Mandy was still asleep, Sari told her. “She’ll be so happy to have you home. She’s missed you so much. We all have. Especially me.”
Merrie hugged her. “We’ve hardly ever been apart. I had fun, learning about ranching. But it’s nice to be home again.” Tears threatened again.
“Come on upstairs,” Sari said. “I’ll tuck you in and read you a bedtime story,” she teased.
“Thanks,” Merrie said sadly. “I could use a little TLC.”
“Go to bed, sweetheart,” she told Paul with a loving smile. “You can get at least three more hours before you have to wake up for work.”
“You’re an angel,” he mused, smiling. “Thanks.”
“Thanks for coming for me, Paul,” Merrie said. “I’m sorry I called so late.”
“Not a problem, kid,” he teased. “I work for the government. I can sleep standing up if I have to.”
“He really can,” Sari assured Merrie when they were in her room. “I’ve seen him do it on occasion.”
“He’s so kind. You’re so lucky, Sari,” she said. She dropped down onto her bed and let out a sigh. “I wish I was, too.”
“Want to talk about it?” Sari asked gently, sitting beside her.
“He thought I was Randall’s woman and treated me accordingly,” Merrie said stiffly. “When I said no, he thought I was teasing. He was so mad!”
Sari winced and hugged her sister close. “I thought it might be something like that. You should have told him about how we were raised.”
“I tried to. I don’t think he believed me, even from the first.” She drew back, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue from her pocket. “He’s not a bad man,” she added heavily. “But one of Randall’s other women came to stay and seduced him into getting engaged to her. When he found out that she only wanted his money, not him, he broke the engagement. Then she went online and told people he was clumsy in bed.”
“That’s a rotten way to get even with a man,” Sari said quietly. “We’ve prosecuted cases from people who thought they were harassing someone anonymously and found out differently in court.”
“Yes, they never seem to realize that an IP address can be traced,” Merrie agreed. She drew in a breath. “Ren asked me to go to a party with him. He knew his ex-fiancée was going to be there.” She smiled sadly. “I told her to leave him alone.”
“My mild-mannered baby sister actually fought for a man?” Sari teased.
Merrie laughed softly. “Yes, I guess I did. Ren was impressed.” The smile faded. “Then we went home.” She swallowed. The memories stung. She lowered her eyes. “I thought he cared about me. I didn’t realize that a man could be that way with a woman and feel nothing but desire.” She looked up with miserable eyes. “I guess I really am stupid.”
“I remember how I felt about Paul,” Sari replied. “You know how it was for me. He thought I was too young. He wouldn’t take me seriously. And he was haunted by a past I didn’t even know about. It was a very rocky road to the altar.” She grinned. “But look at us now.”
Merrie nodded. “You really did have a fairy-tale romance.” She grimaced. “Mine is more like a horror story.”
“He might improve over time,” Sari suggested.
“Not likely. Not where I’m concerned, anyway.”
“It’s early days yet. Go to sleep. Relax. You’re home, now. Nobody is going to hurt you here.”
“Are the Avengers still around?”
Sari laughed. “Yes, they are. We’ve had them putting up more surveillance equipment. And we’ve got a houseguest.”
“We have? Who?”
Sari patted her hand. “All in good time. Get some sleep, honey. We’ll talk more in the morning. I have tomorrow off, since I’m doing overtime the day after as a trade-off with one of our other ADAs.”
“You’re a nice lawyer.”
“Aw, shucks,” Sari drawled.
Merrie just laughed.
*
HER DREAMS WERE HAUNTED. She was lying in Ren’s arms, drowning in his kisses, when he drew back and threw her aside.
He got up and just walked away, without looking back. She was calling to him, over and over, but he kept walking. She got to her feet and ran. She was wearing a long, expensive, gauzy gown with incredibly high heels. As she ran, she tripped over her long skirts and started falling. She called to Ren to save her, but he was gone. She fell down a hole and turned end over end over end...
She came awake suddenly, her heart shaking her. It was only a dream. But it had felt very real. The falling part, especially. She thought of Ren as he’d been the last time she saw him, drawn and quiet and withdrawn. Paul, she guessed, had told Ren some hard truths about her past. He’d realized then how wrong he’d been about her.