My laugh grows louder. “No!”
“Standin’ up for yourself doesn’t have to be loud.” He butts his shoulder into mine. “Just so you know.”
I don’t know. I have no idea.
“Sometimes,” he says, “you need to be brave.”
Brave? Me? Not in this lifetime. “Joan was brave,” I grumble.
Sawyer’s eyebrows pinch together. “Joan…from…the newsagent?”
“No. Joan of Arc.”
“Ah…”
“And guess how she was rewarded for her bravery? She was executed!”
He attempts to cover a surprised chuckle by coughing into his fist.
“She was burned at the stake!” I cry.
“I reckon there’s a sweet spot somewhere between you leadin’ a revolution and sayin’ no sometimes.” He smirks. “How are you gettin’ home? Fleein’ on horseback at dawn?”
I muffle a laugh behind my hand. “Walking.” That’s how I get everywhere. The divorce settlement didn’t stretch far enough to splurge on a car, and the one I used to drive was deemed a “business asset.”
“Want some company?”
“Um, well… See…”
Sawyer bends down. The look he levels on me isn’t confrontational. His hazel eyes almost sparkle with mischief. “You can tell me no anytime you want.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me tonight…”
“Elsie.”
“But I think I need some time…by myself…to, um…”
He parks a hand on his hip, waiting.
“I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful,” I rush to add.
“Elsie Hoskins. So help me God.”
I laugh. “No. Okay?No.”
He grins. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I hold up my hand to show him how much it’s still shaking. “It was almost impossible.”
“Aw, you just need to practice a bit more.”
“I’ll forgo that exciting development opportunity. Can I say thank you instead?”
“There’s no need for that.”
“But you rescued me. And you let me hide in the back of this scary shop, and…” I raise the mug. “You made me tea.”
Sawyer’s smile is as big as mine, but he passes it off as no big deal with a slight shrug. I don’t think he hears too many thank-yous.
