“Good, I’m glad,” Rylee said. “You showed up here, hand in hand with the man, and despite the events of the morning, you’ve got this glow about you. It’s like you’re walking on air or something.”
Lori dropped her fry and gasped. “Then that means you had a great night of sex.”
“You are kind of glowing.” Loni smiled. “Like you’ve just had the best night of your life.”
Lori winked. “Care to share with the class?”
Sadie nearly choked on her bite, coughing as the girls burst into laughter. She could feel her cheeks heating up again as she tried to compose herself. “What? That’s not true.”
“Liar,” Rylee teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
She laughed, shaking her head. “What I mean is it wasn’t just great sex, it was greathotsex.”
Rylee let out awootthat startled Ranger, who was dozing off in the doorway.
“Yes!” Lori held up a hand, and Sadie met it for a high-five. “You guys are cute.”
“I’m glad he finally got a clue,” Loni said, dipping a fry in ranch dressing. “You’ve waited a long time.”
She nodded. “I’m glad, too. Dale’s…he’s something special.”
Loni sighed, placing a hand over her heart. “Isn’t it just the best? When you find someone who makes you feel like that?”
Sadie nodded again. “It’s even better than I’d imagined.”
“And don’t worry, Sadie,” Rylee said, her expression turning more serious but still warm. “The guys are going to keep yousafe, no matter what. We’ve all been through our share of ordeals, and they saw us through them. They’ll do the same for you.”
A wave a gratitude washed over her as she gazed at the women who were some of her closest friends. “Thanks, ladies. I really needed this. You’re the best.”
Loni reached across Lori to squeeze Sadie’s hand. “You’ve always been like a sister from another mister to us.”
She inhaled and blinked back an unexpected round of tears. “I feel the same.”
It’d always been her and Harper and Loni and Lori, making the most of their youthful summers.
“Oh, and Sadie,” Lori said, another teasing gleam in her eyes. “If you thought sex was hot with Dale last night, just wait until tonight.”
Rylee nodded. “Yeah, being in danger makes the guys almost primal.”
A flash of heat shot through Sadie’s body as she tried to imagine Dale even more thorough and demanding than last night. It’d been earth-rocking fantastic. But she was definitely game to reach beyond that.
She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “Primal sounds good.”
All the girls laughed, and the conversation lightened to the women telling her about their husbands and some of the sweet things they did when they were in trouble.
As they dug into their food, the playful banter and teasing continued while the burgers disappeared.
For the first time since coffee with Dale that morning, Sadie felt herself truly relaxing. Being with these women who understood what she was going through made all the difference. She wasn’t alone in this, and with the support of her friends—and Dale—she felt ready to face whatever came next.
Again, a single thought kept flittering through her mind.
She hoped no one got hurt.
Chapter Eighteen
Dale sat on the porch of his father’s house, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee as he stared out at the quiet street. The last five days had been uneventful—eerily so. After the discovery of the machete in Sadie’s garage, they’d all been on high alert, expecting the next move, the next threat. But nothing had happened. Not at his father’s place, not at Sadie’s, not at the ranch.
Just silence.
