The Second Sister

She shook off the perplexing thought and looked down the street, relieved to see that Eden had brought Jacob with her this afternoon. His presence might have a calming effect on the high-strung woman. The two were waiting on the sidewalk outside the narrow brick building that housed the lawyer’s office.

“Hi, Jacob,” she greeted. “Eden.”

Jacob turned, his boyishly handsome face breaking into a wide smile. “Hey, Hayley! Where’s your shadow?”

Though he’d grown up with them, Jacob still couldn’t tell Leigh from her sister. Leigh was used to it, so she offered him a cheeky grin.

“Wrong as usual. Here comes Hayley and Bram.”

The couple had taken a walk through the town of Stony Ridge while Leigh was having her hair cut. Now they strolled up, hand in hand. Jacob groaned.

“You cut your hair too? I could finally tell you two apart.”

Eden sniffed imperiously, patting at her stiff, bleached blond hair. “I’m going inside, out of this heat.” Without waiting for a response, she reached for the door handle. Jacob rolled his eyes behind her back, but hurried to hold the door for his mother.

Leigh smiled. Everyone liked Jacob. Even Bram, who’d been understandably territorial when they first met, had come to terms with the younger man after Jacob took a bullet while trying to protect Hayley. Leigh still found it hard to believe Jacob had actually proposed to her sister, but Hayley was convinced Jacob had done so to protect her from Bram.

Jacob had taken on the role of unofficial older brother to them right from the start. Eden had worked as their father’s nurse and assistant since before they were born, so Jacob had spent a lot of time at the estate when they were growing up, especially during the summer and school breaks.

Initially, Jacob and Eden had viewed Bram as a fortune hunter. To protect Hayley, Jacob had asked her to marry him. This made perfect sense to Hayley and Leigh, but Leigh still wasn’t sure Bram understood. The truce between the two men still seemed a bit uneasy to her.

Inside the brick building they discovered someone had gone to great lengths to give the law office a cozy appearance. Comfortable chairs and a coffeepot with a tray of cookies beckoned visitors to relax while they waited. As usual, Eden wasn’t interested in relaxing. She strode up to the receptionist as if she hadn’t a second to wait. Hayley shook her head at the maneuver and winked at Leigh.

“So what do you think of the shorter style?” Hayley asked, sotto voce, ignoring the woman.

Leigh swung her head and grinned back. “I love it.”

“Me too. I’m not sure Bram’s thrilled though.”

“Hey, I told you I liked it,” he protested.

“Uh-huh. You also told me you loved my hair long.”

“And I did.” His eyes took on a smoky look. “It wouldn’t matter to me if you were bald.”

Oh, yeah, he was a goner, all right, Leigh thought happily. Hayley had picked her mate with the same single-minded determination that she used on everything else in her life. Leigh wished she shared a bit more of her sister’s assertiveness. She was tired of being known as the quiet twin. On the other hand, her one attempt at being bold and daring had led to an unmitigated disaster, and that was one lesson she would never forget.

“Yo, Leigh, wake up,” Hayley said, giving her a nudge.

The receptionist was ushering them down a short hall to an open door. Bram stepped back, letting Hayley, then Leigh, precede him into the room past the cheerful receptionist.

Leigh came to a dead stop one step inside the room. Bram bumped into her, but Leigh barely noticed. She only had eyes for the man standing behind the desk.

“Hello, Leigh.”

Gavin Jarret’s gravelly low voice sent her heart rate tap-dancing. She’d barely been able to stop thinking about him since that glimpse across the cemetery, but he was the last person she’d expected to see in here.

“Don’t tell me you’re in trouble again?” she blurted out.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “I’m on the other side of the desk now. You did tell me to make something of myself, remember?”

Heat flamed her cheeks. He was standing behind the gleaming walnut desk, dressed in a dark conservative suit instead of jeans. His thick, wavy hair had been cropped into a stylish business cut, though that didn’t stop a few of the unruly strands from straying toward his forehead.

“You’re a lawyer?”

His lips slanted wryly. “Sometimes I have trouble believing it myself.”

A lawyer. The word didn’t make sense. Though he dressed like a lawyer, the bad boy of the county still lingered in his relaxed, confident pose. And as those restless eyes skimmed over her, they still seemed to have the power to penetrate beneath the surface and read her very thoughts.

“Leigh?”

Her sister had moved to her side protectively. Aware of the sudden undercurrent, Bram also took a protective step forward on the other side of her. Wry humor sparked in Gavin’s eyes at her unexpected buffer. While touched by their concern, Leigh didn’t need anyone to protect her from Gavin. Not anymore.

“Why don’t you all have a seat?” Gavin invited.

“Really, Leigh, pay attention. Didn’t you just hear that girl tell us Mr. Rosencroft died last week?” Eden demanded.

Leigh blinked. Every eye focused on Marcus’s widow. Eden had usurped the chair front and center of the desk and was staring at Leigh with obvious impatience.

“No, actually, I didn’t,” she told Eden quietly.

“Well, sit down. I have things to do today. You and Mr. Jarret can have your personal discussion after we conclude this meeting.”

Gavin’s silence spoke louder than words. He regarded Eden as if she was an unpleasant curiosity. Which wasn’t far off the mark, unfortunately. Leigh had never cared for Eden, and the antipathy was mutual. In the past, Eden had been careful not to let her aversion show when other people were around.

At Gavin’s silence, the woman’s sharp expression faltered a bit. Jacob shifted uncomfortably at her side. After a long pause, Gavin turned to Hayley.

“Ms. Thomas, if—”

“I think formality is a bit pretentious under the circumstances, don’t you? I’m still Hayley,” she told him.

Gavin inclined his head. “If you’ll all take seats we’ll see if we can’t hurry Mrs. Thomas on her way.”

The gibe was so deftly accomplished, Eden didn’t catch on. Jacob’s puzzled expression turned speculative. His gaze went from Leigh to Gavin and back again. If he didn’t already know about their brief moment of notoriety, someone in town would undoubtedly fill him in as soon as he asked a question.

Hayley was still in her protective mode, so Leigh mustered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. The sight of Gavin might be doing crazy things to her insides, but she could handle the situation. Especially since Gavin was no longer looking directly at her.

She claimed the seat farthest from his desk and reminded herself that she was no longer seventeen. On the outside, at least, she would appear cool and sophisticated and ready to handle whatever came her way. She was very glad she’d had her hair cut before coming in here today.

Gavin began passing out paper folders. When he came to her, Leigh even managed an impersonal smile. Was that a hint of admiration she glimpsed in his eyes, or amusement at her pretense? He returned to his desk before she could be sure.

“Mr. Rosencroft had been ill for some time preceding his death. For the past several months, I’ve been the only associate in Rosencroft and Associates. I’m familiar with the estate and the various wills involved and am fully prepared to administer the estate, but you may, of course, wish to petition the court to assign the function to someone else. If you wish to do so, I’ll understand.”

Leigh held his gaze without blinking. No one said a word.

“The packets I just handed each of you contain copies of the agreement set forth between your grandfather, Dennison Barkley Hart, and this firm. There is a copy of his will as well as a copy of the one we have on file from your mother, Amy Lynn Hart Thomas.”

“What about Marcus?” Eden demanded sharply.