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Acting on pure instinct, Rachel leaned forward.
"Gabe's building an aviary in back of the cottage to get the bird acclimated to the outdoors."
Gabe regarded her with irritation. "It's no big deal, Rachel."
Now she had all three Bonner brothers scowling at her. Only Jane and Kristy watched her with interest. "I think it is. Taking care of that scrawny little bird makes you happy. The drive-in doesn't."
"Tweety Bird isn't scrawny!" Edward exclaimed.
Gabe pushed himself abruptly back from the table. "Coffee's running low. I'll make a fresh pot." He disappeared through the patio doors.
Cal leaned back in his chair and stared at her with steely gray eyes. "Are you deliberately trying to make my brother unhappy?"
"Cal…"
He reacted to his wife's interjection with a small movement of his hand, wordlessly silencing her. Dr. Jane Darlington Bonner didn't look like the sort of woman who could be easily silenced, so Rachel sensed that her shrug of acceptance was voluntary. Maybe she had decided this confrontation was inevitable and that Rachel was tough enough to take him on.
"I've told Ethan the same thing I'm going to tell you," Rachel said. "Stop pampering him. Running the Pride of Carolina isn't what he should be doing with his life, and both of you need to stop acting as if he's involved in something wonderful. Gabe's a vet, and that's what he needs to be doing."
"You think you know my brother better than his own family?" Cal said coldly.
"Yeah, I guess I do."
Gabe reappeared. "Coffee should be ready soon."
Ethan's gaze flickered from his older brother back to Gabe. "There's a ball in the garage. Let's throw it around while Mr. Quarterback cleans up the kitchen. You want to come with us, Edward?"
Edward took his time replying. "I want to, but if I do, Rosie's gonna cry 'cause she likes me so much, so I guess I'll stay here and play with her."
Rachel could see that her son's decision had won him the affection of Rosie's parents. Both of them smiled and told him he could go on, but Edward politely refused.
Ethan and Gabe stepped down off the deck. Rachel began to clear the table only to have Cal come up behind her and say softly, "Would you mind stepping into the study for a few minutes? I have something to show you."
Going off with him was the last thing she wanted to do, but Jane and Kristy had just disappeared into the kitchen, so there was no one to rescue her. She gave what she hoped looked like a careless shrug and followed him.
When they reached the study, he closed the door behind them. Through the window to her left, she saw the football fly, then Gabe ran into her field of vision to catch it.
Cal walked behind the desk that had once been Dwayne's and pulled open a drawer. "I have something here for you." He withdrew a slip of paper and extended it toward her. Even before her fingers closed around it, she knew that it was a check. She glanced down and drew in her breath.
It was made out to her in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars.
Her voice croaked. "What's this?"
He settled into the chair and looked up at her. "A down payment on your future."
She stared at it, a sinking feeling in her stomach, knowing the answer to the question even before she asked it. "And what do you want in return?"
"I want you to leave Salvation and not contact my brother again." He paused. "You have responsibilities. A child to support. This'll make it easier."
"I see." A knot began to grow in her throat. She had come to Salvation to find a treasure, but she hadn't imagined this would be it. She swallowed hard, trying to make the knot loosen. "How long do I have?"
"I figure you'll need a little time to find a place to go, so I've postdated it. I'll expect you gone in ten days."
As she looked across the desk at him, she was surprised to see a flash of compassion in his eyes, and she hated him for it. She blinked hard. "Gabe laughs now. Not often, but sometimes. Did Ethan tell you that?"
"Reopening that drive-in has been good for him. He's finally starting to heal."
She wanted to argue with him, to tell him that she was the reason Gabe had begun to heal, but he wouldn't believe her. Besides, she didn't know if it was true. Maybe she didn't mean anything more to Gabe than a few hours of forgetfulness when they were in bed.
