“She’s always got something ready to cook.” She pursed her lips. “In fact, she has pots and pans lined up, ready, in case I look like I’m even planning to ask her to ride with me.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I have reason to believe you’ve been filling her head with irrelevant facts about how many times I’ve run into ditches.”

“Lies.”

“It was only one ditch,” she pointed out.

“That reminds me.” He pulled out his cell phone and checked a text message. He nodded. “I have a professional driving instructor coming out to work with you, starting Saturday afternoon.”

“Coward,” she accused.

He grinned. “I don’t teach.”

“I thought you were doing very well, except for the nonstop cursing.”

“I thought you were doing well, except for the nonstop near accidents.”

She threw up her hands and sighed. “Okay. Just push me off onto some total stranger who’ll have a heart attack if I miss a turn. His family will sue us and we’ll end up walking everywhere...”

He held up a hand. “I won’t change my mind. I can’t teach you how to drive with any efficiency. These people have been doing it for a long time.”

She gave in. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot.” She looked up at him. “You and Sara are coming to graduation, aren’t you?”

He smiled down at her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the whole world, ma belle.”

Her heart jumped up into her throat. She could walk on air, because Gabriel teased her in that deep, soft tone that he used only with her.

He touched her long hair gently. “You’re almost grown. Just a few more years.”

“I’m eighteen.”

He let go of her hair. “I know.” He turned away. She was eighteen years old. Years too young for what he was thinking of. He had to let her go, let her grow, let her mature. He couldn’t hold her back out of selfishness. In a few years, when she was through college, when she had a good job, when she could stand alone—then, yes, perhaps. Perhaps.

“You’re very introspective tonight,” she remarked.

“Am I?” He chuckled. “I was thinking about cows.”

“Cows?”

“It’s a clear night. If a UFO were to abduct a cow, we would probably see it.”

“How exciting! Let’s go looking for them. I’ll drive!”

“Not on your life, and don’t you have homework? Finals are coming up, I believe?”

She made a face. “Yes, they are, and I can’t afford to make a bad grade.” She glanced at him. “Spoilsport.”

He shrugged. “I want you to graduate.”

She folded her hands on her jeans-clad thighs. “I’ve never told you how much I appreciate all you and Sara have done for me,” she said quietly. “I owe you so much...”

“Stop that. We were happy to help.”