Chapter 24 #3
“Now you’ve upset her,” Sarah hissed impatiently. “There there, wittle pwincess. Gammy is here.”
I left the room to fix her bottle, grateful to slide into the kitchen shadows and buy some space.
Thomas, on his own, seemed little more than calm and curious.
He had been that way at the hospital. Sarah was as high strung as I expected.
More so. Her insinuation against Cade and the ranch hands sent fire zinging through my nerves.
Cade remained in the kitchen, but he had moved away from the sink. He leaned against the wall so they wouldn’t see him unless they stepped inside. Fury tightened his features. He grabbed my stare, held it, and formed a fist with one hand.
“Hold strong,” he mouthed.
I breathed out, nodded.
While I prepared the bottle, I tried to pretend I didn’t hear Sarah’s not-subtle exclamations.
“Noelle looks exhausted, Tom! This is too much for her. An isolated ranch, under renovations. We need a test for asbestos!”
Thomas said nothing.
But Cade tightened with every punctuated breath Sarah issued. She reminded me of a slowly leaking balloon, the way she spoke under her breath, but seemed to shout at the same time. Everyone could hear it. No one knew how to stop it.
Once the bottle was ready, I returned with a smile pasted on.
Sarah cut short mid-sentence as I stepped inside. “I’m telling you, Thomas, this is—Oh, there we are!”
Her manicured nails reached for the bottle, plucked it from my hands. She gave me her back as she offered it to Lily near the window. Thomas turned to me.
“How are you, Noelle?”
Genuine concern and care seemed to be in question, though toned down. He might ask a neighbor the same.
“Losing Naomi, leaving my job, and moving out of my condo was a difficult transition, but I’m better than I have been in a while,” I admitted, and he loosened at my honesty.
He probably waited for me to pose as something I wasn’t, like Sarah.
To make up a story and beam and simper. But I simply held up my hands.
“It’s a lot, but it’s not too much. I grew up here in the summers, so returning to this place has been a balm.
It . . . it feels like Naomi is with me. ”
“You are far from town.”
His observation held no judgment, but there was an implied question.
I shrugged. “Not so far. The roads are passable. Cade regularly plows, and there are tractors. If we had to get Lily to help, we could. Very quickly.”
Sarah scoffed, but didn’t bother turning to face us. Calculation formed behind Thomas’s eyes, and I realized I had revealed my nerves through what I said, assuming that Lily’s safety is what he meant by his comment.
But it was what he meant.
The problem with Thomas was my inability to read him.
His laissez-faire personality hid a man with zero desire to stand up to his wife or deal with her drama.
I had a feeling he’d go to great lengths to give her whatever she wanted, just to shut her up.
That worked against me in a big way, considering their deep financial pockets.
He was the only potential ally I had in this situation, and all I gleaned from his expression was indifference.
“Cade,” Thomas repeated. “He’s the foreman?”
“Yes.”
“Can I meet him?”
“Sure.”
“No,” Sarah hissed as quickly, “We don’t want to meet him.”
“He’s just in the other room. Cade,” I called, eager to be as defiant to Sarah’s irritating attitude as much as I could.
The sound of boots crossing the kitchen immediately followed, and he appeared in the doorway.
He filled it with his flannel shirt, an unzipped vest. His hair was slightly tousled from wearing his hat earlier.
The stalwart presence that first struck me about Cade flowed through him today, and it filled me with a deep reassurance. This man was on my side.
Cade met Thomas with an outstretched hand and a real smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Thomas. I’ve heard many good things.”
Thomas said, “Good to meet you, Cade.”
Sarah ignored him.
Thomas pointed overhead to the spot on the ceiling he’d fixated on. “Noelle says you plan to renovate. I assume that’s part of your plans.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mind if I ask some questions? Renovations have always interested me.”
“Not at all.”
Cade took over the conversation, kindly answering queries, detailing out the plans. Sarah acted as if we weren’t there until Lily finished the bottle and became fussy.
“She burps best upright,” I said, taking the empty bottle off the coffee table. Sarah fussed with her in a lounging position, but Lily squirmed. A little cry issued, and Sarah grew more flustered.
Finally, I reached out, took Lily from her, set her on my shoulder, gave her a quick tap, and heard the belch release. She calmed with a sigh. Sarah flushed, cheeks bright red, but I returned Lily to her before she could protest.
Lily, sleepy and full, yawned. I passed Sarah Lily’s favorite blanket and said only, “I’d be happy to show you how she likes to be swaddled and rocked in the bedroom, where it’s quieter.
You can put her to sleep in her crib, if you like.
” I mentally thanked Marsha for buying and sending the crib last week.
Sarah hesitated, then nodded.
She didn’t say a word to me as I brought her into the bedroom, wrapped Lily, all the while speaking calmly to Sarah about what I was doing, then unwrapped her, ensured Sarah had Lily in hand, and left her to try the same.
Sarah set to work, warbling in her high-pitched titter, until she had Lily swaddled.
I left her to spend time with Lily. Knowing the boys were outside soothed my still irrational fears that Sarah would try to take her.
I found Thomas and Cade pacing around the kitchen, deep in discussion about plumbing, water access, heaters, and more.
I couldn’t tell if Thomas had a thing for renovating, or he really wanted to know Lily was safe.
I trailed behind them, listening, contributing with Cade, and paid attention to sounds of distress from the bedroom.
None came.
Their conversation wrapped up fifteen minutes later, around the time Sarah emerged from the bedroom. She patted her cheeks.
“Oh, she is a love. I don’t think I can part with her again.”
You better get used to the idea, I thought ruefully.
She teared up as Thomas said to Cade, “Well, sounds like a good plan. Good luck.” He looked at me. “You’ve got a lot on your plate, but Lily seems healthy. We appreciate you taking good care of her.”
Lily seems healthy.
About as kind and approving a response as I could expect. It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t the worst, either. Sarah wouldn’t say anything nearly that supportive.
Thomas motioned to the door with a swing of his arm. “Time to go, Sarah. We have the information we need. Our flight leaves soon.”
I blinked.
Information they needed? Flight? Didn’t they just arrive this morning?
I had no idea they planned to leave so quickly.
To my greatest shock, Sarah nodded, gathering her purse from the chair, like she couldn’t wait to depart.
The tears had already dried up as she skittered toward the door.
Thomas waved, and they rushed so quickly for the exit that I stood there, stunned.
I’d braced myself for Sarah insisting on staying through Lily’s nap and beyond.
Cade seemed to share my confusion, because a line appeared between his eyebrows, giving him a perplexed expression. It cleared as Thomas opened the door, called, “Thank you again!” and stepped outside.
In a blink, the door shut behind them.
“Was that oddly fast?” I breathed.
Cade ran his tongue over his teeth. “I don’t know what to make of that hasty departure, but I can firmly say that I think that is not the last we’re going to hear from them.”