Page 5 of Sanctuary

Solo shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re all bunking together. It’ll be just like old times.”

“Aw, you can come over any time. You don’t have to miss out on all the fun.”

“I don’t really have time for that. The triplets took their first steps a few months ago, and Tia keeps trying to climb on Griff’s back. Once she masters that and they start walking instead of stumbling, all hell will break loose.”

Gabe didn’t try to stifle a laugh at her friend’s situation. “Rather you than me. I can’t believe you’ve settled down and had kids. I was sure you, me, and the rest of the team would end up in a gay version of Golden Girls, still single in our sixties.”

The smile on Solo’s face expressed her contentment more than a million words ever could. “Me too, buddy. But I got pulled into Janie’s tornado, and I haven’t touched the ground since.” She unwrapped a stick of gum and folded it into her mouth. “Maybe the same thing’ll happen to you.”

“Yeah, right.” Gabe scoffed. “Is that why they call this place the Windy City?”

“Could be. Could be that there’s a stunning, long-haired beauty in killer heels and a power suit waiting for you to sweep her off her feet. Especially once we get the shop open.” Solo swept her hand across the air, setting the scene. “Her Aston Martin DB12 is going to break down in the middle of the city in rush hour, and you’ll drive to her rescue. There’ll be sparks—and they won’t be from the engine—and she’ll hop in your cab so you can tow her to safety. She’ll be in love with you before you even get to the shop.”

Gabe stopped at a red light and stared at Solo. “Who the hell are you? And what have you done with Hannah Smith? Jesus Christ, it’s like you’ve swallowed a dump truck full of Hallmark movies.”

Solo tilted her head from side to side. “Janie does like her romantic comedies, and I’ve grown to appreciate them. You will too when you fall in love.”

“Huh. That’s the litmus test, is it? I’ll know I’m in love the moment I subscribe to the Hallmark channel.”

“You mock, but I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that’s how it happens.”

“The car breaking down or the movie subscription?”

“Both.”

“That’s gonna be the easiest one hundred dollars I ever make.” Gabe pulled away from the light and couldn’t stop chuckling. “Man, you’ve changed. Just know that I don’t want you painting hearts and flowers all over my truck when I let you loose on her.”

“Hey, I’m not that far gone.”

What little traffic there’d been virtually disappeared as they got closer to Edison Park, and they continued to chat about nothing and everything. The three years they’d been apart melted away like the fog dissipating over the lake. Everything Gabe had dreamed about for the eighteen months it had taken to separate from the Army was finally in motion. The Famous Five were reuniting, and the plans they’d always talked about on those long days and nights out on patrol in Syria were coming together. Solo’s buy-in was the last chunk of finance in place, but really, Gabe was the final jigsaw piece they’d all been waiting for. Now they’d get to see what their picture was going to look like for real.

And Gabe couldn’t wait to get started.

CHAPTER THREE

Lori polished the edge of the glass and set it back on the table before she glanced up at the grandfather clock. She really didn’t like when people didn’t show up on time. If her visitor was going to be delayed, why hadn’t they texted or called to let her know? Unless there’d been an accident on her way here from Chicago and they couldn’t let her know. She suddenly wished she hadn’t entertained the unkind thoughts about not letting her see Max…if she ever arrived.

But she’d assured Toni that she was more than happy to let Sergeant Gabriella Jackson visit her old canine Army buddy. Lori had been running this ranch as a sanctuary for ex-service dogs and horses long enough to know that the bond between a handler and their animal was often very strong, so she wasn’t about to deny Ms. Jackson the opportunity to see how Max was doing.

She glanced at the clock again just as she became aware of the sound of a throaty engine and gravel crunching under tires. She leaned over the dining room table to peer through the window and saw a truck that had obviously seen better days roll to a steady stop. Only feeling a little bit like a peeping Tom, she waited to see Ms. Jackson exit from her vehicle. Toni hadn’t sent an actual photo of Max’s Army friend from where she’d been reporting on a military base, but she had taken the time to describe her in detail. In such technicolor detail, in fact, that Lori had teased Toni about her loyalty to her new girlfriend, Jo. Lori and Toni had discovered early on in their friendship that they shared the same taste in strong, butch women, and Toni had been overly eager to tell her everything she knew about Ms. Jackson. Her zeal to impart all that information was probably due to Toni’s belief that Lori should get over the epic failure of her marriage to the lawyer and get back on the horse, but on this matter, their opinions were polarized. Lori was nowhere ready to even polish the saddle, let alone strap it to a stallion and jump on for the ride.

But she wasn’t dead, and appreciating a fine woman from a safe distance was permissible.

Lori shouldn’t have doubted her friend’s journalistic ability to accurately describe the acute hotness of her temporary colleague. As promised, Ms. Jackson did not disappoint. The faded red door of the truck opened, and a deliciously tall drink of water stepped out onto Lori’s gravel drive. Boots; tight, tapered jeans; a T-shirt that hugged and accentuated all the important places; and close-cropped hair—not military-cropped but not far off: the kind of hair that felt so sensual when you wrapped your hand around the back of her head. Dark sunglasses completed her outfit and added to her overall rugged sex appeal.

She let out a long, contented sigh, filed away the vision of satisfyingly clichéd near perfection of butchness for later use, and stepped back from the table to go to the door. She paused briefly by the hallway mirror to check her overall appearance; she wasn’t on the market, but it didn’t hurt to look good on the shelf. Happy with her reflection, she opened the door and stepped out. The pleasant afternoon heat ramped up twenty degrees when Ms. Jackson smiled and took off her shades to reveal beautiful baby blues. Damn the lawyer for breaking her so bad that all she could bear to do was look.

“Lori Turner?” Ms. Jackson asked and held out her hand.

“That’s me,” she said as coolly as she could manage. It had been too long and not nearly long enough since she’d been around this kind of temptation. “And you’re Ms. Gabriella Jackson?”

There was that smile again, only this time just the left side of her lips and cheek joined in, somehow making it an even more appealing gesture.

“Yes, but please call me Gabe. And I’m so sorry I’m late. There was an accident on the I-65. All the lookie-loos slowed down the traffic.”

“Would you like to follow me?” Lori asked, appreciating the prompt explanation of her tardiness, but there was no way she was about to start calling her hunky guest Gabe. That was way too familiar and way too soon. Ms. Jackson was a visitor. Gabe would be a friend. She gave a mental shrug; another friend wouldn’t be so bad, especially one that looked like her. Then she shook the thought away. Toni had said she was just passing through on her way to start a new life, and Lori couldn’t remember where. She was sure it wouldn’t be Gary, Indiana. Starting a new life here hadn’t worked out well for her, and she didn’t know why anyone else would choose it.

That wasn’t completely true. She was being harsh. The sanctuary had been all kinds of successful since she’d gotten here. She stopped and turned around. “Sorry, I didn’t offer you a drink. Would you like some fresh lemonade?”

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