Once a Wife by Patricia Keelyn

CHAPTER SIX

Reece was sure he’d broken several speed records getting back to the Crooked C. He’d driven his mother to the airport in Casper and then headed home as quickly as possible. Not only did he want to check on Sarah and Drew, see how their first day together went, but he didn’t want to leave them alone for too long. Yet he couldn’t have said exactly why that particular thought bothered him so much.

He blamed it on lack of sleep.

It had been two days since he’d gotten any. Three if he counted the evening Drew had managed to get himself thrown from the Appaloosa. But it had been two long sleepless nights since Sarah had walked back into their lives.

Last night, after Sarah had returned to the house, he’d stayed out for another hour or so, knowing that going straight to bed would be useless. Finally, he’d thought himself tired enough to pass out on his feet. He’d been wrong. Once in bed, he’d tossed and turned, only falling into a light restless slumber a couple of hours before dawn. And his unsettled thoughts had continued as he and Elizabeth drove the two hundred silent miles to Casper.

Somehow, he needed to come to terms with Sarah once again being a part of his life. Even if only for a short time.

Last night, he’d almost fallen into the trap of old memories. For a while, he’d been carried back to when they’d first met. He’d remembered what it had been like between them. How much they’d loved each other. But it had been a lie, the memories false. Sarah had never really loved him. And he couldn’t allow himself to forget that.

Still, he needed her help now. For Drew. Someone had to get through to the boy, and he wanted to believe Sarah could do it. If for no other reasons than she was used to dealing with kids, and he was her son.

In the end, Reece fell back on his original plan. He’d hired Sarah to tutor Drew for the summer. And that was exactly how he’d treat her. Like an employee. Like Millie or Tod.

It seemed a good idea until he arrived back at the ranch a little after five, only to find Sarah and Drew weren’t there. According to Millie, they’d ridden off right after lunch. A half-dozen possibilities raced through his head. Everything from Sarah’s having taken Drew and run, to her spending time trying to win the boy’s favor, instead of teaching him sixth-grade math and English. Reece admitted that the latter option was probably closer to the truth, but it didn’t lessen his anger.

He’d hired her to tutor his son. Not to become Drew’s best friend. Or his mother.

Reece was in the barn helping Tod feed the horses, when Sarah and Drew got back. The sound of her laughter and Drew’s chatter stoked Reece’s simmering anger. He went outside to meet them.

“Hey, Dad,” Drew called as he slid from his horse. “You won’t believe what we did today.”

Reece checked his temper. This wasn’t the boy’s fault. “I’m sure Miss Hanson will explain it to me.”

“We went down to the creek,” Drew continued, oblivious to his father’s displeasure. “And Miss Hanson told me all about how you used to compete in the weekend rodeo.”

Reece looked up at Sarah, who still sat on her horse, wondering what else she’d told Drew. She’d obviously won him over. “Did she?”

“Yeah.” Drew hardly stopped for a breath. “She said you used to be a bronc rider. She said you were real good, too.”

“Go on up to the house and get cleaned up, Drew,” Reece said, without taking his eyes off Sarah. “Millie will have dinner ready in about an hour.”

“But Dad …” Drew’s plea brought Reece’s attention back to him. “I need to take care of my horse.”

“Go, on,” Reece said. “Tod will take care of the horses. I need to speak to Miss Hanson alone.”

Drew hesitated and glanced back at Sarah, who dismounted and nodded her agreement. His looking to her for confirmation infuriated Reece further. Who did she think she was? She couldn’t just walk back into his son’s life and take over.

But Reece managed to wait until Drew was almost at the house before turning again to Sarah. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He kept his voice low, although he no longer made any attempt to disguise his anger.

Sarah straightened and met his gaze. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.” Leading her horse, she started to walk past him.

Reece grabbed the bridle, stopping them both. “Don’t play coy with me, Sarah.”

“Are you sure you want to discuss this here?”

He took a step closer, backing her against the horse’s neck. “I want an explanation. Now.”

“Drew and I rode out—”

“I know what you did. I want to know why. You’re supposed to be tutoring him in math and English. Not the fine points of weekend rodeo.”

“Do you want an explanation, Reece?” Crossing her arms, she lifted her chin. “Or do you just want to stand there and throw your weight around?”

He’d forgotten this about her. Her stubbornness when cornered. The way her dark eyes glittered like black diamonds. But he couldn’t allow memories to sidetrack him. “I want to know why you weren’t inside working with that boy today.”

“That boy’s name is Drew.” She took a step forward, jabbing a finger at his chest. “And we got more accomplished this afternoon than I could have hoped to get done in a week locked away in the house.”

“Oh, I’m sure you did.”

“I don’t have to take this,” she said, pushing by him.

“Oh, I think you do.” He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “You’re just an employee around here, Sarah. I hired you to teach my son math and English. And don’t you forget it.”

“Believe me, Reece—” she jerked her arm from his grip “—I wouldn’t dream of forgetting my place.” She stormed off, leaving him holding the reins of her horse. He watched her go, carrying herself as straight and proud as ever, and cursed the day he’d met her.

A sound behind him caught his attention, and he turned to see Tod unsaddling Drew’s horse. Reece had forgotten all about the other man being there.

“Did you say something?” he snapped at Tod.

“Not me, boss.”

Reece glared at his friend’s sarcasm and then turned back around just in time to see Sarah disappearing into the house. “Damn,” he said, shoving his fists into the pockets of his jeans.

Walking back to the house, Sarah couldn’t remember ever having been this angry. She’d proved herself to be a good teacher years ago and wasn’t used to being questioned. Some of her methods were rather unorthodox, but she got results. She had a track record for turning difficult students around after other teachers had failed. And it had been a long time since anyone, parent or school administrator, had questioned her.

She slammed into the kitchen and stopped short when she noticed Millie standing there. “Problems?” the cook asked.

“I can’t believe the nerve of that man,” Sarah answered before she could stop herself. “Just who does he think he is?”

Millie grinned. “I told you this place needed stirring up.”

“Please, Millie.” Sarah glared at the other woman. “This isn’t a joke.”

“So who’s laughing?” Millie turned back to the stove.

Sarah paced to the far side of the kitchen and then spun on her heel and paced back. “He hasn’t the faintest idea how to relate to Drew,” she said, keeping her voice low so it couldn’t be heard upstairs. “Reece doesn’t even talk to Drew. He talks at him. Ordering him around like one of the hands.”

Millie mumbled something under her breath, and Sarah shot her another murderous glance. Millie was not helping things, but Sarah was on a roll and needed to get it off her chest.

“He doesn’t even use Drew’s name.” The sound of Reece calling their son “the boy.” echoed through her head, fueling her anger. “Do you know that Drew had no idea his father used to ride in the rodeo? Can you imagine? The way Drew loves horses!” She shook her head in disgust and continued her pacing. “And Reece has the nerve to question my methods. To imply that I have ulterior motives.”

“It seems to me,” Millie said, “you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Sarah stopped in midstride. “What do you mean?”

“Reece needs to learn how to be a father.”

“That’s for sure.” Sarah let out a snort of disgust.

“So show him.”

“Well, if he hasn’t figured it out by now …” She let her voice trail off as she realized what Millie meant. “You don’t expect me to show him, do you? I’m the last person he’ll listen to.”

Millie shrugged and again concentrated on cooking dinner. “Maybe not. But you won’t know until you try.”

As Sarah stood watching the other woman, her anger faded. Maybe Millie had a point. Maybe instead of squaring off with Reece, which had been her first reaction, she should show him what Drew had accomplished today. It was a simple solution, one she would have used with any of her other students’ parents. But she’d been so angry, so tied up in her reaction to Reece, to his doubting her and, she had to admit, her own guilt about lying to Drew that she’d let her emotions rule her head.

Reece needed to know what she and Drew were doing. It was that simple. And if her idea worked, he’d begin to understand and relate to their son at the same time.

“Thanks, Millie,” she said, as she headed for the stairs. “I think you may be on to something.”

Reece had thought he’d learned his lesson about trusting Sarah a long time ago. Obviously, he’d been mistaken. Otherwise, why would he have brought her to the Crooked C to tutor Drew? He’d been asking for trouble, and as he should have expected, she’d delivered.

He pulled off his hat and ran a tired hand through his hair before entering the dark silent kitchen. Dinner had been over hours ago. Earlier, he’d sent word back to the house that he was helping Tod with the stock and would eat with the other men. In truth, he hadn’t trusted himself to sit across the table from his ex-wife without throttling her.

As it turned out, the physical labor had been just what he needed. A few hours doing what he’d been born and bred to do. Ranching.

Since his father’s death eight years ago, working and eating with the ranch hands had been a way of life for Reece. His mother’s rigid schedule didn’t allow for the running of a place the size of the Crooked C. So he’d never even tried to make it back to the house for meals. Everything had changed, however, when he’d started his campaign and handed over the operation of the ranch to Tod.

Tonight had not only been a good reminder of what he’d given up, but it had clarified a few things in his mind. Mainly, how to handle Sarah.

He crossed the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and pulled a beer from the cool interior. Then he headed for his office.

There was no getting around it. He’d created this mess, and he was stuck with it. She was here now. Telling her to leave was out of the question. Drew needed a tutor, and whether Reece liked it or not, Sarah was both available and qualified. So, until he found someone else, he’d just have to make sure she did the job he’d hired her to do. Which meant he needed to call Michelle and cancel whatever plans they had for the campaign.

Picking up the phone, he dialed her number.

A familiar soft voice answered. “Hello.”

“Michelle, it’s Reece.”

“How did it go?”

He hesitated, unsure what she meant.

“Drew’s first day with Sarah,” she prompted.

“Oh.” He took a deep breath and sank into the chair behind his desk. “Not good.”

She said nothing, and it disturbed him. He knew that she wasn’t crazy about the arrangement, but her silence hinted at all-out disapproval. It was unlike her. She was a peacekeeper.

“I need out of whatever we’ve got coming up with the campaign for the next couple of weeks,” he said, despite his misgivings.

Again she answered him with silence.

There was more here than he was seeing, more than just her discomfort about having Sarah live in his house. He wondered if Michelle would tell him what was really bothering her if he asked. Did he want to hear the answer? Now, when his entire focus needed to be on Sarah and Drew?

“Michelle?” he prodded.

“I’m here.” She paused for a moment and then said, “I’m not sure how you expect me to respond. You can’t just drop out of a campaign like this at the beginning and expect to remain in the running.”

“I need time with Drew.”

“And Sarah?”

The question startled him. But then, everything about this conversation had been awkward: Michelle’s voice, what she’d said, what she hadn’t said. “This has nothing to do with Sarah, except to make sure she’s doing the job I hired her for.” But he knew that wasn’t entirely true. Sarah had walked back into his life two days ago and invaded his thoughts, his dreams …

“I don’t understand, Reece,” Michelle said, exasperation obvious in her normally sedate voice. “Do you want this office or not?”

Several heartbeats later, he answered, “To be honest, I don’t know.”

This time, the silence hung long and heavy between them, and Reece had no further words to breach it.

Instead, Michelle shattered it. “Well, you call me if and when you figure it out.”

The line went dead. Stunned, he returned the receiver to the cradle, hesitating for a moment with his hand resting on the smooth plastic. He should call her back. Apologize. Tell her to forget he’d ever called.

Then he remembered Drew’s laughter this afternoon and his excitement when he’d asked about the rodeo. Sarah, not Reece, had put that normal childhood enthusiasm in his son’s voice. And it bothered Reece. Just as his own response to her did. Even now, his body reacted to the thought of her, to the memory of her flashing dark brown eyes and the stubborn set of her mouth.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back and rested his head against the back of the chair. Sarah still had the power to stir him in ways no other woman ever had. And because of it, he wouldn’t call Michelle back. There was too much at stake, too much to resolve. And he needed a little time.

Just then, there was a single knock on his study door. He opened his eyes to see the object of his concern standing in the doorway.

“Do you have a moment?” Sarah asked. “I have something to show you.”

Reece sat a little straighter. She’d taken a shower and changed into a full calf-length floral skirt and top. It was one of the changes in her he liked best—her tendency to wear soft feminine clothing, rather than the jeans and boots of her youth. “Come in.”

She crossed the room and stopped in front of his desk. “Were you sleeping?”

He shook his head, wishing sleep would come that easily. “No.”

“I see.” She seemed uncomfortable, standing there clutching a couple of books to her chest.

“Would you like to sit down?” he said.

“No. This will only take a minute.”

“Okay, then.”

“Before leaving town yesterday,” she said, “I went to see Rebecca Adams, Drew’s summer-school teacher.”

Reece nodded, suddenly feeling a bit wary.

“I needed to find out where to start with him,” she said while placing two mimeographed sheets of paper before him. “Miss Adams gave me these. They’re the County School District Portfolio Checklists for sixth graders. In other words, these are the areas that Drew needs to master before being promoted to seventh grade.”

Reece glanced at the sheets. One was the checklist for language arts and the other for mathematics. Both bore Drew’s name and then a list of topics, many of which had a checkmark beside them. It didn’t mean a thing to him, and he still couldn’t guess what she was getting at.

“As you can see,” she said, “Miss Adams has checked off about three-quarters of the items on each list. The others are areas where Drew needs work.”

He looked up at her. “Sarah, I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

“I thought you should know what Drew and I are working on,” she replied. “These are the topics I’ll be concentrating on with Drew as defined by the county.” She took a step back and crossed her arms. He tried to ignore the way the simple motion tightened the thin cotton cloth across her breasts.

Yanking his eyes and thoughts away from such wayward notions, he picked up the papers. “This is all very interesting but unnecessary.”

“You were concerned I was wasting my time with Drew, and you have every right to be. You’re his father and you want him to get into seventh grade.” She smiled, and he couldn’t believe she was actually agreeing with him about this. “So I think the best plan is for Drew to keep you up-to-date.”

“Drew?” He wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“It’ll be good for both of you.” She stepped forward and retrieved the papers he held out. Every night after he finishes the homework I’ve given him, he’ll come down and show you the work he’s done that day. You can even check it for him if you want.”

“Check it?”

She nodded. “It will help both of you know where he stands.” She started for the door and then stopped, partially turned and gave him a smile. “And it will make it easier for you to keep tabs on us.”

Reece settled back in his chair and watched her go.

He wasn’t sure what game she was playing, but he knew a hidden agenda when he saw one. This wasn’t about keeping him informed about Drew’s progress. No, sir. She was up to something. And he was just going to have to keep his eyes on her until he figured out what.

Friday afternoon, Sarah climbed into her car and headed southwest toward the Wind River Reservation. It had been a long trying week, and she was glad it was over. She needed a couple of days to regroup. And she needed to see her daughter.

She missed Lyssa terribly. They’d never been separated for more than a day or two, and Sarah wasn’t sure how either of them was going to deal with an entire summer apart. She hadn’t realized how much she depended on her daughter. Caring for Lyssa had held Sarah together those first years after she’d left Reece and Drew. Now, eleven years later, Lyssa remained Sarah’s lifeline, the one thing she’d done right.

She couldn’t say the same for Drew.

She’d hurt him, and he didn’t even realize it. Each day spent with him was equal parts ecstasy and anguish as she struggled with the realities of what she’d done to him. He was her son, yet beyond her reach. She wanted to hold him and comfort him. She wanted to tell him that his mother was alive and loved him. That she had always loved him. Yet she couldn’t tell him anything, couldn’t offer him anything. She would have liked to blame Reece, but in all honesty, she knew that she alone had created their current situation. And it wore at her, chipping away larger and larger pieces of her heart with each passing day.

Then there was Reece himself, who made everything more difficult. He didn’t join her again when she made her nightly trips down to visit the Appaloosa, nor were there any more confrontations. But he was always around. He’d show up unannounced while Sarah and Drew worked, sit listening for a few minutes, and then leave again without a word. He watched her, she knew, and it was enough to drive her crazy. She consoled herself that at least he’d taken to eating with the other men, so dinner with Millie and Drew each night was somewhat of a reprieve.

But even when he wasn’t around, she couldn’t ignore his presence. Thoughts of him hovered at the edge of her awareness, disturbing her on more levels than she could count. So it was good for her to put some distance between them—if only for a couple of days.

She didn’t stop in Oaksburg. Instead, she headed straight for the reservation. Pulling into the yard in front of her grandmother’s ramshackle house felt like coming home, and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. Lyssa wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but Tuwa sat in her old porch chair.

Sarah got out of the car, hurried over and gave the old woman a big hug. “It’s so good to see you, Grandmother. I’ve missed you and Lyssa so much.”

Tuwa smiled and patted Sarah’s hand. “It’s good to be missed.”

Sarah kissed her on the cheek and then pulled back slightly. “Where’s Lyssa?”

“She’s with Joseph Bright Eagle.” Tuwa gestured in the direction of the nearest ranch. “Working with the horses.”

Sarah couldn’t hide her disappointment. “I should have called and let you know I was coming.” Releasing her grandmother, she settled on the top porch step.

“She’ll be back soon.”

“I know.” Sarah smiled tightly. “I’m just anxious to see her.”

“She misses you, too. But maybe not so much.”

Sarah laughed lightly, knowing her grandmother was probably right. Children seldom missed their parents as much as the other way around.

“Tell me about your son,” Tuwa said.

Sarah brightened instantly. “He’s a wonderful boy, quiet and thoughtful, but with a quick mind. And he’s strong, Grandmother, despite his illness.”

“That’s good.”

“Oh, and you should see him work with the horses.” With an even broader smile, Sarah pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. “He has a gift. Like Lyssa.”

“And his mother.”

Sarah grinned at the compliment.

“You like this child,” Tuwa said.

It was an odd statement, and Sarah shook her head, not understanding. “He’s my son. Of course I love him.” Then she realized what Tuwa meant. Sarah had loved her son from the moment she’d first learned of his existence. But now she’d found that she liked him, as well. The child she’d known only through pictures and an occasional letter was truly captivating. And Tuwa had sensed these new feelings in Sarah.

“Despite his illness, he’s everything I could ask for in a son,” she said, thinking how much she enjoyed being with him. “I’m very proud of him.” If only I could be his mother. The thought caught her unawares, darkening her mood.

“What is it?” Tuwa asked.

Sometimes, Sarah wished her grandmother was less observant. Taking a deep breath, she fortified herself for the harsh truth. “He will never really be my son.”

Tuwa hesitated a moment and then said, “You must give him time to accept you.”

Sarah almost let it go. She didn’t want to admit why Drew would never accept her—no matter how much time she gave him. But there were already too many lies and half-truths in her life. She needed some honesty, especially with this woman who’d given so much to her and Lyssa.

“He can’t accept me if he doesn’t know who I am.” Sarah looked up at her grandmother, meeting her troubled gaze. “I’m just a tutor to him.” Sarah’s voice broke, and then she forged ahead. “He thinks his mother is dead.”

Surprise flickered across her grandmother’s face, and then something else settled there. Sadness. Pity. Love. And it nearly broke Sarah’s heart all over again.

She turned away, unable to face Tuwa any longer. She let her gaze drift over the familiar yard, dusty and void of vegetation except for the profusion of bright yellow arrowleaf surrounding the house. Although the place would always feel like home, Sarah was now starkly aware that something was missing, something that would always be missing. Her son.

“I can’t blame Reece,” she said. “He did what he thought was best. He thought it would be kinder to tell Drew that his mother had died.” Again, her voice broke, and it took a moment for her to get the last words out. “It was better than telling him I’d deserted him.”

Silence stretched between them. Sarah kept her eyes focused on the mountains in the distance. Anywhere but on her grandmother’s face, where she knew she’d see pity.

“And now?” Tuwa asked finally.

Sarah sighed. “This isn’t the time to tell Drew.”

“Will there be a better time in the future?”

Sarah looked at her grandmother and saw the spark of impatience in her ancient eyes. There was no answer to her question, Sarah knew, and her grandmother expected none. There would never be a good time to tell Drew the truth.

Before either of them could say anything else, a battered red pickup pulled into the yard. Sarah stood, and Lyssa jumped from the cab, hurling herself across the yard into her mother’s arms.

“You’re home!” Lyssa yelled with an exuberance that was a balm to Sarah’s heart. “Grandmother said you’d be back today.”

Sarah laughed, hugging her daughter and throwing a quick smile at her grandmother. “She did?”

Lyssa giggled. “She wants me to think the spirits told her,” she said in a loud whisper. “But I know better. Every day she told me the same thing.” Then, mimicking her great-grandmother’s voice, she said, “Today your mother will come home.”

They both laughed and grinned at Tuwa, who sat shaking her head at the two of them. Then, squirming out of her mother’s arms, Lyssa turned toward the big man who’d followed her out of the truck. “Joseph has been letting me work the barrel racers.”

Sarah smiled at the man she’d known all her life. He’d taught her when she was Lyssa’s age, too. “Hello, Joseph. It’s good of you to help Lyssa. She loves the horses.”

The late-afternoon sun glinted on the inky black of his hair, and his smile transformed his broad plain features, making him almost handsome. “No thanks needed. Lyssa earns her way. I can always use an extra hand around the stables, and she works hard. In exchange, I teach her. It’s good for us both.”

Sarah smiled, acknowledging his kindness despite his claims to the contrary.

“Got to get back,” he said, putting his hat back on his head. “Tomorrow, Lyssa?”

Lyssa glanced at her mother, who nodded, before answering. “Okay.”

As soon as Joseph left, Lyssa turned to her mother, obviously eager to talk to her. “Mom, Joseph says I might be ready to compete next year in the middle-school rodeo. He’s promised to help me.” She glanced at her great-grandmother, as if to gain her support, before turning back to Sarah. “So, can I stay out here on the reservation with Grandmother for the rest of the summer?”

The question took Sarah aback. She’d come home to ask her grandmother and Lyssa just this. “Well, I—”

“Grandmother says it’s all right with her,” Lyssa interrupted, misinterpreting her mother’s hesitation. “If it’s okay with you.”

Sarah glanced at the old woman.

“She’s always welcome here,” Tuwa stated.

Sarah sighed and lowered herself once again to the porch step. “As a matter of fact, I was planning on asking you two the same thing.” She smiled at Lyssa. “I’ve been offered a tutoring job for the summer. On a ranch near Devils Corner. I was hoping your great-grandmother would let you stay here.”

“All right!” Lyssa yelled.

Sarah looked at her grandmother, who nodded and said, “She’s a good girl, Sarah. I enjoy having her.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

The next couple of hours passed in the whirlwind of activity only a ten-year-old can create. With Lyssa’s help, Sarah fixed dinner while her daughter chattered about everything that had been happening since her mother had left—which seemed to be a whole summer’s worth of excitement in just five days.

Then, right after helping clear away the dinner dishes, Lyssa curled up on the couch with a book and in minutes was fast asleep. Working with the horses all day had taken its toll, and Joseph would return early in the morning to pick her up for another long day. Sarah gave her daughter a half hour on the couch and then carried her into bed. Afterward, she joined her grandmother outside.

They sat on the porch, as they’d often done during the summer months while Sarah was growing up—Tuwa in her beat-up chair and Sarah on the top step, her back propped against the railing support. The night settled around them, and the air cooled as the last slivers of light deserted the sky. Overhead, the stars shimmered. Already she felt better. The peace of this place slipped into her soul, soothing her, lulling her with its serenity.

Then Tuwa asked, “So, you will work with your son every day, pretending to be a stranger?”

Sarah pulled her sweater closer around her. “Yes.”

“Do you think that is wise?”

Wise? Sarah felt anything but. “I have no other choice, Grandmother.”

Tuwa sighed heavily. “There are always choices.”

“He’s troubled. His grades. His health. He doesn’t need another upset.”

“You said he was strong.”

“Yes, physically. And he’s a good boy. But he’s …” Sarah hesitated and, closing her eyes, rested her head against the wooden support. “Even if I wanted to tell Drew, Reece wouldn’t allow it.”

“And you have no say in this?”

Sarah thought for a moment and then answered truthfully. “No.”

The silence once again surrounded them, but the peace Sarah had felt earlier had vanished. Her grandmother saw too much and asked too many questions. Questions Sarah couldn’t answer.

“What about Lyssa?”

Sarah raised her head. “Lyssa?”

“Doesn’t she have a right to know her brother and father? And what have you told them of her?”

For a moment, Sarah couldn’t answer. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her grandmother this agitated, and everything she’d said was true. Lyssa knew nothing of her brother and very little about her father—only that he and Sarah had been married very young and that it hadn’t worked out. Lyssa had seemed content with that. But just because she didn’t ask questions about her father didn’t mean she didn’t wonder. At some time in the future, she might resent Sarah for keeping him a secret. Her grandmother was right, Sarah thought. Lyssa had been cheated as much as any of them.

It was just one more facet of the lie that hung over Sarah’s head. But she couldn’t lose Lyssa. “If I tell Reece about Lyssa, he’ll take her away from me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I can’t risk it.”

“Sarah.” Tuwa softened her voice and, leaning forward, rested a gnarled hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “You cannot go on like this. You can’t continue living this lie.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Sarah pulled away, tears welling up in her eyes as she pushed herself off the porch. “It’s tearing me apart. Every hour I spend with Drew, the lie grows larger. Every day I gain a little more of his trust, and the lie winds itself about my heart. Tighter and tighter, until I fear it’ll strangle us all.”

Tuwa sighed and leaned back in her chair. “And it just might at that.”