Page 47 of Sadie's Highlander (Highland Protector 1)

“That girl needs to realize that what her sister did wasn’t her fault,” Miss Lydia interjected. She shook her head with a sharp jerk, a murderous scowl puckering her face. “Sadie could no more control that bitch than I can control the weather.”

“True,” Dwyn said, regaining the floor. “But that’s just one of the lass’s demons.” He smiled kindly at Miss Lydia and motioned for her to step back and let him do the talking.

Miss Lydia pursed her lips tightly shut and stepped back.

Dwyn turned back to Alec. “Sadie must also learn that ye dinna believe she was responsible either and that ye admire her for the fine, strong woman she is.”

“Aye,” Alec agreed. “I’ve been tryin’ to get to her to tell her that and more.”

“Tellin’her will no’ make her believe it in her heart.” When Alec started to speak, Dwyn held up a hand for silence. “The root cause, the main issue we must repair to win Sadie back…” Dwyn paused for dramatic effect, the long, drawn-out minute making Alec want to lunge across the table and shake him. “Is Sadie’s inability t’believe in herself and truly know that she’s worthy of bein’ loved.” Dwyn stepped forward, slowly nodding as though everything was suddenly quite clear. “And Miss Lydia, Sarinda, and I have come up with just the plan that will set her well on the path t’healing.”

“The bus leaves Saturday.” Alec swallowed hard, the thought of Sadie riding that damn bus out of his life nearly choking him. “We’ve got but two days to set this plan of yers in motion. Can it be done in time?”

“Aye.” Dwyn smiled, then turned and winked at both the ladies, who currently looked as though they were about to burst with the delicious secret they shared. “We didna think ye’d mind, so we took the liberty of setting things in motion. Now you and I need to hie up to our rooms to pack a few bags for our trip.”

Chapter 27

“Ms. Sadie Williams?”

Sadie stopped scrubbing the baseboard behind the entryway table. She curled into an even more awkward position, peering under her left armpit to see whoever or whatever it was that fate was about to smack her with this time. Sludge-spattered black shoes and jailhouse-gray slacks. Official-looking. Institutional-like even.Great. Now what level of hell is Delia going to throw at me?

“Who’s asking?” Sadie asked, remaining under the table. Somehow, it just felt safer cowering in the shadows as though she were still a child hiding from the bullies.

“Courier service, ma’am. I’ve got a package for a Ms. Sadie Williams. I need her signature to complete delivery.”

Lovely.Sadie backed out from under the table and tossed the scrub brush into the bucket of sudsy water beside her. Not bothering to rise, she wiped her wet hands on her jeans, then held out her hand. “I’m Sadie Williams. Any idea what it is?”

The uniformed young woman shook her head, her face completely devoid of expression. She kept the bulging manila packet firmly tucked under one arm and stepped back, retracting her clipboard and holding it closer to her chest. “No idea, ma’am, and I’ll need to see some ID, please.”

Seriously?Sadie motioned to her grimy jeans, the bucket of water, and the length of scuffed baseboard she still had to wash. “I don’t usually keep my ID on me when I’m crawling through the hallway wiping down walls.”

She reached up with both hands this time, wiggling her fingers toward the clipboard. “Come on. I promise, I’m Sadie Williams. Anybody here can vouch for me. Someone had to have directed you to me. That should be good enough and get you out of here to your next delivery.” Sadie knew how things worked with these mail runners. Their prime directive was staying on schedule.

She gave the girl a reassuring smile. “Why else would you ask me who I was when I’m on my hands and knees under a table? I promise I won’t tell a soul that you didn’t check my ID.” How many couriers had she used that could easily be talked out of their packages because they were running off schedule?

The courier shook her head again and took another step back. “Sorry, ma’am. I’ve got to see some identification. I’ll be happy to wait here for you if you’d like to go get it.”

Sadie bit her tongue to keep from cursing out loud and directing some of the choicer words running through her mind at the innocent courier standing in front of her. The girl was just doing her job—and doing it by the freakin’ book, apparently. Thiswouldhave to happen two days before she was due to leave town. She had enough on her mind without adding some sort of unknown time bomb sent via special courier.

“Fine. I’ll get it.” Sadie shoved herself to her feet. If that package was some sort of subpoena or summons from Delia, she was going to hunt down her sister and shove it up her skinny ass—that restraining order could just be damned. She pointed at the floor. “Wait here.”

“Yes ma’am.” The girl backed out of the way, moving over to stand against the wall beside the front door.

“Who’s that?” Miss Martha asked as Sadie passed her on the way to her room off the back porch.

“A courier, and she needs my ID before she’ll give me the damn package.”

“Language, Sadie,” Miss Martha gently scolded as she continued on her way to the dining room. Tossing a smile back over one shoulder, she paused at the swinging doors. “Sometimes good things come in surprise packages. You should be more positive.” She didn’t wait for Sadie to respond, just walked on.

“I’mpositiveI don’t have time for this shit,” Sadie muttered.

“Language!” peeled out in a sterner tone from the other side of the double doors.

Damn, the woman’s got the hearing of a bat.Sadie huffed her hair out of her eyes, then smoothed the messy strands back toward the ponytail holder they’d escaped. She charged into her room, startling Harold the cat enough to trigger a warning hiss.

“Sorry, Harold.” Sadie held out her fingers for the nearly blind cat to sniff. “It’s just me. Go back to sleep.”

Harold rapidly flipped the end of his tail and flattened his only remaining ear before tucking back into his standard curled-up ball and drifting back to sleep.

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