Page 71 of Killer on the Homestead
She laughed, then winced a little when a dull pain sliced through her forehead. “All’s well that ends well. Apology accepted. I plan to lord it over you every time we have to work together.”
“I expect nothing else.” He gave an uncharacteristic awkward wave, nodded at Audra, then strode for the door.
But the thing was, just as she’d told Duncan, she and Copeland were a little too much alike to get along. And too much alike not to understand each other.
“You’re right. We all did what we could. No guilt, okay?”
He stopped at the door, looked back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “I’m incapable of feeling guilt,” he replied.
Of course that was a lie. He wouldn’t have come here, apologized, withoutguilt. But she let him leave with that parting shot. Looked at her sister, who had a thoughtful expression on her face.
“You know, I’m fine. You don’t have to be here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rosalie,” Audra said, her own brand of irritable. She pulled a chair next to the bed. “I think it’s time to have a talk.”
“Can it wait? I’m tired.” And she was. Tired and feelinggross. She wanted tonight over with so she could go home tomorrow.
She refused to think about Duncan in this moment. Having to break the news to his parents, not just that Terry was a murderer, but that he had all that resentment for the Kirks all this time.
It made her heart clench, and she didn’t want to deal with it.
“I’ll let you sleep in just a minute. But for now, you’re stuck in this bed and Duncan saved your life, so you’re going to have to finally listen to what I’ve been trying to tell you for days now.”
Rosalie shifted uncomfortably. “Come on, Audra. I’m in pain,” she said, hoping to appeal to her sister’s usually soft heart.
But Audra’s expression was firm, and that was the thing about Audra. She had a lot of soft spots, but once she decided something, it wasdecided.
“Well, this is going to be painful, so it’s the perfect time. I can’t have you taking another step of your life thinking that because you loved Dad, you can’t trust your feelings. There’s nothing wrong with your instincts.”
“Hell, Audra, can we—”
But Audra plowed right over her protests. “It was me. Every thoughtful present he ever gave you, every phone call he made on your birthday if he wasn’t home. Mom too. The both of them were selfish and self-obsessed. And I hated that forme, so I set about to do something about it foryou. I made them give you, or faked them giving you, everything I wanted.”
Rosalie could only stare at her sister, stunned into complete silence. She knew her sister was just that kind of selfless. But it had never occurred to her…
“Audra. Why…?” She shook her head, trying to blink back the tears. She couldn’t.
“I love you. I wanted better for you. If I’d known that meant you thought you had some sort of warped radar when it came to people, I wouldn’t have. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Rosalie couldn’t breathe for a minute. It was so awful. So…painful. Because if Audra had done all that, it meant… No one had ever done that for her. The thoughtfulness. The showing of care.
“You have always done the right thing,” Rosalie rasped out.
Audra sniffled, blinking back tears. No doubt refusing to let them fall. “I hope that’s true, but the only way you prove that to me is to realize Duncan is perfect for you. Natalie and I wouldn’t have conspired to toss you two together at every opportunity if we didn’t think so. And I shouldn’t have to tell you that, because he saved yourlife.”
“I saved his too,” Rosalie said somewhat petulantly, because her heart felt big and bruised.
“Rosalie.”
“You…” Rosalie couldn’t decide if it was the head injury that felt like her brain was scrambled, or just these revelations.
The invitations. The Tupperware. She had been soundly and thoroughlytrickedinto being in Duncan’s orbit.
She wanted to be offended, but a knock sounded on the hospital-room door and after a moment, Duncan stepped inside.
So tall and handsome andgood. Hehadsaved her life, even if she’d had the presence of mind to save his after. He’d done it first.
And all her life, Audra had been saving her heart. Stepping in to make her feel loved because their parents were incapable.
