“You could say no.”
“I could,” she agreed. But she wouldn’t, he knew that. Kane had overheard enough family whispers and conversations to know that Aidan was worried about her. Aidan didn’t understand her passive detachment, nor her constant and almost obsessive need to be doing something all the time.
As a matter a fact, Kane realized the only time Rebecca seemed to sit still was when she was with him.
Kane also knew Aidan had spoken to Michael about it. Thankfully, given what Michael knew about her, he understood enough of her situation to assure Aidan it was perfectly natural and nothing to worry about. After spending so much time with her, Michael was convinced that Rebecca was mentally sound, even if she wasn’t quite the same as Aidan remembered her. Michael’s advice – quite good advice in Kane’s opinion – was that Rebecca was fine and that Aidan should accept her as she was.
As far as Kane was concerned, she was perfect. Beautiful. Innocent. Courageous. Selfless. Though perhaps she could be a little more willing to listen to reason when the occasion demanded it. If she had one fault, it was that she cared too much for others and not enough for herself.
“Why not tell him you have other plans?”
She laughed lightly, holding out her hand as if to shake his. “I’m sorry, obviously we haven’t met. My name is Rebecca.”
Kane couldn’t help but chuckle, too, as he took her hand in his. It felt warm and soft and far too delicate in his large, calloused one, but her grip was surprisingly strong. “A good Biblical name, that,” he murmured, repeating the words she had spoken to him that first fateful night.
Her grin grew wider, pleased that he had remembered. “That it is.”
“Seriously, why not tell him you have a date or something?”
“Well, first of all, it would be a blatant lie, and I haven’t quite been reduced to outright deception just yet. And secondly, even if I had, he would never believe me.”
“Why wouldn’t he believe you?”
Rebecca dropped her gaze, a flush rising up in her cheeks. Kane was stunned by her response. Didn’t she know how attractive she was?
“I’m sure there are a lot of men who would love to spend an evening with you, Rebecca.” He nearly choked on the words, because he didn’t even want to consider the possibility of her spending an evening with another man. He didn’t know why it should bother him so much, except that he’d come to care for her over the last few weeks and didn’t want to see her hurt.
Plus there was the fact that not a single unattached male within a hundred mile radius was good enough for her.
She snorted softly, a distinctly feminine sound. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
One of Kane’s eyebrows raised; one corner of his mouth quirked. “My tastes don’t run that way.”
She laughed, shooting music straight into his heart. “Not exactly what I meant, but good to know.”
“I’m not sure if I should be insulted,” he said, his expression somewhat mocking.
“You shouldn’t. I don’t think you ever have to worry about anyone questioning your masculinity.” A sudden flare of heat blazed in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly he was sure he had imagined it.
It took him a moment to realize that he, like everyone else, had been distracted away from the real issue. She had done so with such deft sincerity that he could not help but feel impressed; normally he was not detoured so easily. But then, none of the normal rules applied with Rebecca. Around her, he was not the same person he was around everyone else.
Still, he would not be denied the chance to delve a little deeper into the enigmatic Rebecca Harrison. “Why do you do that?”
“Why do I do what?”
“Divert attention away from yourself when someone asks you a personal question.”
“I wasn’t aware that I did.”
“You do.”
Kane waited, letting the seconds tick by, giving her every opportunity to volunteer more. She didn’t.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
His eyes flashed a warning, letting her know that he knew exactly what she was doing. “Why are you here, alone, when you could be out having fun?”
She sighed then. “I’m not alone. I’m with you. And believe it or not, Kane, right now I am exactly where I want to be.”
Tiny fireworks went off deep in his chest. He rubbed absently near the center, only vaguely aware of them since a similar display was taking place in his head. “Fair enough,” he managed.
*
Perhaps it was her imagination, but his voice sounded huskier than it had before. A small frown creased her brow. Surely he wasn’t experiencing the same flare of heat, the same thundering heart beat that she was?