Zach studied them a moment, then asked, "How's Luke doing?"
"Much better," Jacob said. "They say he can come home tomorrow."
"No further damage to his legs?" KC asked.
Jacob shook his head. "None."
"Good," Zach added. "We don't need any more damn tragedies around here."
Everyone murmured their agreement.
"Anyway." Aiden stepped closer. "My wife is in firm need of sustenance that isn't hospital food, and I promised her some of your mama's fried chicken."
Zach grinned in a way that took Sadie's breath. "With a baby on the way, that woman should have anything she wants to have. She's doin' all the work, after all."
"Amen," Christina said, leaving the whole group laughing.
Sadie smiled, even though she knew it was a little sad around the edges. The group reminded her of her family. There were only three of them, but she, her mama and her sister had taken care of each other through a lifetime of heartache. They could often make each other laugh during the hardest times. And they never gave up hope that they would be together.
Zach stepped back to the kitchen to put in the order without so much as looking in her direction, intensifying Sadie's feeling of solitude in the midst of the crowd. She eyed the distance back to the table she'd come from, but the Blackstones simply took up too much space for her to squeak by without notice.
Then the silence around her registered and she glanced back to realize she'd become the center of attention. Four sets of eyes studied her. Her familiar technique of disappearing into the shadows where she wouldn't be noticed wasn't an option here, as she was boxed in by the wall on one side and the bar counter behind her.
Finally the woman she recognized as Zach's sister stepped closer. "Hi, there. I'm KC, Zach's sister. And you are?"
Sadie wasn't used to people offering her their hands, but she shook anyway. "Sadie Adams."
"Let me guess," KC said with a slight smile. "You must be Zach's new nemesis."
How had she known? "Um..."
"Oh, is this the woman from the mill?" Christina asked, interest lighting her eyes.
Suddenly Sadie felt as though someone had dialed up the spotlight.
"I believe she is," KC replied.
"How did you know?" Sadie asked.
"Honey, it's a small town." KC's smile was friendly, not condescending as Sadie had expected. "Trust me, everybody knows."
"I don't know," Aiden said with a frown.
Christina patted his chest. "I'll fill you in later, dear."
That didn't stop him from studying Sadie in a way that made her more reluctant than ever to stay. But KC picked up her now watered-down drink from the counter and dumped it before starting a fresh one. "Come on over and tell us about yourself," she invited.
Sadie hung on to that friendly smile, even though she knew more than anyone how deceiving it might be from a stranger. But she needed these people for her mission, so she forced her feet forward.
"What do you do, Sadie?" Christina asked.
"I'm a photographer." It wasn't the entire truth. She did take photographs. She just didn't do it for a living, as she'd led them all to believe.
"Oh, where's your camera?"
"Outside." She'd been afraid Zach would make a scene if she brought it in.
Christina didn't seem fazed. "Have you had anything published?"
"Yes, actually. A few pieces through Barnhill Press." The art press wasn't anything to sneeze at, so at least Sadie didn't feel like such a fraud.
Until another voice chimed in. "So you no longer describe yourself as domestic help?"
The people around her froze, unsure how to take Zach's comment. Sadie had no problem with being seen as domestic help. After all, she'd fallen into that category all of her life.
She'd tried to stick as close to the truth as possible. She'd only ever held two things back from Zach the first time around: her employer's true identity and her sister's situation.
Sadie raised her chin and spoke confidently. "Actually, my longtime employer recently passed away. I'm taking a bit of a break before looking for a new position."
"Good luck," Aiden said.
"Thank you." She took a deep breath for courage. "I have an idea I think might interest you."
Suddenly the trio on this side of the bar with her adopted that slightly uncomfortable look that rich people got when they know they were about to be asked for money. She'd seen it often enough back home. But that wasn't what she wanted...
"I wondered if I could have your permission to shoot a series of photographs about the rebuilding of the mill? I visited the town several years ago and became quite attached to it." If they only knew... "From what the people here have been telling me about your family and what you are doing to keep the town alive, well, it's incredible."
She smiled brightly at Christina, since the woman's calm features were easier to focus on. "If nothing else, I think it would make a wonderful memento for the people of the town."
Christina glanced back up at her husband. "Aiden, that sounds wonderful."
"I could talk to the publisher at Barnhill. I've worked with him on several projects...though this would be my first solo proposal," she added, feeling the need to be honest.
On the other side of the bar, she could feel a sense of frustrated resistance coming from Zach. He stared at her, though she refused to meet his gaze. Luckily, she'd already gotten a positive response or she had a feeling he would have blasted her before his employer, simply to keep her from getting close.
Though he still didn't know how close she planned to be...
KC must have sensed it, too, because she kept glancing sideways at her brother. But she didn't speak. Finally Aiden said, "That does sound good. I am a bit worried about safety issues-"
Before he or Zach could go further, she cut him off. "Not a problem. I've already seen the destruction at the mill, and I would definitely need someone to steer me in the safest direction. Someone local, with a lot of experience with the area who could introduce me to people who know the history, the ins and outs of the area. The people and places that make Black Hills so special..."
"That's a great idea," Christina enthused.
Jake and Aiden were nodding along with her. "Definitely," Aiden said. "Zach fits both those criteria and as head of security could keep us informed about your project, too. Would that be a problem?"
"Not for me," she assured him.
Only after speaking did she glance at her former lover, whose hard-won mask barely covered the resentment pushing to get out. Sadie wondered if anyone else could see it. Probably not, because they went on talking as if this were a done deal.
Only Zach kept quiet. Good thing he didn't know the whole story. Otherwise, she might have to worry about her safety.
But at least he would learn. She would get what she wanted...no matter what.
Four
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Sadie quickly suppressed her smile before turning to face Zach's rage. She and she alone knew the depths of despair she'd experienced since the last time she'd walked away from him. But she couldn't have realized she'd be thrilled to see him under any circumstances...including when he looked like he would choke her if he could.
"Who, me?"
Her innocent question only served to incense him even more. The show was quite spectacular, in fact. Zach's skin took on a ruddy color underneath, showcasing the extent of his anger. But a lifetime as help to people who only wanted things to go their way had taught Sadie to take her kicks where she could get them, even if she could only feel her amusement on the inside.
"You knew I didn't want to spend time with you. So why would you set this whole thing up?" he growled.
Ouch. That hurt, but she had known the way he felt before he even said it. "Look," she said, not afraid to push back. "You started this with your high and mighty attitude, not me."
"So this is all a game to you?" He waved a hand at the damaged building behind him. "This is not a game to these people. This place was their life."
"Yes, and I think it will mean a lot to them to have someone document its resurrection, don't you?"
She wasn't wrong in this. Knowing how much people got attached to places-like she had to Sheldon Hall, even though it would never be hers-gave her a glimpse of exactly how these townspeople felt. "Building positive memories will help shore up the community and keep people here. Isn't that what you want?"