The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)(48)

Sedona wore a hopeless expression. “I’m not sure I want any more information about my condition. I’m comfortable thinking it’s a light case that flares up sometimes, like when I’m stressed or tired.”

“But that doesn’t really sound like schizophrenia.”

“Jed had quiet periods,” she said. Cal delivered coffee to Sedona and Maggie. “I shouldn’t drink this,” Sedona said.

“Decaf,” Cal replied.

“What am I to tell Sierra and Dakota about why I’m still here?”

Maggie shrugged. “Tell them you and Bob are fighting, talking about separating, you needed some time away and don’t care to discuss it. It wouldn’t be a lie.”

“Right,” Sedona said.

Maggie smiled. “Also not typical of a schizophrenic. They usually say what’s on their minds, however bizarre it might be.” Maggie took Sedona’s hand. “I will find you a good doctor and I’ll take you there myself.”





   It is not flesh and blood but the heart

which makes us fathers and sons.

   —JOHANN SCHILLER





10

DAKOTA WASN’T AWARE that Sid might say something to her brother about their new relationship, but in thinking about it, of course she would. Sidney and Rob were very close and Sid spent a great deal of time managing their home and the boys, whenever needed. Fortunately at fourteen and sixteen, with their father just down the street at the bar and checking in all the time, they didn’t need her supervision very often. Sid snuck out to Dakota’s cabin Tuesday morning, then excused herself from work a couple of evenings that week. She brought them a hamburger to-go box and said she couldn’t stay long, but they made the very most of their time together.

Then a week after Sierra’s wedding, when Dakota was having dinner at the bar, Rob brought his food from the kitchen. He placed it in front of Dakota and spoke quietly. “Be very good to her. She’s more fragile than she seems.”

Startled, Dakota frowned. He thought about answering with some kind of challenge. Then he thought of his own protectiveness of Sierra. “Of course!” he whispered.

Rob gave a single nod of his head and turned away.

A few minutes later Sid was standing before him, smiling.

“Your brother warned me to be good to you.”

“I hope you didn’t tell him exactly how good you are,” she said with a sly smile.

“I was a little surprised. Not that he warned me. That you told him.”

“I had to tell him. If I go mysteriously missing with no explanation, he might call out the search and rescue team. Trust me, it’s safer this way. And I told him you were an absolute gentleman.”

He got a lascivious glint in his eyes. “I’m having very ungentlemanly thoughts of what I’d like to do to you right now. When can I see you?” Dakota whispered.

“I’m driving the boys to something tomorrow night—batting cage practice—so it would be late...”

“Anytime,” he said, grinning. “Do you want to go out?”

“Maybe on the weekend? Friday night, since I’m committed to Mary Jacob on Saturday night...”

“Perfect. Just decide when and what you’d like to do.”

“You’re very accommodating, Cody,” she said so no one could hear.

“I’d be pretty stupid not to be,” he said with a grin.

“I do have to work,” she said just as some uniformed troopers came into the bar for their dinner.

“Go,” he said. “I get a big kick out of just watching you.”

He enjoyed the sight of her zipping around behind the bar, loved the quick smile on her lips and easy laugh for the customers, even the men he was tempted to be jealous of. The troopers got a fair amount of attention and conversation, and this made Dakota happy because he knew if this was a cop bar, Sid was always in good hands should the need ever arise. But in a sweet little town like Timberlake, the need would seldom arise.

It took willpower for him to stay away at all. He knew if he gave in to temptation, he would be here every night from dinnertime until she headed home at nine or ten or even later.

But he didn’t want to crowd her, overwhelm her. He had other people to see, even if the urge was not nearly as strong. He usually had dinner with Sully one night a week; sometimes he’d drop in on Cal and sometimes Sierra. Sedona had stayed for a few days past the wedding, and even though she could get on his last nerve, he spent one evening at Cal’s, visiting with his sister. He was more than ready for her to leave—she seemed to be getting a little more nervous and controlling as she got older and he was not too surprised to learn that her husband was threatening divorce if she didn’t find a way to curb her perfectionist tendencies.

He was watching Sid work when a flash of color distracted him. He turned to see Neely walking into the bar. She looked around briefly and then, spotting him at the bar, she turned left and went the other way, looking for a table. She looked back at him and there was no mistaking it; she gave him an angry, nasty look.

Neely took a seat on the far side of the room. He couldn’t help but notice her attire, and women’s clothes were not something he paid a great deal of attention to. But every time he’d seen Neely, she’d been wearing very expensive and what he assumed were incredibly fashionable clothes. Tonight it was a black leather skirt with a fringe running down one side to the hem, red leather high-heeled boots and a multicolored leather jacket with a lot of red in it. Her hair was down and full and even from across the room he could see her dark eyes and red lips. She didn’t look like she was dressed for a casual night in a bar. He was momentarily glad he’d parked his Jeep under a streetlight. She was starting to give him the creeps, coming on to him one minute, glaring at him the next.