Читать книгу Rocky Mountain Legacy - Lois Richer - Страница 9

“Wait!”

Cade ignored the curious stares of the other coffee-shop patrons. He needed Sara Woodward. He needed Weddings by Woodwards, needed their expertise and their clout. But more than that, he found himself not wanting this small delicate woman to think badly of him.

And she did.

Her prickly tone, the frost edging her voice, the sharp snap of her consonants—Sara Woodward had pegged him as an overbearing ogre, forcing his sister to bend to his demands.

“You don’t understand.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Will you please hear me out before judging me any further?”

Sara debated for a moment, nodded once then took her seat.

Cade smiled.

“Thank you. I can imagine what you think, Sara. But if I couldn’t, your face gives it away.” Relieved she was still listening, he hurried on. “I apologize. I should have started at the beginning. I’ve lived alone so long, I expect people to read my mind.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I still won’t do it.” The jut of her chin emphasized her determination.

“Give me five minutes?”

She studied him, lips pursed. Finally she nodded.

“I’ll listen. But it’s really a moot point.”

“Why?”

“Unless the wedding takes place very quickly, I won’t be around. I’d have to hand you over to someone else eventually anyway.”

Someone else? But he’d connected with her. Or thought he had.

“I understood that once Weddings by Woodwards took on an event, their planner stayed until the event was over.”

“Usually that’s true.” Her lids drooped, shielding her eyes.

“So?” What was she hiding? Cade leaned in to study her closed-up face.

“I won’t be staying. I returned to Woodwards to help out only while my grandmother is ill.”

“Returned from?”

“Los Angeles.” Sara studied her notepad. “We can go back to the store now. Katie will help you.”

“She said she’s booked today.” Cade dismissed that. “You don’t know when you’re leaving Denver?”

“Not exactly.” Sara avoided his gaze. “But the moment Winnie is back at Woodwards full-time, I’m off to L.A. Working at Weddings by Woodwards is temporary for me.”

Her voice, sheathed in steely determination, gave the impression it wasn’t the first time she’d said that. Cade didn’t argue. Instead he signaled to their server to refill their cups and offered her one of the croissants he’d ordered.

“You said you’d explain,” Sara prodded.

“I’m not sure where to start.” Cade stirred his coffee, then decided it wasn’t going to get easier. “Karen, my sister, is overseas, in the military.”

“Oh?”

“She and her fiancé are in a special tactical force. I hear from her sporadically. In her last e-mail Karen told me she and Trent had just become engaged and that they wanted to be married as soon as they return, at the end of their mission, which is secret. See why I can’t specify a date and time?”

“Yes, I understand.” Interest lit her expressive face.

“Karen’s twenty-three,” he continued. “She and Trent were high-school sweethearts. I want to give her the kind of wedding our parents would have. A celebration.”

“But she wants to elope.”

“Because Karen thinks it will be easier on me, that it won’t cost me anything, won’t make a fuss I’ll have to endure.” Publicizing personal details wasn’t his forte, but Cade could tell by Sara’s dubious expression that he was going to have to open up if he wanted her help. “You see, I was supposed to be married right before Karen went overseas the first time. My fiancée died two weeks before the wedding.”

He heard her soft gasp.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” Cade hated this part, wanted to get past it fast. “Marnie died of an aneurysm. It was totally unexpected.”

“And then your sister left.” Her face softened. “That was a hard time for you.”

“Yes.” He could see Sara didn’t understand. Yet. He’d have to give her more details. “Karen felt guilty for leaving right after I’d lost Marnie. She wanted to ask the Army for leave, but I persuaded her to go.”

“Because?” Sara’s brown velvet eyes missed nothing.

“Because she deserves to build her own life. There was nothing she could do for me. I’m older, I’m stronger. I could get through it on my own.”

“You wanted to protect her.”

Cade smiled at the accuracy of her assessment and the skill with which she cut through his prevarication.

“It’s what I do,” he admitted.

“You protect your sister—because you think Karen isn’t capable of looking after herself?” Disbelief emphasized the arch of one sculpted eyebrow. “At twenty-three?”

“You remind me of her.” Cade recalled the many times his sister had cut through his excuses and demanded the truth. “Karen doesn’t mince words, either.”

The petite blond wedding planner tightened her lips.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with how old she is, Sara.” Cade let the story pour out. “Our parents died when I was eighteen. Karen was ten. I raised her. I was her father, mother and her brother. She’s my only family. That’s why this wedding has to be special.”

“Even if she doesn’t want it?” Sara’s brows furrowed.

“She does! She just doesn’t want to let on she does because Karen thinks another wedding will bring back the pain of losing Marnie.”

“Will it?”

“Probably some,” he acknowledged. “But my experiencing a little pain isn’t a good enough reason not to have a wedding for Karen.”

“I see.”

She didn’t.

“My sister used to constantly talk about what she’d do for her own wedding. She had more bride dolls than any of her friends. In her room at home there’s a big fat album full of wedding pictures she’s been cutting out of magazines for as long as I can remember.” Cade met her stare. “Karen’s wedding has been a dream she’s had forever. I am not going to let her give it up because of me.”

“Generous of you. The album might come in handy.” Sara’s wise-owl eyes never left his face. “But surely you understand what’s involved? You were about to be married. You must have consulted with your fiancée, made joint decisions.”

That made him laugh.

“If you’d known Marnie, you wouldn’t have said that. She was the ultimate organizer and she did not like her plans interfered with. That was fine by me. Some stuff was going on at the ranch at the time and I was glad to let her handle all the details. I didn’t care how, as long as we got married.” He made a face. “I wish now I’d paid more attention.”

“You’ve known a lot of loss.”

“I’ve known a lot of happiness,” he corrected. “I thank God for that every day.”

Sara’s face closed up like a clam, her eyes dropped to her worksheet. Cade wondered what he’d said wrong.

“It isn’t possible to ask Karen’s preferences on anything?”

Cade shook his head.

“She and Trent were leaving base for a new mission the day she e-mailed me. I can leave messages, but I can’t contact her directly. Even if I could, there wouldn’t be any point.”

“Because?”

“Because all Karen and Trent care about is getting married as soon as they get home. That’s why I want everything in place.” He wouldn’t give up, not yet. “I don’t want my sister to elope because it’s easier. I want her to come home, to walk her down the aisle of the church we grew up in. I want to hand her care over to her husband.”

Not strictly accurate, but Cade pushed past the half truth to continue.

“I want her to have precious memories of her wedding day that she can take out and treasure when the tough patches come.”

At last Sara lifted her head and met his gaze.

“It’s going to be a lot of work.”

Cade’s heart bumped with relief. That meant she was going to help, didn’t it?

“Life is a lot of work. But family matters, and when you do something for them, the payoff on their faces makes the work seem like play.” He studied her. “You must know that yourself.”

“I must, mustn’t I?” Sara agreed dourly, her concentration on the scribbles she placed on her notepad.

The chagrin tingeing her voice surprised Cade. He studied her profile, followed one of her golden ringlets to its resting place on her narrow shoulder. Sara Woodward had the kind of soft, wistful beautiful many women tried to erase.

Perhaps she—

A movement outside caught Cade’s attention and he blinked at the man who peered through the glass.

“Isn’t that your brother, Reese, father of the infamous twins?”

Sara’s head jerked up. She twisted to get a better look. When she turned back, her almost-black eyes glittered with indignation.

“Yes, it’s Reese.” Sara squished her napkin into a ball. “Sometimes I wish I’d never left L.A.”

Her whisper shocked Cade. Fairly certain she hadn’t been talking to him, he didn’t press because her face looked as if she’d lost her best friend.

Sara’s narrow shoulders drooped. The soft cream silk blouse shifted, revealing her slim neck and the delicate silk scarf she’d tucked in there. Cade didn’t know much about fashion, but he was fairly certain that particular hue of Caribbean orange wasn’t in vogue at the moment. Yet on Sara it looked exactly right—vibrant, warm, full of potential.

He wondered why she’d chosen the shade. Actually he had a thousand questions about his wedding planner.

“What do you do when you’re in L.A., Sara?”

She blinked. Big innocent doe eyes, an unusual combination with that blond hair, widened.

“Do?” Her cheekbones turned a richer pink. “Um…”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He’d only just met the woman and now he was prying? Loneliness wasn’t an excuse. “I’m getting too personal. Sorry.”

“It’s not a secret. I’m a makeup artist for a movie studio. I’m trying to break into special effects, though.” She said it defiantly, as if she expected him to offer some negative remark on her choice of career.

“Cool.” Cade asked the first thing he thought of. “Ever worked with the stars?”

“Once or twice.” Her eyelids drooped, shielding her thoughts. One short oval nail tapped against the tabletop.

Sara might not like his questions, but at least she hadn’t told him to mind his own business. Cade pressed on.

“I’m guessing it’s a challenging field.”

“It can be.” She lifted her chin and her face transformed, skin glowing, eyes shining with excitement. “That’s what I like about it. It’s a chance to prove you can change things, make them into what you want. I never tire of that.”

The hint of defiance underlying her words reminded him of Karen on the day she’d announced she’d enlisted. Determination. Grit. Challenge.

Sara’s fingertips tightened around her cup of barely touched coffee.

“I’m going to get into special effects. As soon as I can figure out how.”

“I’m sure you will.” He remembered an earlier comment. “It was nice of you to put your dream on hold to help out while your grandmother recuperates.”

“I didn’t want to.” Soft pink deepened to a rose blush.

“But you came anyway. That’s true commitment.” Cade studied the pure clear shape of her face. “Surely there must be a call for your kind of work in Denver?”

“For makeup. But I’m trying to get into special effects. That means Hollywood.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” Sara Woodward’s velvet brown eyes challenged him to understand.

And Cade didn’t, though he wished he could.

For him, family came right behind his love for God. Although his parents had been gone for fifteen years, he still treasured the family moments he could recall, happy, laughing moments when it seemed as if they’d always be there, providing the love and security he’d taken for granted.

The same love he’d showered on Karen as he tried to protect her.

He’d compared them, but Cade now realized Sara Woodward was nothing like his sister. Karen was a product of her environment, strong and tough like the land abutting the Rockies. Sara, with her dainty figure, exotic scarf and that mass of bouncing golden curls, was more like one of Karen’s delicate porcelain wedding dolls, the ones that belonged in a glass box on a high shelf where the hard knocks of life could not reach.

And yet, in the depths of Sara’s eyes he caught a glimpse of a woman with inner fire and determination. But she was not comfortable with her world.

Cade couldn’t make the pieces fit. Sara had family here, guaranteed job security in the family business. She had at least one sister and one brother that he knew of, and a grandmother who could be called upon if needed. Everything he longed for.

So why did she seem so desperate to run away from them?

“Families are precious. They should be treasured,” he said, and wished he hadn’t when she tossed a glare toward the window and her brother.

“I do treasure my family. Very much.” Her jaw thrust out an inch farther. “But sometimes I have to escape them.”

“Why?”

“Let’s get back to your wedding.” Sara ignored the question, tapped her notepad. “Are we settled on a church for the ceremony?”

Cade kept his focus on her, wishing she’d explain.

“Or you could wait till my grandmother is back.”

“I don’t want to wait.” It took about ten seconds to reach a decision. Cade sat up straight, pushed his shoulders back. “I’ll think about a location. In the meantime, what else do I need to decide to get this thing rolling?”

“Without a firm date it’s difficult to plan a lot, but you could begin to consider invitations, color schemes.” Sara raised one eyebrow. “I’m guessing you won’t choose the bride’s dress?”

“Given your current job, I guess that question is understandable.” He grinned, leaned back in his seat, senses enmeshed in the spicy fragrance of her perfume. “Think more ‘big picture,’ Sara.”

“What? Most brides think clothes are a very important part of wedding. Wedding gowns, tuxedos.” She chuckled at his huff of distaste and continued.

But the more she listed, the more Cade felt like a man drowning. Sara must have noticed because she finally paused.

“It’s a lot to handle,” she said, her voice softening. “Maybe you need to rethink this idea.”

Maybe he did. Nothing about organizing Karen’s wedding seemed as simple as it had back on the ranch. But that didn’t mean Cade was giving up.

“I need a little time to wrap my mind around the details, that’s all.”

“Take all the time you need. I better get back to work.”

While Sara dabbed her lips on a napkin, Cade tossed some money on the table, then led the way outside, holding her arm until she pulled it away.

He checked the sidewalk, expecting to see Reese.

“I guess your brother had to leave.”

“Yeah. Probably to give his report.”

“Report?” He didn’t understand that comment, or what had drained the sparkle from her eyes, but the Woodward family wasn’t his business. “Because Reese isn’t here, I’ll walk you back to the store.”

“Thanks, but I can manage without you or my brother to guide me. I’ve been finding my own way around L.A. for a while now.” Hostility leeched through the sour words.

“I don’t doubt you can.” Cade hadn’t sensed tension between sister and brother earlier, which made him even more curious about the Woodwards, especially about Sara. “I have to walk there anyway. My car’s parked across from the store.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” She walked beside him in a mincing pace, almost falling flat on her face when her heel caught in a sidewalk crack. She recovered quickly, tossed him a smile. “I thought all cowboys drove trucks?”

“I don’t bring my truck into town unless I’m hauling something. Too many bad drivers ready to dent it. And, yes, all the stories about ranchers treating their trucks like babies are true. Hey!” Cade grabbed her just in time and held on until Sara had regained her balance again. “Are those things comfortable?”

“Not in the least,” Sara told him, fingers pressing into his arm as she righted herself. “But Katie insists they’re the only appropriate footwear for my work at Woodwards. I usually work in sneakers and jeans.”

“I imagine you look very nice in those, too.” A sense of loss suffused him when her arm slid out from his. “Oh, we’re here already.”

“Whenever you want to talk again, stop in.” Sara’s eyes lost their brooding, lightened to a rich cocoa. “We’ll do our best to help. But I think you should wait and talk to Karen. Then listen. She might have other reasons for wanting to elope.”

“Like what?” Cade resented the inference that he didn’t know exactly how Karen thought. His baby sister was an open book to him.

“Talk to her. She’ll tell you.”

“Will you be here if I come back?”

“I don’t know.” An internal struggle turned her eyes a shade of bittersweet. “Probably.”

The expressionless gaze she’d first assumed at the store, the “mask” look that hid her emotions, slid into place. He disliked it intensely.

“Well, thanks for coffee and the croissants.” Sara’s clear natural glow reminded Cade of the foothills of his ranch where mountain springs tumbled down in a rush of sparkling droplets chased by sunbeams. Her orange scarf was like a mountain lily.

Cade blinked. Loneliness was definitely affecting him.

“You’ve given me a lot of wedding details to think about. What if we meet tomorrow?”

Sara’s eyes widened with surprise.

“You mean, you still want me to work with you, even though I’m not staying?”

“You have an original perspective. Karen would like that.” His sister’s penchant for the uncommon had often been a source of contention between them.

“You must miss her a lot.”

Cade hadn’t realized how much until he met Sara.

“Karen hasn’t lived at home full-time for ages, but when she did, life was good. With my sister around there was always something going on. She enriched my life, made it fun. I miss that. I miss her.”

Sara went very still. Her face tilted upward as she studied him. Cade stood immobile under her scrutiny, waiting for the question he saw reflected in her eyes. But she didn’t ask.

So suddenly it made him catch his breath, her face altered, her voice emerged warm and generous.

“I’m just the substitute at Woodwards, so I don’t have any regular clients, which means I have a lot of free time. I could meet you whenever you like to brainstorm something wonderful for Karen’s wedding.”

Cade wasn’t about to waste his opportunity.

“I have to be in town tomorrow morning for some business. Could you meet me at Cartier’s Café at noon?”

“Cartier’s? Sure. But Woodwards has lots of—” Sara blinked, then waggled a finger at him, eyes twinkling. “You’re trying to avoid going back into the store, aren’t you?”

“If at all possible,” he admitted honestly. “How did you guess?”

“Your face. Lots of men find the environment a little—overpowering. The family has been trying to get Winnie to scale back, at least in reception.”

“But?”

Sara shrugged.

“Granny Winnie is an incurable romantic, that’s how she got started in this business. Yards of tulle, tons of hearts and flowers—it’s been a part of her world for so long I doubt she could envision Woodwards any other way now.”

“Why should she?” Cade tilted his head back to study the ivory stone facade of the building. “Her way obviously works. I was told Weddings by Woodwards assisted with more than four hundred weddings last year.”

“And each of them was absolutely perfect. That’s my family.” There it was again, that proud but irritated tone. “How did you choose Woodwards, Cade?”

“I talked to some friends of Karen who told me that if I wanted a spectacular wedding, Weddings by Woodwards was the only way.”

“I see.” Sara’s eyes narrowed. She made a notation on her pad, then lifted her head, brown eyes narrowed. “These friends—are they good friends? The kind of friends your sister would ask to be her attendants if she were planning her own wedding?”

Cade slowly nodded. Sara Woodward may have been out of the family business for a while, but she caught on to his line of thinking faster than the ranch foreman who’d been working for him for ten years.

“Exactly that kind of friend,” he told her.

She grinned, her eyes dancing.

“Now we’re cooking. Tonight I want you to write down everything you can think of about Karen. Bring your notes and her album tomorrow. That will give us a place to start.”

“Okay.”

Sara was easy to talk to. Cade surprised himself by prattling on and on about how much he wanted his sister to come home, how he worried about her safety, fussed about her future happiness.

When Sara’s attention slipped from him, Cade turned, saw a diminutive figure in black in the display window, writing in big brown letters.

Do you want your wedding to look like this?

“That’s Winnie!”

“But I thought—” Cade trailed behind Sara into the store, right up to the narrow door from which she’d first emerged. He halted, knowing how tight the fit was.

Sara slipped through.

“Winnie? What are you doing here?”

He heard a forced cough, then a familiar voice that didn’t sound the least bit ill.

“Hello, darling. I thought I’d stop by to check on things. I figured the twins must have rearranged the window, so I—”

“Never mind the twins,” Sara scolded. “You’re supposed to be at home. Resting. Come on, out you go.”

Cade stepped back as Sara emerged, leading her grandmother. He’d only seen photographs of Winifred Woodward, but she looked exactly like the elegant duchess in her publicity photos. Today she wore a black sheath dress with silver jewelry and high heels. She looked significantly younger than her rumored age. Her silver white curls were swept up into a regal style that enhanced merry brown eyes and rose-tinted cheekbones.

“You’re Cade Porter, I think.” She thrusted out a tiny blue-veined hand to grasp his. “Winifred Woodward. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep our appointment.”

“I’m sorry you’re not well.” Except she looked the picture of health.

“It’s just a cold. My family is overreacting.” Winnie patted Sara’s cheek. “I’m getting better every day.”

“You don’t sound better. Your voice is scratchy.” Sara frowned. “How did you get here, Grandmother?”

“A cab.” She brushed her fingers against Sara’s golden curls. “Don’t be angry, dear. I couldn’t sit around that house a moment longer. I’m used to being busy.”

“Katie said the doctors ordered rest. You’re to follow their advice, Granny. That’s why I came.” She grasped the old lady’s arm as Winifred tried to stem a bout of coughing. “Now you’ve tired yourself out. Home you go.”

“I never thought you’d try to tell me what to do.” Winifred’s perfectly made-up face wore a sly look. “You, of all people, Sara. Aren’t you the one who’s always championing your right to live your life your own way?”

“I’m not sick. And my doctor didn’t tell me to stay in bed.”

“I thought I heard—Grandmother?” Katie rushed into the room and, seizing the older woman’s arm, seated her in one of the fussy chairs that littered the foyer. “Look at you. Your face is as white as a calla lily. You’ll probably faint any moment.”

Cade thought Katie’s concern was exaggerated considering Winifred hadn’t exhibited any sign of fainting. But it was nice to see the old lady was cherished.

“I’m fine,” Winifred repeated. Her smile looked slightly forced now.

“You’re not. Your hand is too warm and you’re sniffling.”

“She’s going home, Katie. I’ll take her.” Sara shuffled papers on the desktop, obviously searching for something. “Do you know where my car keys are? I’m sure I left them beside the phone.”

“Oh, dear.”

Katie fluttered her eyelashes at him, then pressed her fingertips against her lips. In Cade’s opinion this was the sister who belonged in Hollywood, except Katie’s acting was too forced. And why was she looking at him like that?

“Is something wrong?”

“Well, you see, Reese’s car wouldn’t start,” Katie said. “He had to get to another appointment, so I gave him Sara’s car keys. I didn’t think she’d need them and he promised he wouldn’t be long.”

“Then I’ll take yours, Katie.” Sara held out her hand.

“No! You can’t have them.” Katie’s shrill voice broke on a nervous laugh at their stares of surprise. “I mean, that’s the problem. I put my car in the shop this morning for an oil change. If I’d known we’d need it—”

Something about Katie’s quick response bothered him, but Cade wasn’t going to speculate. He needed to get back to the ranch. But when Mrs. Woodward’s thin form shuddered and another cough rattled her tiny figure, he put his own plans aside.

“I’ll be happy to drive you home, ma’am. My car’s just across the street.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ll call a cab.” She wheezed out the words, her handkerchief muffling something he didn’t quite catch.

“It’s not a problem. Please, allow me.” Cade held out his arm, surprised by the weakness of her grip when she rose. The old lady must be sicker than she looked. “I could bring the car around to the front door if it’s too difficult for you to walk.”

“I’m fine. Sara, where’s my coat? Oh, good. Now you come here on the other side where I can hold on to you. All of a sudden I’ve gone a bit wobbly.”

Sara obeyed immediately, casting him an apologetic look behind her grandmother’s back.

Cade told himself to mind his own business when it seemed Winifred fussed needlessly. To her credit, Sara kept softly reassuring her as they crossed the street to his car. Winifred insisted on sitting in the back. Alone.

“I can spread out then,” she husked, her voice significantly worse than it had been moments earlier. She closed her eyes. “I’ll rest a few moments. I’m a bit tired. I gave Vivian the day off, so I’ll need Sara to help me to bed. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting to drive her back here, Cade. It would be so kind of you.”

“No.” Sara glanced at him. “It’s not necessary, Grandmother.”

“No worries.” Cade held open her door, waited until Sara was seated. As he closed the door, he noted Winifred’s sparkling eyes and the funny smile lifting her lips. When she saw him watching, she quickly shut her eyes.

He got in the driver’s seat, curiosity rampant.

“If you turn right at the next corner, we’ll go that way. Winnie lives in Cherry Creek.” Sara glanced over one shoulder as if she worried about disturbing her grandmother.

Cherry Creek was the “old money” side of town, filled with posh houses and beautiful landscapes. Cade drove toward it silently, content to watch the exchanges between the two.

Her affectionate care of her grandmother was admirable, but Cade didn’t think this was the real Sara. She was hiding her true feelings. Personally, he far preferred the honest, open woman with whom he’d shared croissants at the coffee shop to this dutiful person who slavishly agreed with every demand her grandmother made. But he kept silent as Sara handed the old woman out of the car and ushered her into the house.

“It’s nice of you to offer, but I’ll stay here,” she said five minutes later when she returned. They were alone and the real Sara was back.

“You want me to disobey her edict that I drive you back to the store?”

“Yes. I want to make sure Granny goes right to bed.”

“Okay. What time is good for tomorrow?” He saw she’d forgotten.

“Tomor—Oh, lunch.” Sara frowned. “When I agreed to help out in the store, I told Katie I’d take a noon lunch hour. Does that work for you?” She tried to step backward and lost her balance.

“Perfect.” Cade steadied her with a grin. “But in case you change shoes between now and then, I better make sure I know exactly who I’m meeting. How tall are you—without the stilts?” He enjoyed the flush of color dotting her cheekbones.

“Never mind,” was all she said, making it obvious she had height issues.

“Ah. What other secrets are you hiding? A glass eye? Wooden leg?”

Sara lifted one eyebrow. “I’ll never tell.”

“That’s an invitation I can’t resist.” Cade pulled open his car door. “Tomorrow, twelve noon at Cartier’s. Bring your ideas.”

“I should probably warn you, some of my ideas have been called a little, um, off the wall.” Sara tilted her head to one side, studying his reaction.

A wayward ringlet danced in the breeze, then settled against her cheek in a gentle caress. Cade swallowed.

“It’s the off-the-wall ideas that usually turn out best, Sara Woodward,” he said softly so the old woman leaning out the window above them wouldn’t hear. “Don’t you know that yet?”

“I know. I wasn’t sure you did.” She grinned. “Cade Porter, this might be fun.”

He got into the car, his knees as weak as if he just climbed off his horse after a four-day trail ride. “I believe it will be.”

He drove back to the ranch slowly, savoring the memory of Sara’s smile, a picture that stuck with him long after he should have been immersed in the mundane duties of his day.

But later that night, staring up at the stars, Cade knew daydreaming about a woman like Sara Woodward was pointless. He’d lost his chance for love and family the day Marnie died. That’s when he’d known that God’s will for him didn’t include his cherished dream of a wife and family of his own.

So Cade would ignore his emotional draw to Sara Woodward. He’d concentrate on throwing Karen the best wedding he could. He’d continue to hope and pray his sister would choose to live at the ranch or at least nearby. Most of all, he’d accept that his future was to be a solitary one. He had to. He’d learned his lesson too well.

When God made up His mind, He didn’t change it.