Drake Sisters 01 - Magic in the Wind

expression brightened considerably. "Thank you, Sarah; of course you can bring anyone you want with you. I told Drew you might be dropping by and he was so excited.
    He'll love the company. He rarely sees even his friends anymore."
    "Good, I can't wait to see him again. Now don't go to any trouble, Irene. Last time I came to visit, you had an entire luncheon waiting." Sarah rubbed Damon's arm. "Irene is such a wonderful cook."
    "Oh, she is," Inez agreed readily. "Her baked goods are always the first to go at every fundraiser."
    Irene broke into a smile, looking pleased.
    The warmth in Damon's heart rushed to his belly, heated his blood. Sarah spread sunshine. That had to be her secret.
    Wherever she went, she just spread goodwill to others because she genuinely cared about them. It wasn't that she was being merely tolerant; she liked her neighbors with all their idiosyn-crasies. He couldn't help the strange feeling of pride sweeping through him. How had he gotten so lucky?
    Damon pushed his sunglasses onto his nose as they me-andered across the street. He saw they were heading toward the colorful gift shop. "Are you really going to sort some woman's garbage, Sarah?"
    "Of course not, I'm just popping in to say hello. Maybe our intruders will buy a memento of their stay or possibly a gift for someone. You never know, we may as well cover all the bases," Sarah replied blithely.
    Damon laughed. "Sarah, honey, I hardly think kidnappers are going to take the time to buy a memento of their stay. I could be wrong, but it seems rather unlikely."
    Sarah simply grinned at him. She took his breath away with her smile. She should have always been in his life. By his side.
    All those years working, never thinking about anything else, and Sarah had been somewhere in the world. If he had met her earlier, he might have retired sooner and ...
    "Do you have any idea how perfectly tempting your mouth is, Damon?" Sarah interrupted his thoughts, her voice matter-of-fact, intensely interested.
    "Sarah! Sarah Drake! Yoo-hoo!" A tall woman of Ama-zonian proportions and extraordinary skin waved wildly, in-tercepting them. An older man, obviously her father, and a teenage boy followed her at a much more sedate pace.
    The clouds, gathering ominously over the sea, so far away only minutes earlier, moved inward at a rapid rate. The wind howled, blowing in from the sea, carrying something dark and dangerous with it. Icy fingers touched Sarah's face, almost a caress of delight... or challenge. She watched Damon's face, his body, as he accepted the weight, a settling of his shoulders, small lines appearing near his mouth. He didn't appear to notice, already far too familiar with his grim companion.
    She moved closer to Damon, a purely protective gesture as the two men approached them in the wake of the woman. The welcoming smile faded from Sarah's face. A shadow moved on the walkway, slithering along the ground, a wide dark net casting for prey. "Patsy, it's been a long time." But she was looking at the older man. "Mr. Granger. How nice to see you again. And Pete, I'm so glad we ran into you. I'm visiting Drew soon. I'll be able to tell him I saw you. I'll bet he'll be happy to hear from you."
    Pete Granger scuffed the toe of his boot on the sidewalk.
    "I should go see him. It's been awhile. I didn't know what to say."
    Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder. Damon could see she was worried. "You'll find the right thing to say to him.
    That's what friendship is, Pete, to be there in good and bad times. The good is easy, the bad, well"—she shrugged—
    "that's a bit more difficult. But you've always been incredibly tough and Drew's best friend. I know you'll be there for him."
    Pete nodded his head. "Tell him I'll be over this evening."
    Sarah smiled her approval. "I think that's a great idea, Pete." She touched the elder Granger with gentle fingers.
    "How did your visit to the cardiologist go?"
    "Why, Sarah," Patsy answered, "Dad doesn't have a cardiologist. There's nothing wrong with his heart."
    "Really? It never hurts to be safe, Mr. Granger. Checkups are always so annoying but ultimately necessary. Patsy, do you remember that cardiologist my mother went to when we were in our first year of college? In San Francisco?"
    Patsy exchanged a long look with her father. "I do remember, Sarah. Maybe we could get him in next month when things settle down at the shop."
    "These things are always better if you insist on taking care of them immediately,"