Lover Beware

Drew.”
    The smile faded from Mrs. Darden’s face. “Oh, that’s so sad, Sarah, I hope you can help them. When is Libby going to come home? She would be such a help. How’s she doing these days?”
    “Libby’s overseas right now, Mrs. Darden,” Sarah said. “She’s doing fine. Hopefully she’ll be able to get home soon. I’ll tell her you were inquiring about her.”
    “I heard the awful news on Donna,” Mrs. Darden continued. “Are these strangers involved in her attack? I heard you shot one of them. I don’t believe in violence as a rule, Sarah, now, you know that, but I hope you did enough damage that he’ll think twice before he attacks another woman.”
    “Donna’s going to be fine,” Sarah assured her, “and I didn’t shoot him.”
    Mrs. Darden patted Sarah’s shoulder. “It’s all right dear, I understand.”
    Sarah turned away with a cheery wave. The sisters erupted into wild laughter. Damon shook his head incredulously. “She thinks you shot that man. Even now, with you denying it, she thinks you shot him.”
    “True.” Sarah pinned him with a steely gaze. “She also believes someone saw me walk on water. Now who could have started that rumor?”
    Hannah tugged at Damon’s sleeve in a teasing way, a gesture of affection for her. “That was a good one, Damon, I wish I’d thought of it.”
    Kate threw back her head and laughed, her wild mane of hair blowing around her in the light breeze. “That was priceless. And you should hear what they’re saying about you. The whisper is, you’re some famous wizard Sarah’s been studying under.”
    “Now really,” Sarah objected, “at least they could have said he’s been studying under me. I swear chauvinism is still rearing its ugly head in this century.”
    Damon could feel a glow spreading. He felt a part of their family. He belonged with them, in the midst of their laughter and camaraderie. He didn’t feel on the outside looking in, as he had most of his life. Sarah’s sisters seem to accept him readily into their lives and even their hearts. Tolerance and acceptance seemed a big part of Sarah’s family. It suddenly occurred to him, even with a threat hanging over his head, that he’d spent less time thinking of past trauma and more about the present and future than he had in months.
    “I think I like being thought of as a wizard,” Damon mused.
    “Sarah says you’re a brain.” Kate waved at Jonas Harrington as he cruised by them in his patrol car.
    “What are you doing?” Hannah hissed, smacking Kate’s hand down. “Don’t be nice to that idiot. We should make him drive into a ditch or something.”
    “Don’t you dare,” Sarah told her sister sternly. “I mean it, Hannah, you can’t use our gifts for revenge. Only for good. Especially now.”
    “It would be for good,” Hannah pointed out. “It would teach that horrible man some manners. Don’t look at him. And Damon, stop smiling at him. We don’t want him stopping to talk.” She made a growling noise of disgust in the back of her throat as the patrol car pulled to the sidewalk ahead of them. “Now see what you’ve done?” She threw her hands into the air as Harrington got out of his car. A sudden rush of wind took his hat from his head and sent it skittering along the gutter.
    “Very funny, Baby Doll,” Harrington said. “You just have to show off, don’t you? I guess that pretty face of yours just doesn’t get you enough attention.”
    Kate and Sarah both put a restraining hand on Hannah’s arm. Sarah stepped slightly between the sheriff and her sister. “Did you get anything out of your prisoner, Jonas?” Her voice was carefully pleasant.
    Jonas continued to pin Hannah with his ice cold gaze. “Not much, Sarah, and we still haven’t located the other two men you say were at Wilder’s house the other night. You might have called me instead of charging in on your own.”
    Hannah stirred as if she might protest. Damon could see the fine tremor that ran through her body but her sisters edged protectively closer to Hannah and she stilled.
    “Yes, next time, Jonas, I’ll do that: leave the three men with guns trained on the window, sneaking up on the house, while I go find a phone and call you. Darn, those cell phones just don’t seem to work on the coast most of the time, do they?” Sarah smiled right through her sarcasm. “Next time I’ll drive out to the bluff and give you a call before I charge in on my own.”
    Jonas’s gaze