Saria made a face. “Really? Because they were home so much and paid such attention to me? They sent money home and figured that was enough. They were not goin’ to deal with pere, no one was.” She gave Pauline a mischievous smile. “By that time I’d gotten over childish resentments and fantasies of five brothers dotin’ on me, and realized it was far better not to be noticed by them. Otherwise they’d be tryin’ to boss me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Sort of like they do now.”

Pauline nodded her head. “It’s true, cher, your pere was a mean drunk.”

Drake suppressed a groan. If her father was such a mean drunk, why did everyone think it was okay for Saria to cope with him alone? What the hell was wrong with everyone?

Saria’s gaze met his. “He never laid a hand on me.”

There was underlying humor in her tone. She wasn’t lying exactly, but she sure wasn’t telling the entire truth.

Pauline glanced at her sharply. “He switch you, child?”

“Only when he could catch me, which wasn’t often, and then I left for days. He didn’ get to eat much. He learned quick not to bother, no matter how mad he was.” Saria grinned at her, uncaring that her father had taken a thin branch to her.

“It’s a little late to be asking her that now,” Drake said, making no apologies for the anger and accusation in his voice. Damn them all, leaving a child alone with a drunken father in the swamp. “Where the hell were the churchgoing women?”

Saria leaned across the table and put a hand over his. “Don’ be upset. I’m not. I had a great childhood. Pere loved me. He drowned in sorrow after ma mere died. I wasn’t the easiest child to try to raise.”

No, Drake had to agree she probably hadn’t been easy to raise, not with her need for independence and her iron will. Saria Boudreaux was one of kind. She hadn’t thought to complain to anyone about her father or her workload. Loyalty was a big part of her makeup, even to her absent brothers. She hadn’t told on Elie Jeanmard when she could have gotten him in deep trouble. If her father cared as she said he did, and he was leopard, as he had to have been—Elie would have gotten beaten within an inch of his life for touching Saria against her will.

“You should have been protected.” Any leopard lair knew that their women were of paramount importance.

“My father taught me to take care of myself,” Saria said, “and I’m grateful to him.”