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"I know."
"And I very much doubt that Gabe wants me drawn any closer into his family circle. I think I'd better pass."
"I won't press, but I hope you change your mind. Cal and Ethan are two of the most pigheaded men on earth, but they mean well, and I'm dying to meet the notorious Widow Snopes."
Rachel found herself responding to the woman's gentle humor with a laugh. "Come up to the cottage anytime."
"I'll do that."
She had just hung up when Gabe walked in from the backyard. A trace of sawdust clung to his jeans, and he looked happier than he had in days.
She smiled at him. "What are you doing out there?"
"Building a little aviary. Tweety Bird's going to have to get acclimated to the outdoors before we can release him."
All this for one small, very common sparrow?
He walked over to the sink and turned on the water to wash his hands. "I asked Chip if he wanted to help, but he said no."
"Will you stop calling him that?"
"Not till he tells me to." He grabbed a paper towel and came over to give her a good-morning kiss. It was fleeting, but the casual intimacy made her remember last night's lovemaking. Now she laid her cheek against his chest and tried not to think about how soon this had to end.
His fingers captured a lock of her hair and looped it behind her ear. He kissed the place it had been, then stepped back. "We have to be at Cal and Jane's soon, and I still need to shower, so stop distracting me."
"We?"
"You know that I don't want you here alone."
Disappointment settled over her as she realized there was nothing personal in his invitation. He didn't want her drawn into his family; he was merely doing guard-dog duty. The bedroom was the only private place she occupied in Gabe's life, and he'd never promised her anything more.
"I don't think that's a good idea. I'd have a hard time eating with both your brothers shooting daggers at me."
"I haven't seen you run from a fight yet."
"Gabe, they hate my guts!"
"That's their problem. I have to go, and you're not staying here by yourself."
She concealed her hurt behind a smile. "All right. It might be fun to torture your odious brothers."
Chapter Nineteen
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An hour later, they passed through black wrought-iron gates embellished with gold praying hands. Edward, who sat between Gabe and Rachel in the front seat of the truck, was subdued as he caught sight of the large white mansion. "Did I really live here, Mom?"
"You really did."
"It's big."
She started to say that it was ugly, too, but restrained herself. She tried not to make negative remarks to Edward about Dwayne and their life together.
Dr. Jane Darlington Bonner greeted them at the door, the baby in her arms and the spot of flour on her cheek making her look more like a Pillsbury Bake-off contestant than a world-renowned physicist. She had the classic good looks of someone who came from old money, but from a passing reference Gabe had made, Rachel knew her background was firmly middle-class. Her blond hair was pulled into a loose French braid, and she wore matching peach-colored shorts and top. Her stylish outfit made Rachel uncomfortably conscious of her own faded green-and-white-checked housedress and clunky black oxfords.
Jane, however, didn't seem to notice. She greeted Gabe with a kiss, then gave Rachel a welcoming smile. "I'm so glad you came. And you must be Edward."
"Chip," Gabe interjected to Rachel's annoyance. "Chip Stone."
