"Will she want to see you?" Mandy asked.
He shrugged. "Maybe? I can only hope." He gave a half-smile. "We're old friends."
"Well," Danielle replied, "we're not normally in the business of giving out personal addresses."
Mandy folded her arms. "But they do have cabins for rent. So, if you needed a place to stay, and you wanted something more rustic than here, we could tell you where the best ranch is to stay."
Danielle mimicked Mandy's arm fold. "Do you think we should? Maybe he's a serial killer or something."
Mandy shook her head. "They don't come and ask directly for a person. I've watched enough drama shows on television."
"Okay, you're right." Danielle looked back at him and gave him directions. "Once you find the main lodge, you're on your own to find Sarah's cabin. She has four brothers and a mother who would kick your ass just as quick as they'd look at you if they thought you were there to harm Sarah."
"You sound like you know them well."
"I'm married to one of her brothers, so I should."
His face heated up at his blunder. "Sorry. I should have caught on to that by your name."
She laughed at him. "You seem okay to me. I'll be home in a little while, so if they have you strung up in the barn, I'll put in a good word for you."
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I would never do anything to hurt Sarah."Nothing more than I've already done, anyhow.He tried to ignore the fact that his father had harmed the entire Hale family. That was one conversation he was not looking forward to.
Danielle patted his arm. "Good luck. Sarah can be a moody one."
"Especially now," Mandy quipped.
"Thanks for the heads up," he responded, although slightly confused. He headed for the door and waited until he was out of sight before he shifted and flew the short distance around the mountain. He shifted back in a wooded field and then walked up the long driveway to the ranch houses. By now it was dark, and everything was still and quiet. He stopped about halfway and looked up at the stars.
Please let this go as well as I hope it will.He really didn't think his heart would take rejection if Sarah told him to leave.
When he reached the parking area, he stopped to look around. He saw a woman walking between two of the cabins, and he called out to her.
"Hello. I'm looking for Sarah."
They met about halfway. "I'm Wren. I just came from Sarah's cabin." She turned and pointed. "It's the one in the back."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
The girl nodded and continued on her way toward a cluster of other cabins that sat behind the main building. He hurried toward the cabin that held the woman he loved, and he paused as he grew close. Sarah appeared in one of the windows as she crossed the room, and a part of him that had been dormant the last few months suddenly came alive again.
He rubbed his palms on his jeans as he stepped up on the porch. He tried to stiffen his shoulders, but his nerves were strung too tight to really brace himself for anything.
It was now or never. He raised his hand and knocked.
Chapter Thirteen: Reunited
Sarah Hale
Sarah paused on her way to the shower when she heard the knock on the door. "Hold on a minute." She pulled her T-shirt back over her head and headed for the living room. Wren must have forgotten something.
She brushed flour from her arm.My skin feels grimy from baking all day.She was pretty sure she had bits of dough stuck in her hair, too. She brushed her face with the towel that she held.
"What did you forget?" she asked as she yanked the door open. "It wasn't locked. You could have--" Her voice died out as she found herself face to face with Luke.
"Luke." His name was barely a whisper as she blinked hard to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"Hi, Sarah."
