by Lori Wilde
And promptly found herself thinking about Nathan again. Okay, this time wasn’t really her fault. From this vantage point, she could see the mantel was lined with family pictures. Even though she told herself not to, the pictures pulled at her like a tractor beam, and before she knew it, she walked over to study them.
Leigh was in almost all the shots, as were three men. In each photo, Nathan was smiling at the camera. His smile invited her to smile back. The other two men were undeniably his brothers. Although they were equally handsome, Emma couldn’t stop looking at Nathan. There was something about him that made her mind almost shut down, something that made her want to get lost in his sexy smile and enticing gaze.
“Stop it,” she muttered to herself, determined not to let Nathan distract her. She had a dissertation to write on the female character arc in nineteenth-century American literature. She wasn’t going to waste time mooning over some man.
“The heck with you, Nathan Barrett,” Emma said, deliberately turning her back on the pictures. She picked up her research papers and started reading. No way was she going to let a handsome devil like Nathan muddle her brain. She shot a triumphant glance at the photos on the mantel. “Your plan won’t work.”
“What plan would that be?”
Nathan stood in the doorway to the family room, watching Emma. She jumped and yelped a little when he spoke, obviously startled. How she hadn’t known he was standing here was beyond him. He certainly hadn’t tried to be quiet coming into the house.
But she had been surprised. Really surprised. She currently sat with one hand over her heart, her wide hazel eyes staring at him.
“Where in the world did you come from?” Her voice had a breathless overtone to it that he found very appealing.
Hoping to lighten the mood, he said, “My parents told me they found me under a cabbage leaf, but I never believed them.” He wandered into the room and sat on the sofa facing her. “What do you think? Sounds like a suspicious story, doesn’t it? I mean, I could understand if they’d found me in a haystack. Or maybe in a basket left on the doorstep by a stork. But come on? A cabbage patch seems a bit implausible.”
Emma was still staring at him, and as Nathan watched, a pale flush colored her pretty face. Now that was interesting. He’d love to know what had caused her to have that reaction.
“Where’s Leigh?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Out. She went to the movies with her...friend, remember?”
Nathan settled back on the sofa. “Ah, that’s right. She went to the movies with Sara.” He grinned at Emma. “Did you get to meet the lovely Sara?”
Emma glanced away. “No. I was unpacking when the doorbell rang.”
Nathan nodded, wondering just how far Emma was willing to go to protect Leigh. “Too bad. Sara’s very nice. I’m sure you’ll like her. So why didn’t you go to the movies with them?”
“I had some reading to catch up on.”
“I see. So, it wasn’t the fact that you’d be in the way on Leigh’s wild date that kept you home?”
Emma met his gaze dead on. “You knew?”
“Even before I left, I suspected her friend was going to be someone with a five-o’clock shadow and an Adam’s apple who was named Mike or Keith or Horatio.”
A bubble of laughter escaped Emma. “Horatio? Hardly.”
“Yeah. I know.” He watched her for a second, then said, “His name’s Jared. He’s a rodeo rider. And I could skin Leigh alive for going out with him.”
Emma set the stack of papers she’d been reading on the coffee table in front of her, then asked, “Pardon me for interfering, but why do you care? Leigh’s twenty-one. She’s more than old enough to make her own decisions. You should let her choose her own friends.”
Nathan couldn’t help smiling at Emma’s statement. “In theory, you have a point, and normally, I’d agree with you. Someone her age doesn’t need to be supervised. Or at least, they shouldn’t need to be supervised. But in reality, this is Leigh we are discussing. She causes more problems than a rattlesnake at a rodeo.”
That made her laugh. “I am seeing that side of her now,” she admitted.
“Plus, this is Honey, Texas. Folks around here watch out for their family members.”
His comment earned him a doubting look from Emma. “I think people around the world watch out for their family members. It’s not unique to Honey, Texas.”
He shrugged. “True. But here in Honey, if I don’t show an interest in my sister’s life, I will hear about it from half the population. The folks around here like to meddle.”
“So I’ve heard,” Emma admitted with a chuckle.
“That’s a small town for you. Were you born in Texas?” he asked, enjoying this conversation more than he’d expected.
Emma shook her head. “No. I’ve only been in Texas for five years. Before that, my mother and I moved fairly often.”
That explained a lot. “And if I had to guess, I’d say you’re an only child.”
“Right.” She leaned forward, her expression intense. “None of that matters. What the town thinks doesn’t matter. No offense, but you shouldn’t meddle in your sister’s life. You may think you know what she should do, but it’s her life and her choices.”
There were very few things Nathan enjoyed more than a good argument with a worthy opponent. Emma was definitely a worthy opponent.
“Leigh means the world to me. I don’t want to see her hurt,” he said simply.
“You need to trust her instincts.”
He had to laugh at that one. “Really? Would those be the instincts that convinced her dying her hair bright green in high school was a terrific idea? Or the instincts that told her taking up motocross racing would be a great way to meet guys but failed to mention that she could end up dead? Or the instincts that caused her to ignore the teacher’s directives in chemistry class, so she proceeded to blow up the classroom. Sorry, Emma, but Leigh’s got questionable instincts.”
“Wow, I didn’t know she blew up a classroom. I hope no one was hurt.”
When he shook his head, she smiled. “Thank goodness. Sorry. I know I shouldn’t interfere, but I have to wonder if you and your brothers hover over each other as much as you hover over Leigh.”
“That’s okay. It’s good to hear your thoughts.” He returned her smile. “My brothers and I do watch out for each other, but you’re right. We probably hover more over Leigh.”
“Because she’s female,” Emma suggested.
“No. Because she’s young and fairly wild,” he countered. “Leigh is like her own personal tornado. She goes through life leaving a path of destruction behind her. Look at your life. She would have really messed it up if I hadn’t helped.”
He could tell she was uncertain what to say, but he knew she realized he was right. Maybe he was a little sexist when it came to his only sister, but he also was a realist.
Deciding to lighten the mood, he smiled. “At least she keeps life interesting—sort of like a nest of rattlesnakes.”
Emma laughed and nodded. “True.”
For a second, they simply looked at each other, quiet peace settling over them. Then, before he knew it, the atmosphere in the room seemed to suddenly shift. Awareness sparked, then danced between them.
Not a good thing.
Since this little chat was becoming way too cozy, he looked away. “It’s early yet. Want to take a walk? I can show you the sights of Honey.”
“Honey has sights?”
He laughed. “Of course, it has sights. Lots of them. How very big-city of you to think otherwise. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity.”
Emma glanced at the papers on the coffee table. “As tempting as the idea of a walk sounds, I really should work.”
Nathan decided to up his offer. “You sure I can’t lure you away for just a while? Honey is world-renowned for its fabulous ice cream. We could stop by the ice cream parlor and get a double scoop.”
“Let me get this straigh
t; you live in a small town that has a world-famous ice cream parlor? Is this a Norman Rockwell picture or what?”
Nathan stood and extended his hand. “Why don’t you come with me and find out?”
For a heartbeat, Emma looked up at him. Then with a small sigh, she took his hand and stood. “All I want to know is if this ice cream parlor is world-renowned, why haven’t I even heard of it?”
Nathan reluctantly let go of her hand, then waited for Emma to precede him out of the house. “I guess you’ve been hanging out in the wrong part of the world,” he teased.
Emma laughed, the sound carefree and light. Nathan couldn’t help smiling, enjoying himself for the first time in a long while. After they walked down the driveway, he headed them toward the center of town.
“I know you think you’ve distracted me, but you haven’t. Before we left the house, we were discussing Leigh.”
Nathan tipped his head and looked at her. “We were?”
“Yes, we were. I was pointing out that you should let her make her own decisions.” Emma’s soft voice settled over him like a warm mist. “And let her clean up her own messes.”
For the briefest of moments, Nathan allowed himself the luxury of simply looking at Emma. Then he said, “I don’t think I could butt out of her life if I wanted to. Worrying about her is coded in my DNA.”
“Hi, Mr. Barrett.”
Nathan stopped and turned. The McCluskey twins were weeding in their garden. He smiled at the teen girls, the daughters of one of his lead programmers. “Hi, Debbie. Hi, Carrie. How are you ladies today?”
The girls giggled and blushed, although for the life of him, he didn’t know why.
“We’re excellent,” said Debbie. “Really excellent.” She looked at Emma and shyly said, “Hi.”
Nathan quickly introduced Emma to the girls, explaining that Emma was going to work for Barrett Software.
“I’m going to work at Barrett Software after I get through college,” Carrie said, dusting her hands off on her red shorts and leaving black marks. “I’m going to be a programmer like Dad.”
“Me, too.” Debbie smiled at him. “I can’t wait until I can work there.”
“It’s great you two have your future mapped out,” Emma said. “When I was your age, I wanted to cure world hunger or be a rock star.”
“That’s because you didn’t have Barrett Software as your third choice,” Nathan teased.
“We’ve got it all planned,” Carrie said. “It’s going to be excellent.”
And after a couple of minutes catching up, Nathan wished the girls a good evening, and he and Emma headed on toward town.
“You have two not-so-secret admirers there,” Emma said after they’d walked half a block.
Nathan glanced at her. “They’re a couple of great kids. That’s all.”
Emma smiled. “I don’t think so. I think they think you’re excellent.”
Rather than answering, he put his hand on her arm, stopping her. “Hold on a second. You’re going to step on Rufus if you’re not careful.”
“Rufus?”
Nathan nodded at the hound dog sprawled across the sidewalk up ahead. “Rufus.”
Emma let out a small gasp. “That’s a dog?” She edged slowly closer, and as usual, Rufus didn’t bother to move. “I caught it out of the corner of my eye, and I thought it was some kind of dog-shaped fungus growing on the sidewalk.”
By now they were almost directly in front of the dog. When Emma went to bend toward the mutt, Nathan stopped her again.
“Rufus doesn’t like to be bothered. Just step over him.”
Emma blinked. “Does he bite?”
“No, he’s just a gentleman who prefers his own company,” Nathan explained, laughing at the incredulous expression on her face. He carefully stepped over Rufus, then turned and helped Emma across.
“Is he sick? Shouldn’t his owner take him to the vet?”
“Rufus is as healthy as a horse. He’s simply mellow and likes to snooze. The vet says it’s his personality. Besides, he livens up when a car approaches.”
“He chases cars?”
“No, not chases. But he barks at them,” Nathan said. “Sometimes. When the mood strikes him.”
“But he could run out into the road and get hit. This is very dangerous.”
Nathan leaned down and showed her the leash on Rufus’ collar. “If he tried, he’d be stopped. Several of us helped install the leash to make sure nothing bad happened to him. He’s only outside a little while each day, and when he is, he’s able to wander around the yard. He never does, though. He just flops on the sidewalk and snoozes. We all know when he’s sleeping to step over him.”
Emma shook her head. “Strange.”
“That’s Honey for you. We like our little idiosyncrasies.” Nathan headed them down Main Street. “So, tell me, how did you meet Leigh? No offense, but you don’t seem to have a lot in common.”
“Why not? Leigh’s nice, and fun, and—”
“Crazy, and devious, and irresponsible at times.” When Emma laughed, Nathan found himself looking at her lips and couldn’t help wondering if they felt as soft as they appeared.
With effort, he pulled his gaze away from her lips and studied her face. “So, how’d you meet?”
“We both used to hang out in the library, and after a while, we started talking. Eventually we became friends.”
That didn’t sound like his sister at all. “The library? Leigh hung out in the library?”
“Yes, she was there quite a lot. I think you underestimate her. She takes her studies very seriously.”
Although Leigh was getting decent grades in college, Nathan knew for a fact those grades came without a lot of time devoted to studying. She was a fast learner, and college came easily to her. An unsettled feeling crawled over him like a bug. Something didn’t add up.
“Was she at the library at a certain time of day?” he asked.
Emma frowned. “Why?”
“I’d be willing to bet there was a guy who worked there at the times that Leigh was around.”
Emma laughed softly. “You really are suspicious of her, aren’t you?”
“I’m not suspicious. I’m a realist.”
Apparently not buying his explanation, Emma’s frown deepened. “Are you suspicious of everyone or just Leigh?”
Oh, now this was getting fun. “Just Leigh. I trust most people.”
They were outside Monroe’s Drug Store. Out of habit and training, Nathan held the door for a local man, George Brown, who was coming out carrying several large bags.
“Hey there, Nathan,” George said, shifting his packages and shaking Nathan’s hand. Leaning close, he said, “I should tell you, I saw Leigh going into the movies with Jared Kendrick earlier tonight. You know ’bout that?”
Nathan nodded. “I know. How are you?”
George narrowed his gaze and for a second looked as if he was going to say more, but then he noticed Emma. “Well, hello there. I don’t think we’ve met.”
Nathan quickly introduced them, and George shook Emma’s hand. “You’re going to like working at Barrett Software. Great place.” He slapped Nathan on the back. “The boy here has done good by this town. But we always knew he would. After he took the football team to State, we knew Honey could count on him.”
“We didn’t win,” Nathan felt compelled to point out.
“But you gave it your all, Nathan. That’s what counts.”
After helping George load his bags into his car, Nathan waved goodbye and started walking again. It took him a couple of seconds to realize Emma wasn’t walking with him.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She slowly approached him, humor lurking in her eyes. “Tell me, does everyone in this town think you’re the best thing since microwave popcorn, or are we just running into the zealots?”
3
“I have friends in Honey.” Nathan chuckled. “That’s why I opened my business here.”
&n
bsp; “Friends? More like fans.” She nodded toward the restored courthouse building that now housed Barrett Software. “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. It looks like your company keeps this town going.”
Nathan idly kicked a stone on the sidewalk, not really comfortable with the praise. “I’ve helped Honey, sure, but this town was a great place long before I opened Barrett Software.”
She smiled at him, a pretty smile that made her eyes sparkle. “If you say so,” she teased. “But I can hardly wait to see who else we meet on our little stroll. I’m feeling pretty popular since I’m going for ice cream with the captain of the football team.”
“That was a long time ago,” he pointed out. Wanting to talk about anything other than himself, he turned the tables. “You know way too much about me. Tell me about yourself instead.”
For a second, she hesitated. Then she said, “Fine. We’ll change the subject. We’ll no longer discuss your glory days.” She tipped her head and looked downright adorable. “Let’s see. About me. Well, like I said, I’m working on my doctorate in English. End of story.”
Nathan chuckled. “Ah. So, you didn’t start out as a baby, then grow up to be a teenager, and finally turn into a woman? You popped out of the womb a full-fledged Ph.D. candidate?”
Her smile was sassy. “Wouldn’t that have been a time saver? But you’re right. I started out the boring, usual way.”
When she didn’t expand on her answer, he teased, “You’re a chatty thing, aren’t you? You keep on with these stories, and you’ll burn my ears off.”
“Oh, fine, but if we’re playing twenty questions here, you go first. Tell me about you. I already know you’re adored in the town where you grew up and that you led the football team to State, which makes you a real hero around here. Tell me the rest.”
