Marrying O'malley. Elizabeth August

frowned, as much at herself as at him. “I am most of the time.” She didn’t add except where you’re concerned, but the thought did flash through her mind.

      “She’s telling the truth,” Luis said. “She’s got a good nature for a woman. Don’t know why you two could never get along. Right from the beginning, seems as if you declared war on each other. Sort of like you were born natural antagonists.”

      “Makes it even more of a puzzle that she’d be stopping by my grave.”

      Luis looked up at Sarita in surprise. “You’ve been stopping by Wolf’s grave?”

      Hiding the surge of anger Wolf’s telling her grandfather about her early-morning visits caused, she gave a shrug of indifference. “I always go by Mom’s, Dad’s and Abuela’s to say good morning on my way to work. Figured since no one else would remember him, I would.” Not wanting to give either of the men a chance to continue this subject, Sarita added, “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen before my corn bread bums. Dinner will be on the table in five minutes.”

      Luis frowned as the door swung closed behind her. “My granddaughter is a constant source of amazement.”

      “I always thought she was just a hardheaded brat who grew up into a difficult woman.” Realizing he’d spoken aloud, Wolf grimaced. “No insult intended. That’s just the way she used to act when I was around.”

      “You did bring out the worst in her,” Luis conceded.

      “I still do. We can’t seem to be in the same place for more than a few minutes without getting into an argument.” Wolf shook his head. “Doesn’t make any sense that she’d go stopping by my grave.”

      “If you’re asking me to explain my granddaughter’s actions, you’re asking the wrong person. A long time ago I decided that it could drive a man insane to try to understand what makes a woman tick. So I just enjoy them when they’re happy and stay out of their way when they’re angry.”

      Following those guidelines, I should made certain Sarita’s path and mine never cross, Wolf thought. And that might be the smart thing to do. He could find another place to stay. But he wanted to be near his land. Besides, he liked it here. He felt comfortable with Luis. The old man respected other people’s privacy. He never pried and didn’t offer unasked-for advice. As for Sarita, Wolf’s curiosity remained strong. “We’d best be getting into dinner,” he said.

      A few minutes later as they sat eating, a question Wolf had avoided asking nagged at him. Of everything he’d left behind, only two things had remained strong in his mind. The first had been his half sister, Claudia. In spite of Katherine’s constant attempts to make certain her daughter did not form any bond with Wolf, he’d always felt protective toward his half sister and had wondered how she’d fared. Bradford had informed him that Claudia was attending a private, very exclusive girl’s school in Dallas. That she wasn’t under Katherine’s constant influence had been good news.

      But he did not expect good news about the subject of his second concern and had avoided asking. Now he could avoid the question no longer. “I went by the stables earlier today. They look like they haven’t been used in years.”

      “Your father got rid of the horses soon after you were declared dead,” Luis replied.

      Wolf was hearing what he expected. Neither his father nor Katherine rode. For as long as Wolf could remember, Katherine had tried to get his father to close the stables and get rid of the animals, but Frank O’Malley had felt bound to his deathbed promise to Willow that he would maintain the stables and provide horses for Wolf to ride. That had only increased Katherine’s hatred of them. “What happened to Blue Thunder?”

      “Since he was getting on in age and he wouldn’t let anyone but you ride him...”

      Wolf shoved his chair away from the table, his appetite gone. “He had him put down, didn’t he?” he growled around the lump in his throat. “Katherine must have been pleased.” Before either Sarita or Luis could respond, he rose and strode out of the room.

      Since returning to the kitchen, Sarita had begun recalling the man Wolf had been before he’d been in the crash. By twenty-two, he’d grown cold, harsh, cynical and distant. And although, for his sake, she was glad he hadn’t been enticed back into Janice’s arms, she was beginning to wonder if he was capable of caring about anything or anyone other than finding ways to antagonize Katherine.

      Now she knew she was wrong. The man was capable of caring a great deal. The pain she’d seen in his eyes told her that. Racing after him, she caught up with him in the hall. Grabbing hold of his arm, she forced him to stop. “Blue Thunder didn’t get put down. Abuelo and I took him. He’s in the canyon enjoying his old age.” Feeling his shudder of relief, she realized she was still holding on to him. Releasing him, she was surprised when her hand continued to remain warm from the contact. Shoving both hands into the pockets of her jeans, she took a step back, putting distance between them. “And seeing that you’re back, you can reclaim him. But you don’t have to worry about moving him right away. He can stay in the canyon as long as you like.”

      “You kept him?” he asked, finding this turn of events difficult to believe. “Luis was always complaining about his attitude, and Thunder bit you.”

      “So he’s high-strung. A lot of horses are. My abuelo understands that. As for the bite, Thunder and I made peace after that.”

      Seeing Luis approaching, Wolf’s gaze traveled between them. “I’m grateful the two of you didn’t let him be put down.”

      “You’ve got Sarita to thank more than me,” Luis said from behind her. “Not that I like seeing any horse put down. But there’s expenses in keeping one. A man in my position has to be practical. But Sarita said she’d pay for any maintenance, and she made it clear my life would be hell if I didn’t let her have her way.”

      Wolf’s gaze returned to Sarita. She was proving to be more complicated than a Chinese puzzle. “Why?”

      Sarita shrugged. “I don’t know for sure,” she replied honestly. “I guess maybe I figured I did owe you and him thanks for finding me that day.” Not wanting to continue this discussion, she gestured toward the kitchen with a twist of her head. “I suggest we finish our dinner while it’s still hot”

      Wolf smiled crookedly. “That’s as good a thank-you as anyone could deliver. And I will reimburse you for your expenses.”

      Again experiencing a curious, uneasy curl deep within, Sarita frowned. “It doesn’t mean I forgive you for that endless lecture.”

      Wolf shook his head. “You’re as prickly as barbed wire. Always have been and looks like you always will be.”

      “Comes from being raised by two men,” Luis said, leading the way back to the kitchen. “She didn’t have anyone to teach her how to be soft and feminine.”

      “I can be just as feminine as the next woman when I want to be,” Sarita snapped. Catching the skeptical look exchanged between the two men as they seated themselves at the table, she picked up her plate and glass. “I’m eating on the porch.”

      Without a backward glance, she headed to the front door. Sitting in a rocking chair, her feet propped up on the rail, she glared out at the landscape as she ate. So maybe she didn’t know how to flirt as well as some, and she was no good at playing fragile and helpless—that didn’t make her any less of a woman.

      She heard the screen door open, but refused to look to see who had come out.

      “I’m sorry if I made you so angry that you weren’t comfortable sitting at your own table,” Wolf said, coming to stand where he could see her face. “Taking jabs at each other seems to come natural for us.”

      She looked at him then. There was honest apology on his face. The frustration she’d been experiencing off and on all day bubbled to the surface. “I don’t know why it was so important to me to keep Blue Thunder or why I visited your grave. You’d think,