by Caroline Lee
Alicia grinned down at her costume. “It’ll be so hot in the summer, right? But at least we can still drink soda.”
“You’ll have to call it sarsaparilla, though!”
Both women chuckled, and as Alicia walked away, Sadie turned her attention to the next customer in line. “Hiya, Dink! Your usual?”
“Yep.” The petite blue-haired woman propped her hip against the counter while Sadie made two to-go coffees, both with lots of cream and sugar. “I swear, if that husband of mine has a failing, it’s his inability to see how necessary coffee can be to the human system.”
“Oh yeah? Only one failing?” Sadie teased, and Dink smirked. “Good thing your brother moved to Idaho to drink coffee with you then.”
“At least he knows deliciousness when he sees it.” Dink swiped her card and took the two cups. “Probably because Muz raised him right.” She toasted Sadie. “Thanks. I’ll take this down to him and he’ll call me a mind-reader, and then he’ll owe me a favor.”
Sadie smiled. “Good luck!”
Dani Weston was waiting in line behind Dink, chatting with Tony, who was head of security on the ranch. Sadie liked Dani—as one of the two youngest Weston siblings, she was as serious and no-nonsense as her twin sister Kelsi was bubbly and cheerful—and took a few moments to catch up with the two of them about what was going on around the ranch.
But when Bob, the chef at the café, came in, both Dani and Tony took their drinks with thanks, and backed away to make room at the counter. Bob was frowning, and Sadie hurried to whip up his favorite to-go root beer float.
“What’s up, Bob? Rough day in the kitchen?” she asked while she scooped, concerned. He was usually pleasant when he came in for his once-a-week treat after the café closed.
The chef sighed. “No, I just ran into Miranda next door.”
Sadie raised her brows, encouraging him to say more. From her experience, it was impossible to be angry around the cheerful baker. But maybe Miranda and Bob had some kind of history?
“It’s nothing,” Bob hastened to explain. “It’s just…well, the cookies she delivered this morning…”
“Yeah?” Sadie carefully topped off the root beer, making sure to wipe off the excess foam before clicking the lid in place.
“This morning they each had an average of twelve chocolate chips. I specified fifteen chocolate chips per cookie! Apparently she didn’t appreciate me pointing that out.”
Sadie contained her laugh, but didn’t bother hiding her smile when she handed Bob his treat and took his payment. “I didn’t realize you were so uptight about the cookies you sell at the café.”
“Quality matters,” he said seriously. “You and I should talk about putting your ice cream on our dessert menu. It really is the best around.”
She beamed at the compliment. “Thanks! I like being exclusive, but I wouldn’t mind expanding. I’ll think about it!”
He finished paying, and Sadie sent him on his way with a “Good luck with your chocolate chip counting!” and he waved in response.
Julia squeezed in behind Sadie just as Bob held the door for two more customers. “What’d I miss?”
Pretending exhaustion, Sadie slumped against the cash register. “We’ve been overrun by coffee-hungry hordes. Man the till while I make another batch, else it’s curtains for us!”
Smirking, Julia mock-saluted. “Aye-aye, captain.”
“And no lip, ensign, or I’ll make you clean out the display freezer.”
“Ugh, no thank you. I’d rather be keel-hauled.” Julia turned to the next couple in line, who were tourists who’d visited yesterday for the ice cream.
Sadie made more coffee, and got back to work on the freezer. She wasn’t sure how long she’d spent with her head and shoulders inside, when she heard Julia hiss.
“Mr. Hottie at two o’clock.”
When Julia nudged her, Sadie backed up and instinctively looked up at the old-fashioned clock she’d found at an estate sale to hang above the large mirror. “It’s only eleven a.m, you weirdo.”
Her best friend sighed. “No, I mean…” And then her tone changed completely, telling Sadie that a customer had arrived. “Oh! Hi, Shawn.”
Shawn? Sadie’s head whipped towards the mirror once more. Sure enough, his reflection was just as big and perfect as he was in real-life. Her gaze flicked over her own reflection, checking to see if she had any stains or spills she’d missed while cleaning. Nope, everything was completely normal…plain old, boring Sadie. The apron covered most of her black shirt, but at least she was wearing one of her favorite skirts—a long lacy number that made her feel pretty.
Plastering on the smile she wore for all of her customers, Sadie turned to the counter, just as Julia asked, “And what can I—we—get you today?”
“Uh…” When Shawn made eye contact with her, Sadie swore she saw him flush slightly. He ran his hand through his hair and ended up cupping the back of his neck. “I just stopped by to…”
He trailed off, and Sadie knew, somehow, what he was trying to say. From the clues he’d dropped during their first conversation, she knew he was saving his money, and he wasn’t here during his normal times.
She hip-bumped Julia out of the way, and this time, her smile was much more genuine. “No worries, Shawn.” It really didn’t matter why he was here. She was just glad he was. “We’re happy to see favorite customers anytime.”
He raised a brow at that corny line, but Sadie refused to blush.
“Favorite, huh?”
“So,” Julia interrupted, as if she couldn’t see they were obviously trying to have a moment. “Do you want your usual, or what?”
“No, actually. Um.” Shawn shifted so that he wasn’t facing either of them. “I was on my way to the Post Office, and just thought… I figured I’d…”
Figured he’d what? Sadie held her breath, hoping he’d say figured I’d stop by to see you. Or, even better realized I couldn’t live without spending time with you, Sadie Mayfield.
And maybe he would’ve—yeah, right!—except Julia interrupted yet again.
“Oh, what a coincidence! Sadie was just telling me that she needed to mail something.”
Shawn dropped his arm and actually grinned slightly. “Oh really? That’s…um. Do you want me to bring it over for you? Since I’m going over there already.”
“Oh no.” Julia put her hand in the small of Sadie’s back and pushed her towards the end of the counter. “It’s time for Sadie’s break, anyhow. I just had mine, now it’s time for hers.”
Break? She didn’t take breaks, not really. “What are you—?”
“Better go get that thing you have to mail,” Julia said, a bit louder than necessary.
“What?”
“That thing you said you had to mail.” Sadie turned to see Julia mugging furiously, her eyebrows going up and down. “At the Post Office. That important thing.”
“Oh.” Sadie glanced between her best friend and the gorgeous man standing in front of the counter. “The thing.”
“Yeah. You’d better go and get it so that you can take it to the Post Office with Shawn.”
Shawn.
Sadie’s eyes widened, as she finally realized what Julia was offering her. “Right. The thing. For the Post Office.” Her hands did that dumb fluttering thing where she tried to think of what to do with them…but then her friend made little shooing motions towards the back room. “I’ll go get it.”
Sadie turned and ran.
Luckily, there was a letter on her desk—or rather, the file thingy she used to organize her receipts—that needed mailing. It was the application for the Chamber of Commerce contest, and today was the last day it could be mailed if she wanted to get it in on time. Thank goodness she had the opportunity to mail it…and with Shawn, no less!
She barreled back into the shop, ignoring the curious stares of her customers and friends, and skidded to a stop in front of him. “A letter.” She held it up. “I have to mail a letter, and it�
�s my break. I’ll go with you.”
Gah. You sound like a ninny, girl.
He smiled, and—whoops!—her knees went weak again. Gosh, he really was good-looking, wasn’t he? Apparently she was partial to crooked front teeth…who knew?
Julia cleared her throat, and Sadie blinked out of her daze. Right. Letter. Post Office. Get it together. She pulled off her apron, and when she went to tug on her coat, Shawn twitched like he wanted to help her, but held back at the last moment. The realization made her stomach flip-flop again.
Then they were hurrying out the door so they didn’t let the heat out, and Sadie’s foot accidentally bumped against her sign “Oops,” she muttered, bending down to move it a little farther from the door.
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” Shawn said with a chuckle.
She straightened, cocking her head slightly to take in the sign. It was wooden and brightly painted, with “Sadie’s Soda Saloon” spelled out in pinks and blues. She’d had it made years ago, but as the rest of the Old West Town had gotten more authentic, it just seemed out of place.
“The fasteners broke back in September.” She pointed up to the hooks hanging from the porch roof. “I can have the sign fixed and re-hung, but I’ve been debating about just getting a new one. This one doesn’t quite fit the…”
“The ambiance?”
“Yes!” She smiled at him. “You’ve got a good eye!”
He blushed. Actually blushed, and shoved his hands deep in his pockets, then looked down the street.
Taking pity on him, she led him down the old-timey boardwalk towards the Post Office. Like every other building in the Old West Town, the Post Office was actually a functioning business—in this case, a UPS shipping office. Sadie pointed out the other buildings as they walked, more out of nervousness than anything else.
“…And the Apothecary is actually the nurse’s station. But the bakery is just that; Miranda makes the most delicious cookies.” She smiled down at her pea coat, thinking about Bob’s chocolate-chip-counting complaint. “I like her cookies almost as much as I like my ice cream.”
He chuckled and her gaze flew to his face. Out here in the winter air, with his too-long hair waving around his high cheekbones, Shawn looked more at ease than he’d been the last few times they’d chatted. She suddenly wanted to know all about him.
“So you run the summer camps? Tell me about them.”
He shrugged and the movement brought his sheepskin-coat-covered elbow tantalizingly close to hers. “Apparently they were real popular about ten years ago. They made the ranch a ton of money, but they were a big production. After a while, they started to slack off, and then the guy running them quit and the whole program sort of fell apart. Wade’s new accountant, Jace Cunningham, talked Wade into opening them back up again. After I negotiated for a long-term spot in the RV Park, I let Wade know that I’d be happy to do any odd jobs while we were staying here. He offered me the chance to see what I could do with the camps.” He shrugged. “It’s not exactly easy, recreating a program based on decade-old notes on how it used to run, but Jace has been offering suggestions too.”
“I know Jace! He and Dink were married here in town…a month or so ago? Maybe more. Dink’s sister married Will Weston at the same time.” Sadie smiled. “I played at their wedding.”
“Oh yeah? Badminton?”
When he elbowed her in the side, she burst into laughter. He was teasing her? It felt…awesome.
“No, silly,” she said between giggles, pleased to see his grin. “Piano. The one from the coffee shop.”
At her words though, he stopped in his tracks, right in front of the not-quite-a-Post-Office. “Really?” His smile had faded from his lips, but when she looked up at him, she could see it in his eyes. “The Estey still plays?”
He recognized the brand name? “Yep. It belonged to my grandmother, and I talked Dad into letting me use it for ambiance. But since it’s on wheels, I can drag it over to the chapel whenever they need live music—which isn’t often, I guess. Most Sundays, Pastor Kevin makes do with an iPod.”
“But you play it?”
The intensity of his question had her shuffling her feet a bit. “Well, I mean…” She looked down at the letter in her hands. “Not brilliantly or anything. But I took lessons for years.”
“Wow.”
At his breathy tone, she met his green eyes once more, and was surprised to see something like…well, maybe not exactly joy in them, but pretty close. “What?”
“I’m a piano teacher.”
“You are? I thought—“
“That’s why I was in Riston. I don’t stay too long in any one place, because it’s usually not worth it financially. But when Wade offered me the camp job—he figured a teacher would be good at that sort of thing—I jumped at the chance to stick around a bit longer. But music…piano…that’s my real job. My real…passion, I guess. I love it.”
Wow, indeed.
There was something in his eyes that made him seem way more approachable than even that first day in the coffee shop. Something that made her want to touch him, but not just because he was gorgeous and made her insides flip-flop. She wanted to hold his hand, to feel that strength and joy and passion she could see just below his surface. To remind him that he was alive, and she was alive, and they were here, in the Idaho afternoon, alive together.
…Which sounded less dumb than she’d imagined.
But then he blinked, and grinned wryly, and the moment was past. “Anyhow.” He took a step back. Away from her. “I didn’t think that old thing actually played. Neat to find out it does and that you can play it.”
“Yeah.” She looked towards the door to the Post Office. “Neat.”
As they both stepped towards the UPS dropbox under the window, her shoulder accidentally brushed against his arm, and neither jumped apart. But he didn’t look at her when he slipped his letter into the slot after hers.
“Maybe one day I could come back and listen?”
“To what?” She wasn’t sure what he was asking.
“To you play. The Estey. I’ve always liked the sounds those old uprights could make.”
Sadie’s shy smile was directed at the ground. “Sure. You could give me pointers. And maybe tune the thing, since I don’t really understand how the innards work.”
He cleared his throat. “I’d like that.” And when she glanced up, she could see that he would.
They began to walk again, and it took a moment for Sadie to realize they weren’t heading back towards the coffee shop, but walking down Main Street. Neither of them had discussed their walk, much less continuing it, but it felt natural. She knew her skirt wouldn’t keep the cold out for long, but she wasn’t about to suggest they head back, either. She pointed out a few other sights as they walked, including the gorgeous old fir tree that stood in the center of the “town,” and had been used as a Christmas tree by the Westons for over a hundred years. But their conversation soon lapsed into silence, and she wracked her brain for something to get him talking again.
“So…” She took a deep breath of the cold air, trying to come up with some way to stretch the conversation. Something to keep him talking, and maybe he’d look at her the same way he’d done in front of the Post Office. “You said you’re staying here at the ranch?”
He nodded, his gaze intent on the boardwalk ahead. “We’re in the RV Park.”
The pit that opened in the center of her stomach had to do with the realization that he’d used “we” once before too, when he was talking about staying on the ranch. We. Was he married? Traveling with someone? Did he have a dog, maybe?
As nonchalantly as possible, she cleared her throat. “We?” And then crossed her fingers, deep in her coat pocket. Oh please, don’t let him be married. Surely she hadn’t read him that wrong, had she? Had all of this—was this flirting?—been one-sided? Just wishful thinking on the part of a girl who’d never really gotten over being invisible for so long?
/> A long minute passed. Too long to be natural. She screwed up her courage and glanced up at him, aware that neither of them were really paying attention to the walk ahead. His jaw was tight under his short beard, and she heard her pulse pounding in her ears.
Finally, his tongue darted over his lower lip in that same nervous motion she’d swooned over last week. “Me and Violet.” Violet? “My daughter.”
“Your daughter?” She noticed the nervous squeak of her voice, but couldn’t help it. “You’re married?”
“Divorced.” The way he delivered the word, completely devoid of emotion, told Sadie not to follow up on that tidbit of info right then.
Instead, she just asked, “How old is Violet?”
They’d stepped down off the boardwalk, and continued along Main Street, out of the Old West Town, before he finally answered.
“She’ll be seven next month—No…two weeks? Soon, anyway. I can’t believe it. She’s in the first grade at Riston Elementary, and…”
She felt him take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it out again.
“And she’s my whole world, really.”
A daughter. His whole world. Slowly, Sadie smiled. “And does Violet play piano too?”
“She does, when she puts her mind to practice.” There was pride in his voice that hadn’t been there when he’d talked about his jobs. “Sometimes I just sit and listen to her talk about her books or whatever, and am amazed. She’s smart, and she’s got a great sense of humor…” He was grinning again. “I’m a lucky man.”
“Sounds like she’s a lucky little girl too, to have a dad who loves her so much.”
Shawn’s relationship with his daughter reminded Sadie of the way things had been with her dad, before Mom had died. But from the way he stopped short and stared down at her, it might’ve been the wrong thing to say.
“You think she’s the lucky one?” Then he shook his head and abruptly started walking again.
He was two paces ahead of her when she heard him mutter, “You don’t know me too well, then.”
