Page 61 of Promise Me This Christmas
“Sure.”He followed her to the kitchen, admiring her curvy figure as she moved around the familiar room.
He wasn’t a sentimental guy.He didn’t watch Hallmark movies like his parents or tear up at country songs about old trucks and loyal dogs like his brother Luke.But Larkin’s article had made his heart ache a little.It had made him proud of his sister and what she’d achieved at Bramble House.And it had made him love Larkin all the more for how she obviously understood and appreciated what the house and business represented.
“You did an amazing job too,” he told her, wishing he was able to better express what her words had done to him.
“Thank you,” she said, in a tone so cool that Carson realized she had definitely not forgiven him after yesterday’s argument.And now, with hindsight, he could see how his attempt to protect his sister could have been interpreted as an insult to Larkin.
“I’m sorry for what I said yesterday.I should have trusted you to write a great article.”
“What I wrote was fair and true.Why did you assume I’d write something negative?”
“I didn’t assume that.I was just worried.A lot of weird things had been going on, as you well know.”
“Anyone could tell that the things that have gone wrong this week are atypical.Frankly I knew as soon as Gibson found that dead mouse that Amy and Chet were being sabotaged.”
“I wish you’d told me.”
“I believe I tried to.But I had no proof.Anyway, it shouldn’t have mattered.If you had respected me as an intelligent journalist, and a somewhat decent human being, you wouldn’t have thought for an instant that I would write a hit piece on Bramble House.”
“That’s an exaggeration.I didn’t accuse you of writing a hit piece.I just asked if I could read the article.”
“How would you feel if I asked to see if you’d branded your cattle properly?Or questioned the price you sold your yearlings at?”
“Not quite the same thing, but I take your point.”He went to where she was standing, by the coffeepot, and took her hand.Just touching her skin did crazy things to him.“You’re pretty damn amazing.You figured out what Shelley was up to before anyone else.You wrote a beautiful, moving article about Bramble House.And you’ve been here for your grandmother when she needed you.”
“I’m a journalist.We’re trained to be observant.As for Gran, I’m loving every moment I get to spend with her.”
He got that.“She’s a gem, your grandma.I see a lot of her in you.She’s got spunk.”
“That she does, which is why I’m so grateful you fixed her house so she can live independently again.It’ll mean so much to her.”
“I was happy to do it.Plus the job came with perks.”
“Such as?”
“Getting to spend time with you.”He reached for her other hand, pulling gently until she looked up and met his gaze directly.“This past week hasn’t always been easy.But it’s made me realize something important.”
She waited, her gaze unblinking.
“Deny it all you want, but youareamazing.I loved you when we were eighteen.Can you blame me for falling in love with you all over again?”
*
“Love?”It wasa good thing Carson was holding her hands, because Larkin suddenly felt off-balance.Carson had talked about having feelings for her.Feelings.It seemed to her that “love” was a big leap forward from “feelings.”
And yet, was there a better word to describe what she felt for him?He might drive her crazy but there had never been a man who came close to him.That’s why it had hurt so much that he didn’t trust her to write that article about Bramble House.He should have known she would never hurt his sister.
“Hell yeah, love.Do you think I would have kissed you if I felt anything less?”
Her gaze dropped from the deep blue of his eyes, to the long curve of his lips.He was smiling.He’d always had such a sexy grin.She could feel her heart thrumming away in her chest, like a bike coasting down a hill, running faster and faster.The way she and Carson had once done, in those golden summers of youth.
“But have you thought this through?”She cursed her practical nature, but it could not be denied.For years she’d guarded her heart and her feelings, the legacy of that awful night with Andrew.She needed to be sure before she risked another catastrophic hurt.
“Not beyond tomorrow, and my desperate need to keep you in my life.”
“But how will that happen?Specifically?Your life is on Whispering Pines and mine is in Denver.”She didn’t mention Marly’s job offer.It would be crazy for her to leave a job like hers, with growth prospects, to work at a sleepy, weekly small-town paper.Never mind that she was sure she’d enjoy the work and find it fulfilling.She didn’t want to be with a man who would expect her to sacrifice her career goals for his.
“Oh, babe.”
