Embrace the Night

Page 200



He knew she was there even before he rode into the yard. And then he saw her, standing on the veranda that looked out over the gardens, her long blond hair falling over her shoulders, her skin glowing in the light of the moon. Desire flooded through him once more, sharp and painful.

He reined the stallion to a halt beside the corral, then sat there, staring up at Sarah, wondering what she wanted.

His gaze held hers for a long moment, and then she turned away from the rail and descended the stairs that led to the backyard.

He felt his heart beat with anticipation as he watched her approach. "Pretty horse," she said, stopping well out of reach of the stallion.
Gabriel nodded.

"I've never seen anyone ride without a bridle or saddle." "He's well trained."

"He must be. What's his name?"

"Necromancer." It had been the name of all his horses.

"Necromancer?" She lifted one finely arched brow. "Funny name for a horse. Doesn't it mean someone who talks to the spirits of the dead?"

Gabriel closed his eyes. For a moment, he was swept back in time, hearing Sara Jayne's voice asking him the same question, remarking that it was a funny name for a horse, and his own reply, Odd, perhaps, but fitting.

He ignored Sarah's question and asked one of his own. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought your car back."

He lifted one skeptical black brow.

Sarah fidgeted under his probing gaze. Maybe he really could read her mind, she thought. And if that was true, then he knew she was lying. He had been in her thoughts constantly since last night; and if she was going to be entirely truthful, then she would have to admit that he had been in and out of her thoughts ever since the first night they met.

Gabriel lifted his right leg over the horse's withers and slid gracefully to the ground. He gave the horse an affectionate pat on the shoulder, and the stallion trotted into the corral.

Without taking his gaze from Sarah's face, Gabriel closed the gate and slid the latch into place.

Sarah clasped her hands together. Gabriel's nearness, the heat in his unblinking stare, made her decidedly nervous. Why hadshe come here? If all she had wanted to do was return his car, she could have brought it back in the morning and left it in the driveway.