“We could have done that in the office.”
Conleth shrugged, casually tossing the ball through the hoop. “You’ve been cooped up in the dorm all day. Honestly, I’m impressed the cabin’s still standing. I would have chewed my way out through a wall within the first hour.”
Archie decided this was not the time to confess what he’d done to the floor. He hoped no one would move his bunk until after the end of summer.
“I wanted to talk about why you called the sheriff,” Conleth continued, passing the ball back. “I know you were trying to get in so much trouble, we’d have to send you home. You figured out that Paige would have to leave too, while I’d still be needed here. You were hoping that if she didn’t see me for the rest of the summer, she’d get over me.”
Archie’s skin went tight and hot. He flung the ball without taking time to aim, unsurprisingly missing the hoop. “Guess we’ve not got anything to talk about, then. You seem to have it all figured out.”
“Not really.” Conleth retrieved the ball from the corner of the court. “You started off the summer determined to keep me away from your sister. That bit, I understand. And when you realized she was actively avoiding me out of her own choice, you eased off on your persecution. Which makes sense too. No need to wasteeffort making me look bad when I was perfectly capable of doing that myself.”
That didn’t make much sense to Archie, since as far as he was concerned, Conleth had spent the entire summer so far being annoyingly cool and perfect, at least when Ragvald wasn’t involved. And even getting his butt kicked at toga honk had somehow worked out for him, since apparently Paigelikedwatching a shirtless guy plastered in mud.
Girls were so weird.
“Yet when you suspected she might actually be starting to have feelings for me, you panicked.” Conleth tossed the ball to him. “That’s the part I can’t figure out.”
He suddenly didn’t feel like shooting hoops any more. “IknowI was stupid. You don’t have to rub it in.”
Conleth shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. As plans went, it was actually rather clever, though that’s not the same as being a good idea. My brother Connor would give you a high-five. No, I understand the logic of your scheme. What I don’t get is why you did it at all. Why you did everything in your power to force us apart.”
“Because you’re a smug, annoying jerk,” Archie informed him. “With stupid hair.”
“True,” Conleth said, matter-of-fact. “But you love your sister. You’d do anything for her. Even tolerate a smug, annoying jerk with stupid hair, if that was who she wanted. Yet when you were afraid she might choose me, you went out of your way to take that choice away.”
“I…” He clutched the ball. “I had to.”
“Why?”
“Because…” The itchy, prickly feeling was back behind his eyes. “Because…”
His bear leaned against his mind, big and warm and worried. He wanted to turn and taking refuge in that simple,uncomplicated other self…and yet somehow, he alsodidn’twant to.
Instead of shifting, he flung the ball as hard as he could. Conleth made no move to catch it, or get out of the way. He just stood there, letting it bounce off his chest without flinching.
“Because Paige can’t mate anyone!” Archie yelled at the top of his lungs. “She can’t leave home, not ever! I can’t look after Mom all on my own!”
And then, to his utter disgust, he burst into tears.
CHAPTER 28
Paige stared at her little brother. “You know about Mom’s illness?”
Archie picked at a splinter of bark. She’d brought him out to a log bench by the woods so they could talk in private, away from any chance of interruption.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Or at least, I knew something was wrong. In her head, I mean.”
She couldn’t believe she’d had no idea. “How?”
Archie shot her an exasperated glare. “I’m not stupid, you know.”
“Oh, Archie.” She put her arm around him, hugging him against her side. “Of course you aren’t. It’s just that Mom and I were trying to hide her issues from you. How long have you known?”
“Dunno.” Archie knuckled at his red-rimmed eyes. “Forever, I guess. Even when I was real little, I’d get this feeling that she was hurting inside, sometimes. Like she’d lost something important, and it made her sad. And later, when my bear started talking to me, it was worried about Mom too. You can’t fool a bear’s nose. We could smell something wasn’t right.”
Her chest hurt at the thought of her little brother spending years with the knowledge that his family was keeping a secret from him. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because you didn’t tell me.” Archie’s shoulders hunched. “I thought…I thought maybe Mom would get in trouble if anyone found out. And you didn’t trust me not to blab.”
