He didn’t chide her for being silly, as Clay had done, more than once, nor did he ask her not to cry.

He simply held her, rocking her very slightly from side to side.

And she did the most dangerous thing of all: she let herself lean into Eli Garrett, into his courage and his masculinity and his strength.

She was in big trouble.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“DO YOU EVER SLEEP?” Sara demanded, as she opened her back door to Eli and his sidekick, Festus. She was wearing a red zip-up bathrobe and fluffy slippers, and her dark hair hung in loose spirals around her shoulders.

She’d scrubbed off her party makeup and probably brushed her teeth.

Since it was after one in the morning, Eli supposed he was lucky she hadn’t already turned in.

“I’ve been known to sleep, on occasion,” he replied.

Sara stepped back to let her brother into her spacious kitchen. She smiled warmly and patted Festus on the head as he passed.

It was obvious that the dog was a welcome guest. Eli himself? Maybe not so much.

“Is this about Eric?” Sara asked, once she’d shut the door. She moved to the counter, started building a pot of coffee. “He’s been weird tonight. Sort of jumpy.”

Anyone else would have served decaf at that hour, Eli supposed, but Sara was a writer and she ran on caffeine.

Eli stood, constitutionally incapable of sitting while a woman stood. “Yes,” he replied. “It’s sort of about Eric, and sort of not.”

Sara left the coffee maker for the sink, where she filled a bowl with water and set it down for Festus.

The dog lapped thirstily, then plunked down on the floor to wait out whatever human interaction was taking place.

Sara stood with her hands on her slender hips. She was a beautiful woman, strong, smart and successful, and yet again, Eli reflected that it was a real shame that she’d decided never to take a chance on another man. Zach Worth had single-handedly soured her on the whole male gender.

“If that boy is in trouble again, I swear I’ll lose my mind,” she said. Her gray eyes, weary with the lateness of the hour, flashed with conviction.

“Sara,” Eli said. “Sit down.”

He pulled back a chair for her, and she sat.

Eli took a seat across the table from her.

The coffee maker hummed and chortled on the counter.

“That might not be the worst idea you’ve ever had. Sending Eric away for a while.”

Sara paled slightly. Lowered her voice when she spoke again. “Oh, my God, Eli—is he in some kind of danger?”