Texas Heat by Bárbara McCauley

it possible she might actually lose her niece?
    No. She’d never let that happen. They’d be leaving in a few weeks, going back to their own home. Emma would settle down and start school again in the fall. She’d be with her friends and forget about this other part of her life, except for Christmas cards and birthdays. She’d probably even forget that calf she was so crazy about.
    The peace Savannah had felt only a moment before was gone now. Doubt and apprehension filled her and she turned away to fill her glass with tea.
    When she turned back, Savannah noticed that Emma was watching Jake as she chewed thoughtfully on a peanut-butter sandwich. Jake took a big swallow from a paper cup filled with iced tea as Emma leaned forward.
    â€œJake,” Emma said, picking at a strand of hair that had stuck to her cheek, “how come you don’t have a wife?”
    He lurched forward, nearly choking on his drink. Tea spilled down the front of his blue shirt. Oblivious to her indelicate question, Emma persisted. “Well, how come?”
    Savannah knew she should intervene and discourage Emma’s question, but the truth was, she wanted to know herself. When Jake glanced sideways at her, she simply smiled.
    Swiping at the front of his shirt, Jake answered irritably, “I had one.”
    Savannah glanced up in surprise. So he had been married. She wasn’t sure why that surprised her, but it did.
    â€œWhat happened to her?” Emma asked.
    Savannah’s good breeding insisted she interrupt. “Pecan, you mustn’t ask—”
    â€œThat’s all right.” Jake cut Savannah off with a wave of his hand, then turned his attention to Emma. “I guess she liked money better than she liked me.”
    Emma frowned as she thought about what Jake said. “I had a friend once—Alexandra—and she was nice to me so she could come over and play with my Priscilla Princess doll. When my neighbor’s dog chewed Priscilla’s arm off, Alexandra didn’t want to play with me anymore. Aunt Savannah said Alexandra wasn’t a very good friend.”
    Jake looked at Savannah, his gaze intense. “No, Emma, she wasn’t.”
    Though it was hard for Savannah to imagine a woman loving money more than a man, she realized that those kind of women were in abundance. She felt an unreasonable tug of anger at a faceless woman she’d never met.
    Emma set her sandwich aside and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “Did you have any kids?”
    Jake’s face darkened at the question and Savannah realized it was definitely time to ward off the questions. “Emma, look—” she pointed toward the stream “—I think I see a rabbit.”
    Emma immediately scrambled up, then ran off, calling over her shoulder. “Save some cookies for me.”
    Savannah sipped on her iced tea in the awkward silence that followed Emma’s departure. “I’m sorry,” she said at last. “About your wife.”
    He shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
    â€œBut you’ve never remarried.”
    He shook his head. “Once was enough, thank you. I’ll leave matrimony and kids to Jessica and Jared.”
    Savannah knew she was risking the truce they’d called, but she had to ask. “How does Emma fit into your life, Jake? Is she replacing children you’ll never have?”
    His hard gaze met hers. “Emma is my sister. My flesh and blood. If I had ten kids I’d never turn my back on her. And since you’re suddenly so interested in talking about our personal lives,” he added dryly, “why aren’t you married?”
    Annoyed with herself for pursuing this line of conversation, Savannah busied herself by repacking the lunch basket and stuffing the trash into a brown paper bag.
    â€œI intend to,” she answered stiffly. “Soon.”
    He’d moved closer to her on the blanket, and she felt the energy