better than I can, since you’re buying for a family of three.”
“A year at a time?”
“It’s more economical that way.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry about this list. I know how hard you’re working setting up the library. I’ll take care of everything you have here myself, including talking to Louise about that lettuce.”
“Oh, but…I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Of course you could. I’m just being neighborly. Tell you what. I’ll get everything together and deliver it this afternoon. How’s that?”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Pete said, grinning broadly as if she’d done him a favor by allowing him to bring her groceries.
As the day went on, Abbey found herself waiting for Sawyer, hoping he’d stop by, wondering if he’d mention their kisses. Knowing he wouldn’t.
Scott and Susan were in and out of the library all morning. Abbey enjoyed being accessible to her children; the experience of having them close at hand during the summer was a new one.
When she’d asked Pearl about day care, the older woman had thought she was joking. There was no such thing in Hard Luck. Not technically. Abbey knew that Louise Gold watched Chrissie Harris for Mitch, but there wasn’t any official summer program for school-age children.
Scott and Susan were thriving on the sense of adventure and freedom. Their happiness seemed to bubble over.
“Hi, Mom,” Scott said, strolling into the library, Eagle Catcher beside him.
“Once the library opens, we can’t have Sawyer’s dog inside,” she told him.
“We can’t?” Scott was offended on the husky’s behalf. “That’s not fair. I let him come everyplace else I go.”
“Dogs can’t read,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“I bet I could teach him.”
She shook her head. “Did you ask Sawyer about letting him out of his pen?”
“Yup. I went down to the airfield. He was real busy, and I thought he might get mad at me, but he didn’t. He said I’d been patient and he was proud of me.” Scott beamed as he reported the compliment. “He’s short-handed ’cause his brother’s gone, and he had to take a flight this morning himself. I don’t think he wanted to go, but he did.”
“Oh.” She tried to conceal her disappointment. “Did he say when he’d be back?”
“Nope, but I invited him for dinner. That was okay, wasn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“You said we were having taco salad, didn’t you?”
“Yes…What did Sawyer say?”
“He said he’d like that, but he wanted to make sure you knew about him coming. I told him you always fix lots, and I promised to tell you. It’s all right, isn’t it?”
Abbey nodded. “I suppose.”
“I’ll go see if Sawyer’s back yet. I’ll tell him you said he could come.” Scott raced out the door at breakneck speed, with Eagle Catcher in hot pursuit. Abbey couldn’t help grinning—it took the energy of a sled dog to keep up with her son.
She was barely aware of the afternoon slipping past until Pete Livengood stopped by with her groceries and surprised her with a small bouquet of wildflowers. His thoughtfulness touched her.
Abbey was straightening everything for the day when a shadow fell across her desk. She looked up to find Sawyer standing in the doorway, blocking the light.
He seemed tired and disgruntled. “Isn’t it about time you went home?”
“I was just getting ready to leave.”
“Scott invited me to dinner.”
“So I heard.” She found herself staring at him, then felt embarrassed and looked away. Her thoughts were in a muddle as she scrambled for something to say to ease the sudden tension between them.
“Pete Livengood brought me wildflowers,” she blurted, convinced she sounded closer to Susan’s age than her own.
“Pete was here?”
“Yes, he delivered a few groceries. He’s a very nice man.”
Sawyer was oddly silent, and Abbey tried to fill the awkward gap.
“When he stopped by, we talked for a bit. He’s led an
“A year at a time?”
“It’s more economical that way.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry about this list. I know how hard you’re working setting up the library. I’ll take care of everything you have here myself, including talking to Louise about that lettuce.”
“Oh, but…I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Of course you could. I’m just being neighborly. Tell you what. I’ll get everything together and deliver it this afternoon. How’s that?”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Pete said, grinning broadly as if she’d done him a favor by allowing him to bring her groceries.
As the day went on, Abbey found herself waiting for Sawyer, hoping he’d stop by, wondering if he’d mention their kisses. Knowing he wouldn’t.
Scott and Susan were in and out of the library all morning. Abbey enjoyed being accessible to her children; the experience of having them close at hand during the summer was a new one.
When she’d asked Pearl about day care, the older woman had thought she was joking. There was no such thing in Hard Luck. Not technically. Abbey knew that Louise Gold watched Chrissie Harris for Mitch, but there wasn’t any official summer program for school-age children.
Scott and Susan were thriving on the sense of adventure and freedom. Their happiness seemed to bubble over.
“Hi, Mom,” Scott said, strolling into the library, Eagle Catcher beside him.
“Once the library opens, we can’t have Sawyer’s dog inside,” she told him.
“We can’t?” Scott was offended on the husky’s behalf. “That’s not fair. I let him come everyplace else I go.”
“Dogs can’t read,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“I bet I could teach him.”
She shook her head. “Did you ask Sawyer about letting him out of his pen?”
“Yup. I went down to the airfield. He was real busy, and I thought he might get mad at me, but he didn’t. He said I’d been patient and he was proud of me.” Scott beamed as he reported the compliment. “He’s short-handed ’cause his brother’s gone, and he had to take a flight this morning himself. I don’t think he wanted to go, but he did.”
“Oh.” She tried to conceal her disappointment. “Did he say when he’d be back?”
“Nope, but I invited him for dinner. That was okay, wasn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“You said we were having taco salad, didn’t you?”
“Yes…What did Sawyer say?”
“He said he’d like that, but he wanted to make sure you knew about him coming. I told him you always fix lots, and I promised to tell you. It’s all right, isn’t it?”
Abbey nodded. “I suppose.”
“I’ll go see if Sawyer’s back yet. I’ll tell him you said he could come.” Scott raced out the door at breakneck speed, with Eagle Catcher in hot pursuit. Abbey couldn’t help grinning—it took the energy of a sled dog to keep up with her son.
She was barely aware of the afternoon slipping past until Pete Livengood stopped by with her groceries and surprised her with a small bouquet of wildflowers. His thoughtfulness touched her.
Abbey was straightening everything for the day when a shadow fell across her desk. She looked up to find Sawyer standing in the doorway, blocking the light.
He seemed tired and disgruntled. “Isn’t it about time you went home?”
“I was just getting ready to leave.”
“Scott invited me to dinner.”
“So I heard.” She found herself staring at him, then felt embarrassed and looked away. Her thoughts were in a muddle as she scrambled for something to say to ease the sudden tension between them.
“Pete Livengood brought me wildflowers,” she blurted, convinced she sounded closer to Susan’s age than her own.
“Pete was here?”
“Yes, he delivered a few groceries. He’s a very nice man.”
Sawyer was oddly silent, and Abbey tried to fill the awkward gap.
“When he stopped by, we talked for a bit. He’s led an
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