“Maybe.”
“I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Yeah.” The ball of nerves in Sarah’s stomach grew. “I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
When she’d finished the call, Sarah dropped the phone onto the couch and let out a long sigh. Crossing her arms over her chest, she lost herself in thoughts of Eli. Letting Eli consume her mind for another week wouldn’t harm anything, right? It wasn’t like they were going to go any further in a relationship, not with what Sarah had seen the night before or what she’d seen of Eli before then, but she could at least take the friendship Eli did offer for what it was, couldn’t she?
That was what she’d do. She’d relax and take advantage of what she was offered, which was good hospitality, a warm bed, and a whole lot of learning. She enjoyed getting out of her comfort zone even though it set her nerves into overdrive, but for some reason, she’d been far calmer and more relaxed since she had been atIndigo.
Grabbing her guitar and cleaning up, Sarah went to do exactly what she told Kara she wanted. Nap. She dragged all her stuff up to her room and left it haphazardly up there. Collapsing onto the bed, she tried to push Eli and Bridget from her mind so she could get some restful sleep, but it was almost impossible. Eventually, she did fall into slumber’s tender care.
* * *
The annoying alarm was shocking. Sarah brushed her fingers over her eyes as she turned onto her side and tried to push the sound out of her ears. It didn’t work. The harder she tried to ignore it, the more obnoxious it became. Grunting, Sarah sat up in bed and pushed a hand through her messy hair.
The window was pitch black, and a glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was the middle of the night. She had slept far longer than she’d anticipated. But that alarm. It wasn’t quite as loud as she’d originally thought it was.
Sighing, Sarah pushed to her feet, her bare toes cold on the hardwood floor. She followed the sound down the stairs and into the front living room. It got louder as she went, and more obnoxious as well. She wasn’t sure how anyone could ignore such a sound. She found the phone first and turned the alarm off. It was on the kitchen counter. In the week she had been there, she’d never seen Eli leave her phone anywhere, not to mention leave the kitchen a mess, which it never was.
Eli had clearly come in while Sarah had been asleep, rummaged for dinner, and then what? Because there were dishes in the sink and a casserole dish of leftovers on the counter. Sighing, Sarah brushed her hand against the glass to see if it was still cold, covered it, and shoved it into the fridge. She put the rest of the dishes in the sink before gnawing on her lip and heading through the living room to the den.
It was nearing four in the morning, so Eli was no doubt back out on her rounds to check on the cattle. Sometimes Sarah wondered if Eli was obsessed with them, but she could certainly see why. She loved them and loved spending time with them. She very obviously loved her farm and put everything she had—her energy, her brain—into it.
When Sarah rounded the corner and took the three steps down into the den, she stopped short. Eli was on the couch. Sarah tentatively kneeled down to look over Eli’s sleeping form. She wasn’t quite sure what to do—wake her up or let her get the sleep she obviously needed.
Gnawing on her lower lip, Sarah put her hand on Eli’s arm, but Eli didn’t move. She really hated to wake her, but she was pretty sure Eli would be madder if she didn’t. Sarah let out a breath. “Eli.”
Eli didn’t budge.
“Eli. Wake up. You’re late.”
A soft moan escaped Eli’s lips as she rustled her head against the pillow, her legs moving slightly, but she settled down. Sarah cupped Eli’s cheek, brushing her thumb just under her eye. This time, she spoke firmly.
“Elijah Wilson. Get up. Now!”
Eli sat bolt upright, her eyes wide as she stared down at Sarah still squatting next to her. “What time is it?”
“Well after three.”
“What?” Eli started patting the couch then her pockets.
“Your phone is in the kitchen.”
“Shit. Did it wake you up? I’m sorry.”
Sarah shrugged. “It’s close to four.”
“Crap.”
Eli looked adorable tousled and confused. Her cheeks were red from sleep, her eyes puffy, her hair still technically in braids, but no longer neatly plaited. Sarah bit her lip to keep herself from saying or doing something they would both regret later.
Sarah moved to sit next to Eli on the couch. “I’ll go with you to keep you awake, because it looks like you’re still struggling to wake up.”
Eli nodded. “Thanks.”
“Did you sleep at all last night?”