Page 9 of Under an Oklahoma Sky

It wasn’t long before plates were filled, and everyone was enjoying the meal. Conversations flowed on both the adult and juvenile levels, and Adam found the family pleasant and entertaining. The only person who didn’t speak to him was six-year-old Jenna. However, she gave him a few shy smiles before whispering something to her mother, who repeated the question or statement loudly enough for the others to hear. Apparently, Jenna’s shyness around new people was not to be mistaken for rudeness.

Having been a youth advisor in the Brotherhood, Adam decided to try to engage her in conversation, hoping she would feel more at ease with him. “Jenna, Benji told me the funniest jokes today. Would you like to hear them?”

Her eyes widened as she glanced from him to the dog sleeping under her chair and back to him again. Slowly, she dipped her chin once.

“What animal keeps the best time?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

“A watchdog.”

As Jenna’s grin appeared once more, Matthew laughed boisterously.

Okay, it’s a start. Try one more. “Why do you need a license for a dog and not for a cat?”

Another shrug.

“Because cats can’t drive.”

This time a giggle emerged, and she covered her mouth with a little hand. “That’s thilly. Dogth can’t drive, either.”

Her little lisp from a missing front tooth was adorable.

Raising his eyebrows, Adam pretended to be stunned. “Really? Then tell Benji because he’s the one who told me the joke.”

“Dogth can’t talk.” She laughed harder, the sweet melody warming his heart.

“All animals can talk—you just have to understand their language.”

“Like Dr. Doolittle,” Matthew exclaimed.

“Exactly.”

Adam’s gaze met Sage’s across the table, and he was relieved to see she was smiling in approval—two positive results for two silly jokes—not bad. From that point on, Jenna became as much a chatterbox as her older brother, and Adam had a fun time entertaining them both.

Once the table was cleared, the women shooed the men out of the kitchen so they could do the dishes, and Evan took Adam to the barn to show him how to handle the horses’ second feeding of the day. By the time the chores were finished, Adam couldn’t wait to hit his pillow. If anyone ever asked him for a cure for insomnia, he’d recommend a full day of ranch work. Fresh air and hard labor sure did wonders for a good night’s sleep.

Chapter Four

After tucking the kids into bed, Sage checked the locks on the front door before cutting through the kitchen to the back door. When she’d been a young child, small-town residents never locked their doors, but times had changed, and she felt safer knowing the house was secure, especially since Mark had died. Even though Evan and Maddie’s cabin was only about a football field to the east of the main house, it was still far enough away that someone could break in and remain unnoticed by the older couple.

Swinging the screen door open, she stepped onto the porch and descended the stairs. She wanted to walk through the barn and check on the horses before climbing into bed herself. With the four mares getting closer to their due dates, she’d gotten into the habit of making one last trip to the barn every night. Evan had already checked them before turning in, but Sage slept better after seeing for herself that everyone was fine.

Losing the mare and her stillborn foal earlier in the year had been an unfortunate part of ranch life, but knowing that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking when it happened. It had also been a sad lesson in life and death for her children, who loved the horses and eagerly anticipated each new birth. Hopefully, this time around, there would be nothing but healthy mares and foals to greet them in the barn.

It’d been a long day, and her feet were killing her. After finishing her errands in town, she returned to the Little League field to wait for the boys’ practice to end. Unfortunately, that meant dealing with Seth Chapman, a divorced father of three who shared custody with his ex-wife, drank more than he should, and considered himself God’s gift to women everywhere. His crassness, potbelly, and yellowing teeth from years of chewing tobacco suggested otherwise. He’d been hitting on Sage since barely a month after Mark died and still couldn’t get it through his thick skull that she had absolutely no interest in him.

When she’d finally driven Toby home, she’d chatted with Ashley for a few minutes while the boys played with the new barn kittens. At first, her friend had been happy Sage found someone to help around the ranch, but as soon as she mentioned Adam’s past, Sage knew she’d made a mistake.

“Are you crazy? A criminal? Sage, how could you hire an ex-con? What was he in for?”

She bit her tongue. Even though she loved her best friend, Ashley could be a bit of a blabbermouth. She knew Ash didn’t mean to gossip as much as she did, but her brain-to-mouth filter occasionally malfunctioned. “I’d rather not say. It’s in his past, and he’s paid his debt to society. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? Besides, he was upfront about everything and told me to call a few people to make sure he was being honest. I did, and they gave him glowing references. He even won over Reverend Stevens and Evan.”

Ash raised her brow. “Really? Evan is more protective of you and the kids than Mark was, and that’s saying a lot. Okay. I understand you don’t want his background to get out, but please just be careful and sleep with your gun under your pillow. Second chances or not, I would hate to see anything happen to you or the kids.”

After ensuring none of the pregnant mares were in labor, Sage scratched a few noses on her way out of the barn. Shutting the big red door, she glanced over at the little two-room cabin, which sat a few yards away. The lights were still on inside, and she pivoted in that direction, telling herself she would just check and see if Adam needed anything. At dinner earlier, he’d said the cabin appeared to have everything, but she wanted to make sure.

As she approached, she noticed that the curtains were open in the front living room. The bedroom and bath were at the rear of the structure. Not wanting to disturb him if he’d fallen asleep with the lights on—Evan said the younger man had worked his tail off during the day—she peeked through the window.