Because of the Baby...

by Cat Schield

  “I’m sure you do.” She nuzzled his throat and smiled.

  Already fresh desire was stirring at the edge of her consciousness. Her hunger for Keaton astonished her. In the past she’d never been driven by a need to tear someone’s clothes off and have sex at the spur of the moment. She’d enjoyed intimacy with the men she dated, but the lovemaking was more like canoeing on a calm lake compared to the ocean storm she enjoyed with Keaton.

  “Next weekend Paige Richardson is throw a party at the Double R to celebrate her barn raising,” Keaton said, his fingers trailing a soothing path up and down Lark’s back.

  “Hmmm.” Mesmerized by Keaton’s caress, she had little more to offer.

  For the last three months there’d been a lot of opportunities for the townsfolk to pitch in and help each other out. She knew the co-owners of R&N Builders, Aaron Nichols and his business partner, Colby Richardson, brother of Paige’s deceased husband, had assisted Keaton with some aspects of rebuilding the Holt ranch house and outlying buildings. But with the high amount of devastation suffered throughout the town, the professional builders were spread thin.

  So anyone with a free day or afternoon and a willingness to wield a hammer or a saw could easily find a project to work on. Lark knew Keaton had hosted a party at his place the weekend the town gathered to help with the roofing of the ranch house and his main barn.

  “I think we should go together,” Keaton continued. “And bring Grace.”

  Lark’s contentment vanished as anxiety flared. “Sure.”

  “You don’t sound convinced it’s a good idea.”

  “I thought we were going to keep our situation as quiet as possible.”

  “We’re co-caretaking Grace,” he reminded her. “We were seen having dinner together at Claire’s. I’m living with you. You don’t think that speculation about us has circled town three times already?”

  “You’re right.” But as long as she didn’t have to confront a bunch of knowing smiles, she could at least pretend that no one would run to her parents with the news that she’d invited the family enemy to live with her.

  Keaton kissed her shoulder. “You know I’m here for you, right?”

  Lark knew his promise wasn’t given lightly. Even though his parents hadn’t treated her with the same disdain shown by Tyrone and Vera, Lark had gotten the distinct impression that they were hoping nothing was going on between her and Keaton. They didn’t want to lose another son to a Taylor girl. With the feud between the families, it would be just a matter of time before conflict arose again, and that would mean trouble for everyone involved.

  “What’s bothering you?” Keaton asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “You’ve sighed four times in the last two minutes.”

  “I’m really relaxed.”

  “They weren’t sighs of contentment. You’re worrying about something.”

  “I was just thinking your parents wouldn’t be overly pleased to learn we’ve taken playing house—literally.”

  “You’re wrong. They like you.”

  “Sure, as the woman who’s taking care of their granddaughter. Not as the woman in their son’s bed.”

  “Technically their son is in your bed.”

  She made a sour face at him. “It’s not like you to take things so lightly.” And then it occurred to her that she had no idea if that was true. How much did she really know about the man sprawled naked beneath her?

  “Uh-oh. What now?”

  “I’m just realizing how little I know about you.”

  “You know more than most.”

  “I do?” She considered what she’d learned in the last ten days.

  “Why do I keep to myself?”

  “Your ranch keeps you busy. You like your own company. I’ve heard you make polite conversation if you have to, but I think you prefer more straightforward discussions.”

  “I dislike pretending to feel something I don’t, and often that rubs people the wrong way.”

  People like her father, Lark realized. Tyrone Taylor never appreciated when the reality of a situation conflicted with his version of the truth.

  “We’ve got that in common,” Lark admitted, thinking back to those awful days after Skye ran off with Jake. “Sometimes I miss social cues, and that gets me into trouble. Luckily most people take me at face value, but once in a while, I encounter someone who takes offense at my cluelessness.” Like Marsha at work, who needed the entire world to revolve around her. “Sometimes it’s just easier being alone.”

  “You’ve felt like that for a long time. I remember as a kid you were always in your own world, either reading or standing around with a grumpy look on your face. What were you thinking about?”

  “Usually stuff I’d been reading about earlier or how long before I could escape whatever I’d been dragged to.”

  He laughed. “Did that happen a lot?”

  “Less as I got older. Most of the time when I was a kid, my parents forgot I existed. The older I grew, the more invisible I became.”

  “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.

  “What are you worrying about?” Keaton asked.

  “I’m not Skye,” she explained. “I’ve never had the strength to go against my parents.” She snuggled her cheek against his shoulder, ashamed at her weakness. “If they find out about us, I’m not sure my choices will make you happy.”

  Beneath her, Keaton’s chest rose as he gathered a great breath in his lungs. “You don’t know what’s going to happen or when. Until then let’s make sure we make the most of the present.”

  Nine

  Lark’s home sparkled with cleanliness and order by Wednesday night. Despite the already pristine nature of the housekeeping, Lark had attended to every corner and out of the way surface to make sure it was free of dust and dirt.

  It hadn’t been Keaton’s intention that she work like a maniac in advance of his parents’ visit, but every attempt to make her stop was met with stony determination.

  “Enough,” he commanded, plucking the surface cleaner and rag from her hands and dragging her from the kitchen. Scooping Grace from her swing, he handed her to Lark. It was the only way to pause her obsessive housework. “My mother is not going to notice your house. She’ll have eyes only for Grace.”

  “Does she look okay?”

  The dress Lark had bought for Grace was pale pink with a scalloped hem and white flowers embroidered on the bodice. Her hair had grown noticeably in the last couple weeks, but the fine texture and white-blond color didn’t make it seem as if she had much going on. Lark fussed with the tiny rosebud clip she’d attached to the silky strands.

  “She’s perfect,” Keaton assured her, refraining from adding that his mother wouldn’t judge what her granddaughter was wearing.

  The doorbell rang, announcing his parents’ arrival.

  Lark started at the sound and gazed frantically toward her front door. “Maybe you should hold her?”

  “Relax.” He tilted Lark’s chin up and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger far longer than he’d intended. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  He left Lark standing in the middle of the living room, a dazed expression on her flushed face, and went to welcome his parents. He wasn’t surprised when his mother brushed right past him with barely a hello and went in search of Grace. The intensity on her face as she approached the pair made Lark’s body stiffen.

  “There she is.” Gloria stopped short of plucking Grace from Lark’s arms, but touched the infant’s cheek with gentle fingertips. “Oh, she’s absolutely precious. And I think she looks a little like Jake through the chin.”

  “Would you like to hold her?”

  “You’re sure it’s okay?” Keaton’s mother looked delighted.

  Lark’s gaze went past Gloria and fastened on her son. “Absolutely.”

  Grace barely stirred as she went from her aunt to her grandmother. Hearing the volley of questions begin, Keaton turned to his father and gestured with his head toward the kitchen.

  “I think they’ll be occupied for some time. Can I get you a beer?”

  His dad grinned. “Always.”

  Keaton showed his father the steaks he’d bought for later and David Holt nodded approvingly over the thick cuts. Although Keaton had insisted that Lark didn’t need to worry about fixing dinner, she’d made half a dozen side dishes to accompany the main course from two types of potatoes to three cold salads.

  “How are things going?” Keaton’s father nodded toward Lark.

  “Fine.” His gaze lingered on the pair of women in fond amusement. “Taking care of a newborn, and a preemie at that, has been easier than I expected.”

  “And the Taylor girl?”

  Something in his father’s tone set Keaton’s radar buzzing. “You mean Lark? What about her?”

  “You’re living here, right?”

  “Yes.”

  What was his father getting at?

  “She’s a lot prettier than I remember.”

  “Your point?” Keaton quizzed, although he had a pretty good idea what was on his father’s mind.

  “Just want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

  Having his father doubt his judgment took Keaton by surprise. “Why would you think I don’t?”

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” his father said. “Your brother got involved with a Taylor girl and look what happened.”

  So his father had learned nothing in the last four years. “Seems to me he’s been living quite happily with the woman he loves,” Keaton retorted, making no effort to moderate his irritation.

  “You don’t know that. We haven’t had any contact with him in four years. Anything could have happened.”

  “They have a beautiful baby girl. That speaks for Jake and Skye still being together.”

  “Then why isn’t he here?” Grief showed in David Holt’s gaze. “If they’re so happy, why hasn’t he made any attempt to be here for Skye and Grace?”

  “The investigator I hired was able to find out Jake is in the Middle East, he just doesn’t know where yet.”

  “I don’t understand why his assistant won’t just give you his number.”

  “She....” Keaton hesitated, unsure if his mother had shared the next part with his father. “Told me when I identified myself that Jake didn’t have a brother.”

  David sucked in a sharp breath. “Did you tell that to your mother?”

  “She knows.”

  “One of you should have told me.” The news had obviously landed a huge blow to Keaton’s father.

  “I honestly thought he’d be here by now and that there wouldn’t be anything to tell.”

  “I’ll call her,” Keaton’s father said. “She’ll give me his number or I’ll—”

  “David,” Gloria called. “Come over here and hold your granddaughter.”

  “Mom already tried calling,” Keaton told his father. “The assistant won’t budge. There’s something a little off with her.”

  His father snorted. “A little?”

  “The investigator will find him,” Keaton said, sounding more confident than he felt.

  “See that he does.” With those parting words David crossed to where his wife snuggled their granddaughter. Lark offered a shy smile as she passed Keaton’s father. He responded with a brief nod. While she bustled about the kitchen, pulling out side dishes and heating the oven, Keaton assessed her state of mind. She was looking agitated again. He had to block her between his body and the
counter in order to gain her attention.

  “Relax,” he said.

  “You keep saying that, but it’s not going to happen.” She scowled at him. “Do you think I didn’t notice the way your father was looking at me? He isn’t happy about our arrangement.”

  “He said you were pretty.”

  The stern look Lark leveled at him would have started a lesser man sputtering apologies. “And then proceeded to warn you that Taylor girls bring Holt boys nothing but heartache?”

  “Not in so many words.”

  Lark set her hand on his stomach, intending to push him away. Keaton grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms around his waist. She stiffened, but he held firm.

  “They’ll see,” she hissed.

  He couldn’t care less. When Jake and Skye had fallen in love, the connection between their feuding families began to transform. With Grace’s arrival, there was yet another string binding them together. A sound relationship between Keaton and Lark would put an end to multiple generations of fighting.

  “That’s the idea.” And then he kissed her.

  Her lips quickly grew pliant and responsive. He kept the contact romantic, ignoring the passion that flared between them. There would be time enough to satisfy that later. When he was sure he’d made his point, he released her and stepped back.

  “Keaton?” His mother’s voice had a slight warble as she spoke his name.

  “Yes, Mom?” He kept his gaze on Lark, letting her glimpse what was in his heart.

  “Are you and Lark...together?”

  He shifted one eyebrow up and waited for Lark to tell him what to answer. Her nod was barely perceptible, but it released all the tension in his muscles. “Yes. We are.”

  * * *

  Lark’s whole body felt as if it was on fire, although whether desire or embarrassment was the dominant cause, she wasn’t sure.

  “Okay, you’ve made your point,” Lark muttered to Keaton, stepping around him to go back to dinner preparations. She didn’t glance into the great room to see how Gloria and David Holt reacted to their son’s announcement. She imagined their faces reflected horror.

  “Is this a new development?” Gloria sounded closer than she’d been moments earlier.