Big Sky Dreams: Sabrina Part 8

"And you wanted her where?"

"Ideally, above my shop, but I've got that rented. At the very least I hoped she would get into one of the places Hulett has."

68Rylan nodded. He understood, even if he didn't completely agree with Jeanette. Parts of town were not as safe, and he realized how that might bother her. Clearly Sabrina didn't share Jeanette's feelings either.

"Bri came with you on Sunday, I noticed," Rylan said next. "Yes. It was hard for her. She said she missed her church family in Denver."

"She's a long way from home."

"She is," Jeanette agreed. "I guess Denver holds some hard memories for her, and a friend suggested she try Token Creek."

It was a long way to come in Rylan's mind, but he didn't comment on that. He also wondered who might have suggested Token Creek. He had lots of family and friends in Denver and would not have been overly surprised to learn that he knew the very person.

"More pie?" Jeanette offered.

Rylan, who had forgotten to eat supper, accepted. Heather, who had just taken Theta to bed, joined them. 'the three of them talked until well after dark.

"How was your first night?" Jeanette asked when Sabrina got to work on Wednesday, not able to resist giving her a hug.

"It was great. Thank you for the bed and other pieces. You're too generous, Jeanette," Sabrina added, only to have that lady laugh. "Now you're going to make this harder."

"What's that?"

"I've got something else for you," Jeanette said, going in the back and returning in a moment. "This was never picked up, and I think it might be long enough for you." Jeanette held out a navy skirt, with a wide waistband that looked to be just Sabrina's size.

"I can't just take this from you, Jeanette."

"Sure you can. I want you to have it."

Sabrina held it up to the front of herself. It looked an exact fit.

69.

"I have a white blouse that would be perfect with this," the younger woman said quietly. "Thank you, Jeanette."

"You're welcome. You'll have to wear it tomorrow so I can see it."

"I'll do that."

Jeanette peppered Sabrina with questions about her new place and neighbors she had not met. As the two started on the day's work, they continued to talk, but Jeanette kept quiet about her true feelings, still doing mental battle over Sabrina's independence.

eFftD'-z, "The lock on my door still isn't fixed," Sabrina said to Butch Sandgren that evening, thinking at this rate she would never have to pay her full rent.

"The piece has to go to the livery, and I haven't got time," he said. "Take it yourself and let me know what it costs!"

No words could have been more depressing to Sabrina. The last thing she wanted to do was run into Rylan. Nevertheless she made herself take the piece to work with her the next day. Maybe Jeanette would say she was headed that way, and she could ask her to drop it off.

70.

SABRINA SAW NO HELP for it. Jeanette had not said a thing about going to the livery, and if she didn't go there during her dinner break, there would be even more days with a door lock that didn't really work.

Dreading it with every step, Sabrina went that direction, not bothering to eat the food Becky had sent with Jeanette for her. She stepped inside, unsure where to find someone, and then realized Rylan might not be working today. Feeling a bit bolder, she went in the direction of a wide doorway that sat past the stalls, thinking she'd heard noise and someone might be in the forge. Rylan chose that moment to come from that fiery room.

"Excuse me," he said, pulling up short when he would have walked right past and using his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. "I didn't see you, Sabrina."

"No, it's my fault," Sabrina said. She had turned as they spoke until she was partway into the room, backing away from Rylan with sudden nerves. "I'm having a problem with my lock. Mr. Sandgren said to bring it here."

Rylan took the piece she held out and inspected it.

"Is this from the door into your apartment?" he asked quietly.

71 Sabrina nodded, meeting the eyes she had to look up to see. "You don't have a lock on your door?"

"Not at the moment."

For several seconds Rylan knew what Jeanette had felt-fear for this woman's safety. He studied the lock again, seeing how easy it would be to fix, and then looked back at Sabrina.

Without warning Rylan stepped forward, took Sabrina by the shoulders and propelled her into the water trough that sat some four feet to the left. Sabrina gasped as water came to her waist, slos.h.i.+ng nearly to her shoulders. She looked up at the man bending over her and got angry.

"Rylan Jarvik!" Sabrina spat. "What in the world? This is a brand new skirt!"

"You were on fire," he said, but Sabrina didn't hear him. "Jeanette gave it to me yesterday!"

"Here, let me help you."

Sabrina glared at him but allowed him to help her from the trough. Rylan lifted her easily and set her beside the water trough this time. Soggy as she was, she came fully upright, ready to tell him again how she felt until he bent a little and repeated himself.

"You were on fire. Your skirt was on fire."

Sabrina looked as surprised as she felt, and tried to turn to see the back of her skirt. That was when Rylan spotted the front of her. The white blouse had become transparent with the water.

"Let me get my jacket," Rylan began, but Sabrina didn't understand.

"It's not that cold. I'll just head home and change."

"Wait," Rylan said, but Sabrina was already headed for the alley. Rylan caught her at the door and put the jacket around her. Sabrina turned back, no longer angry but more confused than ever.

"This was my fault," Rylan began before Sabrina could speak. "I had no business letting you near the forge. I'm sorry."

Sabrina would have been made of stone not to respond to the regret she read in Rylan's eyes.

72 "Thank you for putting it out," Sabrina said, relaxing a little for the first time. "I wasn't burned." This said, she began to remove the jacket to hand to him, but Rylan's hands came to her shoulders. "Your blouse..." he began.

"Did it get burned?" Sabrina asked, trying to see again. "...is wet," Rylan finished.

Sabrina finally heard the words and froze, but only for a moment. Moving swiftly, she pulled the jacket around her and found herself fully enveloped. Not until she was covered did she look back into Rylan's eyes.

"I'll just run home and change."

"No hurry about the coat. And again, I'm very sorry."

Sabrina thanked him again and went on her way. She cut down the alley and across side streets to gain her front door as fast as she could. Jeanette would be wondering what happened to her, and this was not the way she wanted to be seen.

Pete Stillwell, owner of the livery, timed his visit perfectly. He came in to check on something in the livery office, which freed Rylan to go to see Jeanette. Rylan was sweaty and in work clothes but knew this was warranted. And thankfully Jeanette was alone. Rylan swiftly explained the incident to the dress shop owner, and even though she didn't want to, she took the money Rylan gave her.

"Please replace the skirt. It's all my fault, and I want to take care of it."

"I will, Rylan, but I'm fairly certain Bri will understand."

"She's a stranger here, Jeanette. I hate the thought of anything happening that would make her regret her move or feel uncomfortable with me or any of us."

Rylan did not stay much longer. Jeanette thanked him for his understanding and then prayed for Sabrina. She would not have thought about Sabrina's reaction in those terms and realized that 73 Rylan might be right. Jeanette kept working but with an eye to the window, antic.i.p.ating Sabrina's return any minute.

Sabrina picked up Rylan's jacket, set it back down, and then picked it up again. Before it was over, she ended up leaving it, wanting to get back to Jeanette's as fast as she could. She took the same shortcut but didn't go back through the livery, hurrying back as fast as her long legs would carry her. She nearly burst through the door, an explanation on her lips, but Jeanette stopped her with three words.

"Rylan was,here."

"He explained?"

"Yes. Are you sure you're not burned?"

"I'm fine, but I don't know if the skirt can be fixed."

"He left money to replace it."

"He didn't have to do that."

"He wanted to," Jeanette said, not adding that Rylan was more concerned about Sabrina's reaction to what happened than the skirt. Jeanette knew that sharing this was not a good idea, but she hoped that Sabrina would share on her own.

"Did he tell you my blouse got wet?" Sabrina asked.

"He said you took his jacket, so I made an a.s.sumption."

Sabrina suddenly sat down. This was not the way she had envisioned things. She had never planned to bare her body for a man again, and now the pastor of her church had seen her in a wet, white blouse. She had been wearing a s.h.i.+ft, but that hadn't been a great deal of help.

"Are you going to be able to forget about this?" Jeanette asked, wondering what the look on Sabrina's face meant.

"I think so. It might be embarra.s.sing to see Pastor Jarvik." "He's a gentleman to the soul of his being. He would never deliberately do anything to embarra.s.s you."

"Will he be embarra.s.sed when he sees me again?"

74 "I don't think so. I think he'll be as kind and caring as he always is."

The kind of man who comes here and pays to replace my skirt. Sabrina didn't say this aloud but nodded and picked up the man's s.h.i.+rt she was working on. Jeanette didn't press her any further, a.s.suming if she wanted to talk some more she would.

It had taken a little doing. Sabrina had not cooked for more than a week, and the stove was new to her, but eventually she put some supper on the table. It was nothing like Becky could produce, but the bean stew was edible, and so was the flat bread that went with it. She had only one pot and a few dishes, but in time she knew she would build on that.

"Cleanup is easy," she said to herself as she began to boil water for the handful of items that needed was.h.i.+ng and then laughed at her own joke. A moment later, someone knocked at the door. Sabrina found Rylan on the landing.

"h.e.l.lo," she said quietly.

Rylan held up the lock she'd left at the livery. "I thought I'd stop by and fix this for you."

"I forgot all about it," Sabrina admitted. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rylan said, going to work on the door while standing just inside. Sabrina watched him for a moment, not sure what she should do.

"Something smells good," Rylan finally commented.

"Oh, it's just a stew I made. Would you like some?"

"I've eaten, but thank you."

"It was my first time," Sabrina said, not sure why she added that.

"To cook here or anywhere?"

"Here."

"How did it go?"

75"I think all right. Becky cleaned the stove the other day, so it doesn't even smoke."

"That Becky is a wonder. Have you had her biscuits?" "No, I don't believe so."

"When I'm desperate, I make broad hints, and she takes pity on me."

Sabrina laughed. It was such a funny comment coming from this confident, seemingly self-sufficient man.

"You can laugh," Rylan said, still working on the door, "but after you've had them you'll find yourself desperate enough to beg like the rest of us."

Sabrina had to smile, even though he wasn't looking up to see it. "I like her bread pudding," Sabrina said. "She even taught me how to make it."

"I haven't had that," Rylan said. "I'll have to drop a few hints for that one too."

Again Sabrina wanted to laugh. He was so honest about wanting to eat Becky's cooking, without a bit of shame for what he called begging.