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“I will. I promise.” She ended the call and released a squeal as she raced across the room and hugged her friend. Tears warmed Sadie’s eyes as she relayed the conversation.

“So your grandma doesn’t know who?”

Sadie shook her head.

Dani scrunched up her face, then smiled. “Mia wouldn’t be involved with anything shady, so we need to trust her to have Henrietta’s best interests in mind.”

“Exactly.” Then Sadie remembered Gran’s other revelation. “Oh! Asher’s here. On island. Angela said so.”

Dani waved her toward the door. “Then get out of here and fix things with him. We have a show to put on, and I’m not willing to let anyone down if I can help it.”

Raising her latte in a salute, Sadie left the hundred-year-old building with more excitement and energy than when she had entered.

For the first time in a while, things were really coming together.

Now if only she could convince Asher to say yes…

It was time for a new beginning, but that couldn’t happen until Asher worked up the nerve to talk to Sadie.

He snuck back on island last night the same way he’d left—by Cody’s boat. As he expected, reporters camped out in front of the ranch, so Cody snuck him up through the state park and the quiet beach where his life imploded only a few days prior.

Once he finished feeding Gus and Ginger, he’d head across the fence and see if Sadie was still at the cottage…and willing to hear him out.

He scooped grain into buckets, then poured it into the horses’ feeders. After filling the troughs with fresh water, he broke apart a bale and dropped biscuits of hay in their stalls. While they ate, he reached for a broom and started sweeping hay out of the aisle.

He caught a movement in his peripheral vision and turned. He sucked in a breath. “Sadie.”

Standing in the open doorway, she lifted a hand. “Hey.”

Everything in him wanted to sprint down the aisle, crush her against his chest, and beg her to forgive him.

She smoothed down the front of the pink and yellow flowered sundress she wore with a short jean jacket, looking even more beautiful than ever. Her long hair had been gathered in a messy knot on her head with a few loose strands framing her face.

She clasped her hands in front of her. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” He returned the broom to the tack room, then headed over to her. “Want to take a walk? We’ll have to stay in the pasture. Too many people camped out by the gate.”

“I saw that. I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s tough.” The look of compassion on her face had him wanting to sweep her into his arms all over again.

Instead, he pocketed his hands. “There’s a reason I try to protect my privacy. Who wants every moment of their lives splashed across the media for criticism or speculation?”

Sadie shook her head. “It would be a terrible way to live.”

“I used to crave it, you know. From the moment I stepped into the spotlight, cupped my hand around the mic, and belted out that first note…well, I came alive. Almost like some sort of monster fueled by the screams of adoring fans. I wanted—almost needed—it more and more. Then when I lost everything,I craved the bottle to drown out the haunting screams. I’ve learned that’s not the kind of person I want to be or the life I want to live. Being on island taught me what’s important—real, lasting relationships, helping people, giving back to my family and community.”

Asher placed a hand at the small of Sadie’s back and guided her around the barn and to the pasture where Gus and Ginger enjoyed their free time. Noticing Sadie’s flip-flops, he decided to walk along the fence line, where the grass was shorter.

She stopped and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glanced at him, then looked away, shaking her head. “I’m sorry—I can’t do this.”

“Do what? Take a walk?”

Still shaking her head, she made a circular motion around them with her hand. “This. You. Me. Us. The polite talk.” She shoved her sunglasses on top of her head. “May I ask you something?”

The moment he’d been waiting for—to come clean, bare his soul, seek her forgiveness, and find the redemption his heart had been craving since the accident. He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, then stretched his arms out at his sides. “Yes, you can ask me anything, and I promise to answer. No deflection. No evasion. I’m an open book.”

Her eyes searched his, then a slow smile spread across her face. “Good, then I guess I’d better make it count. Will you sing for me?”

The words, spoken almost in a whisper as if she were afraid to voice them out loud, nearly stopped his heart. His eyes widened as his brain comprehended what she was asking.