Chapter 6 #3
Six hours later, the last remnants of the fire had been hauled away, and the frame of the new barn was complete.
The men had laid the floor and roped off the stalls, then secured tarps across what would eventually be the loft to provide temporary shelter for the horses.
After storing their tools in their trucks, they called it a day and vowed to return tomorrow to finish the job.
Once everything was cleaned up, Sage sent Maddie and Evan back to their cabin with plates of leftover food from lunch.
A few more women had shown up shortly before one that afternoon, carrying trays and bowls overflowing with food.
Despite their big breakfasts, the men had worked up quite an appetite and eagerly filled their plates again.
There had still been plenty left over, though, and Maddie had sent dinner home with anyone who wanted it.
Her hair still damp from a quick shower, Sage removed one plate, then popped a second into the microwave, reheating an assortment of leftovers for Adam and herself.
The timer dinged at the same time the screen door opened and he walked in, fresh from his own shower.
He’d shaved again, too, making her want to run her fingers over his baby-soft cheek before his whiskers returned.
Taking the plates from her, he carried them into the dining room while she grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge.
She’d discovered that even as a friar, he’d enjoyed the occasional brew.
Following him, she stopped short when she saw where he’d chosen to sit.
Instead of taking his usual seat at the opposite end of the table, he’d set his plate down in Jenna’s spot beside hers.
Waiting for her to sit, he raised an eyebrow. “Problem? I’ll sit at the other end if you want.”
Smiling, she shook her head and set the beer bottles on the table. “Don’t you dare move. Let me just get the glasses I put in the freezer earlier.”
When she returned, he pulled out her chair. A little thrill of pleasure went through her. It was such a simple, gentlemanly gesture, but it made her feel special and pampered. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sitting, he took her hand and said grace. “Thank you, Lord, for this food we are about to eat. For our family and friends. And for the community that pulled together to help us in our time of need. Bless them all. Amen.”
“Amen.”
They both dug into their food. Sage hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she took a bite of baked ziti.
“Mmm. I love Ashley’s tomato sauce. Her lasagna has won a blue ribbon at the Fourth of July county fair more times than I can count.
Her only real competition is Hilde, who owns the diner in town. ”
“If it’s as good as her ziti, then I’m sure it’s a winner.
” Adam took another bite, then swallowed.
“Now I’m going to have to try Hilde’s sauce and judge for myself.
But this ranks right up there with my foster mother’s.
She was a hell of a cook.” He picked up his beer.
“What about you? What food do you enter in the county fair?”
An unladylike snort escaped her. “I’m not allowed to enter anything. No one wants to risk food poisoning. Thank goodness for Maddie. Otherwise, we’d live on sandwiches and frozen dinners.”
Adam grinned as he cut a piece of ham. “You can’t be that bad.”
“You have no idea. If it’s not microwaveable or cold, then it’s not on my menu unless someone else makes it. But Maddie will enter a few pies and her five-alarm chili at the fair.”
“I’ll have to watch her make the chili. That was another one of Barbara’s specialties.”
After finishing their meal, they quickly washed the dishes and made sure the kitchen was spotless. Then Sage poured them each a cup of coffee she’d brewed while heating their dinner, and they headed out to the front porch. She sat on the two-person wooden swing and motioned for him to join her.
They sat in silence as Adam used his foot to rock them gently back and forth.
It was one of her favorite things to do after everyone else had gone to sleep for the night.
She could sit there, remember the good times with Mark, and cry over her loss without her children being any the wiser.
Not that she always ended up in tears, but if she did, she didn’t have to worry about Matthew and Jenna seeing her upset.
The more time she spent with Adam, the more she liked him.
She couldn’t imagine what prison had been like for him.
Her uncle had been in and out of the local jail in her hometown because of his excessive drinking, but she’d never known anyone who’d stayed locked up for more than a day or two.
There was so much about Adam’s life she didn’t know, and she wanted to understand him better.
“May I ask you something?”
He kept the swing moving. “Sure.”
She shifted on the seat to face him a little better and hoped he wouldn’t think she was judging him. “Why… um… Shane told me that you would have been found innocent if you had gone to trial. Why did you plead guilty?”