Beloved Wolf by Kasey Michaels Page B

That’s all, and it’s a far cry from the kind of love you’re talking about, let me tell you.”
    Emily shrugged. “If you say so, Soph,” she said, then changed the subject. “Have you heard about the party? Mom’s throwing this big sixtieth-birthday bash for Dad. Dad’s not happy about it, but Mom’s over the moon, planning menus and motifs, hiring bands, stuff like that. All Dad keeps saying is that he thought he’d only have to wear a monkey suit again to marry off one of us kids.”
    â€œPoor Dad.” Sophie shook her head. “How did he let her talk him into it? Wait, never mind. I already know. Dad just found it easier to give in, right?”
    â€œThe story of our lives, at least for almost the past decade,” Emily agreed.
    â€œThe good mommy and the bad mommy, huh, Sparrow,” Sophie said quietly, then sighed.
    â€œOr, to be precise, the good mommy and the evil mommy. Yes, and I wish I’d never said that to anyone. But, hey, I was what—eleven? All I knew was that I woke up, saw two of her, and then pretty much spazzed out, went a little nuts. I wouldn’t let Mom in my room, wouldn’t let her touch me. Had thosescreaming nightmares. You’re right, Mom used to call me her little sparrow. But her little sparrow turned into a screeching hyena. I must have been a real treat. I still have nightmares, more now than I did when I was a kid. And she knows about them.”
    â€œStill, Emily? Oh, I’m so sorry.” Sophie got out from under the covers and moved down the bed, to put a hand on Emily’s arm. “But that didn’t and doesn’t mean that Mom should turn away from you, practically cut you off from her life the way she did. It wasn’t you who pushed her away, not really. She pushed herself away, from all of us. When I came home after my first semester at college, it was as if I’d walked into a totally different house. Dad acting as distant as he had after Michael died, Mom always going off somewhere, shopping, then giving parties every night of the holidays. Everyone else just sort of walking around, going through the motions…and with the heart gone out of everyone. I’d never realized how important Mom was to all of us, to our happiness, until she went away.”
    â€œGone without being gone,” Emily agreed, then shook herself, took a deep breath. “Well, that’s not why I’m in here, you know. I’m here to tell you that Inez is setting up a cold buffet lunch on the patio and expects everyone to be there with appetite in hand in—” she looked down at her watch “—about fifteen minutes. So chop, chop, Soph. This is one meal you aren’t going to miss, because if you do, you’d better be ready for all of us to come knocking down this door. Brothers and sisters exploding into the room. It wouldn’t be a pretty picture.”
    â€œOkay, you’ve convinced me,” Sophie said, laughing as she left the bed, favoring her right leg slightly, and went over to her dresser for clean underwear in preparation of heading for the shower. “Who all is here?”
    Emily held up one hand and began ticking off her fingers with her other hand. “We’ve got Drake, who finds any excuse to hang around Inez’s Maya whenever he’s home on leave, although nobody is supposed to notice that. Trust me, Inez has noticed, and she’s not happy about it, not with Drake going off playing navy SEAL every time we think he’ll be home for a while. We’ve also got Rand, who showed up with a briefcase bulging with legal papers for Dad to sign. We had Amber, who decided she’d rather spend the day helping out over at Hopechest Ranch, holding up Mom’s end now that Mom is busy finding new ways to spend Dad’s money. We’ve got— Nope, River rode out early this morning, to check out a mare on the next ranch. So that’s