“That can’t possibly be true.”
“It is. Skye could have been an only child for all the impact I made on their lives.” Lark shook her head, remembering how she’d alternated between resenting her younger sister and rejoicing that Skye was their mother’s focus. “The times I remember being most happy were when I was lost in a story. While Mom coached Skye on her pageant walk or spent hours trying out new hairstyles or planning the next routine, I was up in my room or down by the creek, reading.”
“I remember Jake complaining about you all through school.”
“Complaining about me?” She thought back to those days and couldn’t remember ever so much as making eye contact with him even though they’d been in the same grade and he’d been so friendly with her sister. “Why?”
“The teachers were always using your work as an example. You weren’t just bright, you worked really hard.”
“I don’t know that I worked all that hard. I just made sure I got everything done. It’s an easy thing to do when you’re inept socially and have only a handful of equally awkward friends to hang out with.”
“What else do you know about me?”
“You do crossword puzzles in pen. Most people would find that impressive.”
“But not you?”
“I’ve known for a long time that you’re extremely smart. In fact, there were a lot of people who figured you’d end up in a think tank somewhere after you graduated from UC Berkeley.”
“I had offers, but in the end what I really wanted was to come back to Royal and ranch.”
“I understand that. For a year I considered staying in Houston, but my heart was here.” And no one was more surprised by that fact than Lark. All through high school she’d been eager to get away. Only it was a case of the grass not necessarily being greener on the other side. “But do you ever feel as if you wasted four years getting a degree in mathematics?”
“It’s actually worse than that,” he said, looking slightly abashed. “I completed my master’s and began working on my doctorate.”
“Wow.” She regarded him in amazement. “But you prefer ranching?”
“I’m not built to spend my days indoors. Ranching suits me. And before you think I’ve completely wasted my education, I do consulting work for a company outside Boston.”
“When do you find time?”
“Evenings. Anytime I need a break from the ranch. Meeting deadlines has been challenging in the days since the storm, but the only thing that’s suffered has been my social life.” His expression grew momentarily wry. “Which isn’t saying much.”
“We are a lot more alike than I realized.” Lark regarded him with a sinking heart. The compatibility between them was going to lead to deeper feelings. How could she help but fall for him? He was handsome. Brilliant. And he understood her.
“I wonder what would have happened if we’d been closer in age the way Jake and Skye were,” he mused, echoing something she’d caught herself pondering several times in the last few weeks.
“You mean would we have become friends against our parents’ wishes?” She shook her head. “I was too sure your family was evil.” And too afraid of disappointing her father.
“And now?”
“The feud might have started for a good reason, but it’s idiotic that we haven’t found a way to settle things. Your parents have done a better job supporting Skye and Grace than my own, and that makes them friend, not foe, in my book.”
“And me?”
Her gaze met his. The concern darkening his eyes to a somber shade of blue made her heart lose its rhythm.
“You know how I feel about you.”
“I really don’t.” This wasn’t a flirtatious game. He was regarding her as if he really wanted to hear her opinion.
How much did she dare tell him?
“I like you.”
“Just like?”
Although there was a trace of amusement in his tone, Lark couldn’t tear her gaze from his. “Very much like. I wouldn’t have...you know...”
“Made love?”
“Exactly. It’s not something I do lightly.” Or often. “When I’m with you I believe I can handle everything.”
“We’ve made a good team.”
But it was a temporary alliance. Soon Skye would wake and take Baby Grace back to wherever she’d been living. Or Jake would come to town in search of his daughter and the woman he loved and reawaken old hurts. Her parents would demand that Lark stand at their side once more. Against her sister and the Holts.