And he’d learned a lot from her sealed juvenile records. They painted a dark picture. But her record after living with her uncle remained spotless. Because she got what she wanted from Sean? Did financial security change her? Maybe it was having the boys.

Whatever it was, it didn’t change the facts.

“I’ll add criminal to the list of things she called you, including arsonist, master manipulator, and gold digger.”

She fell back a step, then caught herself. “Do you believe all that?”

He shrugged, and said, “Jury’s still out,” without thinking.

Sadness filled her eyes.

Why the hell did he say that?

To protect himself from being disappointed by yet another woman? By her?

He owed her yet another apology, but before he could find the words, Ace stuck his head between them, demanding her attention. He’d waited for her to wake up and had kept her safe and now he wanted his reward.

“Jerry, how about a leg up.”

Jerry cupped his hands and Sarah stepped into them with her bare foot and he lifted her to Ace’s back.

She grabbed Ace’s mane and before Luke protested, she gave Ace a kick in the sides, and they took off across the field.

“She sleepwalks into my field, scares us half to death thinking she’s been trampled to death, and now she steals my horse.” He threw his hands up and let them fall and slap his thighs. He took a step toward Jerry. “And why the hell didn’t you tell me about Ace kicking her! Did you see her leg?” A punch of regret replaced his waning fear.

Jerry gave him an incredulous look. “What the hell is the matter with you? Couldn’t you see she was embarrassed? She couldn’t help what happened this morning any more than you can help being a stubborn ass. I didn’t tell you about her getting kicked because I thought she was okay. The kick looked bad, but she got right up.” He shrugged and admiration shown in his eyes. “That girl’s tough.”

“Yeah, she is.” He felt terrible that his horse hurt her. “Can you believe she broke into her neighbor’s house?”

“You know just as well as I do that people who sleepwalk have no control over what they do. Sounds to me like she more than made up for it. She gave the little girl a decorated cake and the mother a fancy cake dish to make things right.”

“That doesn’t excuse that she broke the law.”

Jerry’s hands went up and dropped. “You’re impossible. Stop looking at her like she’s every other woman you have coming and going in your life. What did you see when you found her?”

The wash of fear came back again. “I thought she was dead.”

“Yeah, she was pale as a ghost, has dark circles under her eyes, and probably hasn’t slept more than a few hours a night for weeks. She’s exhausted. That is why she sleepwalks.”

“You think I didn’t notice all of that. She brought several computers with her and plans to work while she’s here. Hell, she hadn’t even been at Margaret’s more than fifteen minutes when she took a business call.”