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  A small smile crested her face, and he felt a surge of satisfaction. It took work to get a smile from her, but it was worth more than any other smile he’d been given, because he knew it was genuine. Sadie didn’t just smile for the sake of it.

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “True. And my cook has a talent for it.”

  “You mean, you didn’t cook it yourself?” she teased. They both knew he was useless in the kitchen after her too-brief stay with him.

  “Just be grateful I didn’t, or we’d both go hungry.”

  She chuckled and reached for the basket.

  He gently blocked her hand, and she snapped it back with a look of fear. After a second, she looked down and her cheeks flushed. It wasn’t the first time she’d had a knee-jerk reaction like that, and he tried to stifle the fury inside. He didn’t comment on it, same as the other times it had happened.

  At first, Owen hadn’t been sure if her marriage had been a poor one, or if she’d just been so in love with her former husband, it was difficult to talk about. However, from what she’d told him during their drive the other day, Owen now knew it had been bad. That knowledge, coupled with the way she sometimes reacted, gave him a better picture of how her married life had been. It angered him that a man, who should have protected and loved Sadie, would hurt her, and he wished the man were still alive so he could give him a beating to remember.

  Owen hoped with time, when she felt comfortable enough, she would confide in him and maybe release some of the demons that still haunted her.

  He reached for the basket. “If you don’t mind,” he said gently, his tone soft, “I’d like to serve you.”

  Her eyes shot to his, a little wider than normal. “You’re going to serve me?”

  “Yes.”

  “But”—her hands floundered a bit—“why?”

  He chuckled then and leaned back. “Because I want to. Seems enough of a reason to me. I know you have Sylvia at the house to help with the cooking and cleaning, but I’m sure you still can’t be sleeping well, and you’re working hard to take care of Jack. This is something small I can do to help.”

  She softened. “Thank you. I’ll be honest, I don’t ever know what to expect from you.”

  “I’m not too different than most people.” He reached into the basket and pulled out a couple plates and silverware.

  She shook her head. “No. That’s where you’re wrong. You’re not like other men.”

  “How so?” He piled food on their plates and waited for her response.

  She picked a blade of grass and began shredding it in her lap. “First of all, you lead your men by example. They aren’t afraid of you. They follow your directions, because you know what you’re talking about, and you’ve proven that to them.”

  “That’s what good leaders do. If I didn’t know how to do each and every one of their jobs, they couldn’t trust me. And I wouldn’t blame them.” He handed her the plate, and almost laughed when her eyes widened at the mountain he’d placed on it. “Eat what you can.”

  “I’d hate for it to go to waste.” She eyed the massive mound of potato salad.

  “I’ll take the extras home and have them for dinner.”

  She nodded, then took a bite of a soft potato chunk and groaned in pleasure. “Heaven.”

  He shoved a forkful in his mouth before he did something ridiculous in response to her reaction. Like whimper, or pull her against him, or tell her how very much he wanted to give her more things to make her moan with pleasure. Sometimes being with her was pure torture when he couldn’t touch her. They normally had Jack as a buffer, and Owen hadn’t realized how much the child’s presence had helped combat his desire for Sadie.

  He was in trouble.

  “Anyway,” she said as she waved her fork through the air to signal the change back to the previous topic. “It’s not just that you’re a great leader, but you’re calm and patient. When we dropped off that cake to you last week, I saw one of the hands break a tool because he’d been using it improperly. I know a lot of people would have yelled at the man, or even dismissed him on sight for such an error. You did neither. I watched you calmly talk to him and explain how to do it properly so it wouldn’t happen again. I could tell the boy was relieved.”

  Owen’s fork paused halfway to his lips. “You saw that?”

  He’d had no idea Sadie was watching him at the time. He’d been told of her arrival after that, but he hadn’t realized she’d been waiting on him that long.

  “I did.”

  He could see the admiration in her eyes. “It was nothing.”

  “It was something. Many men wouldn’t have been so cool headed.”

  She looked away, her brow furrowing as if she were remembering something unpleasant. And he could guess what it was. All the signs he’d seen—her skittishness, the way she overreacted sometimes to physical touch, and the few words she had said about her past—all hinted at something dark leaving its mark on her.

  She finally looked back at him. “You’re an admirable person, Owen.”

  It was the nicest thing she’d ever said to him. He had her respect, and from what he could tell, she hardly, if ever, gave that to any other men. “Thank you. It means a lot that you think so.”

  “I do. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

  He nodded in acknowledgment. He knew if he ever pushed or made her uncomfortable, she would stop seeing him. And she’d be right to. He didn’t want her pushed by another soul again, and he’d make sure it never happened.

  He took another few bites, before changing the subject. He wanted her comfortable and relaxed. “So how are the plans for the spring festival coming?”

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You had to ask, didn’t you?”

  He held up his hands as a sign of peace. “I take it not well then?”

  “It would be fine if Willow, Violet, and Juliette could actually agree on something once in a while.”

  “You all agree that Jack is the best boy in the world,” he helpfully pointed out.

  “If only that was all it took to plan a party.”

  He laughed again, before pouring her a glass of lemonade and offering it to her. “Let me guess, Violet is being difficult?”

  “You’d think so, but it’s all of them. I wish some of the others could have helped, but they’re all busy with one thing or another. All the unmarried ladies have much more time apparently.” She took the glass with a grateful smile. A drop of the sweet liquid landed on the back of her hand, and she brought it to her mouth and licked it away.

  Owen’s heart beat a little too quickly at the sight. He needed to calm down and ignore stuff like that. She wasn’t trying to entice him, and frankly, she’d be horrified if she knew how she affected him.

  He took a deep breath and shifted his position, hoping the movement would calm him down. Why was it becoming so much more difficult to be around her? The spark of attraction he’d felt for her the moment they’d met had fed into a blaze, and he didn’t see any way out of it.

  He cleared his throat. “It’s two weeks away, right?”

  “Yes. But I’m confident we’ll have it planned and put together in time. It isn’t really hard to pull something like that together when the town is providing the food, and the surroundings are naturally gorgeous.”

  He scanned the nearby meadows dotted with yellows, pinks, and purples. “There’s no other place like it.”

  She shook her head as she took in the same view. “No place I’ve ever seen.” She sighed happily. “Thank you for bringing me here today. I love Jack, but I didn’t realize how much I needed a break.”

  “Everyone needs a break from time to time.”

  She nodded. “I wouldn’t have thought so. I love him so much, but this is the first time in so long he hasn’t completely consumed my thoughts. I almost feel like a separate person again.” She chuckled.

  “I understand. Though he’s a great baby,” he said casually, tip-toeing into the conversat
ion he’d wanted to have with her when he’d first invited her on the picnic. He wanted to see them both more, but didn’t know how to ask without scaring her.

  She beamed at him. “He really is. He sleeps so well, I almost feel like I need to make up stories about how many times he keeps me up when I speak to some of the other married women in town. I’m so lucky to have him.”

  He debated what to say, and how to say it. “Anyone would be lucky. He’d make some man a great son.” He inwardly cursed when she stiffened. “If you ever did decide to change your mind and remarry,” he added quickly.

  “He would make some man a great son,” she agreed, “but I don’t think I’ll change my mind about marriage.”

  “Not even if you came to care for someone?” He held his breath. He could accept not wanting to marry a stranger, or maybe not being ready to marry now, or even within the next few years.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “But…why?” He should have come up with something more articulate, but couldn’t seem to manage it. He just wanted to know, to understand. He thought he wouldn’t push her for more answers until she was ready to confide, but the need to know was more than he could handle.

  Her hands came together in her lap, and she twisted her fingers. “I know you probably already realize this, though it’s not something I talk about, but my marriage…wasn’t a happy one.”

  He nodded slowly, worried if he said anything, she would cut herself off and never speak of it again. He wanted to know what had happened.

  “He…hurt me. Physically.”

  He sucked in a quick breath and her gaze flew to his. He managed to hold himself together, but just barely. He’d known she’d been mistreated, but to hear her finally confirm it caused a myriad of feelings to rise within him.

  When he didn’t say anything, she continued, “Not at first. It’s never at first, is it?” She gave him a self-deprecating smile. “But it didn’t take too long to start. We were only married six months.”

  Such a short amount of time, yet long enough to scar her and completely change her life. It wasn’t right, and it certainly wasn’t fair. Sadie was still so young, had so much life and love and spirit left in her.

  “What happened to him?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

  She looked at her hands again and held still. At first, he didn’t think she would answer, but then she said softly, “I killed him.”

  He froze. “What?”

  She looked up, and her deadened eyes pierced him. “I killed him. I didn’t run the knife through him or anything, but I’m the one who started the fight.”

  “What happened?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He was torn between soothing her, and demanding she tell him. “All right. But if you ever want to talk about it, I hope you know I’m here to listen.”

  “Owen…”

  He placed his hand on her forearm. “I mean that. There’s no strings. You don’t have to give anything in return. I’m your friend,” he reminded her.

  She searched his eyes. “Really?”

  “Yes.” He wanted more, he couldn’t deny that, but it didn’t matter what he wanted. It mattered what she needed. And right now, until she realized she was safe with him, he’d be her friend and only her friend.

  “You’re too kind.”

  He wished he could say he was only motivated by kindness, but it wasn’t true. He liked to think he would do this for any person in need, especially for a single mother, but until he’d met Sadie, he hadn’t been looking to see if anyone else needed him. Since the day he’d help bring Jack into the world, he’d thought of little else but being there for both of them. “I’m glad you think so.”

  “I know so.” She placed a hand over his, the first time she’d ever willingly done so. “Jack is so lucky to have you in his life. I worried he’d miss having a man to guide him.”

  He took her hand and squeezed. “I’ll be here to help him.” He was going to be there for the two of them. No matter what.

  Chapter 4

  Sadie was hanging what felt like the five-hundredth paper flower in the town square. “This better be the last one, Juliette, or I might kill you.” She lowered her hands and shook her arms out, trying to stop her fingers from tingling. She’d had them raised, hanging flowers, for almost an hour, and she was starting to feel it.

  The dark-haired, doe-eyed woman chuckled. “There’s only ten left, but I’ll hang them.”

  Sadie clasped her hands in front of her. “You’re an angel.”

  “Just don’t tell Violet I let you off easy. I told her she had to keep working,” she said in a hushed tone, before glancing over her shoulder at Violet, who softly cursed under her breath every time her attempt at hanging the decorations were thwarted in one way or another.

  They both giggled at the sight, then Sadie leaned against the mercantile wall. “I hope everyone enjoys themselves today.”

  Juliette eyed the square with a critical eye. “I think they will. It’s beautiful, if I do say so myself. The food will be fantastic, and with the band playing, everyone will feel festive.”

  “You’re right. Besides, what’s important is that everyone is here, spending time together.”

  “True. But,” Juliette dragged the word out, “I’m fairly certain my decorations will really take the show.”

  Sadie snorted. “So modest. I’m going to go see how the food table setup is going. Let me know if you need help, but only if you’re desperate.” Juliette rolled her eyes and Sadie laughed as she walked away.

  They had about another hour before the party started, and even though they still had a ton to do, Sadie was confident they’d be able to accomplish it all in time.

  She walked over to where the refreshments were going to be set up and noticed two men carrying tables out of the saloon. She was grateful she wouldn’t have to carry them herself. She’d have to make sure to give the men a treat for their willingness to help.

  She held a hand above her brow to shield her eyes from the direct sunlight to see who the two men were. One was Dave, the saloon owner, and the other—

  Owen?

  She didn’t know he’d arrived early to help.

  She walked toward them with a grateful smile and showed them where to place the tables. “Thank you for all your help.”

  Dave tapped the brim of his hat, and nodded. “It wasn’t any trouble.”

  She gave the man another smile before he left, then turned her attention to Owen. “I didn’t know you were coming early.”

  He slapped his hat against his leg before refitting it on his head. His eyes sparkled a deep blue in the sun as he smiled, and she couldn’t help but notice how wonderful he looked. Strong, handsome, kind—

  “I thought you might need a little help this morning.”

  She brushed away her observations and focused on his words. “It’s very appreciated, but aren’t things picking up at the ranch?”

  “They are, but my men are good, and stealing away for a few hours will be fine. They won’t miss me. Where’s Jack?” He looked around as if trying to find him.

  She was touched by his interest. “With Clara. She’s been begging to watch him, since they’re expecting a little one of their own. She wants to get some practice in.”

  “They’ll be disappointed when their baby arrives. None will be as good as Jack.”

  She snorted a laugh. “Just wait until you have your own. You might change your mind.”

  He shook his head and clucked. “Nope. I don’t think so.”

  Her heart twinged at the thought of him married and with kids of his own, but she pushed the feeling away. “Well we appreciate your help.”

  “Absolutely. What else do you need done?”

  She bit her lip. “We’ll need a few more chairs for the band, and maybe a few more for the people who want to sit around and talk, or rest after dancing. Most will stand around the food, but I thought it wou
ld be nice for some of the older folks or expecting women.”

  He smiled slowly. “That’s something I like about you. You’re thoughtful. Not everyone has that talent.”

  Sadie could feel her cheeks go hot. “It’s nothing really.”

  “It is. And it’s an admirable trait.” When she didn’t say anything more, he grinned. “I’ll go get those chairs.”

  She watched him walk away, the way his shirt stretched across broad muscles, the way his legs strode forward with confidence. He was breathtaking.

  It seemed the more time she spent with him, the more she liked looking at him. Before too much longer, she was worried she might do something she’d regret.

  And that couldn’t happen. She needed to keep their friendship just as it was. She couldn’t risk losing him as a friend and as Jack’s mentor. She had no business noticing the way his clothes fit, or the way his tawny hair brushed his shoulders, just a tad too long and even more charming than it should be.

  She forced herself to turn her attention to decorating the tables and arranging cutlery, and away from Owen.

  Hopefully, they’d have enough utensils for everyone, but if needed, she could wash a few in Sally’s Cafe after the first wave of people ate. She was sure the single middle-aged widow wouldn’t mind.

  As she arranged more paper flowers on the tables, her eyes involuntarily kept trailing back to Owen as he carried chairs out of the saloon. They probably had enough for anyone who wanted one, but she didn’t tell him to stop. He looked so at ease as he stopped and chatted with people, laughed over jokes, and asked how their loved ones were.

  Was he always this way?

  She frowned. People could hide things about who they truly were inside and project a different person when around others. She’d lived through that personally with Gerald to know it to be true. He’d been so charming when they’d courted: she a poor orphan, and him a successful businessman. He’d been the life of every party, and he’d been invited to plenty of them. Maybe that was why it was such a shock the first time he’d slapped her. She’d never, not even in her wildest imaginations, would have thought him capable of such a thing. He’d always been so jovial and kind.