McKettricks of Texas: Austin Read Free Page B

kin, you and me, once New Year’s rolls around. My guess is, my brothers and your sisters will still be married at the crack of doom. There’ll be a whole lot of Christmases and Thanksgivings and birthday parties to get through, over the years. All of which means—”
    â€œI know what it means,” Paige broke in. “And what’s with the condescending tone of voice?”
    Austin raised both eyebrows. A grin quirked at one corner of his mouth but never quite kicked in. “What’s with the bitchy attitude?” he countered. Then he snapped the fingers of his right hand. “Oh, that’s right. It’s just your normal personality.”
    Paige rode out another surge of irritation. Much as she hated to admit it, Austin had a point.
    Libby was marrying Tate. Julie was marrying Garrett. Tate’s twins, Audrey and Ava, were already part of the family, of course, and so was Julie’s little boy, Calvin.And both couples wanted more kids, right away. Oh, yes, there would be a lot of birthday parties to attend.
    â€œCould we try this again?” Paige asked, trying to sound unruffled.
    Austin tented his fingers under his chin and watched her with an expression of solemn merriment that was all his own. “Sure,” he replied, all fake generosity and ironic goodwill. “Go ahead and say something friendly—you can do it. Just pretend I’m a human being.”
    Paige looked away, and a deep and inexplicable sadness swept over her. “We’re never going to get anywhere at this rate,” she said.
    Time seemed to freeze for an instant, then grind into motion again, gears catching on rusty gears.
    And then Austin leaned forward, took a light grip on her hand, ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles.
    A hot shiver went through her; he might have been touching her in all those secret, intimate places no one else had found.
    â€œYou’re right,” Austin said, his tone husky. “We’re not. Let’s give it a shot, Paige—getting along, I mean.”
    He looked sincere. He sounded sincere.
    Watch out, Paige reminded herself silently. “Okay,” she said with dignity.
    Another silence followed. Paige, for her part, was trying to imagine what a truce between herself and Austin would actually look like. After all, they’d been at odds since that summer night, soon after they’d both graduated from high school, when Paige had caught the lying, sneaking, no-good bastard—
    She drew another deep breath, mentally untangled herself from the past. As best she could.
    They’d gotten together by accident, in the beginning—Tate and Libby were going to a movie one Friday night, and, grudgingly, Tate had brought his younger brother along. Paige had gotten the impression that their parents had insisted, and if Tate had refused, it would have been a deal breaker.
    Paige had been curled up in an armchair reading a book when Austin turned that fabled charm on her, grinned and asked if she’d like to go to a movie.
    After that, she and Austin had been as inseparable as Libby and Tate.
    Paige had thought he was playing some game at first, but after a few months, they were a couple. After a year, Paige was on the pill, and they were making love.
    Yes, she’d been in love with Austin. She’d lost—okay, given —her virginity to him, along with her trust and, of course, her heart.
    Ultimately, he’d betrayed her.
    But all that had happened just over ten years ago, before his folks, Jim and Sally McKettrick, were killed in that awful car accident, before her own dad had died of cancer. So very much had happened in the interim and, well, Paige was tired of holding a grudge.
    â€œYou were having a bad dream before?” Austin asked presently.
    â€œHuh?” Paige said.
    â€œWhen I woke you up a little while ago?”
    â€œYes,” she answered, smiling a little. “Thanks for that.”
    He grinned,