Because of the Baby(37)

Lark wasn’t like that. Brilliant, sensitive and mostly ignored by her parents, she’d been shy and reserved. If their families hadn’t hated each other and his brother hadn’t secretly been seeing her sister, he probably never would’ve noticed her. What a shame that would have been.

Much as Lark wasn’t like Skye, Keaton wasn’t like his brother. Jake could leave Royal and their ranch, knowing that Keaton would stick around to take charge. He doubted that Jake had ever considered whether Keaton wanted to do something else with his life. Or that their parents might desperately miss the younger Holt.

Damn. His brother could be a hardheaded, selfish idiot. When Jake finally showed up in Royal, Keaton might have to take his brother down hard before letting him anywhere near Skye and Grace.

“Keaton?” Lark’s worried voice broke through the haze of irritation that gripped him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fine.” He rubbed his temple to ease the ache there. “I was just thinking about Jake.”

“About beating him bloody?”

“What?” Her accurate read of his thoughts caught him off guard.

“You looked pretty angry.” And from the look on her face, she’d been worried he was mad at her.

“Sorry. It’s just every time I ask myself why he hasn’t called or shown up, I can’t imagine what could be keeping him away.”

“Hopefully we’ll find out sooner rather than later.”



Once she’d gotten Keaton out the door, Lark released a gigantic sigh of relief. He’d so obviously wanted to rehash what had happened between them the night before and she wasn’t sure she knew what to say.

Yes, it had been a mistake. A glorious, wonderful, spectacular mistake. One she’d repeat anytime and as often as she could.

Except she probably wouldn’t get the chance.

She closed her eyes and let the memory of his hot kisses and fierce possession wash through her. Nothing in her life came close to those moments he’d made love to her, and she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to go forward.

With Grace’s needs taken care of for the moment and a housekeeper coming in twice a week to cook, clean and do laundry, Lark found herself with a few precious hours of free time. Normally she would pick up a book and get lost among its pages, but her mind was far too restless to concentrate. Instead she carried Grace in her bouncy seat into her bedroom and went to investigate her closet.

One of the nice things about the years she hadn’t lived in Royal was the freedom she’d enjoyed from her mother’s criticism. Vera Taylor had an opinion about everything when it came to a person’s appearance, and her daughters faced the lash of their mother’s judgment the most. The constant badgering to do something about her appearance had turned Lark into an antifashionista.

All through high school, she’d owned several pairs of jeans and a variety of nondescript shirts that she rotated through her closet and the laundry. When it grew cold, she’d add a bulky hooded sweatshirt. In the summer she wore cutoffs and T-shirts. Her resolve to blend in drove her mother absolutely crazy. Vera lived to be complimented and envied for her carefully chosen outfits, flawless skin and perfect hair.

It wasn’t until Lark arrived at college that things changed. Her freshman year roommate was a fashion major and had gently guided Lark to break out of her rut. Without being compared to her beautiful sister all the time, Lark had discovered a sense of confidence. Karen had shown her how wearing jeans with the right top and a cute pair of flats could make her feel pretty, even sexy. By the end of the first semester, she’d added several skirts and even a couple dresses to her wardrobe.

From the very back of her closet, Lark pulled out a garment bag. In it were four dresses that she hadn’t worn since returning to Royal and one she’d never taken the tags off. She considered each one as she arranged them on her bed. Two were casual daytime dresses, something she’d wear to go shopping with friends or grab drinks at happy hour. The third one was a fancy cocktail dress she’d bought her senior year of college to attend a Christmas party at her boyfriend’s law firm. Her gaze came at last to the fourth dress.

She’d bought it on Karen’s recommendation because her roommate insisted that every woman needed an LBD in her closet. This particular little black dress showed off Lark’s curves to great advantage. The wrap design drew attention to her hourglass shape and left her arms bare. Lark had never worn the dress because she felt so blatantly sexy in it, and that was significantly outside her comfort zone.

Lark stripped off her jeans and sweater and slipped the dress over her head. Before she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she fetched her one pair of heels. Basic black pumps that pushed her height over the six-foot mark. A pair of gold earrings completed the outfit. Gathering a deep breath, Lark regarded herself in her full-length mirror and gasped.