There were times Bonnie’s love and admiration for Hunter became clouded with frustration. A great many times. This woman was in love with him, was one step away from being irrevocably committed to him. Any fool could see it, Bonnie mused. Any fool except Hunter. “As I said, there are times he’s overly protective. He has his reasons, Lenore.”

“And will you tell me what they are?”

She was tempted. It was time Hunter opened that part of his life, and she was certain this was the woman he should open it to. “The story’s Hunter’s,” Bonnie said at length. “You should hear it from him.” She glanced around idly as she heard the Jeep pull up in the drive. “They’re back.”

“I guess I’m glad you brought her back,” Sarah commented as they drove the last mile toward home.

“You guess?” Hunter turned his head, to see his daughter looking pensively through the windshield.

“She’s beautiful, like a princess.” For the first time in months, Sarah worried her braces with her tongue. “You like her a lot, I can tell.”

“Yes, I like her a lot.” He knew every nuance of his daughter’s voice, every expression, every gesture. “That doesn’t mean I like you any less.”

Sarah gave him one long look. She needed no other words from him to reaffirm love. “I guess you have to like me,” she decided, half teasing, “‘cause we’re stuck with each other. But I don’t think she does.”

“Why shouldn’t Lenore like you?” Hunter countered, able to follow her winding statement without any trouble.

“She doesn’t smile much.”

Not enough, he silently agreed, but more each day. “When she relaxes, she does.”

Sarah shrugged, unconvinced. “Well, she looked at me awful funny.”

“Your grammar’s deteriorating.”

“She did.”

Hunter frowned a bit as he turned into the dirt drive to their house. “It’s only that she was surprised. I hadn’t mentioned you to her.”

Sarah stared at him a moment, then put her scuffed sneakers on the dash. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”

“Maybe not.”

“You’d better apologize.”

He sent his daughter a mild glance. “Really?”

She patted Santanas’s head when he leaned over the back of her seat and dropped it on her shoulder. “Really. You always make me apologize when I’m rude.”

“I didn’t consider that you were any of her business.” At first, Hunter amended silently. Things changed. Everything changed.

“You always make me apologize, even when I make up excuses,” Sarah pointed out unmercifully. When they pulled up by the house, she grinned at him. “And even when I hate apologizing.”

“Brat,” he mumbled, setting the brake.

With a squeal of laughter, Sarah launched herself at him. “I’m glad you’re home.”