Katrina almost an hour to check the structure and all the cars of the Ferris wheel, and she was still furious when she had finally sat down on a bench near the ride. Now, looking up at the almost mirror-image of Skye—there was a mustache, but it didn’t make Dane look very different—she tried to control her still boiling anger. “He’s told you about me, I see.”
“Oh, yes,” Dane answered mildly. His smile held a softer charm than Skye’s, and his voice was lazier.
She studied him curiously, surprised to feel instantly comfortable with him. There was none of the prickling awareness she felt around Skye, and something told her that this brother had a great deal more patience and perhaps more kindness in him. “You and Skye are very different, aren’t you?”
“Very,” he agreed, still smiling but with a serious gleam in his eye. Then, sympathetically, he added, “My brother can be a difficult man at times. I don’t mean to be nosy, but since you’re obviously mad as hell, I gather you two have had a fight?”
It wasn’t in Katrina’s nature to confide easily, but she was so angry that didn’t seem to matter. Remembering Skye’s crude words, she winced. “You could say that.”
“He has a touchy temper,” Dane said in a judicious tone, “and he doesn’t always stop to think before he speaks.” Then, quietly, he said, “Especially when his heart is involved.”
Katrina looked away from those forceful eyes. It was another difference between the brothers, she realized. In Dane, that amazingly strong life force was confined in his eyes, but in Skye it was diffused throughout his entire powerful body. She tried a laugh that didn’t quite come off. “He obviously hasn’t told you everything if you believe his heart’s involved.”
“He didn’t have to tell me,” Dane said simply.
Torn between the need for reassurance and her wariness of the strong emotions Skye could awaken in her, she looked back at Dane’s grave face uncertainly.
After a moment Dane said, “Skye’s spent a lot of time in the dark these last years—in more ways than one. He hasn’t let himself feel very much since Germany, but I believe seeing you again has made splinters of the protective wall he’d built around his emotions. It must feel like being caught in a sudden storm without warning. So if he seems impatient or even rough, maybe you should remember that you can hurt him every bit as much as he can hurt you.”
Katrina shook her head slightly and fixed her gaze on the ground, unwilling to believe that.
Dane sighed, and his voice was rueful. “I can see you’re as stubborn as he is. I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose. It’ll take a hardheaded woman to manage my brother.”
Her hard head came up hastily, and she stared at him.
“He needs it, you see,” Dane told her solemnly. “It’s been my job off and on for the better part of thirty-five years, but I have a wife now, and she’s keeping me too busy to give me much time to cope with Skye’s recklessness.” A bit more seriously he added, “He needs a balance, a center. He needs someone to care about him, so he’ll stop and think before risking his neck.”
She refused to be moved by the words, ignoring a sudden pang near her heart. “I don’t think he needs anything or anyone,” she said flatly. “He’s too strong to need.”
One of Dane’s eyebrows lifted and his eyes hardened. “Is he? Even strong men can be shattered if the blow’s hard enough and the aim is good. He isn’t made of iron, Katrina.”
She felt absurdly in the wrong. “I know.”
“Good. Convince him, will you?” Dane smiled suddenly, the flinty look gone from his eyes. Before she could respond, he added a light “See you,” and moved gracefully away.
Katrina stared after him for a few moments, then fixed her eyes on the pavement again and tried to get her thoughts and emotions under control. She found it hard to accept that Skye felt something other than
“Oh, yes,” Dane answered mildly. His smile held a softer charm than Skye’s, and his voice was lazier.
She studied him curiously, surprised to feel instantly comfortable with him. There was none of the prickling awareness she felt around Skye, and something told her that this brother had a great deal more patience and perhaps more kindness in him. “You and Skye are very different, aren’t you?”
“Very,” he agreed, still smiling but with a serious gleam in his eye. Then, sympathetically, he added, “My brother can be a difficult man at times. I don’t mean to be nosy, but since you’re obviously mad as hell, I gather you two have had a fight?”
It wasn’t in Katrina’s nature to confide easily, but she was so angry that didn’t seem to matter. Remembering Skye’s crude words, she winced. “You could say that.”
“He has a touchy temper,” Dane said in a judicious tone, “and he doesn’t always stop to think before he speaks.” Then, quietly, he said, “Especially when his heart is involved.”
Katrina looked away from those forceful eyes. It was another difference between the brothers, she realized. In Dane, that amazingly strong life force was confined in his eyes, but in Skye it was diffused throughout his entire powerful body. She tried a laugh that didn’t quite come off. “He obviously hasn’t told you everything if you believe his heart’s involved.”
“He didn’t have to tell me,” Dane said simply.
Torn between the need for reassurance and her wariness of the strong emotions Skye could awaken in her, she looked back at Dane’s grave face uncertainly.
After a moment Dane said, “Skye’s spent a lot of time in the dark these last years—in more ways than one. He hasn’t let himself feel very much since Germany, but I believe seeing you again has made splinters of the protective wall he’d built around his emotions. It must feel like being caught in a sudden storm without warning. So if he seems impatient or even rough, maybe you should remember that you can hurt him every bit as much as he can hurt you.”
Katrina shook her head slightly and fixed her gaze on the ground, unwilling to believe that.
Dane sighed, and his voice was rueful. “I can see you’re as stubborn as he is. I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose. It’ll take a hardheaded woman to manage my brother.”
Her hard head came up hastily, and she stared at him.
“He needs it, you see,” Dane told her solemnly. “It’s been my job off and on for the better part of thirty-five years, but I have a wife now, and she’s keeping me too busy to give me much time to cope with Skye’s recklessness.” A bit more seriously he added, “He needs a balance, a center. He needs someone to care about him, so he’ll stop and think before risking his neck.”
She refused to be moved by the words, ignoring a sudden pang near her heart. “I don’t think he needs anything or anyone,” she said flatly. “He’s too strong to need.”
One of Dane’s eyebrows lifted and his eyes hardened. “Is he? Even strong men can be shattered if the blow’s hard enough and the aim is good. He isn’t made of iron, Katrina.”
She felt absurdly in the wrong. “I know.”
“Good. Convince him, will you?” Dane smiled suddenly, the flinty look gone from his eyes. Before she could respond, he added a light “See you,” and moved gracefully away.
Katrina stared after him for a few moments, then fixed her eyes on the pavement again and tried to get her thoughts and emotions under control. She found it hard to accept that Skye felt something other than
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