Chapter 14

• Wednesday brought the heat — thick and heavy enough the old porch fan did nothin’ but swirl warm air around Sadie’s bare shoulders while she sat on the railing, toes scuffin’ the faded paint. The bakery was closed for the day. Cade called it a break. Said don’t you lift a damn finger, sis, then dragged the boys into town for errands that’d take all afternoon. Beau’d stuck around, same as always lately — half-help, half-watchdog, half-lie he told himself about just makin’ sure she didn’t do somethin’ dumb when the brothers were gone.
• He was fixin’ a busted gate latch when he heard the screen door squeak behind him. He didn’t look up right away — just braced the post with one palm, wrench in the other, sweat drippin’ down his spine under an old work shirt he’d stripped to the last button.
• Then her giggle — soft, playful — hit the air. He turned. And the wrench damn near slipped from his fingers.