Free Love Me if You Dare by Carly Phillips Page A

house and venture. “I wish Nick did, too.”
    Sara raised an eyebrow. “Rafe isn’t on his brother’s side?”
    The other woman shook her head. “He says he’s on our side.” Angel paused from pressing the crust into the tin. “You sound surprised.”
    “It’s just that I always thought of Rafe as a very traditional guy. He wants what his parents have. Marriage, family. The white picket fence.” Which was what stood between them now.
    Angel pressed her lips together, obviously needing time to think. A few seconds later, she exhaled a long breath. “Okay, I’m going to share something private.But I don’t want you to think I’m a gossip. I’m telling you this because no woman drives five hours just to say hello to a man. You must have strong feelings for Rafe, or you wouldn’t be here.”
    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 anaffair.” 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 letgo 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