"I was too busy noticing how hard his body is. It isn't fair, Sarah, he should either have brains or brawn, but not both."
Sarah laughed. "Elle wasn't happy that we kept him away from you. She said we should let nature take its course."
"What does that mean?" Libby was horrified. "What does she know?"
"Elle never says exactly what she means, but she was very adamant. It's hard for her to maintain a balance of giving people privacy, free agency and warning us off doing something stupid because she knows things we don't."
"Her life is so difficult, Sarah. I worry about her. She told me she doesn't want to have children."
Sarah put down her cup of tea, shocked. "She did? Why? She carries all the gifts. Without her, the Drake legacy would most likely end."
Libby sighed. "She's so sad. I think it's such a burden for her. I told her to talk to Mom. Mom had to learn how to cope with knowing what everyone is thinking and feeling all the time. I try to help, but Elle won't let me."
"You shouldn't be helping anyone for a while, Libby. You need to strike some kind of balance. You give too much of yourself to everyone. If you keep letting people take pieces of you, eventually there'll be nothing left. You know better than to take on someone's illness or injuries."
"It was Jonas. I had no choice." Libby defended herself.
"You did it twice. Healing infections is one thing, you're merely using energy to heal, but taking on something of that magnitude, you're absorbing the injuries. You could die. Why did you heal Tyson Derrick?"
Libby looked down at her hands. "I didn't have a choice, Sarah. I couldn't stop myself. I had no intention of healing him, but I was pulled there and then it was happening. He doesn't even know it."
"He doesn't want to know it because he'd have to believe in something he can't prove," Sarah said. "It's easier to believe we're con artists."
"He doesn't believe that," Libby insisted. "He's a scientist. He thinks differently."
"Magic is science. He just can't explain it, but it's all about energy and the universe. He doesn't fit with us, with our magic."
"Maybe not," Libby admitted and blew on her tea to avoid her sister's eyes.
9
LIBBY tried to hide her excitement and nervousness from her sisters as she surreptitiously glanced at the clock in her living room. Tyson was going to be there any minute. She'd really tried this time with her appearance. She was always pale, but she used foundation, hoping to give herself more color. She'd even applied more eye makeup than usual. She still wore a comfortable pair of jeans, but her top was clinging under her light sweater.
The pull of being with him didn't make sense to her, unless, as Sarah pointed out, it was the wounded bird syndrome. Libby walked over to the couch and put her arm around Hannah's neck to lean down and kiss her on top of her head.
"You're so tired, hon. Can't you go to sleep? I can help you if you'd let me."
Hannah caught her hand. "No, you can't. You have to stop using energy for a long while, even for the minor things. I'm drinking chamomile tea and at least I'm home where I can relax. Jonas is breathing on his own." Without warning, Hannah choked back a sob and put her hands over her face to hide the tears.
Libby sat beside her and put her arms around Hannah. At once the warm light burst out of her, seeking to comfort her sister, to ease her pain. Hannah pulled away abruptly. "Libby! You're supposed to be resting."
"Not when you need me," Libby said firmly. "I've never seen you so . . ." She trailed off searching for the right word. "Broken."
"I just never expected him to get hurt. Not just hurt, but someone almost killed him. Why, Libby? Why would someone do that to Jonas? He's a good man and he genuinely cares about other people all the time. You saw him the other night so upset over a case of parental abuse. He puts everyone else before himself."
"I know, honey," Libby said. Hannah looked gaunt, her eyes red with dark circles under them. "It's been bad, but he's going to live. He'll be back bossing us around very soon."
Hannah flashed a wan smile. "I never thought I'd ever want to hear his annoying arrogant bossiness again, but I can't wait."
Libby forced a bright laugh. "And once he does, you'll want to turn him into a toad again."
Instead of making Hannah laugh, she burst into tears. "I said I wanted him on a rocket to Mars. I was experimenting with spells to keep him out of the house. I never meant for him to get hurt. It was all supposed to be in fun."
"Hannah! For heaven sake, you can't think that you're responsible for someone shooting him. He's in law enforcement. His job is dangerous."
"He always seemed so invincible. I thought we'd always have him around." Hannah ducked her head, staring down at her hands. "Even if he got married, I thought he'd still come around because he loves all of you."
Libby went very still, took a deep breath and let it out. Hannah's pain was palpable. "Jonas loves you, Hannah. There's no question about that."
Hannah leaned her head against Libby's shoulder. "He doesn't, you know. He thinks I'm useless."
Libby wanted to cry for her sister. "Hannah, do you think you're useless? Certainly Jonas doesn't think so. Is it possible that you're putting your own feelings on him?"
"You obviously haven't heard him with me," Hannah said.
"He doesn't like your job. Has it occurred to you that he doesn't like other men looking at you? Not in magazines or on television, especially when you're modeling skimpy clothes? I think all his comments stem from jealousy. Jonas is the type of man to protect those he loves. He can't protect you when you're all over the cover of magazines and he hates the idea of total strangers looking at your body."
Hannah glanced up as Joley came into the room. "He isn't mean to Joley and she has men ogling her all the time."
"No, but he lectures her frequently and he always checks with her security people even though she hates it. And would you want to confront Joley all the time? She's as mean as a snake if you rile her up."
"Hey now!" Joley flung herself onto the couch on the other side of Hannah, catching her hand. "I think a snake is an insult. I'm more like a tigress, or something else fierce with claws."
Hannah laughed in spite of herself. "You're not mean, Joley. You just pretend to be. You have a soft heart."
Joley leaned over and kissed her sister on the cheek. "You keep thinking that, hon, but keep it quiet around Mom and Dad. I carefully cultivated the image and I like it. How's Jonas?"
"He's doing better," Hannah said. "I couldn't keep my eyes open and Kate said she'd stay with Abigail and watch over him until I get back."
"I'm fixing you soup," Joley offered.
"But you don't cook," Hannah said.
Joley shrugged with a small grin. "It's in a can, babe, not your from-scratch soup. Even I can manage to heat up a can of soup."
"Joley, that's so sweet. You don't have to do that."
"I already did. You look as if you haven't had anything to eat this past week. You need nutrition. Lots and lots of nutrition."
"I haven't been able to sleep since Jonas was shot. I try, but I just keep seeing him lying on the ground covered in blood. I don't think I'll ever be able to get that image of him out of my head." Hannah's hand trembled as she rubbed at her mouth. "Why would someone do that to him? Why?"
Libby shook her head. "We'll probably never know, honey. You're overtired and you need to sleep."
"I didn't want to leave him, but I needed to come home. Kate and Abbey said they'd take care of him," Hannah repeated, sounding lost.
Joley exchanged a long look with Libby. "You're not doing anything wrong by coming home. You've been at the hospital for over a week. You have to take care of yourself or you won't be of any use to Jonas. Come into the kitchen and let me get you some soup." She tugged at Hannah until her sister stood. It was only then that she noticed Libby was wearing makeup. "You can't be going to work yet, Libby. You need at least another week to recover."
Libby tried to loo
k nonchalant. "No, I'm just going out for a walk, maybe head into town to say hello to Inez at the grocery store. I need fresh air."
Joley snorted. "You have to learn to lie, big sister. You're totally blushing."
Hannah studied the scarlet color creeping into Libby's cheeks. "You're seeing him, aren't you, Libby? Tyson Derrick, the man who put the new birthmark on your neck."
"I'm sooo telling Mom," Joley said.
A small smile stole over Libby's face. "Maybe she'll think I'm the bad girl," she said hopefully. "What do you think?"
"Sorry, love, not with me in the house." Joley flashed an engaging smile. "Mom's bound to have read at least one of the gossip mags and I think I've got some love triangle going at the moment." She suddenly looked hopeful. "Or maybe it's a threesome."
"Joley." Hannah wrinkled her nose. "That's just eww."
"Well, it would be nice if my life was as exciting in real life as it is in other people's imaginations."
"I think Libby's life is becoming exciting," Hannah said.
"If Hot Lips is hanging around there's no question things are going to be heating up, but I thought Sarah tried to run him off."
"He doesn't run off very easily," Libby said, a small part of her secretly pleased that he wasn't intimated by her family. Libby was surprised at how eager she was to see Tyson. She'd thought about him all night, even resolved to tell him she wasn't going to go out with him, but the resolve had dwindled away in the morning. She sat for a long time watching the pounding sea as the wind kicked up the ocean into rough, foaming waves as she thought about Tyson Derrick. The more she thought about him, the more she was convinced that he needed her.
"Good for him," Joley said, approval in her voice. "You need a strong man."
"Me? Need him? It's the other way around. He analyzes feelings but he either doesn't feel anything for people or doesn't recognize when he does. He's isolated himself from the world. And he uses extreme recreation, such as race car driving, just to make himself feel alive. He's always okay with commenting on people and observing them, but he certainly doesn't want to get involved."
"Except with you."
Libby blushed again. When he looked at her, there was unmistakable desire in his eyes. Raw hunger. Longing. Need. Everything in her rose up to respond. "We actually have a lot in common, although Sarah doesn't think so. We're both calm and it takes a lot to get us upset, although I've noticed I'm more emotional around him. He has a knack for getting under my skin like no one else and I seem to bring out a temper in him. I absolutely love his mind."
Libby caught her sisters exchanging a look. "I do. I can't help it. He's a genius and can talk to me about the things that really appeal to me, but he's disconnected to people and even to his own feelings. He had a rotten childhood. I think he needs me, but really, I don't see why you think I need him."
"Because you live your life for everyone else and you don't have boundaries," Joley said. "You're so smart, Libby, but you're too compassionate. You let too many people take pieces out of you. You can't say no. You need someone strong to step in and protect you. We try, but even we have a tendency to use you up. You can't say no and you need someone to provide a balance for you."
"I do not." Libby was indignant.
Hannah nodded her agreement with Joley. "She's right. You need a strong man in your life, one not afraid of anyone, especially us."
Joley glanced out the window and whistled. "Speak of the devil. Oh my, Lib, the man is looking good today."
Hannah and Joley crowded each other for space at the window.
"Get away from there before he sees you," Libby said, mortified, yet she could feel laughter bubbling up. Her sisters loved to tease her, but already Tyson thought her family was a bunch of fruitcakes. She didn't need him to catch them gawking at him. She bared her teeth at her two younger sisters, hoping to look fierce. "Back off, both of you. Go into the kitchen."
"Look at that chest, Hannah. Oh, my. I feel positively faint," Joley said, nudging the tall blond.
A faint answering smile appeared on Hannah's face, the first real one since Jonas had been shot. "I like the way his muscles are rippling."
"You can't see rippling muscles," Libby objected, straining to see.
"You just aren't looking hard enough," Joley said. "And he's wearing tight jeans. Ooh la la." She fanned herself with her hand. "Libby. You go girl."
"That's it. Get into the kitchen." Libby pointed out the direction for them, trying to look stern. "Both of you."
Joley and Hannah went, laughing out loud, peeking through the archway to watch as Libby hurried to the front door.
Libby opened the door on the first knock. The moment she saw him up close her breath hitched in her throat. He did look hot in a pair of tight jeans and an open-throated shirt. His black hair spilled across his forehead and his blue eyes drifted over her face with a small hint of possession. Her heart quickened at his intent look. His smile broke out, a flash of white teeth, a hint of a dimple, his eyes lighting up. There was no way to stop her own answering smile. "You made it."
"Of course." He took her hand and pulled her to him, reaching past her to close the door behind her firmly. The action brought her body against his. "Are you feeling better?"
He was solid, his body muscular, and she could feel his heat. A small tremor went through her. Her womb contracted. Tyson even smelled good. Manly. She wanted to roll her eyes at her own thoughts. "Yes, much better. What about you, did you get any sleep?" Her voice was disgusting, all husky and silly and beyond her control.
"I got some work done and that's what really counts."
Catching movement at the window, Libby stepped away from Tyson. "What are you working on?"
Ty retained possession of her hand, tugging to get her to follow him down the stairs. He wanted to get her away from the influence of her family home. There was an indefinable power he could feel in spite of his determination not to credit the Drakes with being truly different. "I have some concerns with the PDG-ibenregen drug. I believe there's a problem with it, even though everyone else thinks it's just fine. Well," he hedged, "they want to believe it's just fine."
"The new drug is based on your original research on cell regeneration, isn't it?" Libby asked. She was all too aware of his hand holding hers and the brush of his body against hers as they walked. "I was very interested in the new cancer drug when I heard it was based on your earlier work, but to be honest, I thought they went to trial too soon."
"Exactly," he agreed. "I can't get anyone to listen to me.
I've received several calls from Joe Fields telling me to back off."
"He's the one you mentioned you noticed in the hospital," Libby said. She flashed him a smile. "See? I usually remember things."
"That's the one. He's been a bit unhappy because his old friend Harry, the biochemist on the project, has his nose out of joint."
"You really don't like Harry, do you?"
"He does shoddy work," Tyson said. "I have no tolerance or respect for anyone who is in such a hurry they can't finish the job right. He doesn't research for love of science or to help people, he's a glory hound. He wants everyone to know his name."
"He's jealous of you," Libby guessed.
They walked along the trail leading up above the ocean where she could see the sea seemed to meet the horizon. The waves were calmer without the cool wind. "It feels good to be out of the house."
Tyson took a deep breath and stopped her, swinging around so his body was directly in front of hers. His fingers tightened around her hand, threatening to crush her bones. "Here's the thing, Libby. I've thought a great deal about this. I don't believe in magic. It doesn't make sense to anyone with a logical brain. Whatever you and your sisters do isn't real. I don't know if your family originally used sleight of hand to con people, but whatever the origins, I've observed you enough to know you believe you're able to heal people."
Libby opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head and pulled her hand
to his chest. "Just hear me out. I think you're experiencing psychosomatic symptoms, much like a false pregnancy, but we can work on that together. I know I can help you see that no one can really heal anyone with magic. You're smart. You'll see it in time."
She could only stare dumbly, torn between wanting to laugh and to cry. He was so earnest, his expression grave and his blue eyes holding her gaze captive. "I'll see that I make myself ill pretending to heal people?" Obviously she could pick them. If only he would just keep his mouth closed she might get somewhere with him.
"Putting it that way sounds bad. It's more like you've been brainwashed, programmed to believe it and your brain tricks your body into experiencing the symptoms. And that can be dangerous to your health."
He tightened his fingers around hers when she tried to move away from him. "Don't, Libby, don't pull away. I've thought this whole thing through. I want a relationship with you. You're able to understand me, we're interested in the same things and I think you're an incredible woman. I'm willing to pay the price of accepting your family. It really is worth the sacrifice to be able to see you."
Her eyebrow shot up. "How courageous of you to take on my crackpot, con-artist family." She tilted her head to one side. "So I don't really heal people, but I've convinced myself so strongly that I can that I manifest psychosomatic symptoms of the people I think I've healed. That's what you think really happens, huh?"
"Yes. If you just open your mind to the possibility, I'm certain it would make more sense to you. You're a scientist, Libby, a doctor. You want to heal people because you're so compassionate, but no one can really do that. Haven't you ever watched the faith healers in the tents and realized they're bilking the public?"
"How do you know they are?" She started walking back toward her house, this time holding his hand so he wouldn't let go.
"It's been proven time and time again. The faith healers have been investigated and debunked. Seriously, Libby, I could show you many of the reports. I looked them up over this past week and prepared them in a file for you. It's all there in black and white."
"You did that for me?" She smiled her sweetest smile, wandering slowly up the path to her house. "Tyson Derrick, how considerate of you. I had no idea you were such a thoughtful man."