Sara bit the inside of her cheek. “Actually, I need him. I need his…expertise.” She stopped short of saying protection. There was no reason to worry Rafe’s sister-in-law by admitting there was danger looking for her.
“I’d believe you, except for one thing. His mother told me you didn’t leave his side the entire time he was in the hospital. That’s caring. Whether you want to admit it or not.”
Sara shook her head and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You remind me of me.” Sara had been as blunt with Lexie when she’d confronted the other woman about her feelings for Coop. Sara admired Angel’s honesty and decided to open up a little more. “Okay, I care about Rafe,” she admitted. It felt funny saying it out loud.
Angel smiled wide. “My gut is so good,” she said, laughing. “So, I’ll tell you where the Mancuso boys got their feelings on marriage and family. Maybe it will help you understand Rafe better.”
Sara rested the rolling pin on the table and leaned in. “Now you’ve got me curious.”
“When they were younger, Rafe’s father had an affair.” Angel wiped her hands on a damp kitchen towel. “And not a one-night stand, either—though that’s how it started out.”
Sara let out a low whistle. “You’re kidding.” She was stunned by Angel’s admission, unable to imagine how a younger Rafe would have handled that.
She scratched an itch, running her hand over her nose, her focus never leaving Angel.
“It was a long time ago. He started sleeping with a woman who worked in the office. Joanne was older and on her own, but the boys and Carol were still young, so Mariana was home then. She hadn’t started working in the business and wasn’t there every day. My understanding is that Frank eventually fell in love with this other woman.”
“Uh-oh.”
Angel bobbed her head in agreement. “But Frank’s a good guy, and the guilt ate him alive. He broke up with the woman so he could save his family. He confessed to Mariana, and they agreed to try and work things out. But the other woman felt betrayed and made their affair public. Even the kids knew. It was very ugly.”
“But they obviously stayed together and made the marriage work,” Sara said, remembering the close-knit couple from the night before.
Angel nodded. “They’re stronger than ever. But the affair left scars. Sometimes I think Nick can’t let go of the idea that he needs me around where he can see me, check up on me. In his mind, letting me work outside the home, especially taking in strangers, just opens us up to possible trouble.”
Sara paused, thinking about what Angel had said. “Maybe it’s not about cheating. Maybe he’s just afraid of losing you, period. This kind of job takes a huge commitment. Sort of like mine does. It takes a rare person who can understand that. I should know. Every one of my family members who is or was married to a cop had marriage problems.”
“But his attitude drove us apart, not this place!” Angel pounded on the dough in frustration.
“You said he wants to talk. Can you give him that?” Sara asked gently.
“And relive the whole thing again?” She shook her head. “No, thank you. Listen, I’ve been over this in my head a million times. I don’t want to talk about it, if you don’t mind.”
The pain in the other woman’s eyes was obvious. The wounds were still fresh.
“Not at all. I understand.” Sara decided to change the subject to one closer to her own heart. “I bet Rafe’s need for a stable marriage is based on what he experienced as a child. How old were the boys when this happened?”
“Nick was eighteen, attending college. Rafe was fifteen. Carol was twelve, still pretty young, but the boys knew exactly what was going on.”
“Which tells me Rafe understood everything that happened all too well.”
“Exactly,” Angel said. “He knows what it takes to make a relationship work.”
But not even he could work miracles, Sara thought.
Angel rose from her seat and looked around at the mini-piecrusts on the table waiting to be baked then filled. “Great job,” Angel said.
“Thanks!” Sara said, feeling proud of herself and her attempt at playing Betty Crocker.
“Maybe tomorrow morning you can help me with the filling? I like to make them fresh before the festival starts.”
Sara nodded. “I’d like that.”
A knock sounded at the side door.
“That’d better not be my father or Nick coming by to play handyman,” she muttered. “Excuse me a minute.” She turned and headed for the door, moving the curtain to see who was on the other side.
“Rafe, come on in!” she said, opening the door, giving Sara no warning or chance to prepare.
Rafe stepped inside, looking too sexy in a navy T-shirt and worn jeans. Her stomach curled in that funny flip she’d come to associate with being around him.
“Hi!” Sara waved at him.
“Hey.” He raised his hand back.
Angel leaned over, greeting him with a sisterly hug. “What brings you by?”
“I need to have a word with Sara,” Rafe said, his gaze never leaving her face.
“I’ll just go inside and clean myself up. Give you two some privacy,” Angel said.
“Thanks,” Sara murmured.
Rafe waited until Angel disappeared, her footsteps creaking the stairs. He pulled out a kitchen chair, turned it around and seated himself, straddling the back. “You have flour on your face.” He grinned and wiped her forehead with his hand.
Her skin burned at the mere touch.
Though his eyes flared deeper, he didn’t acknowledge the yearning that was so obvious between them. “I came as soon as I got your message. What’s wrong?” he asked instead.
“My bank sent me an alert. Someone attempted to access my account and track my purchases.”
He frowned. “That’s not good. Any idea who?”
She shook her head. “Nope. But I’ve only used cash since I left. There’s no way for them to find me that way.”
“But if they are determined, it’s only a matter of time.”
Sara exhaled a long, resigned breath while Rafe’s gut was tied up in knots. She’d gone from appearing like sunshine in white shorts and a yellow flirty tank top to looking like she’d lost her best friend.
He reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder. Her bare skin scorched his palm. “As far as we know, they haven’t found you yet. But I think you should stay with me now. Just to be safe.”