Free Sabrina (Big Sky Dreams 2) by Lori Wick Page B

hand to him, but Rylan's hands came to her shoulders. "Your blouse..." he began.
    "Did it get burned?" Sabrina asked, trying to see again. "...is wet," Rylan finished.
    Sabrina finally heard the words and froze, but only for a moment. Moving swiftly, she pulled the jacket around her and found herself fully enveloped. Not until she was covered did she look back into Rylan's eyes.
    "I'll just run home and change."
    "No hurry about the coat. And again, I'm very sorry."
    Sabrina thanked him again and went on her way. She cut down the alley and across side streets to gain her front door as fast as she could. Jeanette would be wondering what happened to her, and this was not the way she wanted to be seen.
    Pete Stillwell, owner of the livery, timed his visit perfectly. He came in to check on something in the livery office, which freed Rylan to go to see Jeanette. Rylan was sweaty and in work clothes but knew this was warranted. And thankfully Jeanette was alone. Rylan swiftly explained the incident to the dress shop owner, and even though she didn't want to, she took the money Rylan gave her.
    "Please replace the skirt. It's all my fault, and I want to take care of it."
    "I will, Rylan, but I'm fairly certain Bri will understand."
    "She's a stranger here, Jeanette. I hate the thought of anything happening that would make her regret her move or feel uncomfortable with me or any of us."
    Rylan did not stay much longer. Jeanette thanked him for his understanding and then prayed for Sabrina. She would not have thought about Sabrina's reaction in those terms and realized that
    73 Rylan might be right. Jeanette kept working but with an eye to the window, anticipating Sabrina's return any minute.
    Sabrina picked up Rylan's jacket, set it back down, and then picked it up again. Before it was over, she ended up leaving it, wanting to get back to Jeanette's as fast as she could. She took the same shortcut but didn't go back through the livery, hurrying back as fast as her long legs would carry her. She nearly burst through the door, an explanation on her lips, but Jeanette stopped her with three words.
    "Rylan was,here."
    "He explained?"
    "Yes. Are you sure you're not burned?"
    "I'm fine, but I don't know if the skirt can be fixed."
    "He left money to replace it."
    "He didn't have to do that."
    "He wanted to," Jeanette said, not adding that Rylan was more concerned about Sabrina's reaction to what happened than the skirt. Jeanette knew that sharing this was not a good idea, but she hoped that Sabrina would share on her own.
    "Did he tell you my blouse got wet?" Sabrina asked.
    "He said you took his jacket, so I made an assumption."
    Sabrina suddenly sat down. This was not the way she had envisioned things. She had never planned to bare her body for a man again, and now the pastor of her church had seen her in a wet, white blouse. She had been wearing a shift, but that hadn't been a great deal of help.
    "Are you going to be able to forget about this?" Jeanette asked, wondering what the look on Sabrina's face meant.
    "I think so. It might be embarrassing to see Pastor Jarvik." "He's a gentleman to the soul of his being. He would never deliberately do anything to embarrass you."
    "Will he be embarrassed when he sees me again?"
    74 "I don't think so. I think he'll be as kind and caring as he always
    is."
    The kind of man who comes here and pays to replace my skirt. Sabrina didn't say this aloud but nodded and picked up the man's shirt she was working on. Jeanette didn't press her any further, assuming if she wanted to talk some more she would.
    It had taken a little doing. Sabrina had not cooked for more than a week, and the stove was new to her, but eventually she put some supper on the table. It was nothing like Becky could produce, but the bean stew was edible, and so was the flat bread that went with it. She had only one pot and a few dishes, but in time she knew she would build on that.
    "Cleanup is easy," she said to herself as she began to