“Upset?” Sabrina asked in exasperation. “Clancy, where is Alex?”
“On his way to Sedikhan,” Clancy answered tersely.
Sabrina could feel the blood drain from her face. “Sedikhan?” she asked haltingly.
Clancy hurriedly pushed her down on a yellow cushioned bar stool. “I thought you might need that drink,” he said, picking up the snifter of brandy he’d poured for himself and thrusting it at her. “Now don’t go jumping to conclusions. He had to go, damn it.”
“In the middle of the night?” Sabrina asked blankly. “Without any warning?” She set the brandy down on the bar without tasting it. “Without telling me?”
“That was supposed to be my job,” Clancy replied gloomily. “And I’m not doing it very well, am I?” He scowled. “I don’t know why he couldn’t have done it himself. He said you were tired and he didn’t want to wake you. Yet the blasted copter barely gets off the ground and you’re down here asking me questions.”
The helicopter. It must have been the helicopter taking off that had awakened her, she thought dazedly. “Why did he have to return to Sedikhan?”
“His grandfather,” Clancy answered. “The doctors think Karim may have suffered a heart attack. They don’t know how serious his condition is yet, but apparently it’s grave enough for them to send for Alex.” He picked up the brandy snifter she’d refused and took a sip. “I received a radiogram aboard the yacht a couple of hours ago and came by launch to give Alex the word.”
“I see,” she said slowly. “I’m sorry to hear that. Alex is very fond of his grandfather, isn’t he?”
Donahue nodded. “They’re as close as two exceptionally strong personalities can be,” he replied. “They care for each other, but for the most part find it more comfortable to be half a world apart.” His lips curved wryly. “I wouldn’t be too concerned if I were you. Karim’s a tough old bird. He’ll probably live to be a hundred.”
A sudden thought occurred to her. “Why didn’t you go with him?” she said, frowning accusingly at him. “You said Alex’s enemies would find a situation like this tailor-made, yet you let him go off alone.”
“He’s not alone,” Clancy said sulkily. “He’ll have half the security force of Sedikhan at his disposal once he steps off the plane.”
“I still think you should have—”
“So do I, damn it!” he interrupted. He crashed the snifter down on the bar. “Do you think I like the idea of letting him go off without me? He’s never before turned down my help in a tight spot.” He glowered at her. “Until now. I have orders to stay here and look after you.”
Sabrina’s mouth fell open. “Me?” she said, her eyes widening. “Why should you take care of me? Alex is the one in danger.”
“That’s what I tried to tell him,” Clancy growled. “He wouldn’t listen to me. He said he wouldn’t take the chance of leaving you alone and unprotected on the island. So I’m stuck here playing bodyguard to you until Alex comes back.”
“And when will that be?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Who knows? It depends on how ill Karim turns out to be. A week or two perhaps.”
She shook her head. “I can’t stay here that long. I promised I’d be back at the Bradfords’ on Monday.”
“Call them and tell them you’ve been delayed,” he said promptly. “Alex gave me orders you weren’t to leave the island until he could come back to you.”
“Orders?” Sabrina bristled, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t like orders, as Alex is very well aware. You can’t keep me on the island if I don’t want to be here, Clancy.”
“Look, Alex didn’t have the time to observe all the courtesies, Sabrina,” Clancy said impatiently. “His grandfather may be dying, remember?”
Sabrina felt a surge of remorse. He was right. It wasn’t fair of her to be annoyed with Alex when he’d undoubtedly been worried and distracted. And his arrogance was too ingrained for him to change overnight. There would probably be many compromises for them both to make in the future. But it didn’t change the fact that she’d made a promise to David.
“I can understand why he was upset,” she said gently. “But I’ve got to keep my promise, Clancy.” She stood up and tightened her robe. “I’m going upstairs to get dressed now. Will you take me back to Houston?”
“Alex will have my head if I do,” Clancy said gloomily. His face was troubled as he continued awkwardly, “Maybe it’s none of my business, but I’m going to have my say anyway. Don’t go back to that cowboy just because you’re upset with Alex for leaving you like this. I think that was what Alex was worried about when he ordered me to keep you here. He doesn’t want to lose you.”
“He isn’t going to lose me,” she said softly. “And when he’s had time to think about it he’s going to know that.”
“Not if you go back to the Bradford ranch,” Clancy said flatly. “He’s jealous as hell of that guy you’ve been living with.” He frowned. “Don’t do it, kid. Alex really cares for you. I think he would have taken you with him to Sedikhan if it hadn’t been safer for you here.” Clancy glanced away. “I had to go up to your bedroom to wake Alex, you know.” His gaze shifted back to her and though there was a flush on his cheeks, his eyes were suspiciously bright. “You needn’t blush like that,” he said gruffly. “What I saw in that bed was nothing to be embarrassed about. The two of you are beautiful together, and Alex’s face, when he was looking down at you, was beautiful, too.” He scowled. “Don’t you dare tell him I said that, he’ll think I’m going soft. But it was beautiful, damn it, as if he were all lit up inside.”
“I won’t tell him,” Sabrina promised huskily. “But I can’t stay here either, Clancy.” She smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be all right. There aren’t going to be any more misunderstandings from now on. We’ve gotten past that point.”
He cast her a distinctly skeptical glance. “Maybe you have, but I’m not at all sure about Alex.” He sighed resignedly. “I’m not going to talk you out of it, am I?”
She shook her head. “No, I have to leave,” she said quietly. Then her emerald eyes glinted teasingly. “Besides, with me safely tucked away at the ranch, you can join Alex in Sedikhan. You know that’s what you want to do anyway.”
“That’s right, I could,” Clancy said, brightening. He made a face. “Not that Alex won’t make my life hell on earth when he finds out I’ve let you go back to Bradford. What the hell am I going to say to him?”
“You’re going to give him a message from me,” she said serenely. “Tell him I’ll be waiting for him to come to me.”
“That’s all?” Clancy asked, surprised.
She was already striding swiftly toward the door. She paused in the doorway and a gentle smile lit her face. “Not quite,” she said softly. “Three more words. Love. Trust. Forever.”
Then she turned and left the room.
TEN
“BREE, WHY WOULDN’T you speak to that man on the telephone this morning?” David asked, a troubled frown creasing his forehead. “Dad says he was calling all the way from London.”
“Alex?” Sabrina looked up from her weeding to smile at him. “I just thought it best. Did you think I was being rude, love?”
David shook his head. “I knew you must have a good reason,” he said slowly. He carefully plucked a weed that was encroaching on a young slip. “I’d just never heard you refuse to speak to anyone before, and then you told Dad to tell him you’d expect to see him this evening. It confused me. Don’t you like him, Bree?”
“Yes, I like him very much,” Sabrina said softly. “And I think you will, too.” She moved a few inches to pull at another weed. “I just thought it would be simpler if he came to the ranch to talk to me.”
“I thought you must like him a lot to go away on a trip with him,” David said gravely, wiping his hands absently on the knees of his faded Levi’s as he sat back on his heels. “And then when you came back you told me we were going to wait a few weeks bef
ore leaving the ranch.” David’s expression was puzzled. “Is this what we’ve been waiting for, Bree?”
“Yes, this is what we’ve been waiting for, David,” she said quietly. “Have you minded staying here these extra weeks?”
“No, I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to put in this flower garden for Mother. Now all she’ll have to do is nurture and guard it after I leave.”
“I’m sure the garden will make her very happy,” Sabrina said gently. It had been impossible not to notice the aura of strain about Sue in the last two weeks, but David had seemed oddly serene and happy. Perhaps working with his beloved plants had helped assuage the pain and bewilderment of his mother’s rejection. “You never told me what you planted in her garden, love.” Sabrina motioned with her trowel to the bushes bordering the house. “Besides the roses, of course.”
“I tried to plan it,” he said eagerly. “This row is red chrysanthemums, I’ve planted pinks over there, and white myrtle by the screen door.”
“It sounds lovely,” Sabrina said. “And what’s underneath the kitchen window? I noticed you spent hours landscaping that particular spot.”
His gaze followed hers to the brick-bordered alcove and he smiled gently. “I’ve planted blue forget-me-nots and rosemary there, Bree.”
The smile faded from Sabrina’s face. Forget-me-nots. And everyone knew rosemary meant remembrance. David certainly did. She remembered the night he’d excitedly brought up that old horticulture magazine of Gino’s to show her the chart with all the flower meanings on it.
“Why rosemary, David?” she asked quietly.
“So she’ll remember me,” he said simply. “I thought about it a long time, Bree. I know we probably won’t be coming back here again. Isn’t that right?”
What could she say to him? “Probably not, David.”
“I didn’t think so,” he said, and for a moment there was a poignant wistfulness in his eyes. “That’s why I planted the garden.” He bit his lip. “Do you remember what I said about me not really being there for her, Bree?”
“Yes, I remember, love.”
“Well, I figured this was one way I could be there.” His forehead knotted in concentration. “And it won’t hurt her to look at my flowers and think of me, will it?”
“No, I think it will make her very happy,” Sabrina said huskily, her eyes brimming with tears. “What do all the other flowers mean?”
“Love,” he said simply. “They all mean love. That’s all I really wanted to say.”
A garden of love and remembrance. Could there ever be a more beautiful gift? David had overcome his own pain and found a way to ease his mother’s unhappiness. The quiet serenity she’d seen in him these past two weeks had been hard won.
She drew a deep, steadying breath and lowered her eyes. She wouldn’t weaken him with her tears. “Will you show Alex your garden when he gets here this evening?” she asked lightly.
“If you want me to,” he said. “Does he like flowers, Bree?”
“I don’t imagine he knows much about them,” she admitted cheerfully. “But I’m sure he would enjoy hearing about Miranda and your plants in Houston as well.”
“Okay,” he said eagerly, his face brightening. “Maybe I’ll take him down to the stable to see my horse. Does he ride?”
“I don’t even know,” she said with a grin. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I will.” His face once more darkened in a worried frown. “Are you sure he’ll like me? I want him to.”
“He’ll like you,” she assured him gently. Then, as he continued to frown, she added gravely, “Do you remember what you told me a few weeks ago, about how wonderful it would be if all we had to do was reach out and touch to make one another bloom?”
He nodded slowly.
“Well, Alex is one of those who will bloom if you touch him, David. On the outside he’s all closed up and guarded, but when he unfolds his petals, he’s beautiful.” She smiled, her expression serene. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to do the rest of this weeding on your own. I’d like to be on my way before it gets dark.”
“You’re not going to be here?” David asked, surprised.
She shook her head. “I’m going to the Circle C,” she said quietly. “I want you to get to know each other and I think it will be easier if you’re alone. Will you tell Alex I’ll be waiting there for him?”
David nodded. “He won’t be angry, will he?”
“Perhaps a little,” she said calmly. “But he won’t be when he understands.”
“If you say so,” he said absently. “Look, Bree.” His finger gently touched one green sprig. “We bury them in the earth and yet they fight their way to the sun. It’s a miracle. Who could believe something so beautiful could come out of the darkness.”
“I believe it,” she said, her gaze on the gentle wonder radiating from his face. She turned leaving David to continue to nurture his garden of love.
When Sabrina parked the Volkswagen in front of the ranch house it was already sunset. There wasn’t much left to do, thank heaven. She’d come over earlier in the week and swept and scrubbed the room until it sparkled. Now she went directly from the dim hallway into the living room, and lit the logs she’d carefully laid in the fireplace. Soon there was a crackling blaze.
Then she set about lighting the candles. It took her a long time, for she’d garnered every empty wine and soda bottle she could find at the Bradfords’, wrapped them in glittering silver foil, and mounted a white candle in each one. There wasn’t much she could do to make this large, empty room look festive, but she wanted Alex to know as soon as he came in that she regarded his homecoming as a celebration. When she finished arranging the candles, she gave a contented sigh. Their dancing shadows played on the walls, and they lit the darkness like a birthday cake. Yes, Alex would know she was celebrating.
She moved to the fireplace and dropped down on the cushions she’d carefully covered with a crisp, cotton sheet. She kicked off her sandals and tucked her blouse into the waist of her jeans. She’d deliberately dressed as casually as possible but hadn’t been able to resist wearing this simple, white poet’s blouse with its extravagantly full sleeves that buttoned at the wrist. It gave her the romantic air of a corsair and exactly matched her mood tonight. Crossing her legs tailor fashion, she settled herself patiently to wait.
The candles were almost half burned and she’d had to twice restoke the fire before she heard the car pull up outside. Then there was the sound of swift, firm footsteps on the porch, the front door was thrown violently open, and she felt her breath stop and her heart turn over. God, she had missed him! It seemed more like a year than two weeks since that night on the island.
Then he was there, lighting the room with a vitality brighter than her candles. His close-fitting black jeans hugged the strong line of his thighs and the sleeves of his black sports shirt were rolled carelessly to the elbow. His dark silky hair was rumpled and there was a grim frown on his face.
He halted in surprise, his gaze wandering about the room. When he finally zeroed in on Sabrina, an amused smile replaced his frown. “You never cease to amaze me, Sabrina,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. “I come tearing in here fully prepared to shake the living daylights out of you and you meet me with this! How the hell am I supposed to stay angry with you?”
“You’re not,” she said softly, her eyes running lovingly over his face. He looked tired. His skin was stretched taut, throwing his cheekbones into bold prominence, and around his mouth were deep lines of tension. “Why were you angry with me?” she asked.
“Why do you think?” He scowled. “You disobeyed my orders and left the island. You refused to take any of my telephone calls, and let me go through hell wondering why you’d returned to Bradford. You knew I couldn’t leave Sedikhan until my grandfather was well enough to assume control again. Yet you let me simmer for two agonizing weeks.”
“I’m glad your grandfather is better,” she said quietly.
“I read in the newspaper that he’s almost completely recovered now. There were some rumors he might be thinking of abdicating in your favor.”
His lips twisted derisively. “Not very likely. As long as he can stand on his own two feet, he’s not about to give up even a smidgeon of the power he wields.” Alex shrugged. “Which suits me just fine. There’s more than enough for the two of us.” He paused. “I told him about you.”
“You did?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
He nodded. “Hell, I couldn’t hide the fact that I was chomping at the bit to get back to you.” He smiled wryly. “He pumped Clancy of all he knew about you and then tackled me. He doesn’t approve of the way I’ve handled our entire affair, incidentally.”
“How unfortunate,” she said, her lips curving in amusement at the idea of Alex forced to sit tamely while his grandfather gave him advice to the lovelorn.
“He thinks I should have had you kidnapped and then kept you in a lovenest somewhere until I’d gotten you pregnant.” Alex spoke solemnly, but with a glint of mischief in the depths of his night dark eyes. “I have to admit that the idea appealed to me.” His expression darkened. “Particularly when you let me go through that entire time without a word.”
“I sent you word,” she reminded him gently. “In fact, I sent you three of them. Remember?”
“I remember,” he growled. “It was the only thing I had to hang on to for two blasted weeks. You expected a lot from me, Sabrina. I’m still amateur status at this trust business. I very nearly sent one of my men to bring you to me.”
“But you didn’t,” she said quietly. “That’s pretty impressive going for an amateur.”
He came to her now. “I’m glad you appreciate my progress,” he said, grimacing ruefully. “But you knew how jealous I was of Bradford.”
“Yes, I knew that,” she said quietly, as he sat on the cushion facing her. “But it was a difficult situation to explain.” She unconsciously tensed. “You’ve talked to David?”