Steeling herself, she smiled. “Did you want to buy some fireworks, Rick?”
One eyebrow lifted, but he nodded as if he understood that he wouldn’t be drawing her into a flirtatious battle. “Sure.” His gaze slipped past her to the shelves stocked with brightly colored boxes of fiery splendor. “Why don’t you tell me what kind of fireworks the girls like?”
Her heart twisted. How sweet was that, she thought. He wanted to get something for his daughters to enjoy. Helplessly, she admitted that the one sure way to her heart was through her daughters. And no doubt, a cynical voice inside her whispered, he knew that very well. She ignored that little voice. “They’re so little, this will be their first year actually seeing fireworks. I think they’re going to be overwhelmed.”
“I’m glad I’m here to see it with them,” he said.
“I am, too.”
“Are you?” he asked, sliding one hand across the counter to sweep beneath the screen to touch her fingers.
A quick bristle of sensation swept through her at his touch and she pulled her hand away. She was standing on a razor’s edge here and one push either way was going to dissolve what was left of her balance.
“Of course I am,” she said. “The girls will love having you here.”
“That’s a start,” he said.
“Sadie,” Abby asked, as she walked up with a smile, “everything okay?”
“Fine,” she answered. “Abby, you remember Rick Pruitt.”
“Sure. Nice to see you again. Love a man in uniform.”
He grinned and Sadie’s stomach did a quick flip-flop.
“That’s just why we wear them, Abby. Marines like to please their women.”
“Women?” Abby asked.
His gaze shot to Sadie. “Woman,” he corrected.
Then, as if he hadn’t started a brush fire in her bloodstream, he pulled out his wallet. “Give me a few of those red, white and blue sparklers and a couple of the Fiery Fountains.”
Getting busy, Sadie grabbed up his order, put it all in a bag and took his money.
“Keep the change for the shelter,” he said.
“Thanks. The shelter appreciates it.”
“Happy to help.” His gaze was locked on hers.
She pulled in a deep breath and sighed. “Rick, what do you really want?”
“You already know the answer to that, Sadie.”
Sadie searched for something else to say, but came up empty. What was there left to say? Hadn’t they been talking circles around each other for a week now? Nothing had changed. He wanted to marry her for their daughters’ sakes and she refused to get married for the wrong reasons. Again.
He picked up the bag and asked, “I’ll see you later, then?”
“We’ll be here for the fireworks show.” Knowing how the girls would be excited to see him, she pointed off to the gigantic black oak that stood in the town square. “Hannah and the girls are over there if you want to say hello.”
A wide smile creased his face. “Thanks. Think I will.” His gaze shifted to Abby. “Nice to see you.”
“Thanks, you, too.”
When he walked off, Sadie watched him until he was swallowed up by the slowly moving crowd. Then she sighed and Abby nudged her in the ribs.
“What?”
“He’s still gorgeous.”
“Yeah?”
“He looks at you like you’re the last steak at a barbecue.”
“I know.” That’s just how she felt when he was around.
“So what’s the problem?”
“He’s not here to stay, Abby,” Sadie said, resting one hip against the counter.
“You don’t know that. Word is he’s thinking about retiring.”
“Maybe,” she said, looking back over the crowd in the direction Rick went. “But even if he did stay in town, it isn’t me he wants. It’s his girls.”
Abby laughed and dropped one arm around her shoulders. “Not what it looks like to me, Sadie. He’s really into you. It’s in his eyes.”
“He just desires me. That’s different.”
“And could be fun.”
She shook her head even though she was smiling. “Fun isn’t on my schedule,” she said sadly. “I’m a mom now. I have to do what’s best for my daughters.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“Wish I knew,” Sadie whispered as Abby moved off to wait on another customer.
The rest of the day passed in a flurry of activity. There were rides for the twins, a small petting zoo and a country-fair-like atmosphere at the booths filled with pies and handmade crafts.
Sadie had as good a time as a woman could who was twisted into knots. Rick was there. All day. He carried the girls when they got tired, indulged them in ice cream and candy and Sadie could only hope their tummies were tough enough to handle all the sugar. Sadie should probably have drawn a few lines in the sand. Put a lid on sugar consumption at least. But Rick was so excited with his daughters and the girls were simply nuts about their daddy. She simply couldn’t force herself to be the disciplinarian at the party when everyone was having so much fun.
They settled on the blanket beneath the tree for a late lunch. It was just the four of them since Hannah had found a group of friends among the crowd. While the girls ate bananas and mac and cheese, Sadie unwrapped the sandwiches Hannah had packed for her. She handed one to Rick.
When he took it, his fingers brushed hers and she gasped a little. He heard it and smiled. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me,” she protested. “Hannah packed the lunch.”
“I wasn’t talking about the sandwich.”
“Oh?” She looked at him as she reached over to hand Gail a cup of milk.
“I meant,” he said, smoothing one hand over Wendy’s dark brown curls, “thanks for sharing our girls with me today.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Rick,” she said softly. Yes, he was confusing the hell out of her personally, but his obvious love for the twins warmed her heart. “They’re your daughters, too. I want you to know them. I want them to know you.”
He glanced from each of his daughters’ tiny faces back to Sadie. Dappled shade danced across his face as the leaves of the black oak dipped and swayed in the sultry breeze.
“I appreciate that. I do.” He took a bite of the sandwich, chewed and swallowed. “But I want more than the occasional day with them, Sadie.”
“I know that.” She picked up the sippy cup of milk Wendy toppled over and set it upright again. “But—”
“No buts about it, Sadie. They’re my family. My blood.”
“And mine,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, which brings me back to my point.”
She cut him off. Sadie wasn’t going to give him the chance to talk marriage again. Sharing the twins wasn’t enough of a reason to get married. She wouldn’t take that step again unless she was in love.