GABRIEL WAS HOME for a few days. Sara went to Comanche Wells to cook for him.
He noticed her subdued attitude. “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked softly as they drank coffee at the kitchen table.
She grimaced. “I had a flat tire, coming home from Houston after the opera.”
“At night?” he asked, surprised. “Why did you drive? Why not take a limo?”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m trying to...grow up a little,” she said, managing a shaky smile. “Or I was.”
“I hate to think of you sitting in the dark waiting for a wrecker,” he said.
“Mr. Patterson saw me there and stopped. I sat in his car while the wrecker got to me.”
“Mr. Patterson?” he mused. “Wolf was in Houston, too?”
“Apparently, he likes opera, too, and there isn’t a company here right now,” she said through her teeth.
“I see.”
Her expression was tormented. “He...he didn’t even do anything. He just turned in his seat and leaned toward me. I...reacted like a crazy person,” she bit off. “Made him mad.”
“We’ve had this discussion before,” he began.
“I hate therapists,” she said hotly. “The last one said I wanted people to feel sorry for me, and I probably overreacted at what happened!”
“He what?” he burst out. “You never told me!”
“I was afraid you’d hit him and end up in jail,” she returned.
“I would have,” he said harshly.
She drew in a breath and sipped coffee. “Anyway, it wasn’t helping.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t get past it. I just can’t.”
“There are nice men in the world,” he pointed out. “Some even live right here in Jacobsville.”
Her smile was world-weary. “It wouldn’t matter.”
He knew what she’d gone through. He hadn’t known that the rape attempt wasn’t the first one, that their stepfather had spent months making suggestive comments, trying to touch her, trying to get her into bed long before he used force. That, combined with the court trial, had warped Sara in ways that made Gabriel despair for her future. What a hell of a thing to happen to a girl at the age of thirteen.
“You love children,” he said quietly. “You’re dooming yourself to a life all alone.”
“I have my entertainments.”
“You live in that virtual world,” he said irritably. “It’s no replacement for a social life.”
“I can’t cope with a social life,” she replied. “I have never been more sure of anything.” She got up and bent to kiss his forehead. “Leave me to my prudish pursuits. I’ll make you an apple pie.”
“Bribery.”
She laughed. “Bribery.”
* * *
GABRIEL WAS AT the feed store the next Friday when Wolf Patterson came in. He was scowling even before he saw Gabriel.
“Is she with you?” Wolf asked.
Gabriel knew who he meant at once. He shook his head.
“Is she crazy?” he asked. “Honest to God, I stayed with her in my car until the wrecker came, and she acted as if I was bent on assault!”
“I’m grateful for what you did,” Gabriel said, sidestepping the question. “She should have taken a limo to Houston. I’ll make sure she does next time.”
Wolf calmed down, but only a little. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his expensive jeans. “She ran into me with the car, you know. Then she blamed me for it. That started the whole thing. I hate aggressive women,” he added shortly.
“She tends to overreact,” Gabriel said noncommittally.
“I don’t even like brunettes,” he said curtly. His pale eyes flashed. “She’s not my type.”
“You’re certainly not hers,” the younger man pointed out with a grin.
“Who is?” Wolf asked. “One of those tofu-eating tree huggers?”
“Sara...doesn’t like men.”
Wolf raised an eyebrow. “She likes women?”
“No.”
Wolf’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not telling me anything.”
“That’s exactly right,” Gabriel replied. He pursed his lips. “But I’ll tell you this. If she ever showed any interest in you, I’d get her out of the country by the quickest means available.”
Wolf glared at him.
“You know what I mean,” Gabriel added quietly. “I wouldn’t wish you on any woman alive, much less my baby sister. You still haven’t dealt with your past, after all this time.”
Wolf’s teeth were clenched.
Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder. “Wolf, not all women are like Ysera,” he said softly.
Wolf jerked away from him.
Gabriel knew when he was licked. He smiled. “So, how’s the wargaming?”
It was a carrot, and Wolf bit. “New expansion coming out,” he said, and smiled. “I’m looking forward to it, now that I’ve got somebody to run dungeons with.”
“Your mysterious woman.” Gabriel chuckled.
“I assume she’s a woman,” he replied, shrugging. “People aren’t usually what they seem in these games. I was complimenting a guildie on his mature playing style, and he informed me that he was twelve years old.” He laughed. “You never know who you’re playing with.”
“Your woman could be a man. Or a child. Or a real woman.”
Wolf nodded. “I’m not looking for relationships in a video game,” he replied easily.
“Wise man.” Gabriel didn’t tell him what Sara did for amusement. It really wouldn’t do to sell her out to the enemy. He hesitated and glanced toward the street. “There’s a rumor going around.”
Wolf turned his head. “What rumor?”
“Ysera got away,” he reminded the other man. “We’ve searched for over a year, you know. One of Eb’s men thinks he saw her, at a small farm outside Buenos Aires. With a man we both remember from the old days.”
Wolf’s face tightened as if he’d been shot. “Any intel on why she’s there?”
Gabriel nodded grimly. “Revenge,” he said simply. His eyes narrowed. “You need to hire on a couple of extra men. She’d have your throat slit if she could.”
“I’d return the favor if I could do it legally,” Wolf returned with faint venom.
Gabriel slid his hands into his jeans pockets. “So would the rest of us. But you’re the one in danger, if she really is still alive.”
Wolf didn’t like remembering the woman, or the things he’d done because of her lies. He still had nightmares. His eyes had a cold, faraway look. “I thought she was dead. I hoped...” he confessed quietly.
“It’s hard to kill a big snake,” the other man said flatly. “Just...be careful.”
“Watch your own back,” Wolf replied.
“I always do.” He wanted to tell the other man about Sara, to warn him off, to avert a tragedy in the making. But his friend didn’t seem really