Page 92 of Tempting Fate
Not ten minutes after getting a good blaze going, there was a knock on the front door. Donna and Emily clutched boxes, bags, and baskets full of food.
“You planning to feed everyone aboard the USSDewey?” He let them in and helped them with their packages.
“How is she?” Emily peeked around the corner at Raylene lying on the couch.
“She’s asleep.” He put his finger over his lips, signaling that they should whisper. “Shoot, I forgot to ice her ribs and face.”
“Don’t wake her,” Donna said. “You can do that later.”
It was best to do it as soon as possible, but, yeah, he’d let her sleep. They moved into the kitchen and Donna muscled him out of the way like she owned the place, putting a big pot on the stove and making room in the refrigerator. Emily began unloading the dishwasher.
“I can do that,” he said.
“That’s okay, you focus on Raylene. We made chicken soup. Both of you need to eat.”
Donna finished unpacking the food they’d brought. “I’ll set the table.”
“Clay said she’s pretty beaten up.” Emily put a stack of plates in the cupboard and turned to face Gabe, her eyes tearing up. “What she did for Harper…there are no words.”
“Drew said Harper’s doing okay.”
Emily sighed. “She seems to be handling it better than Drew and me, if you want to know the truth. Now that she knows Raylene’s safe, she’s treating the whole ordeal as if it were a big adventure, like one of her Gallagher Girls novels. When I think about all the ways it could’ve—”
Donna stopped her. “That’s why you shouldn’t think about it.” She came over and rubbed Emily’s back. “Harper’s safe, Raylene’s safe, and Gabe and Rhys caught the bad guys.”
There was another knock at the door and Gabe went to see who it was. Lucky, Tawny, and Cecilia. Gabe ushered them into the kitchen.
“Where’s Jake?” Gabe asked.
“He’s at the station,” Cecilia said. “That’s all I know.”
He and Rhys were probably still interrogating Raylene’s abductors. Gabe suspected Cecilia knew more than she let on but had been sworn to keep her mouth shut. In the teams, everything they did was top secret, which could be awfully tough on a marriage. Gabe didn’t think cops had to be as close-lipped about their cases, but they also couldn’t have their spouses spreading information all over town.
“How is she?” Cecilia asked.
“She’s hanging in there.” Gabe grabbed a few chairs from the dining room. A day ago, these same people would’ve crossed the road to avoid Raylene. Now, she was the town hero.
Cecilia turned to Emily. “Jake said Harper’s been amazing.”
“She’s a brave girl, our Harper is.” Donna pulled a jug of apple cider from the fridge, got a pot off the rack, and began heating the juice on the stovetop. “And Raylene, she always was—”
“I always was what?” Raylene stood in the doorway, a blanket wrapped around her like a poncho. Her face was blown up like a balloon and had turned a multitude of colors, but she stuck her chin out and held it firm in challenge. “I always was what?”
“Tough as nails.” Donna looked her in the eye and something passed between them. Maybe, like Owen, Donna had known more about Raylene’s childhood than she wanted to admit, or maybe—just maybe—there was an apology in that gaze.
“Sit down,mija.” Cecilia made room at the table for another chair.
“Let me get you something to eat.” Emily ladled the chicken soup into a bowl.
Soon, the kitchen was a hive of activity, everyone rushing around to make Raylene comfortable.
“Did you really whack one of them with a pickax?” Lucky asked.
“Two of them,” Raylene said, and Gabe tried to hide a smile.
She didn’t appear to realize that her status had suddenly changed from town exile to town savior. He wondered if by tomorrow her place on the pecking order would revert back to leper.
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