Free If Wishes Were Horses by Robert Barclay Page A

son.”
    â€œThat’s okay,” Wyatt answered. “It’s been quite a while since a pretty woman chased after me.”
    Trevor scowled. “Doubt it…,” he muttered.
    â€œI’m sorry?” Wyatt asked.
    Gabby nearly died from embarrassment. Coming up behind Trevor, she instinctively grasped the tops of his shoulders, as if she could somehow squeeze only the right phrases out of him and keep all the unwanted ones inside.
    â€œDon’t mind him,” she said. “You know teenagers! Anyway, Trevor has something that he wants to tell you.”
    Wyatt’s guilt over his decision about Trevor took hold again, but he managed to give the boy a smile. “Okay,” he said.
    To Gabby’s relief, Trevor decided to obey his mother’s wishes. He held out his right hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Blaine,” he said. “And I want to thank you for allowing me to join your horse-therapy program.”
    Bless you, Trevor, Gabby thought. Even if it did sound rehearsed.
    â€œIt’s my pleasure,” Wyatt answered. “And call me Wyatt.”
    Trevor shook hands like a man and looked Wyatt straight in the eye, almost as if he was challenging him for some reason. Ram is going to like this kid, Wyatt thought. They’re cut from the same cloth.
    Wyatt wasn’t sure of what to do or say next, and Gabby’s appearance wasn’t helping. Because he had been so upset during their first meeting, he hadn’t paid much attention to her looks. Wyatt had long been a fan of old films, and as Gabby stood before him, he realized that she looked very much like Lauren Bacall in her younger days. Her innocent gaze somehow engulfed him from head to toe all at once, causing him to suddenly feel uneasy.
    Jacobson was right, Wyatt decided. Gabby was a looker, and then some. But what to do now?
    After Gabrielle’s heartfelt rush to greet him, simply saying good-bye and driving away would seem too brusque. He always went to brunch after church—it had been a tradition with him since Krista and Danny’s deaths, and he had had every intention of going there when Gabrielle called out to him.
    Still wondering what to do, he took a closer look at the Powers boy. The kid seemed normal enough, despite his fifties vintage look. And besides, Wyatt reasoned, he would have to get to knowthese people sooner or later. Perhaps now, in the relatively quiet confines of a restaurant, might be better than trying to do it during the always harried first day of New Beginnings.
    What the hell…, he finally decided.
    â€œI was headed to brunch,” he said. “Would you and Trevor like to tag along? It’s my treat, of course. I know a place that’s very good.”
    Although Wyatt surprised Gabby, she was far from disappointed. She wanted to accept, but she couldn’t know how much longer Trevor’s false courtesy might last. Deciding to risk it, she nodded.
    â€œWe’d like that very much,” she answered. “Perhaps you could tell us more about New Beginnings while we eat.”
    Trevor’s face quickly grimaced with distaste. “Jesus, do we have to?” he exclaimed. But when Gabby shot him a sharp look that said she meant business, he soon sighed with resignation. “Sorry, Mr. Blaine,” he said quietly. “Brunch would be okay, I guess.”
    â€œThat’s all right, Trevor,” Wyatt answered graciously. “I know it’s probably not your kind of thing, but the food’s really good.”
    Wyatt returned his gaze to Gabby. “It would be best if you followed me in your car,” he said. “We’ll go to Chez Paul. I always see Sunday brunch as a personal reward for sitting through Jacobson’s long-winded sermons! It’s just around the corner, at Mizner Park.”
    â€œThat’s fine,” Gabby said. “We’ll see you there.”
    Soon Gabby was following