Was she serious about Clayton Travers? The way her feet rushed in his direction seemed to say…very.
Clay could feelGabriella’s presence before he saw her. Biologists would say that awareness was a protective instinct leftover from his primitive ancestors—an ability to sense when the focus of another was on him in case a predator approached.
But he could swear there had to be a better explanation for it when the person doing the looking was Gabriella Chance. He felt her clear blue gaze on him as surely as the sun warmed his skin. Watching her walk toward him now across the lawn behind Lucky’s Grocery, he wanted to go to her so he could have his hands on her sooner. Wanted to kiss so he could claim her as his own.
More than anything, he wanted to bring a smile to her pretty face.
Amid those thoughts, he was surprised to hear his foster mother’s voice across the table. “I hear you and Gabriella Chance have renewed your friendship.”
Blinking his way free of thoughts about Gabby, he turned to see Lorelei smiling at him. His foster mother rested her chin in one hand, her spiral curls dancing in a breeze he wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. She wore a pink bandanna tied around her hair to keep some of it off her narrow face. Her grin was wide and warm, her lively brown eyes missing nothing.
She gave him a sly wink and then nodded toward the lawn where Gabriella strode toward them. “I always suspected you missed her after she left Heartache, but you were one of my tougher kids to read, so I wasn’t sure until just now.”
Clay had forgotten that quality about his mom—the sole woman he thought of in connection with that word. She was not only a sharp judge of character. She also had a great sense of humor and found joy in small things all the time. She’d been a great role model for Clay, the kind that he wanted for his half sister.
“I may have had a crush on her when she was my tutor,” he admitted, regretting that it had taken him so long to come back and see Lorelei after he’d moved out of the foster home. “It’s definitely good to see her again.”
“I think she feels the same,” Lorelei said in a soft voice as Gabriella stepped up onto the back patio. “I can see it in how she looks at you.”
Standing, Clay held out a hand to Gabriella, his eyes wandering over the long gray skirt and lightweight blue sweater she wore with a silver scarf covered in stars. With her hair pulled back, and no jewelry or makeup that he could see, she had an easy attractiveness that trumped any artifice. Although what drew him even more was her warm heart and caring nature. She’d been good to his half sister allweek while Clay had stumbled through his attempts to get to know the girl.
He appreciated the way Gabriella tried to make it easier for him, driving conversation in directions he could handle. Music. Local bands. A few of the lighter tales about dealing with Pete. Strangely Clay had enjoyed seeing Mia’s imitations of their bad-tempered father since it was clear she found him more amusing than threatening. She’d told a funny story about Pete hating socks that were too short—throwing them across the room and demanding Real Man’s Socks.
It was because of Gabriella that Clay had been able to enjoy that connection with his half sister. And share a couple of buried memories of his father that weren’t painful. That had been a gift.
“Mom.” Clay turned to his foster mother with a smile, knowing how much Lorelei enjoyed the title even though she made it a point never to ask for it. “This is Gabriella Chance.” He found Gabby’s hand in his, her cool fingers smooth against his palm. “Gabby, this is the best foster mother a guy could ever ask for, Lorelei Hasting.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hasting.” Gabriella reached to take his mother’s hand and squeezed it. “And I hear it’s your birthday, as well. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. So nice to see you again, Gabriella. I do remember you from when you were a girl. Your father used to bring you with him to the pizza shop on Friday nights to pick up an order.” Lorelei knew half the town’s regular orders, impressing all the kids who worked at the restaurant with her uncanny memory for pizza requests.
“You’re kind to remember him.” Something in Gabby’s voice told Clay that she was truly touched. “I didn’t hear much from him for the first few years after he…went away. But he’s turned into an interesting pen pal in the past eighteen months. I’m hoping he’s turned a corner in his rehabilitation.”
Her answer surprised Clay, making him realize he hadn’t spent nearly enough time getting to know her. They talked a few more minutes before his friend Sam Reyes, their official party host, charged up the patio steps.
He clapped Clay on the shoulder warmly. The Heartache town sheriff was built like an athlete with heavy shoulders and arms. He’d never been one for idle chitchat, but Clay had always found him easy enough to get along with since he was straightforward and to the point. You never had to guess where Sam Reyes stood. He was happy to tell you—in as few words as possible.
“Welcome, Clay.” Sam greeted him before dropping an arm around Gabriella. “Hello, Gabby.”
Clay tried to ignore a stab of envy for the warm greeting Gabriella gave the sheriff, knowing that reaction had to do with all the years Clayton spent thinking Sam had stolen his dream girl and run off to the West Coast with her. Now he understood their relationship was more that of siblings. Good siblings—not the kind of crappy brother he was to his own family. Clay could see the ease of their relationship in the way Gabriella leaned into Sam’s chest before he kissed the top of her head.
Still…the pep talk didn’t quite take away the urge to drag Gabriella closer.
“Mom.” Sam opened his arms wide to Lorelei. “You’re the woman of the hour and the lady I’ve been looking for. Everyone’s asking about you and Dad.”
“He’ll be here any minute. The boys had a soccer game this morning and I really wanted them to play.” She glanced around Sam to meet Gabriella’s eyes. “I have two youngerboys at home now and they are energetic with a capital E. I thought maybe if Danny took them to soccer, they stood a better chance of settling down earlier tonight so the grown-ups can stay up and play.”
“Dawson and Bailey can watch them,” Sam offered, referring to Lorelei’s teenage foster son and his girlfriend. “A wise woman once told me that having teens babysit is the best public service announcement for abstinence.”
Clay laughed while Lorelei gave Sam a gentle punch in the shoulder.
“Samuel Reyes,” she chided “I’m sure I never said such a thing.” Their foster mother laughed and Sam led her to a table full of presents and newcomers to the party.
Leaving Clay alone on the patio with Gabriella.
“She seems great,” Gabby observed lightly, her eyes following Lorelei and all the people who surged around her and Sam. “I hope I’m in town long enough to spend some time talking to her. I’ll bet she has some great insights about the kinds of teens who join my online support group.”
Tension crawled up his arms and settled in his shoulders at the reminder that they would be returning to their own homes soon. He had a life in Memphis. She had one on the West Coast. He knew that, and yet it seemed damned jarring to think about it when he’d been focused on getting to know her better. Enjoying time with her that wasn’t about the trial.
