“People are staring at us,” Lark murmured, her eyes darting from one group to another.
Keaton saw curiosity and speculation in the expressions of the folks they passed. “Maybe if we stopped and spoke with someone, we could answer the questions on everyone’s mind.”
“Like who?”
He scanned the crowd and spotted a likely pair of candidates. “How about Drew and Beth?” Keaton switched direction without waiting for Lark’s response. Her discomfort worried him. He didn’t want her to feel like a fish in an aquarium.
“Keaton, we haven’t seen much of you lately,” Drew said, reaching his hand out. “How are things going at the ranch?”
“Coming along. The outbuildings will be finished the end of next week, and the interior work is beginning on the house.”
“That’s great.”
“Drew and Beth, you remember Lark Taylor. And this is our niece, Grace.”
“I heard what happened to your sister,” Beth said, peering into the carrier Keaton held. “Oh, she’s darling. But so tiny.”
“She was ten weeks premature,” Lark explained, her voice soft and hesitant. “But she’s doing really well.”
Beth paused in her cooing at the baby. “How’s Skye?”
Lark sighed. “She’s still in a coma. Dr. Wakefield, the trauma surgeon who saved her life, said with the type of brain injury Skye has, she could wake anytime.”
Or not at all.
Keaton knew what Lark feared. She’d broken down and spoken of her anxiety two nights ago after spending an hour sitting at her sister’s bedside. All the pressure of Skye’s coma and Grace’s early birth, not to mention her parents’ inflexible attitude toward their daughter and grandchild, was taking its toll.
“I hope it’s soon. This beautiful baby needs her mama.” Beth caught the attention of a redhead with long straight hair and bright green eyes. Megan McGuire, manager of Royal Safe Haven, the local animal shelter. “Megan, come meet Lark and her niece, Grace.”
“Why don’t I take Grace for a while?” Lark suggested to Keaton, her eyes brighter than they’d been a few minutes ago. She looked more confident since running into Beth. “Would you mind putting my cake on the dessert table?”
“Not at all.” Although he’d promised not to leave her side, she was obviously comfortable enough to send him away. They exchanged burdens and Keaton headed toward the heavily laden food tables with Drew strolling beside him.
“Forgive my curiosity,” Drew said, “but did you introduce Grace as your niece, as well?”
“Lark’s sister and my brother, Jake, left town together four years ago. Grace is their daughter.”
“Interesting. And now you and Lark?”
This was where things got sticky. Lark wanted to keep the truth hidden. Keaton wanted to shout his happiness from the rooftops. An unusual urge for him.
“We’re just co-caretaking Grace until Skye wakes up or my brother gets to town.”
“Oh.” Drew frowned. “Sorry. I assumed you two were together.”
Was the horse breeder unusually perceptive or were Keaton and Lark giving off a couple vibe? Knowing that wouldn’t make her happy, he frowned.
“Are we that obvious?” Keaton asked with a low laugh. “I was trying hard to behave.”
“Maybe not obvious to everyone.” Drew glanced around. “But ever since Beth and I got together, I see budding romances everywhere I turn.”
“Really?”
Keaton looked around. “I guess a few couples have fallen in love since the tornado.” Besides Drew and Beth, their acting mayor, Stella Daniels, and Aaron Nichols were such a couple. “It makes sense. Tragedy can bring out strong emotions.”
“And with so many people thrown together who wouldn’t normally be.” Drew paused. “Like you and Lark. Don’t the Holts and Taylors have some dispute between you?”
“A long-standing feud over land. It’s kept our families fighting for years.”
“That must have been hard on your brother and Lark’s sister.”
“They left town because of it.”
Keaton understood Lark’s worry. Unlike his sibling, Keaton let his responsibilities keep him tied to the Holt Ranch and by extension the town. Nor did he think Lark had any desire to live elsewhere. They were committed here. Sacrifices would be necessary if they intended to be together. At this point he was pretty sure whom she’d choose between her family and him.
“That’s tough,” Drew said.
“I could use a beer.” Keaton checked to see how Lark was doing and found her surrounded by women. “How about you?”