Donovan's Child Read Free Page A

tell your new mentor that he’d better treat you right.”
    â€œI’ll give him the message—both of them,” Abilene promised.
    â€œHave you…spoken with him yet?” Aleta Bravo asked the question carefully. She knew how upset Abilene had been with the whole situation.
    â€œWe spoke, yes. We…had words, I guess you could say. He was rude and dismissive. I was forced to tell him off.”
    â€œShould I be concerned?”
    â€œNot as of now. I’ll keep you posted.”
    â€œYou 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.”
    â€œMom. 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?”
    â€œYes, I am.”
    â€œWell, then I suppose I won’t be changing your mind….”
    â€œNo. 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.”
    â€œI 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.
    â€œAbby,” Javier said warmly when he answered the phone. “I was wondering about you.”
    â€œI’ll have you know I have made it safely to Donovan McRae’s amazing rock house in the middle of nowhere.”
    â€œDid he tell you how sorry he was for all the time he made you wait and wait?”
    â€œNot exactly.”
    â€œYou 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.”
    â€œI know talent. You will go far.”
    â€œYou always make me feel better about everything.”
    â€œWe 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.”
    â€œMy design is…workmanlike. It needs to be better than that.”
    â€œYou’re too hard on yourself.”
    â€œI have to be hard on myself. I want to be the best some day.”
    â€œStand tall,” he said. “And call me any time you need to talk to someone who understands.”
    â€œYou know I will.”
    They chatted for a bit longer. When she hung up, it