she told you there’s a chance her father and I will reconcile?”
He nodded.
“Stay away from my daughter, Dennis.”
“Fine, if that’s the way you want it.” He didn’t know what terrible crime he’d committed. “Do you want me to stay away from you, too?” he demanded.
She didn’t answer.
“Do you?” he asked a second time. “You say the word and I’m out of here, Sarah. I’m tired of ramming my head against a brick wall. It hurts too damn much.” He wasn’t a man who raised his voice often nor did he easily lose his temper, but he’d reached his limit with both Sarah and Calla.
“Don’t do this,” she pleaded.
Her voice was so soft he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
“Don’t do what?” he burst out. “Don’t want a life with the woman I love? Don’t want to share my days and nights with you? Don’t want children of my own?” He was still too angry to lower his voice.
“Dennis…”
“You ask too much.” Shaking his head, he walked out of the store and headed back to the service station, his heart as heavy as his steps.
Maddy checked the printed directions to the Clemens’ Triple C cattle ranch as she crossed the highway over Juniper Creek. On the spur of the moment, she’d decided to leave Jeb’s ranch for last. Driving to the Clemens’ spread first meant going out of her way, but she didn’t mind.
Her practice run a week earlier had helped her figure out the unfamiliar country roads. As before, she marveled at the beauty of the landscape—the pastureland, the wheat fields recently shorn, the row upon row of glorious sunflowers, ready for harvest. Birds were everywhere, their song a perfect counterpoint to the visual delights all around her.
Maddy looked forward to meeting the Clemenses. So far, every conversation with Bernard Clemens had been by phone. He’d mentioned his daughter, Margaret, in passing and Maddy was particularly eager to meet her. Lindsay never had. It seemed the Clemens property was an equal distance between Buffalo Valley and Bellmont, and Lindsay assumed that Margaret usually did her shopping in Bellmont. Still, the housekeeper had faxed Maddy a long supply list earlier in the week, obviously interested in her new delivery service.
Turning down the dirt roadway, Maddy could see a large two-story white house in the distance, an impressive-looking place with a pasture out front where three sleek horses grazed. The outbuildings were well maintained, too. Unaccustomed to farm and ranch living, she couldn’t identify all of them, but in addition to the huge red barn there appeared to be a grain silo and several other structures, including a foreman’s house and a bunkhouse. She might not know much about country living, but she knew the Clemenses had money.
No expense had been spared. Everything about the ranch spoke of prosperity and abundance, unlike most of the other farms and ranches she’d visited earlier in the day.
She parked her Bronco, and by the time she’d climbed out, a young man was strolling briskly toward her. He wore jeans, a plaid shirt, chaps and a cowboy hat—what seemed to be the uniform of a rancher.
“Can I help you?”
Maddy frowned, noting that the man’s voice sounded feminine.
The cowboy raised wide expectant eyes to her. “I’m Margaret Clemens.”
“You’re Margaret?” Maddy said aloud before she could stop herself.
Margaret removed one glove and boldly thrust out her hand. Maddy shook it briskly.
“I’m Maddy… Maddy Washburn,” she muttered, embarrassed that she hadn’t concealed her shock a little more effectively.
Margaret swept off her hat to reveal short cropped hair. Then she wiped her brow. “You the new grocer?”
Maddy nodded.
“Welcome to Buffalo County.”
“Thank you,” Maddy managed to say. “Actually, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Margaret set her hat back on her head. “Me?”
The question flustered Maddy even more. “Well, you know, we’re both women, and close in age and… well,” she faltered, afraid to say anything else.
Margaret let loose with a bull laugh and slapped Maddy hard on the back. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, too. You seem a bit… surprised.”
“You aren’t exactly what I expected.”
Thankfully she didn’t take offense at Maddy’s honesty and instead responded with another deep laugh. “Guess I’m not what most people expect. Come on inside and we can talk.” She led the way toward the house, stopping just outside the door to take off her hat again. Then she proceeded to slap the Stetson against her legs, scattering clouds of dust all around her. Finally she put the hat back on.
“Sadie gets upset if I traipse dirt into the house,” Margaret announced. “Are you clean?”
“I—I think so,” Maddy said, doing a poor job of hiding a smile.
“Good. I wouldn’t want her cussin’ you out the first time you meet.” Margaret barged into the kitchen where a plump elderly woman stood by the stove. Maddy followed.
“This is Maddy Washburn,” Margaret said. “The grocery lady.”
The other woman smiled shyly.
“You must be Sadie,” Maddy said, and stepped forward to offer the housekeeper her hand. “I got your fax and I have your groceries in the back of my truck.”
“I’ll carry those in for you,” Margaret said. “You don’t look strong enough to haul much of anything.” She started out the back door.
“I’ll help.” She hurried after Margaret, astonished at how fast the other woman moved. When she reached her car, Margaret already had the back open and had lifted the larger of the two boxes into her arms.
“Anything else?” Margaret asked.
“No…” Maddy said, walking behind her, positive that Margaret would drop something. She was carrying forty pounds without apparent effort. Sadie held the door open for Margaret, who quickly deposited the box on the kitchen table.
“You want a beer?” Margaret asked, clomping over to the refrigerator.
It was a little too early in the day for Maddy. “Do you have coffee?”
“We’ve always got coffee,” Margaret told her as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of beer.
Sadie poured Maddy a mug of coffee and handed it to her, gesturing toward the sugar bowl, which was in the middle of the table. Maddy helped herself.
Margaret sat down and Maddy joined her. Margaret leaned back in the chair and
