Keeping Secrets by Linda Byler Page B

boss. I work for him. That’s all.”
    “It didn’t look that way.”
    “He’s old enough to be my father!”
    “So? That doesn’t mean anything in the English world.”
    “It does, too.”
    “Look, Sadie, I know a lot more about that world than you do. A man like him, with his wealth, his status…”
    “What about me? You think I would actually encourage him to … to … ? So that’s what you think I am?”
    There was no answer.
    Sadie’s chin lifted. She felt the anger literally course through her veins. Scrambling to her feet, she stalked across the lawn, through the darkness, glad for its cover as the heat rose in her face.
    She felt no tears, she was far too angry.
    “Wait!”
    Sadie did not wait. She walked as fast as she could, past the shrubs, up onto the porch. She had just reached for the door handle when she was caught, a hand on her waist. She was forcibly whirled around to face a very tall, ominous Mark.
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “You meant that!”
    The screen door opened, and they were both caught in the blue glare of a blinding LED flashlight.
    The deep, sleepy voice of Jacob Miller boomed, “ Vass geht au ?”
    Dat!
    Mark smiled sheepishly, then stuck out his hand.
    “Hello, Jacob Miller. I’m just … here to talk to Sadie about something.”
    “You that Peight guy?”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “Well, if you have something to talk about, I suppose the porch swing would be a proper place to sit, and since I doubt if you want me to hear what you’re saying, I’ll go back to bed again.”
    With that, the flashlight clicked off, the darkness covered them, soft and merciful, the screen door closed softly, and he was gone.
    Mark cleared his throat, shuffled his feet.
    “Can we sit down?”
    The last thing Sadie wanted to do was share the intimacy of the porch swing with him, but she said stiffly, “We can.”
    Like robots they were now, turning and sitting down as if on cue. Sadie sort of hit the edge of the swing, miscalculating its position in the dark. Then she sat back too far and almost slid off, causing the swing to lurch like a boat hitting waves. She had to brake with her feet. Then the whole ridiculous situation hit her, and she burst out laughing, a sort of unladylike snort that caught her totally unaware.
    They were both laughing now. With great swells of relief, the tension between them evaporated, welcome as summer showers on a parched earth.
    Laughter was like that. A smile worked the same magic. It eased tension, opened the way for friendly conversation; it lowered a drawbridge for large ships that had to arrive at their destinations on time.
    “You just about sat on the porch floor,” Mark said finally.
    “Hard, too!” Sadie laughed.
    “What was I going to say?”
    “You were talking about my boss. Mr. Richard Caldwell, himself.”
    “Yes, I was. And I plan on finishing my questions. What were you talking about?”
    “Didn’t you hear the men’s conversation? It’s all over the ranch. Someone is going around killing horses. Like a sniper. It started in Laredo County, sort of … well, I think the area where the horse thieves were. You know those thieves were never caught and brought to justice. Black Thunder, the leader of the wild horses—he’s dead. His owner is devastated. It’s awful, Mark. You surely heard about Reuben’s horse?”
    “What?”
    “Reuben’s horse. He was shot. Up on the field of wildflowers where we caught Paris and Cody.”
    “You can’t be serious!”
    “Yes. It was horrible. Reuben is being brave, but he’ll never forget it. He’s so young. I mean, I was what, 18 when Nevaeh died? I’ll always remember that day.”
    “I will, too. Certainly. That was the day I finally held you in my arms. I could have died there. On that wagon. My life was fulfilled then. I knew what heaven feels like.”
    Sadie did not know what to say, so she said nothing. The chain attached to the heavy steel hook creaked with each moment of the swing, and