worried about you. Said you haven’t been out of the house since Lyn and Becky’s commencement. Said you were pining for them. Felt like you were getting old.”
“How would she know? I haven’t talked to her since the commencement.”
“She talked to Edith who talked to Grace—”
“Oh, God.”
“—who obviously didn’t know anything about Gabriel or she’d have said something. ‘Course, the state she’s been in since Ma told her Aunt Bethany invited another hundred—”
Ten or fifteen, Alice interpreted silently.
“—people to the wedding, she might not have noticed. But bod like that, you’d think he’d be hard to miss.” Helen ran a hand through her unruly curls, a statement of disappointment about their youngest sister Grace’s as yet underdeveloped sense of nosiness. “So—” she switched tacks
abruptly “—what do you think of Skip?”
“What do I...? Back off, Helen. What did you think? You’d come over and introduce me to the guy and I’d marry him? I’ve been married once. I didn’t like it.” Unable to stand still any longer, Alice turned to the bed, yanking rumpled sheets into place.
“Well, you know—” Helen shrugged and pulled down the sheets on the opposite side of the bed “—we really didn’t think you’d go quite that fast, but Skip’s a nice guy, and Ma’s always said when we find the right guy we know.”
“Well, forget it, he’s not the right guy.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s... he’s...” Alice squashed a pillow in frustration looking for a mentionable reason. “He’s cute. I mean, Skip. What kind of name is that for an adult? And the age difference—it’s impossible.”
“He’s thirty-three and you’re thirty-five. Big deal. He’s less likely to die before you if he’s a couple years younger than you.”
“He’s thirty-three going on ready-to-settle-down-and-raise-a-family, and at the moment I’m thirty-five going on gray hair and grandma-dom. Trust me, it won’t work.”
Helen fluffed her pillow and waited for Alice to pull up the quilt with her. “Well, at least come out with us for a while. He took a day off work and came all this way—”
“ Helen. ” Alice snapped the comforter loudly into place. “Helen! In case you haven’t noticed I’ve got company. Male company. He’s wearing my fat pants, and I’m in the middle of cutting his hair. It’s midafternoon, and we’re making my bed. What does that say to you?”
“That you’ve mutated since last Friday. Did you protect yourself at least?”
With difficulty Alice strangled the scream welling in her throat. “Quit meddling in my life.”
Helen blinked at her. “We only do it because we love you. You’ve done the same for us.”
“I have never thrown men you don’t want at you.”
“I’m a career woman. I can take care of myself.” She shrugged. “Besides, if you were a man, would you want to be thrown at an inflexible thirty-three year old army major who was a regiment commander at the Point and who thinks a good day’s fun is a twenty mile slog through the nearest swamp? Think about it. Not many men are up to the challenge—although, your Gabriel looks like he might be. How long did you say he’s been around here?”
“I, uh—
The door opened behind them and the he in question stepped into the room in time to answer for her. “Long enough to like what he sees and know what he wants.” He swept Alice a slow intimate glance head to toe and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek with the tip of his finger.
“Definitely knows what he wants,” he repeated softly, as though for her alone, and Alice nearly forgot the scene was merely an act.
“Oh, yeah.” Helen drew out the word on a sigh her staff would never have believed the major capable of. “Now I understand what it is about Skip. This one’s a lot more dangerous.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Alice muttered, and Gabriel grinned. She quelled the grin with a
“How would she know? I haven’t talked to her since the commencement.”
“She talked to Edith who talked to Grace—”
“Oh, God.”
“—who obviously didn’t know anything about Gabriel or she’d have said something. ‘Course, the state she’s been in since Ma told her Aunt Bethany invited another hundred—”
Ten or fifteen, Alice interpreted silently.
“—people to the wedding, she might not have noticed. But bod like that, you’d think he’d be hard to miss.” Helen ran a hand through her unruly curls, a statement of disappointment about their youngest sister Grace’s as yet underdeveloped sense of nosiness. “So—” she switched tacks
abruptly “—what do you think of Skip?”
“What do I...? Back off, Helen. What did you think? You’d come over and introduce me to the guy and I’d marry him? I’ve been married once. I didn’t like it.” Unable to stand still any longer, Alice turned to the bed, yanking rumpled sheets into place.
“Well, you know—” Helen shrugged and pulled down the sheets on the opposite side of the bed “—we really didn’t think you’d go quite that fast, but Skip’s a nice guy, and Ma’s always said when we find the right guy we know.”
“Well, forget it, he’s not the right guy.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s... he’s...” Alice squashed a pillow in frustration looking for a mentionable reason. “He’s cute. I mean, Skip. What kind of name is that for an adult? And the age difference—it’s impossible.”
“He’s thirty-three and you’re thirty-five. Big deal. He’s less likely to die before you if he’s a couple years younger than you.”
“He’s thirty-three going on ready-to-settle-down-and-raise-a-family, and at the moment I’m thirty-five going on gray hair and grandma-dom. Trust me, it won’t work.”
Helen fluffed her pillow and waited for Alice to pull up the quilt with her. “Well, at least come out with us for a while. He took a day off work and came all this way—”
“ Helen. ” Alice snapped the comforter loudly into place. “Helen! In case you haven’t noticed I’ve got company. Male company. He’s wearing my fat pants, and I’m in the middle of cutting his hair. It’s midafternoon, and we’re making my bed. What does that say to you?”
“That you’ve mutated since last Friday. Did you protect yourself at least?”
With difficulty Alice strangled the scream welling in her throat. “Quit meddling in my life.”
Helen blinked at her. “We only do it because we love you. You’ve done the same for us.”
“I have never thrown men you don’t want at you.”
“I’m a career woman. I can take care of myself.” She shrugged. “Besides, if you were a man, would you want to be thrown at an inflexible thirty-three year old army major who was a regiment commander at the Point and who thinks a good day’s fun is a twenty mile slog through the nearest swamp? Think about it. Not many men are up to the challenge—although, your Gabriel looks like he might be. How long did you say he’s been around here?”
“I, uh—
The door opened behind them and the he in question stepped into the room in time to answer for her. “Long enough to like what he sees and know what he wants.” He swept Alice a slow intimate glance head to toe and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek with the tip of his finger.
“Definitely knows what he wants,” he repeated softly, as though for her alone, and Alice nearly forgot the scene was merely an act.
“Oh, yeah.” Helen drew out the word on a sigh her staff would never have believed the major capable of. “Now I understand what it is about Skip. This one’s a lot more dangerous.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Alice muttered, and Gabriel grinned. She quelled the grin with a
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