see you at dinner.” He turned to go.
“Ben?”
He paused in the doorway, his back to her.
“I had no idea Donovan was in a wheelchair.”
A silence. And then, reluctantly, he turned to her again. “Yes. Well, he’s very protective of his privacy lately.”
“A little communication goes a long way.”
“You should be discussing this with him.”
“Probably. What happened to him?”
Ben frowned. She was sure he would blow her off—or tell her again to ask Donovan. But then he surprised her and gave it up. “You may have heard about the ice-climbing accident.”
“Just that there was one.”
“He fell several hundred feet. Both legs sustained multiple fractures. His right tibia was driven up through the knee joint into the thigh.”
She forced herself not to wince. “So … it’s not his spine? I mean, he’s not paralyzed?”
“No, he’s not paralyzed.”
“Will he walk again?”
“It’s likely. But with … difficulty—and I’ve said more than enough. Seven. Drinks in the front living area.”
And he was gone.
Abilene got out of her tired traveling clothes and jumped in the shower. In twenty minutes, she was freshened up and ready to go again. She considered exploring the house a little but decided to ask Donovan to show her around personally later. It might be a way to break the ice between them.
If such a thing was possible. The man was as guarded as they came. She had her work cut out for her, to try to get to know him a little.
Stretching out across the big bed, she stared up at the ceiling fixture, which consisted of tangled bits of petrified wood interwoven with golden globe-shaped lights that seemed strung on barbed wire. With a sigh, she let her eyes drift shut. Maybe what she really needed about now was a nice little nap….
The faint sound of her cell ringing snapped her awake. She went to the sitting room to get it. The display read Mom.
She answered. “I’m here. Safe. Don’t worry.”
“Just what I needed to know. Your father sends his love.”
“Love to him, too. Did Zoe and Dax get away all right?” Saturday, which had been New Year’s day, Abilene’s baby sister had married her boss and the father of her coming baby. The newlyweds were to have left for their honeymoon on Maui that morning.
“They’re on their way,” her mother said. “Dax says to say hi to Donovan.” Zoe’s groom and Donovan were longtime acquaintances. “And your sister says to tell your new mentor that he’d better treat you right.”
“I’ll give him the message—both of them,” Abilene promised.
“Have you … spoken with him yet?” Aleta Bravo asked the question carefully. She knew how upset Abilene had been with the whole situation.
“We spoke, yes. We … had words, I guess you could say. He was rude and dismissive. I was forced to tell him off.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Not as of now. I’ll keep you posted.”
“You can always simply come home, you know. It won’t be that difficult to find a place for yourself. You’re a Bravo. And you graduated at the top of your class.”
“Mom. There are plenty of architects. But an architect who’s worked closely with Donovan McRae, now that’s something else altogether. A fellowship like this—one-on-one with the best there is—it just doesn’t happen very often.”
She considered adding that Donovan had been facing some serious challenges lately and possibly deserved a little slack for his thoughtless behavior. That he used a wheelchair now.
But no. Ben had made it painfully clear that McRae didn’t want the world butting into his private business. She would respect his wishes. At least until she understood better what was going on with him.
Aleta said, “You’re determined to stay, then?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Well, then I suppose I won’t be changing your mind….”
“No. You won’t.” And then, from her mother’s end of the line, faintly, she heard the deep rumble of her father’s voice.
Aleta laughed. “Your father says to give him hell.”
“I will. Count on it.”
After she said goodbye to her mom, she checked in with Javier Cabrera.
Javier was an experienced builder—and the first person she’d called when she got the summons yesterday from Ben. He owned his own company, Cabrera Construction, and had been kind enough to hire Abilene to work as a draftsperson on a few of his projects over the endless months she’d been waiting to get started on the fellowship. He’d even allowed her to consult with him at his building sites, giving her the chance to gain more hands-on experience in construction. He had become not only her friend, but something of a mentor as well.
His connections to her family were long-standing and complicated. Once the Bravos and the Cabreras had been mortal enemies. But now, in the past few years, the two families seemed to have more in common than points of conflict.
“Abby,” Javier said warmly when he answered the phone. “I was wondering about you.”
“I’ll have you know I have made it safely to Donovan McRae’s amazing rock house in the middle of nowhere.”
“Did he tell you how sorry he was for all the time he made you wait and wait?”
“Not exactly.”
“You get in your car and you come back to SA. I have work for you. Plenty of work.”
She smiled at the driftwood and barbed-wire creation overhead. “You’re good to me.”
“I know talent. You will go far.”
“You always make me feel better about everything.”
“We all need encouragement.” He sounded a little sad. But then, Javier was sad. He was still deeply in love with his estranged wife, Luz.
Abilene confided that Donovan had said her design was crap.
Javier jumped to her defense, as she had known that he would. “Don’t listen to him. Your design is excellent.”
“My design is … workmanlike. It needs to be better than that.”
“You’re
