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“No, really, I’m fine.”
Liberty studied her for a moment before she nodded. “Okay.”
After she was gone, Belle stood there watching the sun sink beneath the horizon and trying to come to grips with how quickly everything had changed. She had never been the type of person who liked change and now her entire life was spinning out of control and she couldn’t seem to stop it.
“I take it you’re not real happy about your sister and my brother’s upcoming nuptials.”
She startled and turned to see Corbin leaning against the corner of the house. He held out the glass in his hand. “I have strict orders from Mimi to deliver this. She thinks you might need it.”
Since she could use a stiff drink, Belle took the glass and guzzled the wine like water. The strong, sweet elderberry wine slid easily down her throat and warmed her belly.
“Careful,” Corbin said. “I’ve only had two glasses of your grandma’s wine and I’m feeling like I drank half a bottle of tequila.”
“I’m used to it. I grew up on elderberry wine.” She set the empty glass on the back door stoop.
“You were allowed to drink wine as kids?”
“I wouldn’t say allowed.”
He laughed. Since it was the first time she’d seen him laugh since their date, she figured he must be tipsy. Just not tipsy enough to let her get away with not answering his question.
“So why aren’t you happy about Jesse and Liberty getting married?”
It was one thing to tell her sister about how she felt. It was another to tell Jesse’s brother—and the man foreclosing on the ranch. She pinned on a smile. “I’m happy. I just couldn’t sit anymore. I’m still sore from the fall.”
He wore a cowboy hat so she couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel them. “You’re a horrible liar. You looked like you wanted to throw up when Liberty gave us the news.” He studied the sunset. “And I’m not real happy about your sister marrying my brother either. But I don’t think we have anything to worry about. I give them a few weeks at the most.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“They’re both too bossy and opinionated to live together without killing each other.”
Since it was an accurate description of her sister, she couldn’t help laughing. He didn’t join in, but he did smile. She had forgotten how nice his smile was. He had smiled a lot on their date.
“When did you realize I wasn’t Liberty?” she asked.
His smile faded. “Not soon enough. If I had been paying closer attention instead of walking around with my head in the clouds because I’d gotten a date with Liberty Holiday, I would have figured it out much sooner.”
She stared at him. “How?”
He stepped closer, and she couldn’t help taking a step back. His eyes matched the color of the dusky sky behind him as he reached out and brushed a finger over the bridge of her nose.
“You have freckles.”
His touch caused heat to spiral through her and her voice didn’t sound like her own when she spoke. “Liberty has freckles.”
He studied her nose as if counting them. “Not as many as you do.” His gaze lifted. “And then there’s this.” He touched the corner of her left eyebrow. Again a wave of heat rolled through her. Damn Mimi and her strong winemaking. “Where did you get this tiny scar?”
“I fell and hit my head on the corner of the coffee table when I was three.”
“You seem to fall a lot.” Before she could argue the point, he squinted, emphasizing his long dark lashes. “And your eyes are two different colors.”
She blinked. “They are not?”
“They are too.” He leaned closer. So close she could see her reflection in the deep blue of his eyes and feel his warm breath brush her cheeks. It smelled like sweet cherry pie and potent elderberry wine. The mixture was intoxicating. “The right one is definitely a slightly darker shade of Kelly green.”
“That’s not possible. I would know if my eyes were different shades.”
“So I guess you don’t know about the bow of your lips either.” His gaze lowered to her mouth and heat didn’t just roll through her. It settled low in her body, causing the spot between her legs to simmer like the thick gravy of Mama’s chicken and dumplings. Her words came out stuttered, breathy, and low.
