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Brody sighed with relief and visibly relaxed “I heard you screa to kill you” Brody jumped when a hand touched his shoulder He turned to find Sadie standing behind hi Jeb was directly behind her, dressed in lounge pants and a T-shirt His feet were bare “It’s all right, Jeb I think she had a bad drea him out of the doorway

“You two can go on back to bed, now,” she mumbled as she closed the door in their faces

“But…” Brody stammered as the door was about to close

She spoke through the crack in the door “I’ll take care of this, Brody Take yourself off to bed, now”

“Come on, boy” Jeb placed a playful arm around Brody’s shoulders “Since we’re both up, I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee downstairs You had better put soh” Jeb snickered and shook his head A bat in his hand with him in his underwear He’d blasted into the rooer He needed clothes And coffee sounded good, too

Jeb and Brody sat in companionable silence at the kitchen table until Sadie joined them thirty minutes later “Is she okay, Sadie?” Brody asked, his eyebrows crunched together with concern

“She’s taking a shower, now Poor thing ringing ith sweat” Sadie’s eyes met Jeb’s over the table If Brody didn’t know her so well, he wouldn’t have seen the concern etched in her brows

“Been a long time since she’s woken up like that,” Jeb said to Sadie with a sigh

“Wait,” Brody broke in “She’s done that before?” Surely it didn’t happen often It was terrifying

“When she first caht Then the dreaet fewer and farther between until they stopped completely She hasn’t had one in years,” Sadie clucked

“What are they about?” Brody asked

Sadie started to speak and Jeb cut her off “That’s her business, Brody If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you” Sadie nodded in agreement

John walked into the roo his sleepy eyes as he tried to wake “What’s all the ruckus?” he asked around the yawn that filled his mouth

“Lou had a nightmare,” Brody announced If no one else wanted to talk about it, perhaps John would

John ca time Did it wake Sarah up?”