involved.
âShe likes Lindsay.â
âAnd doesnât like you,â Jeb added.
âExactly.â
âBut you donât mind Lindsay now?â
Sarah sighed. âI donât dislike her, if thatâs what you mean. Actually, sheâs very nice. Maddy, too.â
Naturally Sarah would find a way to turn the subject back to the new woman in town. All right, heâd admit to being curious.
âWhat did she do in Savannah?â
Sarah shrugged and brushed her long hair away from her shoulder. âI donât know. Is it really important? I think sheâs going to be a good addition to the town. The Hansens needed to retire. We both know what Martaâs like. Itâs amazing they managed to hold on to the store as long as they did. Maddyâs working hard to bring back the business the Hansens lost. A lot of locals were going into Devils Lake to shop, you know.â
In other circumstances, Jeb might easily be taken in by Maddyâs charm and warmth himself. âThatâs probably why sheâs offering home delivery.â
âYou signed up, didnât you?â
He nodded.
âWonderful.â Sarah all but clapped her hands. âYouâll like Maddy. Sheâsââ
âI said I signed up to have her deliver my groceries, I didnât say I was dating her,â Jeb broke in, frowning.
âBut you should.â
Hard though he tried not to, Jeb snickered. He couldnât think of one good reason someone as beautiful as Maddy Washburn would date a one-legged buffalo rancher. He wasnât the only eligible man with eyes in his head, either. It wouldnât be long before she had more men buzzing around her than she knew what to do with.
âItâs time you were married and started a family,â Sarah insisted, without amusement.
âForget it, Sarah,â he warned, his voice low.
âMaddyâs perfect for you.â
âYou can stop right now, because I refuse to have anything to do with this crazy idea of yours. Is that understood?â
She beamed him a huge smile. âStop? Not on your life!â
Jeb realized arguing with her would result in a serious case of frustration. He knew only one person more stubborn than his sister, and that was him. âI said you can forget that idea and I meant it.â Without another word, he walked out the door, leaving it to slam in his wake.
Â
Sarah watched her brother climb into the cab of his truck and barrel out of town, leaving a dusty trail behind him. It did her heart good to witness Jebâs reaction to Maddy Washburn. As detached and disinterested as he tried to make himself, he hadnât been able to conceal the effect Maddy had on him. Oh, yes, he was interested. Maddy had bowled him over the way she had everyone else. Half the eligible men in the county were in love with her already, and Sarah would gladly add one more man to that list.
The instant Sarah had met Maddy, sheâd decided this was the woman for her stubborn, difficult brother. Sheâd been waiting a long time to find the right person for Jeb, and Maddy was it. She was friendly, accepting and kind. Her striking beauty was a detriment, though. It meant she was likely to attract a lot of male attention. Which, in fact, she had.
The stir caused by Maddyâs arrival was what had prompted Sarahâs underhanded method of forcing Jeb to drive into town. Had she known about Maddyâs delivery service, she would have signed him up immediately and saved herself the grief. Her plan might still backfire, but she could see from Jebâs reaction that sheâd done the right thing.
Although she wouldnât have admitted it twelve months ago, Sarah had seen many positive changes in BuffaloValley, thanks to Lindsay. Before she moved here, a lot of people had given up caring about the town. Caring about one another, too. Lindsay had brought an infusion of life to the dying town.
Never having