Page 148 of Master of My Heart

Kathy looked thoughtful. “Because of her abuse, I suppose it’s hard to know how she’ll react. Women can be a little touchy about sharing their husbands.”

“I know,” Chase said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Is it even fair to pursue her if my life is the way it is?”

“Well, you know Richard and I wouldn’t expect you to come over here if she were uncomfortable with it.”

“I know you wouldn’t.”

“But, regardless if it’s her or some other woman, you need to find a wife.”

Chase sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “How would your daughter take it? I mean, Richard’s had me go out with her in the hopes of something sparking. Would she really be okay with being in a position like you?”

Kathy looked amused. “I understand your concern now.”

“Yeah.”

Chase heard footsteps approaching. A moment later, Richard appeared in the doorway. “I thought I heard voices.”

Kathy motioned to Chase. “He was asking me about how I dealt with you and your responsibilities.”

“Ah.” Richard walked over and sat down next to his wife, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Sabrina?”

Chase nodded. “I don’t know how she’ll react to any of it.”

Richard stroked his chin. “Well, going to a Gathering would help. You need to encourage that.”

“I know.”

Kathy put her hand on her husband’s knee. “Does she even know what happens at them? Is she going to walk in and be shocked?”

Richard looked thoughtful, then nodded. “I see what you mean. We didn’t do a good job of explaining that sort of thing to her.”

“I don’t think she could have absorbed any more information that day, Richard,” Chase said. “She was overwhelmed already.”

“It’s a lot to deal with, love,” Kathy said.

“It is.” Richard shook his head. “I know a little about dealing with victims of abuse, and I know how to deal with Elder-Mistresses, but the combination of the two is challenging.” He looked at Chase. “Have you asked Alex?”

“I’ve talked with him a bit. But Anna knew about the Gatherings from the beginning. That’s where she met his dad and brother.”

“In some ways, Sabrina’s so innocent,” Richard said thoughtfully. “She knows what she is, but she thinks it’s all bad. She doesn’t understand the good part of herself.”

“I told her I believe good things can come out of bad stuff,” Chase offered.

“How did she respond?”

“Well, she thought I was saying what happened to her was good. I pointed out that because of what happened, she trusted me now, which was a good thing. She seemed to understand.” Chase paused. “I didn’t want to get too in depth that night because it was late and she was tired. But I said we’d talk about it tomorrow.”

“You’re seeing her tomorrow?” Kathy asked, looking pleased.

“Yeah.” Chase smiled, remembering Sabrina’s shy smile when she admitted that she enjoyed dinner.

Richard frowned. “You’re going to miss another Gathering.”

Kathy put her hand on his knee and shook her head. “They need time together. Besides, you canceled tomorrow night anyway. We have plans with the mayor and his wife. Remember?” She turned back to Chase. “Chase,” Kathy said in a serious tone, “the most important thing in any relationship, especially marriage, is communication. Talk to her. Get to know her. Ask her questions.” She smiled. “She’ll open up to you and you’ll find the right time to tell her about you.”

Chase frowned. “She only seems to open up when she gets angry, though. Well, opening up about the stuff that’s happened to her anyway. She was angry when she told me about what she did to escape.”

“She’s scared, hon. Give her time to get to know you better and she’ll be able to open up about other stuff without using anger as a shield.”

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