The Return Of Rafe Mackade (The MacKade Brothers 1)

"He didn't lose his eye," Devin went on easily. "Be wearing a patch for a while though. They can't tell yet if there'll be permanent damage.''

"She should have aimed between his legs."

"Yeah, too bad about that. Well, I thought you'd want to know, he pleaded guilty to the B and E, the assault, on advice of counsel. They dumped the attempted rape charges to get the guilty plea and avoid trial, but he's not going to pass Go."

Rafe didn't want to care. "How long?"

"My guess is three, solid. Before you say it's not enough, I'm going to the sentencing tomorrow myself, and adding weight. When he's up for parole, in a year or so, I'll go back and add more."

"I said it's none of my business." Rafe toed in the last piece of baseboard. "How's Cassie holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. Jared's pushing through the divorce. With the spousal abuse and adultery, it won't take the usual year. Joe's not in much

of a position to contest it. The quicker it's done, the quicker she and the kids can get on with things."

Thoughtfully he tapped his cigarette out in the can. "Aren't you going to ask how Regan's holding up?"

"No."

"Well, I'll tell you." Ignoring Rafe's snarl, Devin folded his legs and sat. "She doesn't look like she's been getting a lot of sleep, if you ask me."

"I didn't."

"Ed says she hasn't been coming in for lunch, so I guess her appetite's off, too. I could figure that experience with Joe shook her up enough to interfere with her sleeping and eating. But I got a hunch it's something else."

"She'll handle it. She's good at taking care of herself."

"Good thing, too. Odds are, if Joe had managed to drag her inside that day, somebody would've seen the door quick enough, heard the ruckus. Still, he could've done a lot of damage in a short time."

"Don't you think I know that?" Rafe shot out. "Do you think I don't know what he could have done to her?"

"Yeah, I think you know it. I think it's eating at you, and I'm sorry. Are you ready to listen to me?"

"No."

But there wasn't any heat behind the denial, so Devin prepared to say his piece. "Witnesses in the diner said they thought she was drunk at first when she came in, the way she was walking. She'd have passed out if Ed hadn't gotten her down first."

"I don't need to hear this."

"Yeah," Devin murmured, watching Rafe's knuckles whiten on the hilt of the hammer, "you do. When I got to her, Rafe, she was in shock. Are you getting this? Her pupils were as narrow as the point of one of those nails. I was set to have her taken into Emergency, but she pulled herself together. I watched her do it. It was impressive."

"So she's tough." The image projecting into his mind scraped him raw. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Okay. I don't figure you were in any shape to see the way she looked at you when you walked into my office. She'd pulled herself together because she had to, because that's the way she's made, I guess. Then you walked in. A man could go his whole life without having a woman look at him the way she looked at you."

"She doesn't need me."

"That's bull. You may be stupid, but you should know that."

"I know I was stupid enough to let her matter. To let what she thought of me, what she wanted from me, matter. I'm not doing it again." He rose, hooked his hammer in his tool belt. "I don't need her, either."

With a sigh, Devin unfolded himself and stood. "You're cross-eyed in love with her."

"No, I'm not. I got soft on her for a while, then I got over it."

Devin pursed his lips. There was one quick, potentially painful way to handle this. "You're sure?"

"I just said so, didn't I?"