“Oh, Luke. I couldn’t. I thought I’d just get some calico and make me a few dresses to work in. That’s much too fine.”
“It’s not nearly fine enough.” Luke thought of the beautiful gowns Becky ordered from back east and promised himself that one day Sarah would do the same. “But it will do for now.”
The look in Sarah’s eyes as she held the dress up to her shoulders was priceless. He’d never realized how pleasurable it could be to buy something for a woman. Christine had never been satisfied with anything he did for her, but Sarah acted as though he’d just given her the moon.
“I think it will fit. But if you buy this for me, those women will be right. I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
“Nothing to deserve it?” Luke shook his head. “You’ve made my house into a home. Hell, you’ve made me want to live again. I want to do this for you. Please, let me.”
There was a time when he’d been damn near irresistible to women when he used that tone of voice, and he was pleased to see he hadn’t lost it completely.
Sarah flushed. “I really love this dress,” she admitted.
He grinned. “Go in the back and try it on. I want to do something special this afternoon, and I think this dress will be perfect.”
“What are you planning?” she asked, suspicion lacing her voice.
Pulling her close, he bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll tell you in a little while, sweetheart. For now just humor me, all right?”
“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll go try on the dress.”
“Take your time,” he told her. “I need to talk to Mr. Bradford.”
She nodded, her eyes a little glazed as she looked over the array of feminine frippery. Luke made his way to the front of the store, his smile slipping as he pinned Mr. Bradford with a stare.
“Am I a valued customer in this store?”
Bradford nodded vigorously. “You know you are, Mr. Chandler.”
“If I ever hear again that a guest of mine was treated with anything less than the utmost respect in your establishment, I’ll take my business elsewhere. Is that clear?”
Bradford swallowed. “Yes, sir. Perfectly clear.”
“All right, then. I need a piece of your finest, softest sheepskin.”
