Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(51)
“We’re not in love,” Lucy corrected quickly. “We haven’t even been on a real date yet.”
Eyes round, Sarah said, “Really? The way you were all over each other, I thought—”
Chelle shot a look at Sarah, then said, “Lucy, whatever is going on between you and David, you both look happy, and that’s what’s important.”
Sarah handed Lucy a bowl and eggs to crack. “How do you feel about him?”
Lucy slammed the first egg against the glass so hard some of the shell joined the yolk in the bowl. She tried to dig it out and knocked the bowl over. Chelle righted it and handed her a napkin. Lucy wiped her hands nervously. “It’s happening so fast my head is spinning.”
Sarah took the bowl and started cracking the eggs absently. “David’s not usually one to rush into things. I bet he’s afraid if he looks away, you’ll be engaged to someone else again.”
Chelle shook her head and covered her eyes, but she was laughing. “Oh, Sarah. Is everyone from Rhode Island as blunt as you are?”
Wrinkling her nose at Chelle, Sarah replied, “I spent too many years worried about what I could and couldn’t say. I don’t care what you think; I’m not going back to that.”
Lucy crossed over to hug Sarah. “We love you just the way you are, Sarah. And what you said actually makes sense. In a blink of an eye, David went from not being in my life to working on my ranch. After this weekend, he says he wants to stay in the house with me.”
Chelle started making pancake mix. “What do you want?”
That wasn’t an easy question to answer. “I feel like I’m coming back to life. I don’t know how much of it is the business and how much is David, but he’s part of why I’m smiling today. When I came home, I made too many decisions based on fear. I spent so much time worrying I’d lose everything, I didn’t allow myself to enjoy what I had. I feel good when I’m with David. Good about myself and my life. If holding on to that feeling means saying yes to something that’s happening faster than I would have planned, then that’s what I want to do. I’m willing to risk the crash and burn if it means I can feel this good for even one more day.”
Chelle sniffed and blinked back tears.
Sarah looked as if she were doing the same. She walked over to retrieve a box of tissues. “Breakfast will never get made if we keep this up. I should warn you that I’m also more emotional right now because . . .” She touched her still-flat stomach. “I’m pregnant. We weren’t going to say anything yet, but I wanted to tell you in person, not on the phone.”
Chelle dabbed away her tears with a tissue. “I guessed that last night when you were sipping soda right along with Tony.” She hugged Sarah.
Life builds momentum, I guess. Just like things had gone from bad to worse, could they continue to get better and better? Lucy hadn’t thought it was possible to be happier than how she’d woken up that morning, but she knew how much Sarah wanted a baby, and she couldn’t have been more excited for her. Happiness came hand in hand with the knowledge that it didn’t tend to last. Lucy pushed that thought back. “How did Tony take it?”
Sarah laughed and waved at the tears that were still brimming in her eyes. “At first, I thought he was going to faint, then his eyes got all misty. He’s not good at expressing how he feels in words, but he’s been glued to my side ever since. If I sit, he’s there with a pillow for my feet. When we’re alone, he hardly lets me lift a finger. He thinks we need to hire help for the house, because now he doesn’t want me cleaning inside or out in the barn. I tried to tell him there is hardly anything going on yet, but pampering me is his way of showing me how excited he is.”
Lucy hugged Sarah briefly. “I am so happy for both of you.”
With a sad smile, Sarah cocked her head to one side. “I wish you lived closer. I’d love to share this with you.” She put a hand on one hip and looked out the kitchen window. “Tony and I will both miss David if he stays in Mavis with you. I guess I always imagined that a child of ours would grow up being his shadow the way Jace was.” Sarah turned back and made a face. “Not that I don’t want it to work out with you two. That’s the more important thing. It’s just that David has a natural way of bringing out the best in people—even kids. You should see Jace with him. He’s such a proud little man. Promise you’ll both make the drive up here often enough for our little one to know you both.”
Lucy nodded, but didn’t promise anything. Instead, she started setting the table. A light panic whipped through her. Promising to visit the baby with David would mean Lucy knew they’d still be together. She was still getting used to the idea of being with him when they returned to her house.
I know I said I’m willing to risk the crash and burn, but is it wrong to hope that just this one time things don’t end that way?
David stood with Tony and Mason near the paddock that held the troubled mare. Tony was updating David on things that had happened around the barn, but David wasn’t listening. In his mind, he was already in Lucy’s bed in Mavis, waking her with a cup of coffee and a kiss. He was pulling into her driveway and meeting her halfway, swinging her up into his arms, and kissing her senseless because they’d been apart for a few hours.
“How long is this going to last?” Tony asked Mason.