“That’s ridiculous,” Luke said. “Those people should be shot.”
“Do you really think so?” Sarah looked at him with undisguised gratitude. “I thought so, too.”
“What happened to your sister? Where is she now?”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “In the family cemetery back in Georgia. She hanged herself rather than face any more humiliation.”
Luke’s heart went out to poor Rachel, but he also felt a spurt of anger at her for leaving Sarah all alone. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again, rubbing his thumb along her wrist. He couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Me, too.” She gave a shaky laugh and pulled her hand away. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Luke insisted. “You can tell me anything, Sarah. We’re friends, right?”
“Of course,” she murmured, biting her lip. “Of course, we are.”
A heavy silence descended between them for the rest of the meal. When he finished eating, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll be working outside tomorrow, so you needn’t worry about breakfast or lunch. I’ll eat with the men.”
She glanced up from her bowl, and he saw she’d been toying with her food. She’d hardly eaten a thing. “What would you like for dinner?”
“Whatever you feel like making.” He attempted a smile. “I’m not particular.”
She stood and started cleaning off the table. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Luke helped her clean up, even though he sensed she wasn’t happy about it. She seemed so eager to please him, as if her place here depended on her cooking skills. He wished he’d handled things better last night. He should have bowed to the inevitable and asked her to marry him.
He wanted to spend the evening making love to her instead of dancing around each other in the kitchen, but he was terrified of taking that step. He didn’t want to be vulnerable in that way, never again.
He wasn’t at all tired, having slept the day away, but his nerves couldn’t stand much more of her company. “I’ll see you in the morning. I’m going back to my room to read for a while.”
She finished putting away the last clean bowl and nodded, not looking at him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
