Silver Bracelets: A Loveswept Contemporary Classic Romance by Sandra Chastain Read Free Book Online Page A

caught those robbers?”
    “Yes, but the robbers weren’t.”
    “Did they need the money? I mean did they have families, children who were hungry? Why did they rob the restaurant?”
    “To get money for drugs.”
    “Then they deserved to be unhappy. I wouldn’t worry about it. Are you ready to eat now?”
    “Yes, I think we’d better.”
    They ate scrambled eggs and limp toast, drank hot sweet coffee, and watched the sun burst over the trees and light up the mid-morning sky through Sarah’s hayloft window.
    Asa Canyon learned about Sarah’s father and how he’d died, slowly and painfully over a long period. But Sarah didn’t remember it with sadness. Their relationship seemed filled with joy that overshadowed the bad times. He picked up the hesitation in her voice when she described her mother and her remarriage two years ago.
    In time he stopped trying to make order outof Sarah’s conversation. When she explained that she normally closed her shop on Saturday and that she didn’t open it again until she felt like it, he didn’t argue. He didn’t understand people who ran their lives like that, but the late summer morning was too golden, and Sarah’s brown eyes too caring to allow any further discord. Afterwards they washed the dishes and put them away. He’d delayed his departure as long as he legitimately could when he finally stood up and cleared his throat.
    “Sarah, I appreciate what you did for me last night, the way you tried to make me feel better about what happened. Nobody has ever cared much about my feelings and I thank you. Now, I’d better get back to town. I ought to check in with my office and report my truck as stolen.”
    “No, don’t go, Deputy Canyon. I assume you must be off today, since you haven’t said anything about being late for work.”
    “Well, I did sign out for today and tomorrow, since I expected Jeanie to be here.”
    “Of course. Naturally, you’d expect to be … with her.”
    “Sarah, you don’t understand,” Asa began. “The truth is there really wasn’t anything like that between us.”
    “You don’t have to explain, Asa Canyon. All I need is to be with you, even just for today.”
    “Sarah, I don’t think you know what you’re saying. I mean you saw what happened whenI kissed you. Being with me would not be wise.”
    “Oh, I don’t know about that. But if it makes you uncomfortable, we’ll explore other ways to release your tension.”
    Asa groaned. Exploring with Sarah was the primary cause of his tension. He didn’t think that he could take much more.
    “I’m afraid to ask what you have in mind?”
    “Softball.”
    “Softball? Sarah, I’m not very good at playing ball.”
    “That’s okay. My team just plays for fun. We’ll find something for you to do. Do you have a glove?”
    “Not since I was in high school. If I remember right my glove was retired during my junior year by request from the rest of the team.”
    “Well, no matter. I have an extra one, and a shirt and running shoes, too. Let me change clothes, and we’ll see what we can do,” she said. “Wait here.”
    Uneasy, Asa watched Sarah dance out of the kitchen and down the corridor. He was lousy at certain sports. Golf, hunting, and fishing, he’d mastered. But football, basketball, and baseball always made him feel like a stick figure dancing on a hand-held board. In everything else he’d played, he’d been all knees and feet.
    Before he could begin to formulate a refusal Sarah was back and he lost every rational thought he might have voiced. She was wearinga pair of shorts and another T-shirt. This one said, “Smyrna Smart Guys” on the front, and had the number 32 on the back. He didn’t know anything about the guys on her team, but if they were anything like the women, the opponents might as well give up.
    Sarah handed him a matching shirt, a pair of running shoes, and a glove. “I think you can wear this glove. It belonged to one of our guys who broke his ankle.