Her gown was white. It made her look almost angelic, with her long blond hair down to her waist, her peaches-and-cream complexion delicately colored, her gray eyes glittering with excitement.
She didn’t see Gabriel and Sara in the audience, but that wasn’t surprising. There was a huge crowd. They were able to graduate outside because the skies cleared up. They held the graduation ceremonies on the football field, with faculty and students and families gathered for the occasion.
Michelle accepted her diploma from the principal, grinned at some of her fellow students and walked off the platform. On the way down, she remembered what a terrifying future she was stepping into. For twelve years, she’d gone to school every day—well, thirteen years if you counted kindergarten. Now, she was free. But with freedom came responsibility. She had to support herself. She had to manage an apartment. She had to pay bills....
Maybe not the bills part, totally. She would have to force Gabriel and Sara to let her pay rent. That would help her pride. She’d go off to college, to strangers, to a dormitory that might actually be unisex. That was a scary thought.
She ran to Gabriel and Sara, to be hugged and congratulated.
“You are now a free woman.” Sara chuckled. “Well, mostly. Except for your job, and college upcoming.”
“If it’s going to be a unisex dorm,” Michelle began worriedly.
“It’s not,” Gabriel assured her. “Didn’t you notice? It’s a Protestant college. They even have a chaplain.”
“Oh. Oh!” She burst out laughing, and flushed. “No, I didn’t really notice, until I thought about having to share my floor with men who are total strangers.”
“No way would that happen,” Gabriel said solemnly, and his dark eyes flashed. “I’d have you driven back and forth first.”
“So would I,” Sara agreed. “Or I’d move up to San Antonio, get an apartment and you could room with me.”
Tears stung Michelle’s cheeks. She was remembering how proud her father had been of her grades and her ambitions, how he’d looked forward to seeing her graduate. He should have been here.
“Now, now,” Gabriel said gently, as if he could see the thoughts in her mind. He brushed the tears away and kissed her eyelids closed. “It’s a happy occasion,” he whispered.
She was tingling all over from the unexpectedly intimate contact. Her heart went wild. When he drew back, everything she felt and thought was right there, in her eyes. His own narrowed, and his tall, muscular body tensed.
Sara coughed. She coughed again, to make sure they heard her.
“Lunch,” Gabriel said at once, snapping out of it. “We have reservations.”
“At one of the finest restaurants in the country, and we still have to get to the airport.”
“Restaurant? Airport?” Michelle was all at sea.
Gabriel grinned. “It’s a surprise. Someone’s motioning to you.” He indicated a female student who was waving like crazy.
“It’s Yvonne,” Michelle told them. “I promised to have my picture taken with her and Gerrie. They were in my geography class. Be right back!”
They watched her go, her face alive with pleasure.
“Close call, masked man,” Sara said under her breath.
He stuffed his hands into his slacks and his expression hardened.
“You have to be patient,” Sara added gently, and touched his chest with a small hand. “Just for a little while.”
“Just for years,” he said curtly. “While she meets men and falls in love....”
“Fat chance.”
He turned and looked down at her, his face guarded but full of hope.
“You know how she feels,” Sara said softly. “That isn’t going to change. But she has to have time to grow up, to see something of the world. The time will pass.”
He grimaced and then drew in a breath. “Yes. I suppose so.” He laughed hollowly. “Maybe in the meantime, I can work up to how I’m going to explain my line of work to her. Another hurdle.”
“By that time, she’ll be more likely to understand.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
She hugged him impulsively. “You’re a great guy. She already knows it.”
He hugged her back. “I’ll be her best friend.”
“You already are.” She drew back, smiling. The smile faded and her eyes sparked with temper as she looked past him.
“My, my, did you lose your broom?” came a deep, drawling voice from behind Gabriel.
“The flying monkeys are using it right now,” Sara snarled at the tall man. “Are you just graduating from high school, too?” she added. “And I didn’t get you a present.”
He shrugged. “My foreman’s daughter graduated. I’m her godfather.”
“So many responses come to mind. But choosing just one,” she pondered for a minute. She pursed her full lips. “Do you employ a full-time hit man, or do you have to manage with pickups?”
He raised his thick eyebrows. “Oh, full-time, definitely,” he said easily, hands deep in his jean pockets. He cocked his head. “But he doesn’t do women. Pity.”
Sara was searching for a comeback when Michelle came running back.
“Oh, hi, Mr. Patterson!” she said with a grin. “How’s that bull doing?”
“Eating all he can get and looking better by the day, Miss Godfrey,” he replied, smiling. “That was a good piece you wrote on the ranch.”
“Thanks. I had good material to work with.”
Sara made a sound deep in her throat.
“What was that? Calling the flying monkeys in some strange guttural language?” Wolf asked Sara with wide, innocent eyes.
She burst out in Farsi, things that would have made Michelle blush if she understood them.
“Oh, my, what a thing to say to someone!” Wolf said with mock surprise. He looked around. “Where’s a police officer when you need one?”
“By all means, find one who speaks Farsi,” Sara said with a sarcastic smile.
“Farsi?” Jacobsville police chief Cash Grier strolled up with his wife, Tippy. “I speak Farsi.”
“Great. Arrest her,” Wolf said, pointing at Sara. “She just said terrible things about my mother. Not to mention several of my ancestors.”
Cash glanced at Sara, who was glowering at Wolf, and totally unrepentant.
“He started it,” Sara said angrily. “I do not ride a broom, and I have never seen a flying monkey!”
“I did, once,” Cash said, nodding. “Of course, a man threw it at me...”
“Are you going to arrest her?” Wolf interrupted.
“You’d have to prove that she said it,” Cash began.
“Gabriel heard her say it,” Wolf persisted.
Cash looked at Gabriel. So did Sara and Michelle and Tippy.
“I’ll burn the pasta for a week,” Sara said under her breath.
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Gosh, I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention. Would you like to say it again, and this time I’ll listen?” he asked his sister.
“Collusion,” Wolf muttered. He glowered at Sara. “I still have my handcuffs from my FBI days...”
“How very kinky,” Sara said haughtily.
Cash turned away quickly. His shoulders were shaking.
Tippy hit him.
He composed himself and turned back. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t be of any assistance in this particular matter. Congratulations, Michelle,” he added.
“Thanks, Chief Grier,” she replied.
“Why are you here?” Wolf asked the chief.
“One of my young brother-in-law’s older gaming friends is graduating,” he replied with a smile. “We came to watch him graduate.” He shook his head. “He’s awesome at the Halo series on Xbox 360.”
“So am I,” Wolf said with a grin. He glanced at Gabriel. “Do you play?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t really have time.”
“It’s fun. I like console games. But I also like...” Wolf began.
“The reservations!” Gabriel interrupted, checking his watch. “Sorry, but we’ve got a flight to catch. Graduation present,” he added with a grin and a glance at Michelle. “See you all later.”
“Sure,” Wolf replied. He glanced at Sara and his eyes twinkled. “An airplane, huh? Having mechanical problems with the broom...?”
“We have to go, right now,” Gabriel said, catching Sara before she could move toward Wolf.
He half dragged her away, to the amusement of the others.
* * *
“You should have let me hit him,” Sara fumed as they sat comfortably in the business-class section of an aircraft bound for New Orleans. “Just one little slap...”
“In front of the police chief, who would have been obliged to arrest you,” Gabriel pointed out. “Not a good thing on Michelle’s graduation day.”
“No.” She smiled at Michelle, who looked as amused as Gabriel did. “Sorry. That man just rubs me the wrong way.”
“It’s okay,” Michelle said. “I can’t believe we’re flying to New Orleans for lunch.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I’ve never been on a plane before in my life. The takeoff was so cool!” she recalled, remembering the burst of speed, the clouds coming closer, the land falling away under the plane as she looked out the window. They’d given her the window seat, so that she had a better view.
“It was fun, seeing it through your eyes,” Sara replied, smiling. “I tend to take it for granted. So does he.” She indicated Gabriel, who laughed.
“I spend most of my life on airplanes, of one type or another,” Gabriel confessed. “I must admit, my flights aren’t usually this relaxed.”
“You never did tell me what you do,” Michelle said.
“I’m sort of a government contractor,” he said easily. “An advisor. I go lots of places in that capacity. I deal with foreign governments.” He made it sound conventional. It really wasn’t.
“Oh. Like businessmen do.”
“Something like that,” he lied. He smiled. “You have your first driving lesson tomorrow,” he reminded her.
“Sure you wouldn’t like to do it instead?” she asked. “I could try really hard to avoid ditches.”
He shook his head. “You need somebody better qualified than I am.”
“I hope he’s got a good heart.”
“I’m sure he’ll be personable...”
“I hope he’s in very good health,” she amended.
Gabriel just chuckled.
* * *
They ate at a five-star restaurant downtown. The food was the most exquisite Michelle had ever tasted, with a Cajun spiced fare that teased the tongue, and desserts that almost made her cry they were so delicious.
“This is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever frequented,” Gabriel said as they finished second cups of coffee. “I always stop by when I’m in the area.” He looked around at the elegant decor. “They had some problems during Hurricane Katrina, but they’ve remodeled and regrouped. It’s better than ever.”
“It was delicious,” Michelle said, smiling. “You guys are spoiling me rotten.”
“We’re enjoying it,” Sara replied. “And there’s an even bigger surprise waiting when we get home,” she added.
“Another one? But this was the best present I’ve ever had! You didn’t need to...”
“Oh, but we did,” Gabriel replied. He leaned back in his chair, elegant in a navy blue jacket with a black turtleneck and dark slacks. Sara was wearing a simple black dress with pearls that made her look both expensive and beautiful. Michelle, in contrast, was wearing the only good dress she had, a simple sheath of off-white, with her mother’s pearls. She felt dowdy compared to her companions, but they didn’t even seem to notice that the dress was old. They made her feel beautiful.
“What is it?” Michelle asked suddenly.
She was met with bland smiles.
“Wait and see,” Gabriel said with twinkling black eyes.
Eight
I
t was very late when they got back to the ranch. There, sitting in the driveway, was a beautiful little white car with a big red ribbon tied around it.
Michelle gaped at it. Her companions urged her closer.
She touched the trunk, where a sleek silver Jaguar emblem sat above the keyhole.
“It’s a Jag,” she stammered.
“It’s not the most expensive one,” Sara said quickly when Michelle gave them accusing glances. “In fact, it’s a midrange automobile. But it’s one of the safest cars on the road. Which is why we got it for you. Happy Graduation!”
She hugged Michelle.
“It’s too much,” Michelle stammered, touching the body with awe. She fought tears. “I never dreamed... Oh, it’s so...beautiful!” She turned and threw herself into Sara’s arms, hugging her close. “I’ll take such good care of it! I’ll polish it by the inch, with my own hands...!”
“Don’t I get a hug, too? It was my idea,” Gabriel said.
She laughed, turned and hugged him close. “Of course you do. Thank you! Gosh, I never dreamed you’d get me a car as a present!”
“You needed one,” Gabriel said at the top of her head. “You have to be able to drive to work for Minette in the summer. And you’ll need one to commute from college to home on weekends. If you want to come home that often,” he added.
“Why would I want to stay in the city when I can come down here and ride horses?” she asked, smiling up at him. He was such a dish, she thought dreamily.
Gabriel looked back at her with dark, intent eyes. She was beautiful. Men would want her. Other men.
“Well, try it out,” Sara said, interrupting tactfully. “I’ll help you untie the ribbon.”
“I’m never throwing the ribbon away!” Michelle laughed. “Oh. Wait!” She pulled out her cell phone and took a picture of the car in its bow.
“Stand beside it. We’ll get one of you, too,” Gabriel said, pulling out his own cell phone. He took several shots, smiling all the time. “Okay. Now get inside and try it out.”
“Who’s riding shotgun?” Michelle asked.
They looked worriedly at each other.
“It’s too late to take it out of the driveway,” Gabriel said finally. “Just start it up.”
Michelle stood at the door. It wouldn’t open.
“The key,” Sara prompted Gabriel.
“The key. Duh.” He chuckled. He dug it out of his pants pocket and handed it to Michelle. It was still warm from his body.
She looked at the fob in the light from the porch. “There’s no key.”
“You don’t need one.”
She unlocked the car and got inside. “There’s no gearshift!”
“See the start button?” Gabriel prompted. “Press it.”
She did. Nothing happened.
“Hold down the brake with your foot and then press it,” he added.
She did. The car roared to life. She caught her breath as the vents opened and the gearshift rose up out of the console. “Oh!” she exclaimed. She looked at the controls, at the instrument panel, at the leather seats. “Oh!” she said again.
Gabriel squatted by the door, on the driveway. “Its creator said something like, ‘we will never come closer to building something that is alive.’ Each Jaguar is unique. Each has its own little idiosyncrasies. I’ve been driving them for years, and I still learn new things about them. They purr when they’re happy, they growl when they want the open road.” He laughed self-consciously. “Well, you’ll see.”
She leaned over and brushed her soft mouth against his cheek, very shyly. “Thanks.”
He chuckled and got to his feet. “You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, Sara,” she called to the other woman.
“It was truly our pleasure.” Sara yawned. “And now we really should get to bed, don’t you think? Michelle has an early morning, and I’m quite tired.” She hesitated. “Perhaps we should check to make sure the flying monkeys are locked up securely...?”
They both laughed.
* * *
The driving instructor’s name was Mr. Moore. He had a small white round patch of hair at the base of his skull. Michelle wondered if his hair loss was from close calls by students.
He was very patient. She had a couple of near-misses, but was able to correct in time and avoid an accident. He told her that it was something that much practice would fix. She only needed to drive, and remember her lessons.
So she drove. But it was Sara, not Gabriel, who rode with her that summer. Gabriel had packed a bag, told the women goodbye, and rushed out without another word.
“Where is he going?” Michelle had asked Sara.
The other woman smiled gently. “We’re not allowed to know. Some of what he does is classified. And you must never mention it to anyone. Okay?”
“Of course not,” Michelle replied. She bit her lip. “What he does—it’s just office stuff, right? I mean he advises. That’s talking to people, instructing, right?”
Sara hesitated only a beat before she replied, “Of course.”
* * *
Michelle put it out of her mind. Gabriel didn’t phone home. He’d been gone several weeks. During that time, Michelle began to perfect her driving skills, with Sara’s help. She got her driver’s license, passing the test easily, and now she drove alternately to work with Carlie.
“This is just so great,” Carlie enthused on the way to work. “They bought you a Jaguar! I can’t believe it!” She sighed, smoothing her hand over the soft leather seat. “I wish somebody would buy me a Jaguar.”
Michelle chuckled. “It was a shock to me, too, let me tell you. I tried to give it back, but they wouldn’t hear of it. They said I needed something safe. Like a big Ford truck wouldn’t be safe?” she mused.
“I’d love a big brand-new Ford truck,” Carlie sighed. “One of those F-Series ones. Or a Dodge Ram. Or a Chevy Silverado. I’ve never met a truck I didn’t love.”
“I like cars better,” Michelle said. “Just a personal preference.” She glanced at her friend. “I’m going to miss riding with you when I go to college.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” Carlie glanced out the window. “Just having company keeps me from brooding.”
“Carson is still giving you fits, I gather?” Michelle asked gently.
Carlie looked down at her hands. “I don’t understand why he hates me so much,” she said. “I haven’t done anything to him. Well, except make a few sarcastic comments, but he starts it,” she added with a scowl.
“Maybe he likes you,” Michelle ventured. “And he doesn’t want to.”
“Oh, sure, that’s the reason.” She shook her head. “No. That isn’t it. He’d throw me to the wolves without a second thought.”
“He spends a lot of time in Cash Grier’s office.”
“They’re working on something. I’m not allowed to know what, and the chief makes sure I can’t overhear him when he talks on the phone.” She frowned. “My father’s in there a lot, too. I can’t imagine why. Carson isn’t the praying sort,” she added coldly, alluding to her father’s profession. He was, after all, a minister.
“I wouldn’t think the chief is the praying sort, either,” Michelle replied. “Maybe it’s something to do about that man who attacked your father.”
“I’ve wondered about that,” her companion replied. “Dad won’t tell me anything. He just clams up if I mention it.”
“You could ask the chief.”
Carlie burst out laughing. “You try it,” she replied with a grin. “He changes the subject, picks up the phone, drags someone passing by into the office to chat—he’s a master at evasion.”
“You might try asking Carson,” she added.
The smile faded. “Carson would walk all over me.”
“You never know.”
“I know, all right.” Carlie flushed a little, and stared out the window again.
“Sorry,” Michelle said gently. “You don’t want to talk about him. I understand.”
“It’s okay.” She turned her head. “Is Gabriel coming back soon?”
“We don’t know. We don’t even know where he is,” Michelle said sadly. “Some foreign country, I gather, but he didn’t say.” She shook her head. “He’s so mysterious.”
“Most men are.” Carlie laughed.
“At least what he does is just business stuff,” came the reply. “So we don’t have to worry about him so much.”
“A blessing,” Carlie agreed.
* * *
Michelle did a story about the local fire department and its new fire engine. She learned a lot from the fire chief about how fires were started and how they were fought. She put it all into a nice article, with photos of the firemen. Minette ran it on the front page.
“Favoritism,” Cash Grier muttered when she stopped by to get Carlie for the drive home that Friday afternoon.
“Excuse me?” Michelle asked him.
“A story about the fire department, on the front page,” he muttered. He glared at her. “You haven’t even done one about us, and we just solved a major crime!”
“A major crime.” Michelle hadn’t heard of it.
“Yes. Someone captured old man Jones’s chicken, put it in a doll dress, and tied it to his front porch.” He grinned. “We captured the perp.”
“And?” Michelle prompted. Carlie was listening, too.
“It was Ben Harris’s granddaughter.” He chuckled. “Her grandmother punished her for overfilling the bathtub by taking away her favorite dolly. So there was this nice red hen right next door. She took the chicken inside, dressed it up, and had fun playing with it while her grandparents were at the store. Then she realized how much more trouble she was going to be in when they noticed what the chicken did, since it wasn’t wearing a diaper.”
Both women were laughing.
“So she took the chicken back to Jones’ house, but she was afraid it might run off, so she tied it to the porch rail.” He shook his head. “The doll’s clothes were a dead giveaway. She’s just not cut out for a life of crime.”
“What did Mr. Jones do?” Michelle asked.
“Oh, he took pictures,” he replied. “Want one? They’re pretty cool. I’m thinking of having one blown up for my office. To put on my solved-crime wall.” He grinned.
They were laughing so hard, tears were rolling down their cheeks.
“And the little girl?” Michelle persisted.
“She’s assigned to menial chores for the next few days. At least, until all the chicken poop has been cleaned off the floors and furniture. They did give her back the doll, however,” he added, tongue in cheek. “To prevent any future lapses. Sad thing, though.”
“What is?”
“The doll is naked. If she brings it out of the house, as much as I hate it, I’ll have to cite it for indecent exposure...”
The laughter could be heard outside the door now. The tall man with jet-black hair hanging down to his waist wasn’t laughing.
He stopped, staring at the chief and his audience.
“Something?” Cash asked, suddenly all business.
“Something.” Carson’s black eyes slid to Carlie’s face and narrowed coldly. “If you can spare the time.”
“Sure. Come on in.”
“If you don’t need me, I’ll go home,” Carlie said at once, flushed, as she avoided Carson’s gaze.
“I don’t need you.” Carson said it with pure venom.
She lifted her chin pugnaciously. “Thank God,” she said through her teeth.
He opened his mouth, but Cash intervened. “Go on home, Carlie,” he said, as he grabbed Carson by the arm and steered him into the office.
* * *
“So that’s Carson,” Michelle said as she drove toward Carlie’s house.
“That’s Carson.”
Michelle drew in a breath. “A thoroughly unpleasant person.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“He really has it in for you.”
Carlie nodded. “Told you so.”
There really didn’t seem to be anything else to say. Michelle gave her a sympathetic smile and kept her silence until they pulled up in front of the Victorian house she shared with her father.
“Thanks for the ride,” Carlie said. “My turn to drive tomorrow.”
“And my turn to buy gas.” She chuckled.
“You don’t hear me arguing, do you?” Carlie sighed, smiling. “Gas is outrageously high.”
“So is most everything else. Have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure. Thanks again.”
* * *
Michelle parked her car in front of the house, noted that she really needed to take it through the car wash, and started toward the front door. Sara’s car was missing. She hadn’t mentioned being away. Not a problem, however, since Michelle had a key.
She started to put it into the lock, just as it opened on its own. And there was Gabriel, tanned and handsome and smiling.
“Gabriel!” She threw herself into his arms, to be lifted, and hugged, and swung around once, twice, three times, in an embrace so hungry that she never wanted to be free again.
“When did you get home?” she asked at his ear.
“About ten minutes ago,” he murmured into her neck. “You smell of roses.”
“New perfume. Sara bought it for me.” She drew back just enough to see his face, her arms still around his neck, his arms still holding her close. She searched his eyes at point-blank range and felt her heart go into overdrive. She could barely breathe. He felt like heaven in her arms. She looked at his mouth, chiseled, perfect, and wondered, wondered so hard, how it would feel if she moved just a little, if she touched her lips to it...
His hand caught in her long hair and pulled. “No,” he said through his teeth.
She met his eyes. She saw there, or thought she saw, the same burning hunger that was beginning to tauten her young body, to kindle needs she’d never known she had.
Her lips parted on a shaky breath. She stared at him. He stared back. There seemed to be no sound in the world, nothing except the soft rasp of her breathing and the increasing heaviness of his own. Against her flattened breasts, she could feel the warm hardness of his chest, the thunder of his heartbeat.
One of his hands slid up and down her spine. His black eyes dropped to her mouth and lingered there until she almost felt the imprint of them, like a hard, rough kiss. Her nails bit into him where her hands clung.
She wanted him. He could feel it. She wanted his mouth, his hands, his body. Her breath was coming in tiny gasps. He could feel her heartbeat behind the soft, warm little breasts pressed so hard to his chest. Her mouth was parted, moist, inviting. He could grind his own down into it and make her moan, make her want him, make her open her arms to him on the long, soft sofa that was only a few steps away....