“Would it be possible for me to use a couple of these in the newspaper?” he asked. “We’d compensate you, of course. These are wonderful and my two photographers are busy with the cleanup, which keeps them from snapping away right now.”
Sadie barely had a chance to think before another voice cut in. “Hey, Lance. How’s it going?”
She looked over the newspaper editor’s shoulder to see Zach’s sister, KC, approaching them. Lance smiled as she arrived.
“As good as can be expected, I think.” He gestured to Sadie. “Just trying to convince Sadie here to share a few of her pictures with the community. They would be a great accompaniment to the recovery stories.”
KC studied Sadie for a split second, but then her lashes swept down, shielding the expression in eyes so like Zach’s. “That would be cool. So, Sadie, what do you think?”
That I don’t like being put on the spot... “Yeah, I’ll come by and we can look over them again. Tomorrow?”
“Great,” KC said, as if she’d decided the subject was closed. “Now y’all want some lunch?”
Lance agreed enthusiastically, but Sadie shook her head. “I’m still full from the breakfast spread my landlady puts out, but I’d be happy to volunteer, if you’d like?”
KC’s raised brow and hesitant “Sure” didn’t make Sadie feel better. She knew it didn’t really matter what KC thought of her, whether she approved. Sadie wouldn’t be sticking around Black Hills long enough to make real friends...or sisters-in-law. Somehow that didn’t stop her from wishing differently.
Although KC might be hesitant for completely different reasons. Had Zach told her about Sadie? How much did she really know?
* * *
Zach made his way back across the parking lot to the food tents KC and Christina had installed. He tried to keep an eye out for Sadie along the way, though he desperately wanted to curse himself for caring where she was in the first place. He could tell himself all he wanted to that it was about suppressing her plans, but deep down he was afraid there were far deeper reasons than that lame excuse.
He didn’t see her until he was closer to the tents, and that fiery red hair came into view as she scurried behind the serving line. It wasn’t entirely clear from this distance, but it looked almost as if she were in charge.
“Kind of amazing, isn’t it?”
Zach glanced to the side to see his little sister approach, her arms filled with a box. He automatically reached for her burden, taking it on himself as he nodded his head in Sadie’s direction. “What’s going on here?”
KC didn’t look at the other woman but continued to watch her brother...making him very uneasy. “She volunteered to help after saying she wasn’t hungry. I could tell she wasn’t thrilled with the setup when she joined us, but she didn’t say a word.”
One side of KC’s mouth lifted in a slight smile. “I wondered if she would, but she never did until I started asking for help. It took a few minutes to get her to open up. As soon as she realized she wouldn’t offend me by making suggestions, she took the lead. We were whipped into shape in ten minutes and served hundreds in less than half an hour.” KC shook her head. “She’s good.”
Very good. But Zach didn’t want to think of that in front of his sister.
“She told me before that she made a living as domestic help, but never went into specifics,” he mused as he watched Sadie navigate the chaos with the calm demeanor of a woman who had many pots on the fire but wasn’t worried about losing one. He glanced at his sister, only to find her still studying him.
He was in trouble now.
“So you knew her before, as in before this trip to Black Hills?”
Why hadn’t he just kept his mouth shut? “Hmm...”
But KC wasn’t buying the noncomment. “Did you meet her while you were in the military?”
No, but those days right after he came home had been a blur of nightmares and worry over his mother, his family. He hadn’t known how to tell them he was falling in love. After she disappeared without a trace, he’d been glad he kept Sadie to himself and not made her a thing—that thing he had to explain to friends and family, pretend not to miss, or realize hadn’t been as real as he’d thought. He had happily done most of that without public scrutiny.
Now, though, he could talk about Sadie without having to get into all the ugliness of regret and pain. He’d never been a liar, but he kept it brief, strictly answering the question that was asked. “No, she’s been to town before.”
KC slapped her hands to her hips, making him wish he hadn’t been gentlemanly enough to take the box. “She was here before, long enough for you to talk to her about her job, and you never mentioned her. Was she a customer? Or—”
“What’s for lunch, my lovely?” Jacob’s voice interrupted his fiancée’s, much to Zach’s eternal gratitude.
“Barbecue and fixin’s,” KC said, giving Jacob a big smile.
“What?” her fiancé’s voice boomed over the lot. “Barbecued meat, a pretty lady and a cold beer? All I need is our son and it’ll be heaven.”
“Christina’s got him at the manor,” KC said, giving Jacob a quick kiss on the cheek. “Your mom started running a fever this morning, so she stayed home and offered to keep him, too.”
Zach saw the flash of concern that crossed Jacob’s expression, and knew that even the slightest bug could be very harmful for the Blackstones’ mother, who had been in a coma for many years. But KC gave him a reassuring smile.
Jacob pulled her into his arms. “Well, how long is that gonna last? Forget the barbecue. Let’s go home.”
“Nope, sorry,” she said, laughing as she swatted his chest.
Jacob buried his face in KC’s neck. “Doomed” was all Zach heard before mumbling and giggling took over. He glanced away, grinning at the two lovebirds’ antics. In the sea of chaos under the tent, Sadie stood oddly still. The look on her face, even from this distance, had a hint of sadness and longing before she blinked and it was gone. Actually, all emotion was gone, as if she were afraid for Zach to see too closely inside.
Funny, he felt the same way.
Finally Jacob and KC separated, walking to the food tent hand in hand. Zach fell in step beside them. They talked about the next step in their plan as they joined the dwindling line for food. Sadie certainly had stepped up the efficiency of the process, and now the parking lot was filled with hungry workers eating their fill.
“I’m so glad we could do this,” KC said, surveying the scene.
Jacob kissed the top of her head. “Me, too. Whatever it takes to keep Black Hills alive, that’s what we’re gonna do.”
They reached the steam table set up under the tent and chose their meal. Zach deposited the box in the serving area before taking his food tray. Sadie was at the other end in a cute apron with a pig on it, pouring drinks.
“Wow,” KC said as she reached Sadie’s table. “This was incredible. Thank you so much.”
Sadie shrugged away the thanks. “It was no problem.”
“No problem? I didn’t think so.” KC laughed. “Of course, I’m used to a well-ordered kitchen. Being outdoors and not knowing where everything is throws me off.”
“Organization is key,” Sadie said with a wink.
Jacob