finally heard Brad’s truck in the driveway. She ran to the door, waiting anxiously.
When Anna came into the house, she had a smile on her face.
Sarah hugged the little girl extra hard. “Are you all right, sweetie?”
“Yes, Sarah, I’m fine. Brad helped me.”
And just like that, Anna moved on through to the television room, leaving Sarah stunned and still confused.
Brad gave her an odd look when he walked into the house. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“What happened to Anna?”
He shrugged, and Sarah wondered if that was a universal male reaction. Then he said, “The boys must’ve said something.”
“Of course they did, but not enough for me to figure out what happened. But they said she was crying!”
He smiled ruefully. “Don’t make it sound like I surmised something. Her crying clued me in. I asked her what was wrong. She didn’t tell me, but I wouldn’t let her get out of the truck without telling me after the boys went in.”
“Well, are you going to tell me?”
“Yeah. A boy at school said her daddy killed her mother and tried to kill her sister. Anna started crying.”
“Oh, my poor baby!” She felt tears sting her own eyes at the thought of the pain and humiliation Anna must have suffered. She hated Ellis even more now than she did before.
“She’s okay now, Sarah.”
“What happened? Where did you go?”
“I know the boy. More importantly, I know his parents. We went to his home and I asked Anna to go in with me. His mom was there and we confronted him in front of his mother. She was furious with him and promised to talk to her husband about his behavior. And she made him apologize to Anna.”
“Oh, Brad, thank you. I wouldn’t know how to handle that as well as you did.”
“Is that all I get? A thank you? I thought I’d at least get a kiss.”
She stared at him, wondering if it was really what he wanted. Finally she leaned toward him to kiss him on his cheek. He quickly turned his lips to meet hers and deepened the kiss more than she expected.
“Mmm, just what I wanted,” he said, grinning at her when he pulled back. Then he went out the kitchen door.
Sarah stared at him, watching his long stride to the barn.
He’d done so much for her, but she thought he didn’t want any attachment to her. And then he went and did something like letting Davy ride his horse because he realized the boy was hurt by not having a daddy to give him a ride, or helped Anna deal with the shame of her father and make sure she was protected by him.
Brad Logan was one paradox.
And one good kisser.
When she’d recovered enough from his latest onslaught, and wiped her tears, Sarah put the kids’ snack on a tray and took it to them in the family room.
Anna, she noticed, wasn’t there. Sarah left the tray for the two boys and took Anna’s treat to the bedroom, where she found the little girl reading a book.
“Anna, look what I made for you today. Banana pudding.”
“My favorite!”
“I know, sweetie.” After a moment, Sarah said, “I talked to Brad.”
“Oh, Sarah, he was so sweet to me, and he talked me into going into the house and confronting that boy. His mom made him apologize and she said she was going to tell his daddy, too.”
“That was nice of him, sweetie. Brad is… very thoughtful.”
“Yes, he is. He said you had enough to worry about. He was glad to stand in as my father if I’d just tell him what was wrong. Wasn’t that nice of him?”
“Yes, Anna, it was, but—but we mustn’t rely on Brad too often.”
“He said you’d say that,” Anna assured her with a happy grin. “But he said some things are just handled better by a man, rather than a woman.”
Sarah was at a loss for words. Finally she said, “He might be right in this case. But we need to stand up for ourselves.”
“Okay, Sarah,” Anna said, but Sarah didn’t feel sure that she had convinced her sister.
When she returned to the kitchen, Abby came in right after her.
“Sarah? What’s wrong?”
“Anna had a little problem at school, that’s all.”
“What happened?”
“Some boy was teasing her about her dad being in prison after killing her mother and then trying to have me killed. She was crying.”
“Find out who it was and I’ll have Nick—”
Sarah cut her off. “No need. Brad already took care of it.”
“How thoughtful of Brad. There are just some things men do better than women.”
Where had she heard that before? “Yes, I guess so.”
Abby looked at Sarah thoughtfully, but she didn’t say anything else.
The men had come in from the barn, hungry and looking forward to rest, and Sarah was just about ready to call the children in for dinner when they heard a car pull into the driveway.
Brad looked out the window. “It’s Mike. Think he wants dinner, too?”
Nick chuckled. “I can’t believe Mom isn’t fixing dinner for him and the boys.”
Sarah had a feeling the sheriff was there because of her. She didn’t think she could handle any more problems today. She’d had enough to worry about with Anna.
Mike came into the house, holding his hat in one hand and the other up in front of him. “No, don’t offer dinner to me. Kate’s got it waiting at home. I just came to talk to Sarah. I had a phone call from the Denver PD.”
Sarah looked up, her face tight with tension. “What about?”
“Your stepfather accepted a plea. They said they wouldn’t ask for the death penalty if he’d plead guilty for the murder of your mother and for the attempted murder-for-hire of you. So he’ll be kept in prison for life.”
Sarah finally took a breath, long and deep, and sat down. After several additional ones, she felt able to say, “Thank you, Mike.”
“You’re welcome, Sarah. You’ve held up awfully well.”
“I wouldn’t have without everyone’s help.” She looked around at everyone in the room. “You all contributed to it, and I want to thank all of you.”
“It was our pleasure, Sarah,” Abby said. “In fact, I don’t think we’ve done that much.”
“I think you did, Abby. You took a chance on me doing a decent job at housekeeping. That made an immense difference.”
“So, now what?” Brad asked.
Sarah stared at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You don’t have to stay here anymore. Are you going to honor the contract you agreed to with Nick and Abby?”
“Of course I am. Even if I didn’t love it here, I owe them everything.”
“You don’t love it here?”
“No! I mean, yes, of course I do!” She stared at Brad, not understanding his line of questioning.
He smiled at her, as if she’d given the right answers.
She smiled back uncertainly, hoping that was what he wanted.
“Well, I
’m glad to hear you’re staying,” Nick said. “I want my wife to feel rested.”
“Nick!” Abby protested.
“Well, it’s true. Sarah gives you a chance to recover.”
“I know, but lots of women don’t have that option.”
“Don’t worry, Abby,” Sarah interjected. “I’m glad to provide the rest you need. You’ve done so much for me.”
Abby hugged her. “Oh, Sarah, you are so wonderful.”
“No, I’m just doing my job.”
“Yes, but you always make it sound like it’s a pleasure rather than a job.”
“That’s because it is. You’ve taken my family in and made us feel like we’re a part of your family.”
“Come on. Let’s get food on the table,” Brad said.
“Oh! Oh, yes.” Sarah immediately began putting dinner on the table, with Brad’s help, just as he’d done before.
Soon they were all gathered around the table. When dinner was over, Sarah asked her brother and sister to wait until the others had left the table. Then she told them the news that Mike had brought them.
“Okay,” Davy said, showing no concern.
“Anna, how do you feel?” Sarah probed.
The little girl who seemed so mature beyond her years once again amazed her. “I’m sorry for Daddy, but he did bad things.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to think about him anymore.”
“All right. I wanted both of you to know that we’re safe from him now. And we’re a family. We’re going to be all right.”
“Okay,” Davy said again. “Now can I go watch TV? My favorite show is coming on.”
Sarah smiled at his innocence. “All right. Anna, do you like that show, too?”
“Yes. If you don’t mind…”
“Of course not, sweetheart. Go with your brother.”
The kids ran to the family room, and Sarah began to clean the table. She was carrying a first load of dishes to the sink when Brad came into the kitchen again.
“Oh! I didn’t hear you come in,” Sarah said, struggling to put the load of dishes down.
He ran to her and grabbed some from the top. His hand accidentally swiped her breast as he took the plates. “I thought you could use some help,” he said, “and I see that you do.”
“No, that’s all right. You’ve been working all day. You deserve some rest.”
“Why do I deserve some rest but you don’t? You’ve been working longer than me, and you still have some work to do.”
“Yes, but I have some time off during the day. I’m fine. You go ahead and watch television.”
Brad, however, was undeterred. “I think I’d rather stay in here with you.”
“That’s fine, but you don’t need to help me.”
“I think I do need to help you, honey.”
She began to protest, but he put an end to her objection by kissing her.
She jerked her head back. “Brad, you must stop doing that!”
“Why?” he asked calmly, innocently.
“You can’t go around kissing me just because I’m the hired help! That’s not right.”
He looked at her quizzically. “Why do you think I’m kissing you?”
“Be-because I’m the hired help,” she repeated, hating the fact that she stammered in his presence.
“Wouldn’t that be pretty bad of me?”
“Y-yes.”
“So, why haven’t you objected?”
“You’ve been very helpful. I didn’t feel you were always taking advantage of me.”
“Did you ever think that maybe I was attracted to you?”
“No.” Her heart pounded harder and she thought he could see it slamming against her blouse.
“Why not?”
What was he asking her? Too uncomfortable, she turned away from him. “Because you made it clear you weren’t,” she said over her shoulder.
He took hold of her arms and turned her to face him. “When did I do that?” His voice was like velvet as it settled over her skin, smooth and soft.
“You don’t remember?”
“No.” He shook his head and his scent enveloped her.
Despite the sensuous nature of the man in front of her, Sarah had to face the truth.
She dropped her gaze. “You pointed out to me that I would be alone with my burden.”
Brad’s voice sharpened and turned taut. “And you thought that meant I wasn’t interested in you?”
“Of course that’s what you meant!” she returned.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted you to know the reality of what you had taken on.”
“That’s what I said!”
“I didn’t mean I didn’t have feelings for you. I had promised Nick and Mike not to show any interest in you until you had the problem with your stepfather all settled.”
“I don’t understand,” Sarah said, frowning. Her head felt as if it were swimming.
Brad let his hands slip down her arms and he gripped her hands in his. “Honey, I received strict instructions that I shouldn’t flirt with you. I tried my best—” he smiled that devilish smile at her “—but sometimes you were just too cute. So, on the way home, I thought I should make sure you realized what you did. I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
“Make me angry? You broke my heart!” She slugged him in the arm. “And you confused me every time you kissed me!”
“Does that mean you liked it?” Brad said as he rubbed his arm.
“No!” she shouted and turned her back on him.
“Not even a little?” he teased with a singsong voice.
“How could you do that to me, Brad Logan?”
“I wasn’t trying to confuse you, honey, but how could I not kiss you when you did such wonderful things like deliver the twins? Or come out to apologize to me in the barn and end up helping deliver the colt?”
She sniffed, lowering her head from his eyes.
He crooked his index finger and put it under her chin, lifting her face to his once again. His eyes were dark and serious when he said, “I had to make sure you didn’t start looking around for another man to help you. If I was going to hold back, I wanted to make sure no one else took advantage.”
“That makes me sound terrible!”
“You don’t realize how wonderful you are. You’ve done anything Nick and Abby asked and delivered their twins!”
“That was an accident.”
“Yeah, but you came through.”
Brad opened his mouth to continue, but Nick and Abby’s entry into the kitchen interrupted him.
They were discussing something and didn’t look up for a minute. But Sarah figured they heard her indrawn breath.
“Uh, hi, guys,” Nick said, all smiles. “Is there a pot of decaf?”
“No, but—but I’ll put one on,” Sarah said hurriedly and she stepped away from Brad. She didn’t want to see the look on his face.
They sat down at the table, and Abby started telling Sarah about how well the babies had taken their bottles.
Her mind wandered, though, and all she could think about was her conversation with Brad, and his kiss.
“Don’t you think, Sarah?”
She looked up when she heard her name. “Sorry, Abby?”
Abby gave her a strange look. “Are you feeling all right, Sarah? You look a little flushed.”
Her hands flew to her cheeks. “Y-yes, of course.”
“She should tell you that you interrupted a private conversation!” Brad said emphatically, obviously not able to play along anymore.
“Oh! Do you want us to take our coffee to the family room?” Abby asked.
“Of course not,” Sarah said.
Nick looked at his brother. “What do you think, Brad? Want us to go away?”
“He doesn’t want that, I’m sure.” Sarah glared at Brad.
He sighed. “I guess we’ll join you for coffee.”
Abby stared at Brad, obviously wanting to know what they had been discussing.
But she didn’t ask.
Brad told his brother and his wife what they wanted to know. “We were talking about our relationship.”
“And how’s it going?” Nick asked, sinking back in his chair with a grin.
“She thinks I don’t care anything about her. And that’s your fault, brother. Yours and Mike’s.”
“Whoa! We didn’t— Well, maybe we did, but we thought if you put your hands on her, she might not be able to deal with it.”
Abby swatted her husband. “Nick! How could you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sarah said flatly, trying to defuse the argument.
“Don’t say that, sweetheart,” Brad said.
“Why? It’s the truth, which is more than you’ve been saying!”
“Sarah, I was trying to ease you into the fact that I want to marry you, but you keep fighting me!”
“I do not fight you. You hadn’t mentioned marriage until now.”
“I felt I had to wait until you either went to Denver for the trial or they told you it was settled. If I had to take you to Denver, I had to remain indifferent to you, and I hadn’t done a good job on the indifference part so far.”
“I think you were perfectly indifferent!”
Brad protested, but Sarah got up to pour the coffee. Instead of reaching the cabinet, she ended up in Brad’s lap.
“What are you doing, Brad?” she demanded.
“I’ve decided to stop fooling around.” And right there, in front of everyone, he swooped her back in his arms and kissed her.
Sarah knew she wasn’t doing a good job of resisting. It wasn’t something new. Every time he’d kissed her, she’d wanted to throw her arms around his neck. But this kiss was unlike all the others. This kiss felt very real. And she didn’t want it to end.
When Brad finally pulled his lips away, he whispered in her ear, “Will you marry me?”
She could hardly believe she was hearing those words from his lips. Still, as happy as she was, she had Anna and Davy to think about. “I want to, Brad. Very much. But Anna and Davy will always be part of my family.”
“Don’t you know that I’ve taken them in to my family? I think we’ll make a great family. And I think it’s about time we get married. After all, we have a nine-year-old already!”
“Brad, you know that’s not true,” Sarah said, laughing.
Brad grinned at her. “Is Anna nine?”
Inherited: Instant Family Page 12
