Page 22 of Surly Sheriff
Rae leaned in. “We’ve got this, Little-B,” she repeated in a whisper, dropping her forehead to Bella’s. “Promise. Go and rest. Nurture your babies.” She lifted her head, staring intentlyat Bella. Longing for her own sister overwhelmed her, and her throat closed, thickening her voice. “Trust us.”
Bella held her stare. “Okay.”
“Good.” Rae grinned, blinking the pesky moisture away. “Now be off with you.”
Nate did not waste a moment to get his wife out of the shop.
“Nicely handled,” Lorena said, patting her back before turning to the onlookers. “You heard Rae. We’ve got a promise to keep.” She made a shooing notion. “Back to your posts.”
Stunned, Rae looked as the townsfolk hustled away.
When last had someone praised her?
“Mrs. Brady’s correct,” Beau said, coming to stand beside her. “You did good, Rae.” He lightly squeezed her arm. “Thank you.”
He left before she could come up with a reply.
But Beau’s approval ignited the fuzzy warm feeling Lorena’s praise had stirred, spreading warmth through her body.
And she craved more.
So very much more.
*
On hearing Esmeralda’s distinctive engine, Rae removed the casserole dish from the oven and called out to the couple relaxing in front of the television, “Beau’s back.” The man had popped out to check on Kismet while the food reheated. He’d invited Rae, but she had declined, using her overdue laundry as an excuse. She just couldn’t face that tiny room and its contents again.
Beau strode into the kitchen and stopped beside her. “Smells delicious,” he said, plucking a cherry tomato from the salad she had thrown together.
Gah.That growly voice of his …
She cut into the bubbling lasagna — dropped off earlier by a concerned neighbor — and dished up four portions onto the plates Beau held for her, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.
“Should you be on your feet?” he asked, watching his sister waddle across the room, Nate right behind her.
Bella shot him a glare. “I’ve rested all afternoon. And warden here” — she flipped a thumb over her shoulder — “sentenced me to bed after I’ve eaten.”
Beau and Nate carried the plated food to the table, and Rae set the salad and garlic bread in the middle. Conversation was lively, filled with banter between her three companions. Beau noticed her lack of participation, but she brushed off his concern. “Just tired. Tomorrow is a big day.”
But later that night, alone in the bed in the pretty bedroom, Rae acknowledged her feelings. Sitting around the table sharing a meal brought home the harsh reality of her solitary existence.
She stared at her laptop screen, warring with the overwhelming need to reach out and connect with her sister.
But she wants nothing to do with you, Rae.
Remember?
She walked away from you all those years ago.
Rae slapped the laptop lid closed.
She needed to leave this place that made her long for unattainable things.
If Beau ever looked at her with the same disgust her sister’s gaze had held that last moment before her sister left, it would devastate her.
Yet being here in Clearbrook, being amongst Beau and his family, the friendly townsfolk, felt so right.
Her heart thudded.
