Page 46 of Savage Secrets

“That’s a great idea,” her mother said to Ellie. “Why don’t we all pick out our pumpkins first? Then we’ll go on that hayride. After that, Rainie can come see Jasper.”

“And sleep over!” Ellie started bouncing too, out of sync with Rainie.

“You two look like a pair of jackrabbits.” Opal laughed at the glee the children displayed.

In a world that had been too filled with sadness lately, they all deserved a little happiness. Rainie hadn’t just lost hergrandfather—she’d lost the only home she knew and her best friend Paige living right next door. She asked about Paige every day and missed playing with her.

Being more isolated on the ranch, Rainie needed playdates and sleepovers.

“I wanna see the kitten!”

“Rainie, that sounds like a lot of fun. I need to think on it for a minute, okay?”

Zach shot her a look that held a question. “C’mon, pumpkin. Let’s keep looking for thatpumpkinto take home, okay?”

As he moved away with Rainie in tow, Opal thanked Ellie’s parents for the offer and said she’d get back to them with an answer in a little while.

When she caught up to Zach, he arched a dark brow.

She shook her head and pointed to Rainie standing within earshot.

Suddenly, he stopped and held up a hand to shade his eyes from the sun. “Rainie, do you see that?”

She stopped skipping around the pumpkins. “What?”

“That over there. That bright orange pumpkin.”

She stopped too and held up her hand in the same gesture. A smile spread over Opal’s face.

“Why don’t you go see what that pumpkin looks like?”

“Okay!” She took off, leaving him alone with Opal for the moment.

“Why didn’t you agree to the sleepover?” he asked the minute Rainie ran off.

Her shoulders slumped. “Was I that obvious?”

“Only to me.”

Heat flared in her chest. “Is it even safe?”

He tilted his head, contemplating her. “Do you trust the family?”

“I don’t know them well, but Ellie’s mother is the niece of my coworker. And we’ve talked at daycare between pickups and drop-offs.” She wrapped her arms around her middle to fend off the cool wind blowing at them.

“They mentioned cousins sleeping over.”

She met his gaze. “Are you thinking there’s safety in numbers?”

He scrubbed a knuckle over his jaw, creating a faint rasping sound. “It’s your call, but I didn’t get a bad vibe from the family. If you want, I can ask around about them.”

“No, no. Don’t do that. You’re right. These are decent people. I guess I’m just paranoid these days. Thank you for talking it over with me, Zach.”

He touched her elbow to guide her forward. Such a small brush of his fingers against her sleeve, but one that filled her with warmth as they approached the pumpkin that Rainie stood over—the lopsided one.

* * * * *

After loading Rainie’s pick into the backseat of Opal’s car, sucking down exhaust fumes from the tractor during the hayride and a trip to the giftshop, they were finished with the day’s outing. Zach thought Rainie might have forgotten about the sleepover, but she talked about Ellie and the kitten nonstop for the whole hayride.

---