TEXAS! SAGE

by Sandra Brown

Heart swelling with love, smiling her gratitude, she shook her head no. "But thanks for the thought."

  "Mother's gonna have a conniption fit."

  "Oh, Lord, you're right, Chase. I dread having to tell her. She'll want to ply me with hot tea and extra food."

  "Humor her. It'll make her feel better to fuss over you." He reached across the space that separated his truck from her car. She extended her hand and took his through the open window. "Sure you're okay?"

  "Don't worry about me. I wasn't as brokenhearted as everyone might presume."

  "I'm glad to hear you say that, Sage. Travis is no big loss."

  "True. The other loss is much greater—Dr. Belcher's contacts in the business community."

  He shook his head with a stubbornness she recognized. "No way. We'll survive without the Belchers' help, thank you."

  It was gratifying to know that her brothers felt that strongly about it, although it wasn't the wisest stand for them to take. It demonstrated their loyalty and formed a family bond that included her.

  She squeezed Chase's hand before releasing it. "I was on my way home. I left Houston awfully early. I'm ready for a nap."

  "You do look a little ragged around the edges. Marcie's a good listener if you'd like to talk to another woman about the breakup."

  "I don't want to dwell on it. I'd rather mark it up as a bad experience in my past and go forward from here."

  His expression was still full of misgiving. He sensed that something was bothering her, but couldn't isolate it. "Go home and get some sleep."

  "I intend to. Bye."

  She raised her car window, waved at him, and drove away. Arriving home, she was glad to see that no one was there. Laurie and Devon were probably out running errands. She climbed the stairs, one hand trailing wearily along the polished bannister as she lugged her suitcase with the other. Instinctively, she headed for her former room before remembering that someone else now occupied it. Retracing her steps, she went into the guest room.

  After her bath, she examined her body in the long mirror mounted on the back of the bathroom door. She looked remarkably the same. It didn't seem possible. She felt so drastically different, it was a mystery to her why the changes were invisible.

  More mysterious than that, however, was why she had allowed "it" to happen with Harlan Boyd. Countless young men had tried to woo her in a variety of ways ranging from the ridiculous to the romantic. She flung herself on to her bed.

  Harlan. Expending very little effort, he had accomplished what so many had tried to do and failed.

  It had never seemed right or natural before. Travis had asked, of course. At one time, he had even suggested that they get an apartment together. He wanted to elevate the intimacy of their relationship, he had said. Her reasons for not wanting to were vague, even to herself, so for months she had hedged. Finally, he'd stopped pressing her.

  Then this blue-eyed, slim-hipped drifter had come along, and she melted when he looked at her. It made no sense. Harlan represented everything she did not want in a mate. She wanted at least a promise of future prosperity. He had no visible means of support. She wanted big-city slick. He was country scruffy.

  In the last thirty-six hours, she had groveled to Dr. Belcher, failed in her first endeavor for Tyler Drilling, and had had sex with the hired hand.

  "You're doing great, Sage," she muttered sarcastically into her pillow.

  Maybe Harlan was right about her being too hard on herself. To err was human. Perhaps she was just more human than most. There was a positive side to everything negative.

  Even though she had swallowed a great deal of pride in order to go to Dr. Belcher, he had been impressed with her courage to face him so soon after Travis's rejection. She must have convinced him that their irrigation system was marketable. Her sales presentation had sold him on the idea. He had enthusiastically pledged to invest in it. The reason for the deal falling through had been circumstantial, not poor salesmanship.

  Only Harlan and she would know what had happened between them this morning. He wasn't going to tell because he didn't want to sacrifice his job or his friendship with her brothers.

  She'd just have to grit her teeth and bear his smugness, which shouldn't be too difficult to do because, if things went well, she would be traveling for the company. They wouldn't be spending that much time together.

  She snuggled deeper into the covers, nursing the kernel of optimism that was germinating. Now that everyone knew about her broken engagement—her brothers were certain to tell her mother and their wives—she could relax. The deception would no longer be a dark cloud hanging over her head.

  As she had told Chase, she wanted to leave the past behind her and move forward. She now had specific career goals, which would not only serve her self-esteem, but also benefit the family business.

  During the years spent at the university, she had missed living at home, surrounded by her family. Now she had a niece and a nephew to spoil. Her mother would be delighted to have her back. They could spend much more time together. It would be like old times. Her mother loved to baby and indulge her.

  Comforted by the thought, she drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  She woke up to the delicious aroma of roasting meat. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours. As she dressed, she noted that the sun was setting. She had slept nearly the entire day. Feeling fresh and rested, despite the incident that morning, she opened the door to the bedroom and skipped downstairs.

  She met Harlan coming up. Sage froze. He stopped. Their gazes locked. Sage might have stayed petrified beneath the power of his gaze had he not lowered it to encompass the rest of her body. When he did, a surging fever took the path of his eyes, engulfing her.

  She forced herself to move. With both of them living under one roof, this was likely to happen often. She wouldn't let his presence intimidate her into being a prisoner of her bedroom. Whose house was this anyway, his or hers?

  Her intention was to brush past him with a mumbled word of greeting. Nothing more. She didn't quite succeed. When she reached the step immediately above him, he raised his hands and bracketed her hips, stopping her in midflight. The heels of his hands settled on the knobs of her pelvic bones. His fingers followed the curve of her hips toward her back.

  "Sage?" He looked up at her entreatingly. "You okay, baby?"

  His voice was so soft and compelling, it alone was almost capable of stopping her in her tracks without the use of his hands. She was extremely conscious of their position on her body because it was reminiscent of that morning. She might have moved into his arms and begged him to hold her if she hadn't seen the one emotion in his eyes that was anathema to her—pity.

  "Excuse me," she said coldly. She pushed away his hands and went around him, jogging down the remainder of the stairs without looking back. "Mother?"

  "In here," Laurie called from the kitchen.

  Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the stove. An old apron covered her flannel slacks and sweater, but she'd never looked prettier to Sage.

  "I'm so glad you're back, dear."

  She held out her arms, and Sage moved into her maternal hug. "It's good to be back, Mother."

  They prolonged the embrace, each sensing that the other needed to. Sage inhaled Laurie's familiar fragrance and felt like a child again, in search of comfort and getting it where it could always be found.

  When at last they pulled apart, she said, "I know that by now Chase and Lucky have told you about Travis."

  "Yes."

  "I want to assure you that I'm fine. I was mildly disappointed at first, but that didn't last long."

  "I'll bet you were more mad than disappointed. You didn't mind the breakup so much as the fact that he was the one who did it."

  "You know me too well, Mother."

  "I am very pleased by the outcome," Laurie said staunchly, stabbing a boiling potato to test its tenderness. She replaced the lid on the pot and turned
back to Sage. "It'll take a stronger man than Travis Belcher to satisfy you."

  Sage's insides took a free-fall. She had a clear recollection of how strong Harlan was, yet how tender. How greedy, yet giving. Every time she thought about him stretching and pulsing inside her, she grew weak. She had entertained a foolish notion earlier today that what she had felt for him was love, when, in fact, he was just particularly gifted at sexual stimulation.

  She turned away before her mother could notice that her own cheeks were turning rosy. She couldn't use cooking as an excuse. "What's all this food for?" she asked.

  "I invited Chase and Marcie over for dinner."

  Sage groaned. "We aren't going to have a wake for my dead romance, are we?"

  "Nothing of the sort."

  "I really don't want anyone's condolences, Mother."

  "Chase made that clear to everybody. Now stop fussing about it and help me set the table."

  By the time they were finished, Devon had brought Lauren downstairs and set her in her high chair to watch while they dished up the food. Lucky returned home from work, kissed his wife and daughter, then excused himself to go wash up. On his way through the kitchen door, he paused.

  "Are you surviving, brat?" Sage stuck out her tongue at him. He grinned broadly. "She seems perfectly normal."

  Pat arrived at the same time Chase's family did. In the ensuing confusion, Sage didn't notice precisely the minute Harlan came down from upstairs. But she knew the instant she backed into a solid body that it was his. Her bottom bumped against his middle.

  With a grunt of pleasure and surprise, he raised his hands to rest lightly on her ribcage. "Careful there."

  "Sorry."

  "No problem."

  Her hands were occupied with the heavy platter of food she was carrying. Quickly, she moved away from him and scurried into the dining room. His touch had left her jumpy. She could still feel the hot impressions of his fingers through her clothing. The low, confidential tone of his voice reminded her of everything he'd said while their bodies had been joined.

  They all gathered around the dining table. To her consternation, Sage was relegated to a place next to Harlan. Amidst the aromas of roast beef, steamy, buttery vegetables, and Laurie's homemade yeast rolls, she picked up whiffs of his cologne.

  Keeping up with the mealtime conversation was difficult. Harlan's nearness proved to be a constant distraction. They bumped knees numerous times. When they reached for the salt shaker at the same time, their fingers collided.

  She covertly watched him handle his silverware. Those were the same hands that had elicited chills and heat waves from her skin. When he blotted his lips with his napkin, she recalled those lips repeatedly kissing her nipples until they were raised and aching, then sucking them into the damp heat of his mouth.

  Everyone behaved normally, but Sage sensed that her family was closely observing her, as though her indifference to being jilted might be a facade and that at any moment she was going to succumb to emotional collapse.

  She might, but not for the reason they believed. Little did they know that the reason for her strained expression, insincere smile, and uncharacteristic nervousness wasn't Travis, but the man sitting right beside her.

  With a gusto she didn't feel, she ate food she couldn't taste with an appetite that was counterfeit. What she felt was arousal. All she wanted to taste was Harlan. The only thing she had an appetite for was the weight of his naked body upon hers.

  While they were demolishing a chocolate layer cake and drinking coffee, Pat surprised them by rising from his chair and clinking his fork against his water glass. Everyone fell silent and looked toward him curiously.

  "Uh, Laurie figured that I ought to be the one to, uh, tell y'all."

  "Jeez, Pat," Lucky remarked, "the last time you looked this sickly, you were telling us that I was being formally charged with arson."

  Laughter went around the table. Pat didn't laugh. In fact he looked ready to throw up. He ran his finger round the inside of his collar. "No, it's nothing like that this time. It's … well, you see … we, Laurie and me that is, uh…"

  Laurie left her chair and moved to stand beside him. She slid her arm around his waist. "What Pat is trying to tell you, and doing a poor job of it, is that he's asked me to marry him and I have accepted."

  "If y'all don't mind," Pat interjected.

  "Mind?" Lucky was the first one out of his seat. "I'm relieved. I was afraid she'd get a reputation as a loose lady before you got around to marrying her."

  "James Lawrence!"

  He silenced his mother's admonitions with a bear hug. He was moved aside by Chase who also enveloped her in a hug. Devon and Marcie were kissing Pat's ruddy cheeks and dabbing happy tears from their eyes. Harlan added his hearty congratulations by pumping Pat's hand and unself-consciously hugging Laurie.

  Sage stood up slowly and moved toward the middle-aged couple, who were smiling as giddily as children. No one could doubt or begrudge the love between them.

  Sage hugged Pat first. "I'm so happy you're finally becoming an official member of this family. We're all slightly nutty. Are you sure you know what you're getting into?"

  "Damn sure," he said, affectionately tugging on a lock of her hair.

  When Sage turned to Laurie, the older woman gazed anxiously into her daughter's face. "I know this isn't the best time to spring this on you, Sage."

  "It's the best time for you and Pat. That makes it the right time. He's waited years for you."

  "You knew?"

  "How could I not?" she exclaimed. "You didn't raise any dimwitted children. Except for Lucky."

  "I heard that," he shouted over Lauren's crying. Sage gave her mother a sustained hug, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, holding in the stinging tears. Not for anything in the world would she have them know that another rug had been yanked out from under her. She wondered how many were stacked beneath her. Which one would be the last one, the one that sent her plunging into a black abyss of despair?

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  The wedding took place two Saturdays later, although the sisters-in-law complained that such short notice barely gave them time to prepare.

  "Give the guy a break," Chase had said in response to their protests.

  Lucky had agreed. "From the looks of him, poor Pat's about to burst."

  Despite the joke he had cracked directly following Pat's announcement, Lucky and the rest of them knew that their mother would never sleep with a man, even one she loved as much as she loved Pat, until she was married to him.

  "Laurie, Pat, you've asked your family and friends to gather here today to witness your exchange of wedding vows and to celebrate your love for each other."

  The officiating pastor had known the bride and groom for years. He seemed as happy about the marriage as the other guests who filled the first several rows of the church.

  Sage, serving as her mother's attendant, tried to concentrate on every word coming from the pastor's lips, but her eyes strayed beyond Pat's shoulder to the man seated in the second pew.

  Harlan wasn't attentive to the ceremony either. He was watching Sage. Every time she turned around, she fell victim to his eyes, which seemed to follow her everywhere, even into her dreams.

  They no longer gloated or provoked her with their know-it-all smugness. The intensity that had replaced it, however, was even more disturbing. She was afraid he would see too much, perceive things she didn't want him to know.

  For the last two weeks, she had avoided him whenever she could. Along with her sisters-in-law, she'd been terribly busy making arrangements for the wedding.

  Harlan spent most of his time at the garage working on the prototype, which even the prenuptial chaos hadn't deterred. He began to look thin and drawn. At first Sage thought it was her imagination, then she heard Laurie nagging him about his lack of rest, overwork, and poor appetite.

  There were lines making deep parentheses around his mouth today, but he looked extremely han
dsome. His hair was combed, somewhat. He had dressed up, somewhat. He was wearing boots, but they were shined. His dark slacks were pressed, and, though he had on his bomber jacket instead of a suit coat, he had compromised by wearing a necktie. His shirt was starched and showed up starkly white against his tanned face.

  During the brief ceremony, against her will, Sage's gaze was drawn again and again to his electric-blue stare. The magnetic power of it made her angora sweater-dress feel uncomfortably warm and snug. The padded, beaded shoulders felt like football pads weighing her down. The butterscotch color was one of her most flattering.

  She knew she looked good. But the last thing she wanted to do was look good to Harlan. She would rather die than have him think she was trying to attract him. According to the single-minded way he was staring at her, however, he liked not only what he saw on the outside, but what was underneath too.

  "You may now kiss your bride, Pat."

  Tears collected in Sage's eyes as she watched the big, burly sheriff, his own eyes glistening suspiciously, draw Laurie into his arms and kiss her. Sage remembered how much her mother had suffered through her father's lengthy illness and eventual death. She deserved this happiness. Apparently she was flourishing in Pat's love. Looking incandescent, she turned and faced the congregation.

  Sage had hostess duties to attend to at the house, so she and Devon left the church as quickly as possible. They had decorated the house with flowers, greenery, and candles and had prepared all the food with the exception of the tiered wedding cake.

  The guests complimented them effusively. The rooms of the house rang with laughter and echoed genial conversations. It was a joyous day.

  The party passed in a blur for Sage, who welcomed the tasks that occupied her. They kept her away from Harlan and gave her something else to think about.

  Before she realized how much time had elapsed, everyone gathered on the front porch to see off the newlyweds. Laurie went to each of her children individually and hugged them, then she drew Chase, Lucky, and Sage into one giant hug. Pools of tears collected in her eyes as she said her final good-byes.