didn’t trust Adrian, especially given the underhanded purpose for his visit. The man cheats on Sarah. Then when his new wife cheats on him, or so he thinks, he decides to cheat on her with the woman he cheated on in the first place!
His head hurt just thinking about it.
If he was honest with himself, it annoyed him that Sarah would have anything to do with him after what he’d done to her. In the end, he supposed that was her decision. He’d respect it. But it didn’t mean he had to like it.
After two long hours of pacing, crying, worrying, and caffeinating, Sarah heard a knock on the front door.
“Alex?” She ran to the foyer.
Wrenching open the door, she found a police officer, with a chagrinned Alex standing next to him, hair disheveled more than usual. “Ma’am, does he belong to you?”
“Yes,” she said, confused, and not a little worried.
“If he has a tendency to get lost, you might want to consider micro-chipping him,” Officer Friendly returned, tongue clearly in his cheek. “Had a yellow lab who wandered frequently. Worked like a charm for her.”
“Thanks,” Sarah said, taking Alex’s arm and pulling him into the house. “I might just do that. Good night.”
Head down, hands in his pockets, Alex said, “I’d have been back sooner, but I got a little lost. And I didn’t have my mobile. Am I still welcome?”
“Oh Alex. Like you have to ask.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I’ve been so worried.” Just as he wrapped his arms around her, she shoved him away from her. “Alex Fraser, Earl or not, don’t you ever do that to me again. What the hell was that about?”
He ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know . . . other than Michael’s fruitless advances to you, I’ve never been a jealous man, but then again, I never had reason to be.”
He pulled her close again. “No one has ever meant so much to me. The thought of another man, especially your ex-husband, putting his hands on you, kissing you . . . against your will, well I just . . . cracked. It was a powerful emotion for me. Clearly, I didn’t have the intellectual or emotional tools to handle it.”
Pulling away, she said, “I guess I should be a little flattered, but right now I’m just emotionally drained.” She sat down on the bottom step, where she’d kept her vigil when she wasn’t pacing.
He hesitated and then sat next to her, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked up at her. “Sarah, I am mortified by my conduct, and deeply sorry for causing you any pain or worry. Can you forgive me?”
She leaned over and kissed him, nibbling at the corner of his mouth. “Yes. I guess you’re entitled to a meltdown every now and then, especially if you’re going to keep up with me.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Tell me, have you forgiven him?”
“Yes. I have. What’s done is done. And if you think about it, if he’d never been such a louse, I’d never have met you.” She considered it a moment, “So, in a way, maybe I should thank him.” She tilted her head and shrugged.
He hadn’t thought of it like that. Maybe he should find him and . . . no, he couldn’t thank Adrian. That was asking too much.
“Now come,”—Sarah held out her hand—“let me show you just how much I forgive you.”
They turned to climb the stairs. “So, you bit him . . .”
“Uh huh. I made him bleed.”
“Good.” Then he winced. “Remind me never to piss you off while I’m kissing you.”
Chapter 16
“Don’t cry, Sarah. It’ll be all right,” Alex said with mock concern.
Sarah sniffed again, and he laughed. “Here, let me do that.”
Tears ran down her face from cutting onions for the dressing for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner.
He took the knife from her hand and using his hip, bumped her aside.
The kitchen was fragrant with a combination of pungent chopped onions and the smell of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves from the pumpkin pies that were already baking in the oven.
The huge bird was thawing, the fresh cranberry chutney was chilling in the fridge, and the vegetable chopping was underway. Two pecan pies stood ready for the oven as soon as the pumpkin pies were done.
Tomorrow Sarah would prepare the turkey, of course, and homemade biscuits, dressing, giblet gravy, green beans, and sweet potato soufflé. A true Southern