Dakota Love (33 page)

The brooding began the minute Mark told Sarah good night on Saturday night. It was the only way he could control his giddy feelings caused by one fantastic kiss.

Mark stopped shelving fabric bolts and pursed his lips to remove the smile brought to his face by the previous thought. A repeat of the afternoon kiss couldn’t happen again and it hadn’t.

When they’d reached Sarah’s door, she turned in an expectant manner. “Mark, this was a wonderful day.” The light from the full moon couldn’t compare to the radiant happiness shining from Sarah.

He’d known he couldn’t repeat the same mistake as earlier in the day. Maybe if he didn’t touch her soft ivory skin. It took all his willpower, but he stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his shorts.

As he leaned in, Sarah rested her hands in the exact spot they’d been earlier in the afternoon. The same quaking from her touch vibrated through him. It took all of his willpower, but he managed a chaste good-night kiss, which lasted about two seconds. Who knew love’s electrical current didn’t need much time to shock happiness into a heart?

The full moon magnified Sarah’s beauty as her trust-filled eyes searched his face. She didn’t seem to mind the quick peck, judging by the breathless sound of her voice as she said good night.

Mark sighed. It tore him in half trying to ward off the happiness with the brooding. Yet sooner or later he’d let Sarah down. He knew that. It was in his genetics.

On Sunday, Sarah called to thank him again for the nice afternoon and evening. He’d hoped she was stopping by the store to practice sewing, but she had a church committee meeting later in the day. Then yesterday, she ended up having to work late, so she couldn’t spend the evening sewing in the workroom.

Here it was Tuesday evening, and no matter how hard he tried, the anticipation of seeing Sarah was bringing out the joy of that kiss.

Mark noticed a bolt with under a yard of cloth wrapped around it. He pulled it from the shelves to cut it into fat quarters.

“I’m back from dinner, so go anytime.” Terri walked to the cash register area.

“In a minute.” Mark put the fabric bolt under the cutting counter as he glanced at the clock. Sarah should have been here by now. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Had he missed a text? They’d planned to share dinner before the class.

Mark walked to the front plate glass windows and scanned the parking lot for Sarah’s compact.

“A watched pot never boils.”

What was Terri talking about? Surely she didn’t know he was worried about Sarah. He turned. “Pardon me?”

Terri laughed. “That’s what my grandma would say if we watched out the window for our dad to arrive home. I thought it was appropriate. The customers won’t come in any faster for the Tuesday night sale with you watching out the window.”

Mark grinned. “I guess not.” He’d forgotten about his Tuesday night promotion.

When he turned back to the window, he noticed that Sarah had parked in front of the door and was walking around the front of her car. Really, she was limping while holding on to the hood of the car.

At the jangle of the quilt shop door, she turned before stepping from the curb. The soft light of dusk didn’t mask the dark circles under Sarah’s eyes. That, coupled with the limping, told Mark that her MS was acting up.

“Hi.” Her voice sounded brighter than he thought it might as she continued to steady herself with one hand on the car. She held her free hand out to him.

Mark ignored her hand and pulled her into a side hug. “Hi.” She leaned into him, and the warmth of her body comforted his longing to see her. “Let me get whatever you’re after.”

“It’s my tote bag, purse, and our dinner.”

Mark gathered the bags as quickly as he could. He could tell that she needed to sit down. He manually locked the car door before joining her on the curb.

He held his hand out to her, but she waved him off. “Just get the door, okay?” Sarah smiled, but Mark could tell that it took concentrated effort for each small step she made toward the door.

Mark opened the door, and Sarah made it through. She was still dressed in her office attire—a blue ruffled blouse under a short-sleeved white linen pantsuit—and the blue-and-white strappy slip-on sandals weren’t helping with her footing.

Once inside the door, he offered his arm, and this time Sarah accepted. “I hope you like chicken. I bought grilled and extra crispy.”

Even tired and bothered with MS, Sarah worried about others.

“I like both and it smells really good.”

Sarah flicked on the workroom light. She let go of Mark’s arm when they were close to the table. “Do you mind taking my stuff to the machine I use?”

“Not at all.” Mark set the bag of food on the table and watched Sarah drop onto a chair.

“It feels so good to sit down. I’ve been running all day.” Sarah lifted her right leg with both hands and rested it on the metal support bar underneath the table.

“I hate to tell you this, but it shows.” Mark unpacked the food. “Sarah, with MS you need to rest. Mom took a nap almost every afternoon.”

Sarah frowned. “I don’t have that luxury. Your mom ran her own business.” Her answer was clipped.

“Don’t you have a lunch hour? You could rest in the break room.” Mark dished food onto two paper plates and slid one in front of Sarah.

Sarah dropped her gaze. “I’ve been too busy to take a lunch the last two days.”

“Sarah—” Mark stopped when she held up her hand.

“It’s only because it’s the start of this construction project. You know with contractors you are at their mercy for time schedules. It’s not like I’m not eating. I eat piecemeal in between crises.”

“Still, you should get away from your desk for a few minutes, especially since you’ve been putting in long hours.” Mark removed another drumstick from the cardboard container and placed it on his plate before forking a bite of mashed potatoes.

“Can we talk about something else?” Sarah’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I spend so much time dealing with renovations that I’m dreaming about them.” Sarah tasted a tiny bite of potatoes before pushing them around on her plate.

“Okay, how did your church meeting go?” Mark took a bite of his drumstick.

“Great.” Sarah’s eyes lit up. “Not only am I leading the summer early bird Bible study group, but I’m also on a committee to review the curriculum for children’s and adult Sunday school.”

Mark grimaced before he could stop it. Her schedule was too demanding for a person with MS.

Sarah’s sigh held a tone of disgust. She placed her fork, which was still holding a piece of chicken on which she’d been nibbling, atop her napkin and worried the hoop earring in her left ear. “What’s wrong with that?” Defiance flashed through Sarah’s dark eyes.

“Nothing, if you have the time, but do you?” Mark held her gaze. It was obvious she didn’t like this conversation, but he knew firsthand the punishment MS could dish out.

“This remodel project won’t last forever. Once I get the bids and know we’re within budget and the client is getting what they want, then my work hours will go back to normal.”

The corners of Sarah’s mouth drooped as she narrowed her eyes at Mark. “Excuse me.” The metal chair legs scraped across the tile floor as Sarah pushed away from the table.

Mark stood. “Sarah, I didn’t mean to make you angry. I just want you to understand that leading an active life is not the same as leading a busy life.”

“Active and busy are the same thing.” Sarah rose from her chair.

Mark walked around the table. “Please sit down and enjoy your dinner.”

“I’m behind on my quilt blocks, so I need to work on them
now
.” Sarah started to turn away.

Mark saw the wobble. His stomach clenched. “Sarah, stop.” He bumped his hip on the corner of the table, trying to get to her before she tried another step.

Sarah’s eyes widened, her left arm reaching, missing the chair and knocking it off balance.

Mark seemed to be moving in slow motion while Sarah moved in real time. Her arms flailed in the air. He wasn’t going to get to her in time.

The clang of the metal chair hitting on the tile floor muffled her cry as she started to fall.

T
wo quick steps for momentum before Mark twisted his body sideways. He straightened his right leg as he dropped to the floor. His left hip and bent leg absorbed the shock as he thudded against the tile floor. Jarring waves of aftershock traveled up his spine, rattling his teeth.

His right shoulder smacked hard against the floor, and he strained to keep his head from the same fate. His vision blurred. He fought the urge to close his eyes and succumb to the pain.

Mark hadn’t slid for home base in thirty years, but the maneuver worked. Seconds after he made contact with the floor, Sarah’s head and torso bounced against his chest, knocking any remaining air from his lungs. He wrapped his arms around Sarah and held on tight. He’d done it. He’d cushioned Sarah’s fall.

Laying his head against the cool tile, Mark sucked in air that his lungs puffed out as rapidly as he breathed it in. In between breaths, he huffed, “Are you all right?”

“I think so.”

The catch in Sarah’s voice said differently.

He drew a steadying breath and pushed himself up with one arm. The other arm remained around Sarah, holding her close. When had that happened?

Sarah struggled but with his help managed to guide herself into a sitting position. “My leg must have fallen asleep.”

“Sarah, I think it was more than that.” Though it pained him to do it, Mark’s tone turned stern.

Shrugging from his embrace, a slight pout marred Sarah’s features as she turned away from him. The burning pain in his left hip was no match for the agony seizing his heart. He’d hurt Sarah. Yet he wouldn’t pull the words back, even if he could. What if that had happened to Sarah and she’d been alone? She needed to heed the warning symptoms of her MS.

Mark grasped the end of the table and pulled himself upright. He bent to help Sarah up, but she flailed her left arm at him.

“Maybe it was my shoes. I’ve had trouble walking all day.” Sarah struggled to lift herself from the floor.

Ignoring the pain in his right shoulder, Mark scooped Sarah from the floor, one arm around her waist, the other under her knees. He set her on the table.

“First things first—did you get hurt?” He patted the arm of her jacket with his fingers to remove some gray dust she collected on her way down. He lifted her chin and looked directly into her eyes. “Be truthful.”

Sad resignation crossed her features. “I don’t know for sure. All I feel is tingling in my right arm and leg.”

“Well, I’m taking you home.”

“I want to stay for class. I’m already behind.”

“Sarah, you need to rest. You can’t keep going on this way. Do you really think that you can sew in this condition?” He’d seen that the control in her right arm wasn’t at full capacity when she fell.

She shrugged.

“I’m taking you home. End of discussion.” Mark hated to see Sarah’s deflated demeanor, but she needed to stop overdoing it. He started to gather up their dinner. Sarah’d barely touched hers, so he’d make sure she heated it up at home.

“You can’t take me home. I need my car to get to work tomorrow. I’m feeling much better anyway. By the time I sit through class, I’ll have rested and will be able to drive myself home.” Sarah slid from the edge of the table.

Tentatively, she put her left foot on the floor and then tested her right foot as if she were dipping it into a swimming pool to check the water’s temperature. Taking in her subtle movements, Mark could tell her right leg was leaden.

“I’ll be right back.” Mark moved a chair closer for Sarah. “I’m going to tell Terri that I’ll be gone for about an hour. Is there anything in your car that you need?”

“No.” Sarah didn’t disguise her terseness. “Really, Mark, I want to stay.”

“I know that you want to stay, but you’re not going to. You need some rest. While I’m talking to Terri, why don’t you call someone to meet us at your house to stay with you tonight?”

Sarah’s eyes grew wide, and her mouth gaped open at Mark’s commanding tone. He’d hurt her feelings. The thought caused his heart to twist. It took all of his resolve not to cave in with an apology allowing her to stay.

“This is in your best interest.” Mark purposely softened his tone. “I’ll be right back to help you gather your things and take you home.” He kept his eye on Sarah until he passed through the workroom door.

It surprised Mark to find a half dozen customers milling around the quilt store. He waited until Terri finished ringing up a customer, explained the situation, and headed back to the workroom.

Sarah hobbled from table to table. Her eyes met his when he came into the workroom. Mark crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels.

“My leg feels better, but you’re right. I need to go home.” She looked down at her pants leg. “Must have happened when I fell.”

Mark saw the long rip in the leg of her outfit. “Are you sure you’re not hurt from the fall?”

Sarah shook her head. “Only my pride. Thanks for catching me. Did you get hurt?”

“Judging by the burning pain in my thigh, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a whopper of a bruise.” Mark smiled at Sarah. “But I’ll live. My truck’s parked in back.”

Mark gathered the same load of bags that he’d carried in from Sarah’s car. He crooked his elbow. Still unsteady on her feet, Sarah slipped her hand through the opening and gripped his bicep as they made a slow journey to Mark’s pickup parked in the back lot.

Mark opened the passenger door.

“I’ve got it.” Sarah stepped onto the wide running board with her left foot and grabbed the handle attached just above the side window.

When she wobbled, Mark gripped her waist and steadied her; then she continued to maneuver her body into the seat.

Moments later, Mark had only driven a few blocks when he realized that Sarah was dozing, her head leaning against the window. What drove her to take on so much? Determination was an admirable quality but not to the extent Sarah was taking it.

At the stoplight, Mark turned to check on his passenger. Her soft, even exhales briefly fogged the passenger window. Her relaxed features showed no sign of stress. When the light turned green, the slight acceleration swirled the cool evening air through his open window. Was it too cold for Sarah?