The door was hanging from one broken hinge. Joe took a moment to lift it into place against the frame.
“Thanks.” Sarah had lit a lamp in the kitchen, fired up the stove, and was measuring coffee into a pot. “And thanks for coming to my rescue.”
“It was pure luck that I was here. If those animals had hurt you, they wouldn’t be alive right now.” Joe battled the urge to walk up behind her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss the back of her neck. “I’ll send a man to fix your door in the morning.”
“No need. I’m sure the folks in charge of the school will take care of it.” She set the pot to boil on the stove.
“I can get it done sooner and better. When my man’s finished with that door, a buffalo stampede won’t be able to break it down.”
That brought a smile to her lips. She sank onto a kitchen chair to wait while the coffee boiled. The lamplight cast the lines and shadows around her eyes into stark relief. She hadn’t had it easy, his Sarah. Having her baby and raising him alone had taken its toll in hardship and worry. But she was even more beautiful than he remembered.
“Tell me about your family,” she said. “I saw you riding with your little boy, and then later I saw you with your wife, in the buggy. She was so pretty. I’d like to know more about your life with them.”
Where to begin—and to end? Joe knew what Sarah was trying to do. Talking about his wife and son would raise the protective barrier between them and lay out the reasons why they had to treat each other as strangers. But Joe had different intentions. If there was any chance that he and Sarah could move on from here, he must have no secrets from her.
As she set the mug of coffee before him on the table and took a seat across from him, he began. It would be tempting to leave out the parts of his story that were hard to tell and would be even harder for Sarah to hear. But there was no other way. She needed to know it all.
She listened as his best friend, her violet eyes soft and knowing. Now and again she stopped him to ask a question, but only to understand, not to judge.
By the time he finished, her eyes were moist. “You could have become a doctor, Sarah,” he said. “You could have lived your dream. What happened to stop you was my fault.”
She gave him a wistful smile. “What happened was Blake. And I wouldn’t have missed being his mother for all the fancy medical degrees in the world.”
“But if I’d known, I’d have come back and married you. Our whole lives would have been different.”
“You have another son,” she said. “A wonderful little boy who loves you. Would you have chosen not to have him?”
Without waiting for an answer, she stood. “I can’t tell you what to do with the rest of your life, Joe. But until you decide, Blake and I can’t be part of it. I won’t have you coming by to see us and then going back to your real family. I’m going to bed now. You can stay here or leave before sunrise. But when I wake up in the morning, I want you gone.”
Joe had also risen to his feet. “I understand, and I’ll be leaving before first light,” he said. “But I still plan to have your door fixed. I hope you’ll allow me that.”
“I’d appreciate it, of course. And thank you again for the rescue.”
She turned away to go. Only then, as her face caught the light, did he see the tear flowing down her cheek. He moved into her path, blocking her way to the bedroom. His hands cupped her face.
“No . . .” she whispered. But she didn’t resist as he bent toward her and claimed her lips in a long, tender kiss. She softened against him, her mouth molding to his, her body arching upward as she stretched on tiptoe, her heart pounding against his, her breasts soft through the robe and nightgown. Joe was already aroused and wanting her. But he knew better than to take their kiss any further. Nothing was going to happen. Not until, and not unless, he could put things right.
Knowing he must, he eased himself away from her. “Good night, Sarah,”