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Absorbed in her own thoughts, Laura failed to hear his remark. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“Doing some heavy thinking, were you?” he guessed.
“Something like that,” she admitted with a shrug, then eyed him curiously. “What are you going to do if you should lose Crawford Hall?”
“I don’t know.” His mouth twitched. “But I give you my solemn oath that I won’t take to drinking and beating up women.”
It was a frivolous answer to what had been a serious question, and yet so typical of him that Laura had to laugh. At the same time, she knew Sebastian had spoken the truth.
“Do you realize we never ate lunch?” she asked, suddenly conscious of the emptiness in her stomach.
“Have a strawberry.” He hand-fed her one. Just like that, the entire incident at the Mitchell house seemed to lose much of its frustration. Once again her smile was carefree.
Chapter Fifteen
The Mitchell woman dominated the dinner conversation at The Homestead that evening. “I’m afraid I couldn’t even pretend to be sympathetic,” Laura declared. “As far as I’m concerned, Mitchell should be strung up by his balls for what he did to her.”
There was an instant of stunned silence, broken by Jessy’s low-voiced, “Laura.”
Chase spoke up quickly, “Now don’t shush her, Jessy. It’s the first unladylike thing that’s come out of her mouth in years. She just might be a Calder after all.”
“Hear, hear.” Sebastian toasted her with his wineglass.
“It might not be a bad idea to mention this to Logan the next time you see him,” Laredo suggested. “If nothing else, he can swing by there now and then. It might help convince the wife that she can call for help.”
“Good idea,” Jessy agreed.
“I wouldn’t bother calling him tonight,” Trey said. “Logan says things always get crazy on nights when there’s a full moon, and we have one tonight.”
Laura perked up. “We do?”
Trey nodded. “About as big and round as it gets.”
She turned an eager glance on Sebastian. “How about we saddle a couple horses and go for a moonlight ride?”
“I would enjoy that.” His answering look was lively and warm, and Laura felt that familiar curl of excitement deep in the pit of her stomach.
“Good.” Laura pushed her chair back from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go change into my riding clothes.”
“But what about dessert?” Jessy looked at her in surprise. “Allie’s made a fresh strawberry tart.”
Laura exchanged knowing glances with Sebastian. “I’ll pass. I’ve already had my quota of fresh strawberries today.” She rose from her chair and headed into the hallway.
An hour later the first blush of sunset tinted the evening sky as Laura left the barns and rode toward The Homestead, a saddled horse in tow. Chase was ensconced in his rocker on the veranda, pushing it back and forth in a slow rhythm.
Laura reined in her horse, halting it near the front steps. “Where’s Sebastian? I thought he’d be out here by now.”
“He’s on the phone with his sister,” Chase replied. “I expect he’ll be out directly.”
“I hope so. The moon will be rising soon.” Laura hooked a knee around the saddle horn and resigned herself to waiting, conscious of the day’s heat rising from the sun-baked ground and the utter stillness of the air.
“You surprised me today,” Chase continued his idle rock.
“How’s that?”
“Getting personally involved with that Mitchell woman. That’s something I would have expected from Quint—or even Trey. But it isn’t like you.”
She smiled in a chiding fashion, not in the least offended. “Now, Gramps, you know very well that I wouldn’t have walked out and left her lying on the floor all battered and beaten.”
