“Shut up,” Dorrie hissed.
“Furious with us about what?” Warwick dropped down to sprawl on the blanket beside them.
“Nothing,” Dorrie said. Warwick already knew she’d saved Ash; she did not want to go into detail. “Somer is being a righteous pain in my side. There is no need to say another word on the matter.”
“Oh, so I’m a righteous pain in your side now!”
Somer’s temper was far more easily ignited than Dorrie’s, a fact she’d often used against her.
“She has had a lot of adjustment, to be fair, Somer,” Harry said. “You gained Gus and still had Dorrie, should you need her.”
“I have always been here for her.” Somer looked shocked at Harry’s words.
“No. You were consumed with your wedding and Gus, as you should have been,” Warwick added as Somer turned to glare at her younger brother. “All we are saying is, while you were adjusting to the change in your life, which you were excited about, Dorrie was adjusting to a life without you at her side also.”
“I was happy for her,” Dorrie felt she needed to add. “Am still happy for her.” She glared at her sister. “We were just having a discussion about something, and she got offended that I kept it a secret.”
“And would it be presumptuous of me to ask about that secret?” Harry asked.
“Yes,” Dorrie said. “And if she tells you, she will no longer be my closest friend.”
“You will always be my closest friend,” Somer said, her tone haughty. “And I’m sorry if you felt you could not come to me. I can admit that I was preoccupied.” Her words were stilted.
“I beg your pardon?” Gus had snuck up on them. “Did you just say you admitted to something?”
“Extremely amusing.” Somer wrapped her arms around Dorrie, who did the same. They never stayed mad with the other for long. “We will talk more about this.”
“I was feeling pathetic and a bit lonely, and I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you,” Dorrie whispered back. “But truly, I am happy for you, and much better now I have a new best friend. Ellen and Samantha are all I need.”
“You are a wretch.” Somer laughed before releasing her, then got to her feet and hurled herself at Gus. Of course he caught her, and the kiss that followed made her smile.
Dorrie sat once more and picked up her book. The pang of longing at seeing her twin with Gus annoyed her. Ash did not want her in his life, and yet she knew he was her Raven, even if he didn’t want to be.
“Hello, darling, I missed you.” Gus placed a gentle kiss on Somer’s lips, and she hugged him close.
“How can you possibly have missed her when you’ve been apart only a few hours?” Warwick said. “Married people turn into sappy idiots.”
“No, they don’t. It’s lovely,” Samantha said, dropping down beside Warwick.
“Jealous, Warwick?” Gus teased him.
“Hardly” was his reply. A smile tugged at his lips.
“What?”
“Not what. Who.”
Dorrie looked around them. Clearly Warwick had heard something, as he had the heightened sense of hearing.
“Greetings, young ones. Your much more intelligent and upstanding favorite brother has arrived,” Cam said.
She turned to face Cam and found Ash and Max with him. Dorrie managed through share force of will to keep the smile on her face. His eyes found hers, and she wondered if it was possible for a man to be more handsome since the last time she’d seen him.
“Hello, brother. Where have you been?” She turned her eyes on Cam and away from the disturbing man dressed as a gentleman. His hair though, now that was still long and untamed.
“I have been helping Will Ryder in his pursuit of the perfect horse. Today we did not find it.”
She could see that Gus had moved to stand before Ash. Both had their hands in their pockets, clearly uncomfortable.
