and a stupid cowboy voice saying, “Are you yellow?” Good God. Summer had never thought of herself as cowardly. As Gabe could bear witness, she had no problem speaking her mind or standing up for herself. Was that because she never let anyone close enough to her to care about whether or not they were offended or put off? Damn it, that was probably it. That and the fact that she had a temper. Was she brave enough to let down her defenses? Could she even do so if she decided to? Was Gabe even worth the effort? Damn it, he was. Whether or not she’d eventually cut and run like she always had in the past remained to be seen, but for the first time, she was going to try to stick it out, at least for awhile, even though she was unsure and afraid. Having made that decision, she got out of bed and finally started her day. It was nine o’clock before she made it downstairs. “Summer, you were a sleepy head today, weren’t you?” As usual, Marisol ran over to meet her as she entered the room. As usual, Summer bent down so they were eye level, returning her hug. “Yes, Chiquita, I guess I was. Have you been up long?” “Forever! I made a deal with Papá. He said I could wait for you to do my hair, as long as nobody woke you up. So, can you please? I wasn’t a brat.” Summer smiled. “I would be very happy to do your hair today if you’ll go get all your pretties.” The child skipped to the stairs to get her ribbons and other hair necessities, and Summer stood to see Gabe in the doorway watching her, obviously unsure of her mood. “Good morning, Gabe. I think it’s going to be a beautiful day today, don’t you?” She grinned at him, looking at him with eyes full of a combination of fear, determination, and maybe a tiny ray of hope. The smile appeared, slow and sexy, as he walked toward her. “It’s already a beautiful day, Summer.” He brushed her hair back from her face, running his hand down its silky length. Only his fingertips touched her, but she felt fresh desire burning at the simple touch. Marisol came back in with all her hair supplies in her ziplock bag and handed everything to Summer, who transferred her full attention to her. “We need to get you a pretty jar.”
