Free Midnight Sons Volume 1 by Debbie Macomber

watch. “Meet me back here in half an hour, okay?”
    “Okay.” Both Scott and Susan disappeared with Ronny.
    Hands buried deep in his pants pockets, Sawyer watched as Abbey lifted a book, studied the spine, then picked up another. She handled each one with gentle reverence.
    Sawyer waited until he couldn’t bear it any longer. He’d planned to give her more time to realize she couldn’t possibly live under these conditions. But if she wasn’t going to admit it herself…
    “It isn’t going to work, Abbey,” he said quietly. “It was a rotten idea, bringing women to Hard Luck. I blame myself. I should never have agreed to this.”
    “You want me to leave, don’t you?” she asked in an ominously even voice, ignoring his comment.
    Sawyer didn’t answer. He couldn’t, because he refused to lie or mislead her any further. What surprised him most was his own realization—that he’d have liked the opportunity to know her better. Instead, he was forced to send her back to Seattle, where she and her children belonged.
    He steeled himself. He and Christian weren’t the only ones at fault.
    “You misled my brother,” he said gruffly and couldn’t decide who he was angriest with. Christian? Abbey? Himself?
    “ I misled Christian?” Abbey cried, her voice bordering on hysteria. “I find that insulting.”
    The anger that had simmered just below the surface flaredto life. “You duped him into hiring you without once mentioning that you had children!” Sawyer snapped. “I know there was nothing on the application about a family.” That was one problem he was going to correct at the first opportunity. “But you should’ve been more honest, since you were aware that we offered housing as part of the employment package.”
    “ I should’ve been more honest? That’s the height of hypocrisy! I was told I’d be given living quarters and twenty acres of land, but you neglected to tell me the cabin’s the size of a doghouse.” She dragged in a deep breath. “How dare you suggest I broke the agreement? I’m here, aren’t I?”
    “You broke the spirit of our agreement.”
    “Oh, please! As for your free land, that’s a big joke, too. You forgot to mention that it’s so far from town I’d need a dogsled to reach it. If you want to talk about someone breaking the agreement, then let’s discuss what you and your brother have done to me and my children.”
    At the pain in her eyes, he felt worse than ever. He had no defense, and he knew it. “All right. We made a mistake, but I’m willing to pay your airfare home. It’s the least we can do.”
    “I’m staying,” she said flatly. “I signed a contract, and I intend to hold up my end of the bargain, despite…despite everything.”
    Sawyer couldn’t believe his ears. “You can’t!”
    Her eyes flashed. “Why can’t I?”
    “You saw the cabin yourself. There’s no way the three of you could possibly live there, bunk beds or not. You might be able to manage this summer, but it’d be out of the question once winter sets in.”
    “The children and I are staying.” She said this with such determination Sawyer could readily see that nothing he said or did would change her mind.
    “Fine,” he said brusquely. “If that’s your decision.” At best, he figured she’d last the night. By morning she’d be at the airfield with her luggage, anxious to catch the first plane out of Hard Luck.
     
    An hour later Abbey sat on the edge of the thin mattress and tried to think. She hadn’t felt so close to tears since the day she’d filed for divorce. In some ways, the situation felt very similar to the end of her marriage. She was being forced to admit she’d made a mistake. Another in what seemed to be a very long list.
    It hadn’t felt like a mistake when she’d accepted the job. It had felt decidedly right.
    The problem was that she didn’t want to leave Hard Luck. She’d painted a fairy-tale picture of the town in her mind, and when it fell short