4. Sadie

T he sun had dipped behind the Amelia River when Sadie walked to the front door to lock up her chocolate shop. There weren't many tourists strolling Wingate Way on a weeknight, and tonight she was grateful. All she wanted to do was close Charmed by Chocolate and spend the evening…charmed by Scout.

The thought made her smile. Everything about Scout Jacobson, the man she'd been dating for several months, put her in a good mood. Did that mean…

Oh, she didn't know. Should she know if she was in love with him or not? Some days, she was certain she was. Deeply. Others, the very idea of ever loving anyone again gave her a shiver of fear.

Today must have been a love day, since she'd been thinking about him from dawn to dusk, and couldn't wait to shower, dress, and head over to his house on the outskirts of Fernandina Beach. He'd promised to make her dinner and let her play with sweet little Rhett Butler, his "ward" for the summer.

Not that the orange tabby he'd been cat-sitting was much of a cuddler, but Scout had sent lots of cute pictures. She wasn't a crazy cat person, but she loved how nurturing and caring Scout was. He'd have to be for Kitty Worthington, the busiest of town busybodies, to trust him with her beloved Rhett while she spent the summer in Europe.

His cat skills told Sadie that Scout would make a wonderful father, but didn't she already know that? And was she ready for it? Well, she was thirty-six, so…tick-tock went the baby clock.

Scout was certainly ready. In fact, they'd agreed that tonight would be the perfect time to have that serious discussion about…the future. Their next step. A life together. A family.

All of that made her wandering heart clench a bit.

Was that out of anticipation—or fear?

Just as she turned the lock, Sadie caught sight of a familiar blonde walking two dogs across the street.

What was Chloe doing in Fernandina Beach instead of her rescue refuge a few miles south of town?

She pushed the door open and stepped out on the street. "Hey, sister!"

Both dogs barked at her, one a pocket-sized furball affectionately known as Lady Bug, and the other, her pit bull of a maidservant, Buttercup. The two dogs were never far apart, though they made an unlikely pair, and they were never far from Chloe, wherever she was.

But why was she here?

Chloe waved, checked the street, which was empty of traffic, and jaywalked over to greet Sadie with the two dogs leading on their leashes.

"What brings you to town this time of night?" Sadie asked, giving her sister a hug when she arrived, then a quick pet to each of the dogs.

"I dropped off a dog I'd been boarding for a client, and decided to take a walk down Wingate Way, hoping one of my sisters' businesses would still be open."

"You are in luck," Sadie said, regarding her youngest sibling carefully, noticing she didn't look as bright and bubbly as usual. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know."

"And on that definitive note, you want to come inside?"

"It's so beautiful tonight and the dogs are way too tempted by all that chocolate," Chloe said. "Walk with me? Or are you busy?"

As much as Sadie wanted to start her night with Scout, it could wait. In the months since she'd moved back from Brussels, she'd learned that when one of her six sisters showed up for "no reason," there was always a reason.

And she wasn't about to say no to the baby of the bunch.

"Let me ditch my apron and grab my keys and phone. I'll be right back."

She shot a quick text to Scout announcing a brief delay and, a few minutes later, the two sisters were strolling along the banks of the river and past the long wharf, led by Lady Bug. Buttercup stayed close to Chloe, stopping to sniff wherever she could.

"Sometimes this part of Wingate Way reminds me of Europe," Sadie mused when Chloe seemed unusually quiet. "The river, the small town, the little shops and pedestrian traffic."

"Mmm." Chloe nodded, but her gaze was distant, locked on the lights across the river on the mainland, making Sadie wonder if she'd even heard the comment.

"So how did the big planning sesh go?" Sadie asked.

Chloe shot her a look of confusion. "The planning— Oh. With Mom and the brides. I, um, canceled."

"Why?"

Blowing out a breath that puffed out her cheeks, Chloe slowed her step. "I had to go to Jacksonville with Travis."

"Oh?" The trip wasn't that odd, but the note in Chloe's voice was.

"Yeah. There's the small matter of a four-year-old orphan boy who happens to be the son of Travis's late half-brother and has no other living relatives."

Sadie nearly tripped on her next step. " Excuse me ?"

"Travis's dad passed away—"

"Oh, Chloe! They didn't have a relationship, though, right?"

"Zero. Travis hadn't seen him since he was a child, but he had another family, a son, and that young man and his wife were killed in an accident and left behind a little boy. Dale, Travis's father, had been taking care of him, but he died suddenly. A neighbor called Travis to see if he could take the child and keep him out of the foster system."

Sadie could only shake her head, trying to process this bomb her sister just dropped. "Is he going to?"

"No," she whispered, the single syllable packed with pain. "And that's every kind of wrong, if you ask me. Which, for the record, Travis did not do, since this is his decision, not mine."

"Come over here," Sadie said, motioning toward a bench that faced the river. "We need to be sitting down for this."

On the bench, Chloe slid a photograph from her bag, handing it to Sadie. "Look at Judah McCall and tell me that isn't the single most adorable little man you've ever seen."

Sadie angled the five-by-seven print in the dim light and, yes, she had to smile. The child's face was tipped to the side, wearing glasses that looked slightly crooked, under a mop of dark curls. He had a button nose, an endearing baby-toothed smile, and sweet, soft skin the color of fine cacao powder.

While she studied him and the dogs settled to snooze, Chloe relayed the details of her morning, focusing mostly on Travis's abject refusal to even discuss the possibility of taking in this poor child.

"I want to be understanding of Travis's position," Chloe finished with a soft grunt. "But I am not. Who says no to a child?"

Sadie lifted a brow. "Well, lots of people. Especially a single man who didn't know the kid existed and still harbors deep and real psychological pain from being abandoned by his father. Oh, and he frequently works forty-eight-hour shifts at the fire station. That's who."

Her eyes shuttered. "I guess, but…look at that sweet, sweet baby boy."

"That's just it, Chloe. He's a boy , not a puppy."

"That's what Travis said." She leaned over and gave Buttercup's big head a scratch. "This from the same guy who brought this dog to me—and she was pregnant! We found all her puppies a home and kept her. No foster homes for Buttercup or her pups."

"Buttercup's a dog," Sadie said, easily able to see Travis's side. "She won't need to be groomed into adulthood, provided with food, clothing, and shelter, given an education, raised to be a fine man, and worried about forever."

Chloe slid her a side-eye. "Yes, Judah will need all that, which is what families do. That is what this child deserves, not to be shuffled around foster homes, a victim of the system."

And Sadie could see that side, too. "It's a massive decision, Chloe. You have to at least give him time to think about it."

"I don't think he is thinking about it," she said. "He has this unbelievable ability to wipe his mind clear of anything and focus on other things."

"Like saving lives, putting out fires, and generally being a hero."

Chloe sighed, staring out at the water.

"It's his decision, Chloe, not yours."

"I know," she said glumly. "I have a weak spot for strays and rescues. And I know nothing about this kid, or even the first thing about being a mother."

"A mother ? Did they ask you to take the child?"

"No, but we're talking about getting married—"

"You are?"

"Are you surprised?" Chloe asked. "Travis and I love each other, we're perfectly compatible, and we both want the same things in life. Or at least I thought we did."

"Is that all that's necessary to get married?" Sadie asked, an image of Scout flashing in her mind.

They loved each other, were perfectly compatible, and wanted the same things in life.

"Well, I mean, there's that indefinable…thing," Chloe said. "But we have that, too. Always have, since the day I bumped into him on the street and my phone went flying."

Sadie frowned. "What is that…thing?"

"Indefinable," she repeated.

"No, no," Sadie insisted. "Define it."

Chloe angled her head, thinking. "I guess it's that magical, chemical, wonderful…connection. Like no one else is in the world when we're together. We have that in spades and I do think we're going to stay together forever. So I simply do not see a problem becoming parents to a child that is related to him and is currently about to be dropped into the foster system."

Sadie nodded, knowing that was a real and immediate problem worth discussing, but she was stuck on the thing .

"Did you feel it from the very beginning?" Sadie asked. "The thing, I mean."

Chloe threw her a look, like she was surprised Sadie had stayed on that topic. "Yeah, I guess."

"Both of you felt it? Or did one of you grow into it?"

Chloe regarded Sadie closely, inching in to narrow her eyes in question. "Are you having issues with Scout?"

Sadie opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again. She'd forgotten how difficult it was to keep anything from her sisters.

"Let's not go there," she said. "Keep talking about Judah. What are you going to do?"

Chloe took the picture back and slid it in her bag. "I'm not going to do anything about Judah. I gave my opinion, but as you said, it's not my decision. What are you going to do about Scout? Because a blind man can see that man feels all the things for you."

Sadie sighed. "And I feel them for him, but I'm a slow burn, Chloe."

"And Scout's ready for a bonfire," Chloe joked.

"We're friends before anything else, but I can feel that shifting every time we're together." Sadie let her head drop back, closing her eyes.

"Do you love him?" Chloe asked.

"I…don't know. It's hard to have perspective," she admitted. "I was destroyed by my last relationship, as you know. Eloped and dumped all in the blink of an eye. Then betrayed for my chocolate recipe and bought off by the man's family, who erased our marriage from history." Sadie gave a derisive snort. "Is it any wonder I'm petrified to fall in love again?"

"Hey, you're talking to the original runaway bride," Chloe said.

"Then you understand," Sadie said. "Don't get me wrong. I'm crazy about Scout. He's solid as a rock, sweet as pie, and looks at me kind of like Buttercup is looking at you right now."

Chloe chuckled and leaned down to nuzzle the dog's big tan face. "But you want to take it slow."

"Not forever slow," Sadie said. "Scout's forty. And he wants kids. That's why he's practicing with Rhett Butler."

"Excuse me?"

"Kitty Worthington's cat, Rhett Butler."

Chloe cackled. "Who would name—never mind, it's Kitty. Wait, she's in Europe with Raina's former mother-in-law, isn't she?"

"Exactly. Kitty and Val headed overseas and Mr. Worthington went to Maine for the whole summer, so Scout is watching her cat, Rhett Butler. He's taking the responsibility very seriously and I believe this is his practice for parenthood."

"Gee, she could have boarded ol' Rhett at Rocky's Rescues," Chloe said, sounding a little miffed. "Travis helped me redo a whole room just for the cats, with climbing trees and private sleeping areas. We get lots of cats for boarding."

"Don't take it personally," Sadie told her. "Kitty is super weird about Rhett. Her last cat, Scarlett O'Hara, ran away and never came back, so she is paranoid."

"Aww," Chloe cooed. "Maybe she should try Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy next time. Happy-ending books only. But, seriously, any man who could get Kitty Worthington to trust him is a keeper, Sadie."

"I know that," she said, reaching into her back pocket for her vibrating phone. "I bet that's Scout now," she said. "I told him…" She frowned at the screen. "Uh-oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Rhett Butler emergency. Scout needs me now."

"Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you, Sadie." Chloe pushed up. "But thanks for talking to me."

"Any time," Sadie said, and meant it. "I liked learning about ‘the thing.' Assuming Rhett is okay, we did agree that tonight is the night for talking about…our next step in this relationship."

"My advice, big sister?" Chloe took Sadie's hands and pulled her closer. "Take the next step. He's a good man, he puts a light in your eyes, and you need to let down your walls so you can see that."

"Aw, Chloe." She gave her little sister an impulsive kiss and they turned to walk back to the chocolate shop. In that short time, Sadie got three more texts that just said, "Please come now," with way too many exclamation points.

"Gotta run! Keep me posted on the Judah sitch!" she called, rushing toward her car. As she hurried to his house, she was a little surprised—and pleased—that she wanted to drop everything and help him. Was that…the thing ?

She hoped so, but deep inside, she just wanted to feel…love.

Scout shot out of his three-bedroom ranch-style home with a look of sheer panic on his face. He rushed to Sadie's car and pulled the driver's-side door open before she had her seatbelt off.

"Gonzo," he announced. "Absolutely disappeared into thin air."

Sadie gasped, somehow able to understand even though he didn't say who, what, when or how. Rhett Butler was missing.

She climbed out and put her hands on his shoulders. He wasn't much more than five-foot-ten and his body was more "soft" than muscular, but she'd hugged him enough to know she'd never felt him so tense before.

"It's okay. We'll find him. I promise. How long ago did he get out?" She looked around, suddenly seeing the dozens of forty-foot pines and oak trees—many of them draped with Spanish moss—in a completely different way.

Instead of natural beauties that provided shade and increased the value of every property in this residential section, the trees were actually…a place a cat could hide and never, ever be found.

"I have no idea how he got out, Sadie." His voice was just about broken with frustration as he followed her gaze up. "I was here around lunchtime to check on him and he was fine. Hiding under my bed, but I could see him. Then I came home from work a couple hours later and I couldn't find him anywhere."

"Open door or window?"

"I found a tear in the screen on the back porch," he said, true pain in his voice. "It doesn't look big enough for him to get through, but he's not in the house."

"Well, we're going to look everywhere," she assured him. "Every inch of the house. Oh, do you have an attic? My mom found cats in the Wingate House attic a few months ago. A pregnant one with kittens."

"I checked the attic. Everywhere. Inside, outside, all around the yard, and…" He let out a moan. "Kitty will never forgive me. She may ruin my life. If I even live to tell the tale."

"We'll find him," she assured him on a laugh.

Scout finger-combed his hair, making the thick brown waves messier. "Seriously, I gave her my word nothing would happen to that cat. Sadie, I am nothing if not a man of my word."

She couldn't argue with that, looking around—and up—again. A cat could leap from branch to branch and find his way a mile down the road and never touch the ground.

"But they always come home, don't they?" she asked.

"One would hope, but they're not boomerangs. Cats get lost all the time."

She snapped her fingers. "Home! Have you checked Kitty's house? She's not far, right? Just off Ash Street?"

"Oh, you are a genius!" he exclaimed. "Maybe he sniffed his way back to his real home."

"Come on." She gestured toward the passenger side. "Let's go over now."

"First, let me leave some food at the front door and get Kitty's house key. You look around out here."

"Okay, and Scout?" She took his hands and pulled him closer. "We'll find him."

"And if we don't?" he scoffed. "Me… owwww ." He made claw fingers and a mean face, which made her laugh, even though it was a serious situation.

While he went into the house, she looked around his yard, which, sadly, wasn't fenced in. Not that a six-foot fence would stop a cat, but maybe. She found the tear in his back screen that couldn't have been five inches long, but Rhett Butler was long, lean…and bright orange.

Surely they'd find him.

"There's food on the front porch," Scout said as he hustled to the car.

"Won't he just eat it and leave?" Sadie asked.

"But if he knows it's always out there, maybe he'll show up again and again."

They were quiet as she drove very slowly—looking between every house, peering at every bush and around every corner. She wove the car through a warren of side streets, then along Central Park until they reached a cheery yellow turn-of-the-century home with meticulous gardens and more trees.

Night was falling fast and the only real light came from some spotlights on the front shrubbery, making her heart fall at the thought of how difficult this would be.

"Don't call too loud," he said as they got out. "I don't want a neighbor to hear us and send a text over to Kitty in Paris. She'll be on the next flight home."

And that would break Valerie Wallace's heart, Sadie thought. Raina's former mother-in-law had escaped a treacherous health scare and she and her new buddy, Kitty, had decided to celebrate with a long-dreamed-about tour of Europe.

She had no doubt Kitty would come home for her cat—and make Scout's life miserable for losing him.

They combed the property, looked up every tree, and searched every bush. Sadie even crawled under the tiny space below the front porch—Scout couldn't fit—but there was no sign of the orange cat.

They used the house key to go inside to check every window on the off-chance Rhett had found an open one. They searched high and low, to no avail.

Frustrated and disappointed—and starving—they headed back to Scout's house.

"I'm going to make us some dinner," he said as they climbed out of her car.

"I'm going to do one more walk around the property," Sadie replied.

With two flashlights, a pocket full of kitty treats, and a whole lot of determination, she combed the acre or so of his lot, calling for Rhett Butler until her throat hurt. When she heard a rustling in one of the oak trees, she put the flashlights on the ground—pointed up—and started to climb.

She'd made it six feet off the ground when she spotted Scout walking across the grass toward her lights.

"I'm up here," she called with a laugh.

He slowed and looked up at her. "Look at you, Sadie Wingate."

"I know, I know. But I heard a noise…"

He reached the bottom of the tree. "Come on down."

"Did you find him?" she asked hopefully.

He just shook his head. "No, but I found you climbing a tree looking for him, which is…really cute. Please come down."

She gave up and shimmied down the trunk, hopping to the grass, tumbling onto her backside.

She looked up at him, her heart folding at the expression on his face as he offered her his hand. Despite his frustration and worry, he gazed at her…well, yes, like Buttercup looked at Chloe.

He helped her up, and right then, in the reflection of two flashlights and a full moon, she felt…something. Something real and strong and tender and…yes. Was this…the thing ?

"We were supposed to have that talk tonight," she reminded him on a whisper. "About…us."

His features softened, really smiling for the first time since she'd arrived so many hours ago.

"I don't need to talk, Sadie. I know how I feel about a woman who'll drop everything, crawl under a porch, and climb a tree for me."

"For you and Rhett Butler. And please let me make a ‘frankly, my dear, I do give a damn' joke."

He snorted. "Come on in. I made chicken and vegetables and there's wine."

"Mmm. Wine." But she didn't move, except to slide her arms around his waist and look up at him. "You sure you don't want to talk?"

"Do you?"

She gazed at him, her whole being feeling tender and warm and trusting. She wanted to…know. Was this love? Friendship? Something in between or a little of both? Was that how she defined the thing ?

Without a word, she lifted her face toward his and invited a kiss. Their lips met for a long, long time as they melted into each other.

"If this were a movie," she murmured into his lips, "Rhett Butler would jump down from the tree, land at our feet, and meow a happy ending."

"If this were a movie," he replied, twirling one of her long curls in his fingers, "I'd swoop you into my arms, carry you into my bedroom, and…have a different happy ending."

"I like yours better."

With a smile, he tugged her toward the house. "Me, too. But let's just walk together. No swooping. Who do you think I am? Superman?"

She dropped her head on his shoulder, chuckling at his easy, self-deprecating humor. "Consider me swooped, Martin Jacobson."