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His past.
At some point he’d have to tell her about his past. If it ever came out from someone else, he didn’t know if she’d forgive him. Really, he wasn’t so sure she would be willing to look past it now. Which was why he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell her earlier.
The folks at AA would probably tell him he was making a mistake in waiting. But they didn’t know Sarah. He’d weighed the risks, and he knew deep down that he was making the right decision. It wasn’t like hewouldn’ttell her. He would. It just had to be the right time.
A familiar figure charged across the property in the distance. Sarah moved like she was running from something but didn’t want anyone to know. His arm dropped and he took a step toward her, but she moved too fast. By the time he would have gotten to her, she would have already been in the house.
A chill ran down his spine and he glanced in the direction from which she came. There wasn’t anything there. Of course he wouldn’t see anything. What did she have to run from? His eyes followed her as she stormed up the steps and hurried inside.
He could call her and ask her if everything was okay. But chances were she wouldn’t want to talk about it. Sarah was the kind of girl who only talked about something if she wanted to.
Dax let out a sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets. He’d have to get used to this kind of worry if he wanted to be with her. Sarah was far too independent for him to become her knight in shining armor. The only way he could help her was when she was utterly incapacitated.
He could call Brielle and ask her to keep an eye on Sarah, but something told him he’d already maxed out his favors with her. Besides, he had no idea if Brielle was out on one of her dates. Tonight he would just have to shove down the anxious energy that swirled within him.
Already he could tell that these feelings wouldn’t just go away. They were the beginning stages of losing his cool and wanting to go raid the fridge where all the wranglers kept their after-work beers.
As if his tongue had heard his thoughts, it became dry, tasting sour. He shook off the temptation. He hadn’t felt this triggered in a long time. Everything had been going so well. There was just something about seeing Sarah so riled up after their conversation that put him on edge.
His stomach lurched, echoing the unraveling thoughts in his mind.
It was silly, this feeling of foreboding that had suddenly settled over him. He needed a meeting before he did something that he’d regret. Dax glanced at his watch. There was a meeting in town in about thirty minutes. If he finished up his work, he could slip over there and recharge. He shot one more look over at the house, itching to knock on the door and demand to see Sarah, if only to give her a hug and remind her that he was here for her.
But he’d leave her be. He knew better than anyone how important it was to collect one’s thoughts before discussing them with someone.
* * *
Dax’s gazeswept over their small AA group until it landed on a guy that looked vaguely familiar. He couldn’t place the young man, but that didn’t matter. The kid could be just like Sarah—working in Copper Creek for the summer. He was probably just here temporarily.
The stranger’s eyes found his and Dax offered a welcoming smile. The kid didn’t return it. He shifted in his seat and returned his focus to the person who was currently talking at the front of the room.
That was fine. Newcomers typically didn’t like talking on the first day. They were still under the impression that attending these kinds of meetings somehow made them bad people. He’d come around. They always did.
He’d have to approach him and introduce himself after the meeting.
Dax got to his feet the second the current speaker finished. He smiled widely and stared at all the friends he’d made over the last few years. This support system was like a second family to him, and he would love for all of them to meet Sarah in person. But then that would defeat the purpose of this being anonymous.
“I’m Dax, and I’m an alcoholic.”
The group murmured their hellos.
“Life is good. But it wasn’t always that way.” He glanced at the stranger. But the kid wasn’t meeting his gaze. Instead, he got to his feet and headed for the doors.
Dax frowned, losing track of his train of thought. He scrambled for the right words to say next, attempting to remember why he’d needed to come for a meeting in the first place, but his thoughts were elsewhere. When he finally got his bearings, he finished up his little speech quickly, then hurried across the gym floor toward the door. He poked his head outside, swiveling so he could look both ways. The kid had disappeared.
Strange.
Dax returned to the meeting and took a seat, but his focus had once again left him. He couldn’t pinpoint why seeing the kid had pulled his focus. He felt like he should know the guy. Maybe their paths would cross around town again. That’s probably where Dax had seen him.
The town was small enough that he’d notice the newcomer if he saw him again. Then he could introduce himself and invite the kid to stay longer.
* * *
Over the next week,Sarah seemed to be avoiding him. Besides their working hours, Dax didn’t see her often. She claimed she wanted to spend more time with Brielle at the country club. She opted to have someone else take her to visit with her uncle for their Friday lunch.
Dax couldn’t help but get the feeling that Sarah wasn’t excited about his proclamation of love. At the time, he hadn’t seen any apprehension from her. She’d been her usual stubborn self. Now that he thought about it, refusing to say she loved him back was probably a good indication of her feelings toward him.
She’d been at Slate Rock Ranch for about two months now. Had he moved too fast? He didn’t think so. The end of summer was coming faster and faster. Sarah could leave and never look back.
