Drake Sisters 04 - Dangerous Tides

on the growing pile. "We should have started earlier, it's getting too dark to see, although there's a full moon tonight and that will help."

    "I know, it was just that I wanted to be out here with the plants for a few minutes. I thought I'd feel at peace again."

    Elle reached out to her. "Sam is Tyson's only family, Libby."

    "I know. I know. That's why I feel so guilty. I want to like him, I really do, and I've tried. It's just that I don't think he's really what he presents to the world. He isn't smooth and easygoing." She rubbed her face and smeared soil across it. "I should have guessed he wouldn't be. Neither is Ty. The temper must run in the family."

    "Tyson has a temper?"

    "Big time. Especially if someone isn't very nice to me. And Sam has it, too. He got so angry with me one day he shook me."

    Elle glanced up sharply, storm clouds gathering in her eyes. "He physically shook you? The bastard. No wonder you don't like him. You should have told me. I would have paid him a visit."

    Libby burst out laughing. "Talk about a temper. You don't have to visit him, Elle. Tyson did enough Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    damage."

    "Did he?" Elle asked curiously. "What did he do?"

    "He hit him twice and broke his nose. It was awful." Libby ducked her head. "And I'm ashamed to say I didn't want to heal Sam at first."

    "Ashamed? When he shook you?"

    "He felt bad afterward. He apologized both to me and to Ty. Come on, Elle. I'll bet Jonas or even Jackson is capable of shaking one of us."

    Elle huffed out her breath. "I don't want to think what Jonas might do, but Jackson's reactions to things are utterly primitive. He doesn't care about being thought of as a modern man and I'm certain he beats his chest on a regular basis." She smiled encouragingly at her sister. "Don't worry. You'll find a way to accept Sam, Libby. You're like that. You have a naturally compassionate nature and you're probably very protective of Ty. You're protective of all of us."

    "Maybe. I hope so. It's not like I detest Sam or anything," Libby hastened to explain. "I'm sure it wasn't easy growing up with a boy genius several years younger but always ahead of you in class. Ty even admits he embarrassed Sam a lot. You know how boys have such egos."

    Elle smiled at her sister. "I'm sure it won't take long before you'll be protective of Sam, too. And you know he'll be coming to all the family functions with Ty, so we'll help mellow him out. Joley always mellows the men out. They drool over her."

    Libby winced. "He said a few disgusting things about Joley. Maybe that's what makes me dislike him.
    Well…" she hedged. "I suppose dislike is a strong word. I have mixed feelings. He definitely wants to go to bed with Joley and brag about it to his firefighter buddies."

    "You can't be too angry with him over that. Half the men in the world want to go to bed with her. She oozes sex. She can't help it. That's just the way she's put together. She walks down the street and she stops traffic."

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    "She doesn't like it, does she?" Libby asked shrewdly.

    Elle shrugged. "No, but she accepts it. We all have things we don't like but we live with. Joley isn't at all as she appears to the public, you know that. Her public image is just that, an image that sells her music.
    She's doing the rounds with the late-night talk shows to laugh at herself over this latest write-up. She won't say one way or the other if those pictures were of her, but it will give her more publicity and turn a bad thing into something positive. She knows what she's doing."

    "I don't know how she manages with all the lies they tell about her." Libby shook her head. "I'm upset for her, more than she seems to be."

    The door banged open and Kate waved to attract their attention. "Libby, you just got a garbled phone message. Something about Irene and Drew and you're to meet Tyson at the Chapman house."

    Libby pulled off the gloves. "Was it Ty?"

    Kate shrugged. "I don't know, but I assumed so. I asked him to repeat what he said, but he hung up."

    Elle and Libby exchanged a long look and both laughed. "That sounds like Ty." They said it simultaneously and that had them laughing again.

    Libby stood up and dusted off her jeans. "I hope Irene hasn't changed her mind. This morning, Tyson was so excited. He was absolutely certain he'd figured out why the drug wasn't