Firefly Hollow (25 page)

“Yes, minx. And then I’ll show you.”

They spent the rest of the day in bed, something Sarah felt she should probably be embarrassed by, but she couldn’t muster the emotion. Mostly they talked, but they also touched each other, loved each other. For the rest of her life, Sarah knew she would look back on that day as one filled with magic and love.

When dusk finally settled in and Owen reluctantly said good-bye at the back door, Sarah almost wept.

“Soon, Sarah. Very soon, I’ll have you installed on the top of the mountain with me, and we’ll never have to say good-bye again.” He pressed her against the doorjamb with an intense kiss. “I love you. Love you so much.”

“I love you,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening after work?”

“Of course. Be careful on the road tomorrow. And call me if you need me tonight.” He came back for another kiss. “I don’t want to go.”

“You could stay.”

“No, I couldn’t. I’ve compromised you enough as things stand. I won’t give the neighbors anything more to talk about.”

With one last, intense kiss, he was gone. Sarah locked the house for the night and went upstairs. As she laid her clothes out for work and drew a hot bath, she couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened. Owen had as good as proposed to her. If things continued as they were, she’d not be surprised to find herself married by the end of the month.

Chapter Thirty-Four

O
WEN COULDN’T STOP SMILING AS he walked home. Last week, he’d reached out to a contact in Laurel County who designed jewelry to start the man on creating a ring for Sarah. When he’d hugged Eliza goodbye the night before, he asked her to call him with Sarah’s ring size, a task Eliza had been all too happy to perform.

All he had to do was plan how and when he wanted to propose. The ring would be ready in a couple of weeks, but Owen wasn’t sure he could wait that long.

The only shadow on his happiness was the knowledge that he’d have to confess to Sarah that he was a shifter, and that any children they had could possibly be like him. Though he was fairly confident that Sarah would accept him for who he was, there was still a niggling self-doubt in the back of his mind.

When the phone rang at six the next morning, though, everything changed.

Sarah had just gotten up and stumbled downstairs to the kitchen to start the coffee when someone knocked on the back door. Startled, she cautiously approached the door and flipped on the porch light.

“Sarah, it’s me.”

Sarah recognized Owen’s voice and quickly undid the lock. As soon as she opened the door, she knew from the look on his face something was drastically wrong. Her heart stuttered, then took off. “What’s wrong?”

“I just got a call. My uncle’s house burned down last night. I have to go Laurel County.”

Sarah stood back and let him in, then wrapped her arms around his waist. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Is everyone okay?”

“No.” Holding on to her as though she were the only anchor in a turbulent sea, he said, “Eli’s in bad shape, from what his son Trent said. They’re taking him to Lexington. Everyone else got out okay, but Eli went back to get something, and a timber fell on him. They barely managed to get him out.”

Sarah closed her eyes. If his uncle didn’t survive, it would devastate Owen. She said a quick prayer for the man and his family. “Is there anything I can do?”

With one last squeeze, Owen pulled back. “No. Just pray. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Five of their kids, teenagers, are still at home, and I’m probably going to be helping watch them.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “This is Trent’s in-law’s number, and their address. They don’t live far from my uncle’s farm. If you need to get up with me, they’ll know how.”

“Okay. I wish there was something I could do. Do you need me to go with you?”

Owen kissed her hard. “I would love to have you go with me, but I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get there. We might all end up sleeping in the barn until we can figure something out. Besides, you have obligations here. I won’t ask you to give them up.”

“Well, if you get down there and need me, promise me you’ll call. Obligations be hanged, Owen.”

He kissed her again and wrapped her in a hug that lifted her off the floor. “I love you so much. I’ll contact you as soon as I can, okay?”

Sarah nodded and touched his face. “Okay. Promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t rush too much on the road. You won’t do anyone any good if you wreck getting there.”

“I’ll be careful. You do the same.” After one last kiss, he was gone.

Sarah sat at the kitchen table. Even if his uncle did recover, the loss of their home would be devastating. Her mother’s parents had gone through a house fire when Sarah was a little girl, and the loss had almost been like a death in the family. With a heavy heart, she got ready for work. If there was anything worse than feeling helpless and having to stand by while someone you loved hurt, Sarah didn’t know what it was.

Late Thursday evening, nearly eleven o’clock, Sarah was reading and thinking about going up to bed when the phone rang. Scrambling up from the couch, she hurried into the kitchen. “Hello?”

“Sarah? It’s me.”

“Owen! How’s your uncle?”

“Holding his own, the doctors say. They’re still not sure how things are going to turn out. He’s in Lexington. How are you?”

“I’m okay. I miss you, but I’m okay. How are you?”

He gave a short laugh. “Exhausted. They lost everything. Their oldest daughter’s up in Lexington with Amy, and the rest of us are trying to figure out what to do. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to call you. I’m sorry.”

Sarah had to clear her throat. “It’s okay. I understand. Do you need anything?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and she started to think the connection had been lost, but then Owen said, “There is something. If it isn’t too much trouble, can you write me? Let me know how you are, what your days are like? I’ll try to write back, but I can’t make any promises right now.”

“Of course I can. Do I send it to that address you gave me?”

“Yes. I have to go. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Stay safe for me?”

“You, too, Sarah Jane.”

The buzzing of the dial tone sounded in her ear before she could respond, and Sarah reluctantly hung up the phone. She stood with her forehead braced against the wall while tears streamed down her cheeks. Her heart screamed for her to go to him, but she knew that having her down there was the last thing he needed to worry about right now.

Her book forgotten, Sarah shut off the lights downstairs and headed to her bedroom. She didn’t know how much help it would be, but she was determined to send a long, detailed letter to Owen first thing in the morning. Hopefully, it would reach him by Monday, perhaps even as early as Saturday, depending on how the mail was running. As anxious as she was to see him again, she knew she’d have to be patient. She had the sinking feeling that it could be weeks before he returned home, depending on how things went with his uncle.

“So it will have to be a good letter. And hopefully, he’ll be able to write me back.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

O
VER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, Sarah wrote Owen nearly every day. She only received two letters in response, both much shorter than she would have liked, but she understood. Several times, she considered driving down there to be with him, but rejected the idea. The last thing she wanted was to show up, get in the way, and cause more trouble for him.

Jack and Gilly had returned from their honeymoon. Much to Sarah’s relief, living with them wasn’t a problem. They were much more circumspect than Randall and Kathy.

Owen’s absence didn’t go unnoticed at the library, with both Shirley and Callie remarking on it. Sarah explained the circumstances, but by the time Owen had been gone three weeks, Callie was starting to look at her with pity.

The attitude angered Sarah, and she decided to talk to Shirley one day when they took lunch together. “She acts like he’s deliberately staying down there to avoid me. I can’t say anything to her because that will make it worse, I expect.”

“I’d say you’re right. You have to ignore her. Do
you
think he’s avoiding you?”

Sarah dropped her gaze to the table. “I don’t want to think that, but the longer things go and I don’t hear from him, I’m starting to wonder a little.”

“Well, have you tried calling him?”

“Yes. The number he gave me just rings and rings. No answer. And I’ve tried calling at different times during the day, on the weekends, in the evenings. I don’t know what to think.”

When Shirley’s mouth tightened in to a grim line, Sarah realized Shirley was also having doubts about Owen’s reasons for not being in closer communication.

“What should I do?” Since Eliza had left, Sarah had grown closer to Shirley, and she valued her opinions.

“Honey, I don’t know what to tell you. Have you written him and flat-out asked him what’s going on?”

“No. I’ve been waiting to see if I hear from him. I thought about driving down there, but I don’t want to appear forward. Besides, if he is… done with me, I guess, I don’t want to find out in front of his whole family.”

Shirley patted Sarah’s hand. “I think you need to write and ask him what’s about it. I understand he’s under a lot of pressure right now and you don’t want to add to that, but you deserve to know. And as much as I hate to admit it, I have to think something else is causing him to not write or call. You need to find out what.”

So that evening, after she’d finished the garden chores and helped with supper, Sarah went to her room and started writing. Like the first letter she’d ever written Owen, it took her several tries to get right, but when she finished, she was satisfied. She hoped she was wrong, that her suspicions were just her own insecurities rising to torment her.