“Don’t look at it like that. You’re trying it, buster.”
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“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
She cut the oddly shaped pancake and held a piece out to him on her fork. He snaked out a hand to capture her wrist.
“If you don’t have the balls, I’ll understand.”
“You’ll pay for that.” He leaned forward and took the offering. The flavor wasn’t bad.
“You like it, don’t you?”
Easton changed the subject. “I never asked. Are you an only child?”
She seemed about to argue but let it go. “Yes, my mom wanted more kids, but she had severe complications during her pregnancy with me, and my father refused to risk her life again.” She shrugged, but Easton wondered if she didn’t regret not having a sister or brother.
“Having a sibling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Please, you said your brother is your best friend.”
He nodded. “We’re fraternal twins, so we shared just about everything.”
“Your parents didn’t want to try for a girl?”
“It didn’t happen before my mother died, and you met Lurlene.”
Kenzie cringed and laughed. Her voice flowed over him in an odd way. He stirred the food on his plate, then hazarded a bite. The flavor exploded on his tongue, giving him understanding of how excited Kenzie was about it. Still, he kept his expression neutral.
“She didn’t seem to have a preference the other day.”
He studied her face and heard the jealousy. Suppressing his grin took some effort. “She doesn’t. Lurlene will do anything to regain access to my family’s money. My father was foolish to marry her, but Grandfather made sure she wouldn’t profit from it. Not in the way she hoped.”
“Grandfather,” she repeated. “That’s so cute.”
He grunted.
“Tell me what kind of relationship you two had. It seems like you respected him. Did you love him?”
“Of course.” He set his fork down. “He was an austere man, unnecessarily hard on Ethan and me, but he was also fair. He taught me everything I know about business. Later, when he got sick, he mellowed a lot, but because of his desire to see us succeed, and all he had worked for to remain, he dictated his will the way he did.”
“But you don’t like the terms? I can’t see any other reason why you keep dragging your feet. You’re looking for a loophole.”
His brows went up. “There is no loophole, Kenzie.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand you—or him, I guess. My parents had a great relationship. They were always cleaning together, going out together. When my mom cooked, my father would sit right there and taste test it all. He supported her one hundred percent, and if anyone ever asked them if they would consider marrying for anything other than love, they would have been disgusted. Maybe that’s why you aren’t moving forward like you should. You want love too.”
“Hardly.” He stood up and dumped his empty plates in the trash. Now he wouldn’t mind trying one of the beers he had seen for sale. He walked back to Kenzie and slipped a hand around her waist as she stood. Relieving her of the burden of trash, he continued. “I like my life as it is. I will marry and have a child, but if you think love will enter in at any time, forget it. All I’ve seen are women like Lurlene or those who make the decision based on the business advantage. Love like you have experienced—while I’m not so jaded as to believe it doesn’t exist, I think it doesn’t for me. I’ll do what I have to and nothing more.”
Easton had no idea why Kenzie later seemed crestfallen, but he set out to make her happy. He allowed her to drag him to every exhibit, watched pigs race and people perform magic. He listened to storytellers weave elaborate tales and later tried more food at her prompting. By the time the sun began to set, Kenzie seemed more subdued. She leaned heavily on his shoulder but refused to leave.
“You’re tired, Kenzie.”
“The dance is starting. We’re not missing it.”
He glanced around them and noticed quite a few of the people striding with purpose over the grass toward a central location. The day had grown chillier, and his fingers were going numb, along with his toes. Yet, the closer they moved to wherever it was they headed, he felt an increase in temperature. Music floated on the air, instruments being tuned, and then the crowd parted to reveal an area set aside for dancing. Barrels with fires going in them were set at strategic points, and benches surrounded the clearing. Couples began forming in the middle, and Kenzie took his hand to lead him along with the rest.