“Absolutely. You’ve been there for Meg, and that’s what counts.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do. Meg told me how amazing you’ve been. You’ve canceled your trips to D.C., and you’ve been managing the house and kids so Meg could be with Mom as much as possible. That’s pretty cool.”

He shrugged uneasily. “I cared about your mom. And I care about Meg. It’s the least I can do.”

Sarah frowned, thrown by the way he said “I care about Meg.” It didn’t sound right. Shouldn’t he have said, “I love Meg”? “You and Meg okay?”

He hesitated. “What do you mean? As a couple?”

She nodded.

His shoulders twisted. “I don’t know. Things are what they are.”

That definitely did not sound good. “Still rocky?”

He made a face as he shrugged again. “We have our ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like more downs than ups.”

“But you haven’t thrown in the towel yet,” she said, trying to be encouraging.

“Not yet.”

“That’s good.”

“Is it?”

Sarah heard the weariness in his voice and her chest tightened. “I think so,” she answered, knowing that she and Boone had been through a difficult couple of years, but she couldn’t imagine life without him. He was as important to her as oxygen—not that her sisters thought she should love any man that much. “Boone always says—” She broke off as Kit entered the kitchen carrying Ella, who was crying inconsolably.

“There’s your mommy,” Kit crooned, kissing Ella’s wet, flushed cheek. “I told you we’d find her. Your mommy didn’t go anywhere. No need to cry. She’s right here talking to Uncle Jack.”

“Come here, baby,” Sarah said, taking her daughter from Kit. “What’s wrong? Why such a sad face?”

“I want Daddy,” Ella wailed. “I want my house. I want to go home. And I hate Brennan. He’s so mean.”

Checking her smile, Sarah cuddled her five-year-old. “What did Brennan do this time, sweet pea?”

“He said he was going to bury me like Grandma—”

“He’s not!” Sarah interrupted, looking at Kit over her daughter’s head. “That’s a terrible thing for him to say.”

“I told him the same thing,” Kit said with mock sternness, her blue eyes warm. “He’s with Dad, having a time-out in the dining room right now.”

“I don’t want to get buried!” Great crocodile tears rolled down Ella’s face.