“Oh, honey, don’t be embarrassed.”
Too late. The dreaded heat had bathed Sadie’s cheeks already.
“There’s not a woman your age who hasn’t pined over that one...and a few not your age, too.” Ms. Saben giggled like a schoolgirl. “Talk about another good man. One who’s had a hard life, but powered through. Nothing like his daddy, either.”
And just like that, the seed was planted. There was a theme in both their families’ lives—unwanted children. Did Zach have any kids out there he’d neglected? The heart that had yearned for him for five years said he was too responsible for that, too protective. But people were crazy sometimes. Did he have an ex hovering on the fringes, waiting to pounce or holding a child as leverage?
One glance at Ms. Saben told Sadie she had an inkling of the direction of her thoughts, so she might as well be honest. “Does he date a lot?”
Admiration shone in the older woman’s gaze. “Honest answer? No. I haven’t seen or heard of him dating more than three or four women—why, since he got home from the air force, I guess.” She studied Zach as he greeted his mother behind the bar.
So did Sadie. The strong, protective stance drew her, as did the hug he gave his much smaller mother. Her heart instantly melted.
“Maybe that’s why...” Ms. Saben mused.
Sadie turned her way. “What?”
Ms. Saben’s gaze met hers. “He loves his mama.”
Sadie nodded. “And his sister.”
Approval lightened the older woman’s gaze. “Men who know how to take care of women don’t normally play around, because they know how it affects the woman being played with.”
Like a ton of bricks, the knowledge hit Sadie. Zach hadn’t been playing with her—he wasn’t that type of man and didn’t have that kind of reputation. And she’d ruined it by walking away...even if she’d done it to protect him.
She couldn’t face him with that knowledge so fresh in her heart. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.
Ten
Sadie had been to several impressive mansions throughout her lifetime. Her boss’s home was essentially a villa at the end of a lane full of overblown palatial residences that offered every amenity imaginable, including an entire apartment for her in the refurbished barn whose rent came out of Sadie’s salary.
But Blackstone Manor gave the impression of a family home despite its grandeur, starting with the red-rimmed eyes of a very fragile-looking butler. “Good afternoon, madam,” he said solemnly, prompting an urge to hug him close and comfort him with hot tea.
Neither of which Sadie did, because this wasn’t her home or her rodeo. But her natural sympathy, coupled with the fact that she genuinely liked the Blackstones, made it hard to remain objective.
Lily Blackstone had lingered into January. The family had been able to celebrate Christmas at home, and the announcement of another brother’s engagement, without the black cloud of death intruding. That had come with the frigid winds and gray skies of deep winter.
Sadie had been around Black Hills long enough now to give her a tempting feeling of belonging. Some days she wished she could live forever in this sleepy friendly town, with its good, its bad and its quirks.
And except for a brief flight home one weekend to visit her mom, she had.
She and Zach continued to participate in a dance of sorts, a waltz that separated them and brought them close again, but not nearly close enough. Sadie began to recognize that she was procrastinating. She didn’t want to have to make a decision, didn’t want to figure out what she’d do back home if she didn’t get the money to bail her sister out.
At least she was being paid for her current job, even if it meant phone calls from a yelling, screaming Victor almost every night.
Today, she wouldn’t think about that. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he upset her, and she would hold on to the knowledge that his private investigator hadn’t had any more luck digging up dirt on Zach than she had.
She greeted Mr. Callahan, Ms. Saben and the Batemans as she made her way across the front parlor. Finally she was beginning to feel welcome. How would she ever live without this when she returned to Texas?