Page 29 of Eclipse Bay

“He said he could find a place for you at Madison Commercial.” There was not a lot of hope in Mitchell’s voice.

“Give me a break. Would you work for Gabe?”

“Hell, no.” Mitchell’s brows bristled. “He expects everyone to jump when he gives an order.”

“That pretty much sums up my problem with him, too.”

Mitchell grunted. “Well, it was worth a try.”

They walked the length of the garden in silence. Just before they reached the greenhouse, Mitchell launched a salvo in an entirely new direction.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you got married?” he said.

Rafe felt as if he’d been hit in the head with a ball peen hammer. It took him several seconds to recover. He spent the intervening time with his mouth open.

“Married?” he finally managed. “Are you out of your mind? I tried it once, remember? It didn’t work.”

“You’re going to have to bite that bullet again, sooner or later. You’ve put it off long enough. If you wait too much longer you’ll be so set in your ways you won’t be able to adjust to marriage.”

“Since when did you become an expert on marriage?”

“I’ve had some experience.”

“You can say that again,” Rafe muttered. “For your information, I’m already set in my ways.”

“Bullshit. You’re still young enough to be flexible.”

The door on the back porch opened. Both men spun around so quickly that Rafe was sure they looked guilty of something.

An ethereal-looking woman with a mane of fiery red curls stood in the opening.

“Coffee’s ready,” Octavia Brightwell called cheerfully.

Rafe did not hesitate. He noticed that Mitchell didn’t pause either. He figured his grandfather was just as relieved by the timely interruption as he was.

Side by side, they went swiftly back along the path toward the house.

Hannah slid her key into the front-door lock. “Not that you’ve got any reason to consider my opinion on the subject, but I liked Octavia.”

Beside her Rafe shrugged. “So did I. So what? She’s still way too young for him. Gabe’s right. It’s embarrassing.”

Hannah was amused. “That’s almost funny, coming from a Madison. No offense, but the men of your family aren’t known for feeling shy or awkward about their sex lives.”

“It’s different when it’s your grandfather’s sex life,” Rafe said glumly.

Hannah listened to the sound of dog claws prancing madly on the hardwood floor on the other side of the door. “Well, if it’s any consolation to you, Octavia told me that she and your grandfather are just friends. I believe her.”

“Yeah?”

She gave him a quick, searching glance as she opened the door. He had been in a strange mood since returning from the after-dinner walk in the garden. Rafe had never been an easy man to read, but now there was a dark, brooding aura emanating from him that had not been present earlier in the evening. She wondered what had been said between him and his grandfather.

Winston bounced through the open door, torn as always, between the demands of professional dignity and blatant emotionalism.

“Such a handsome dog.” She bent down to pat him. “The finest specimen of Schnauzerhood in the known universe.”

Winston glowed.

Rafe watched them with an expression of morbid interest. “He actually believes you when you say that, you know.”

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