Chapter Four

In the kitchen Zoe hadn’t noticed Connor’s attire, but now at the table, his clothing choice seemed oddly eccentric when the house was oppressively hot, the humidity draining.

Zoe had thrown on beach baggies and a crop top after a quick swim at Cheltenham Beach. Even Bess still wore her loose sun frock. Connor sat in a pair of trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, not even rolling up the sleeves.

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye she could see the effect of the admittedly appetizing curry producing tiny beads of sweat to his upper lip and forehead. Her breath caught as her gaze was drawn to the way his shirt was beginning to stick to parts of his torso.

“Aren’t you hot?” Her query was as much to take her mind away from that muscular torso as to being interested in his answer.

Frowning, a shadow of annoyance crossed his face.

She used her napkin in a vain effort to emphasis the still heat surrounding them. Don’t get your knickers in a twist she almost scoffed aloud. I only made an observation, for Heaven’s sake. Don’t answer me; see if I care.

She turned to Bess, but before she could open her mouth, Connor spoke, his voice heavy with irony. “I expect it’ll take me a while to acclimatize.”

Feeling gauche for not realizing while the heat seemed oppressive to her, it would be nothing like he’d endured in the tropics. Zoe glared at him anyway.

Damn. She steadfastly refused to take part in any further conversation, scoffing her meal so she could excuse herself and escape.

Bess’s garden had become a sanctuary for Zoe. A high wooden wall around the yard separated it from the neighbor’s, and Zoe liked nothing better than to potter about weeding or trimming the proliferation of flowers and shrubs abounding there.

She’d talked to Bess about planting some vegetables, and already had two large pots with seedling herbs beginning to mature.

I might as well forget the vegetables. She sank onto the bench seat under the large pohutukawa tree. I won’t be around to harvest anything.

She hunched over and hugged her arms around her stomach, trying to ward off the return of that painful, cold feeling. She could feel it spreading, like freezing ice, seeping into her bloodstream and being carried all around her body. Despite the heat of the day, she shivered.

Even when he was feigning friendship, Zoe could feel the animosity just oozing from Connor. She wasn’t stupid enough to think he would ever accept her.

She lashed out at a passing bee with her foot, missing it by a country mile, which didn’t improve her mood. If she’d let Bess tell the family about her, perhaps even met them before Connor had arrived, maybe things would have been different. She swore under her breath, cursing what a fine thing hindsight was. But it’s too late now. Bess and she couldn’t excuse their secrecy, only try to explain it. But would they be believed?

She hated the possibility of Connor pushing her away, but she couldn’t let Bess get caught between them or put her in a position of having to choose sides between her warring grandchildren. If things looked like they were deteriorating, Zoe would pack up and leave.

That needn’t be so bad, she consoled herself. Connor might be able to make staying here too unpleasant, but he couldn’t take away her grandmother.

Brooding, Zoe wasn’t even aware of Connor approaching across the lawn until he plonked himself down beside her. She shimmied away from the trouser-clad leg burning against her bare thigh, but the seat was only small—much too small for her to stay sitting with him so close beside her.

But if she got up, that would give him the upper hand. He’d think she was scared. That would never do. She gritted her teeth and focused her thoughts away from the warmth of his leg against hers.

Her eyes popped at the lascivious thoughts sprinting through her mind. Get real, she ordered. He’s off limits. He’s my cousin.

Turning toward him, she blinked to focus—finding herself so close she could see every pore on his skin. She eased out her breath, hoping he hadn’t heard it get caught in her throat.

Actually, studying his face in such an abstract way made dismissing those earlier thoughts easy. Her gaze dropped to the shadow of his whiskers making a clearly defined line across his cheek.

Little scars she’d not noticed before became so obvious she wondered how she’d missed them. There were a bunch under one temple and another along the side of his nose. She frowned, had he been in an accident?

“This place is much tidier than I expected.” His mouth barely moved when he spoke. “Gran never liked to garden, it was always Grandpop’s job.”

Was that a chuckle?

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if it looked like a jungle out here. I’m glad she has someone come in and keep it tidy.”

Zoe kept quiet. Telling Connor she’d convinced Bess to let the gardener go would only appear as if she was ingratiating herself further into Bess’s life.

“It’s so different than I remember.”

At her blank look, he continued, “There was a huge oak tree right there.” He pointed. “They used to have a table underneath and in the summer the four of us ate almost every meal outside.”

The four of us? Zoe’s attention was captured. “Four of you?” She tried to keep the croak from her voice.

“I stayed with Gran and Grandpop while I attended university. Their youngest son lived here as well.”

Zoe tensed, waiting until it appeared Connor wasn’t going to elaborate. Swallowing her animosity, she couldn’t let an opportunity to hear about her father go by, no matter who was sharing the memory. “Was he the one who drowned?”

“Yes.”

Damn, say something else, tell me something about him, some perspective Bess wouldn’t have. “How sad,” she murmured inanely.

Memories must have been churning inside Connor as he jumped to his feet. “A bloody waste of a good man. His going broke Grandpop’s heart. Two good men gone.”

“What happened?” Zoe dared to ask although she’d read the newspaper article of the incident in the library archives months ago. “Bess just told me he’d drowned.” Zoe bit her lip as cold narrowed eyes swung around to glare at her.

“What’s it to you? Do you have a morbid fascination with the dead, or something?”

“N-no, of course not.” Heat rushed into her face. He was my father, she wanted to yell at him. “I-I just…I wouldn’t want to hurt Bess by saying something…”

Her stammering voice ground to a halt as she covertly eyed Connor stalking around the garden, pausing now and then to look at different things. She was staring up into the pohutakawa tree, trying to calm herself, when he stopped smack in front of her again.

“I’m sorry.”

Although his voice was stiff, Zoe was amazed to hear him apologize.

“Uncle Tommy was a great guy, too young to die so needlessly. He had so much to offer. I don’t understand God’s…”

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” he continued abruptly, “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

Before Zoe could respond, assuming she could have found her voice, he was gone.

Eventually rousing herself, she sank to her knees and began weeding the proliferation of pansies she’d planted alongside the pathway. She tried to assimilate the Connor she’d been subjected to, up until now, with this emotional man.

Lying in bed later that night, Zoe replayed Connor’s comments about her father. She’d hesitated to ask Bess questions, sensing her pain when she spoke of her youngest son, but Zoe wanted to know everything she could about him.

Maybe I can catch Connor in a good mood and ask him about my father again. As soon as the thought arrived, Zoe dismissed it. Somehow the idea of combining Connor, a good mood, and herself together in one place was impossible to contemplate. Unless there was a marked change in his attitude, she’d be better off not asking him for anything.

While she wanted, no, she needed, to find out everything she could about the man who had sired her, Connor wasn’t a likely source—not until he knew Tommy had been her father, anyway.

Flipping over onto her back in the darkened room, she wrestled again with the frustration of not understanding her mother’s actions.

****

Living under the same roof as her cousin was driving Zoe crazy. Every time she turned around he was beside her, crowding her, talking to her in such a smarmy voice she wished she could kick him.

To begin with, she’d given him the benefit of the doubt. But his silky avoidance of her questions, even innocuous ones, and his continuing, often hardly veiled sarcasm, soon had her hardening her stance. It was obvious he was trying to edge her out by making her feel so uncomfortable she would voluntarily leave.

Well good luck to him. She was made of sterner stuff. If he figures the mild rebukes he’s so good at handing out are going to have any effect on me… She would have laughed at his gullibility if he didn’t annoy her so much.

“I do know what you’re trying to do, you know,” she snapped. He had entered the kitchen and crowded so close beside her she could smell his aftershave. Sidling away she continued scraping potatoes for the evening meal. “It’s never going to work,” she muttered into the sink.

Bess was at the bowling club so wouldn’t hear if this escalated into a full-blown argument. Gripping the small knife tight she focused on the potato in her other hand, attacking the vegetable with a venom she wished she could use on him.

“You don’t think so?”

Connor’s voice held that same smarmy tone she’d grown sick of.

“I know so.”

His voice changed, became cold and hard. “I refuse to allow you to continue imposing yourself on my grandmother.”

“Imposing?” She threw the potato into a pot, mindless of the water splashing up to wet her T-shirt. Zoe swung around to face him, hands fisted on her hips. “How am I imposing, again?” She kept her tone light.

“Bess is an old lady, she’s lonely, gullible—”

“Gullible? Your grandmother?” She laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

She stared into his face. “Now lonely…” She got a perverse pleasure in seeing a ruddy color come into his cheeks. “I’d agree she probably did get lonely at times. At least now someone’s around to give her a hand. Be here if she’s sick.”

“If Gran is in need, she has her family to support her.”

“Ha. Fat lot of use that is, when they all live so far away. Where was her family when she got the flu last month? She didn’t even tell them she was sick.” She stepped closer, poking herself in the chest. “But I was here. I looked after her. I made sure she took her medication.”

“So you’ve had to put in a little effort into inveigling yourself into her trust. That doesn’t mean you’re going to con her into keeping you.”

“Con her? For heaven’s sake, Connor, are you listening to yourself? You’re paranoid. Bess is not keeping me. She never has and she never will. I pay my own way. She’s a wonderful person and I have grown to love her dearly. Why can’t you just accept that?”

Disgusted with the entreaty that somehow had just jumped out of her mouth, Zoe turned back to the sink and grabbed another potato.

“Because I don’t believe you.”

She shrugged; there was nothing she could do about that.

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him. “You’re lying.”

Opening her mouth to deny this, she shut it again as he continued. “You’re putting up a front, pretending to be something you’re not.” He spat the words out. “I can see it so clearly…I’m not letting Gran be hurt by some conniving little con artist.”

“I am not…” She jerked her arm free of his grasp and glared at him. “Oh, what the hell. What do you know?”

“Oh, I know.” The sudden chill in Connor’s voice made Zoe shiver. “I spent years watching someone con people into believing black was white.” His cold eyes glared at her. “So you see, I can recognize a con when I see one. I want you out of this house by the end of the week. And without any hurtful comments to Gran.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she countered icily.

“Then I’ll help you on your way.”

Rage replaced the extreme irritation Zoe had been feeling. Her mouth took off before conscious thought could temper her words. “You and who’s army?” she scoffed. “Why don’t you just piss off and find something else to fill in your long, empty days? Catch some flies and pull off their wings. See if that satisfies your thirst for torment. Or maybe sticking pins in some other little creature is more your style.”

The silence between them grew as they glared at each other, neither giving an inch.

She forced her head higher, tilting her chin at him. “Just stay away from me, Connor,” she articulated slowly and succinctly. “The only way I leave this house is if Bess asks me to. You be the one to upset her, ’cause I care too much to hurt her.”

He grabbed her arm as she turned her back on him. His face was twisted with anger. Although his voice remained quiet, Zoe had to force herself not to shiver at the undertone of contempt. “Listen, you little—”

Snatching her arm from his grasp, she flared at him. “Don’t touch me.”

She hated being touched.

They glared at each other, their bodies inches apart. Trying to check her ragged breathing, Zoe fought to control her temper. Calm. I must stay calm, or he’ll beat me.

She struggled to tear her gaze away as his pupils widened and his face grew less taut. His breath whispered across her face. Had he leaned closer?

Her lips parted, the tip of her tongue flicking across their parched surface. Inviting him…

Caught off guard by the traitorous trail of her thoughts, Zoe spun away and with tremendous effort managed to keep her back straight as she stalked out. Grabbing her helmet from her room, she tore out the front door and headed for her bike.

She was overlooking Orewa before cold and the stupidity of her actions penetrated her mangled thoughts. Braking to a stop as she exited the motorway, Zoe stared at the goose bumps along her arms and legs. She rubbed her gloved hands across her thighs, trying to warm them.

He’d certainly got me in a tizzy. She glanced at her watch. I must have ridden like some crazy maniac to arrive at Orewa this quickly.

She looked across the new subdivisions, toward the sea, without seeing anything. Swearing under her breath, she thumped her clenched fists against her legs.

She’d been mistaken. She must have been mistaken.

Her shiver had nothing to do with the coolness of the air. Stop getting carried away, imagining stupid things… She shook her head. Yep, I’m crazy. He wouldn’t lower himself to make a pass at someone like me. Not someone he believes is beneath contempt. He’d been angry, that was all.

Relieved she’d managed to analyze the problem and find there to be no problem, Zoe released a pent up sigh. His anger she could deal with, no worries.

Edging into the traffic heading south Zoe cursed the power she’d allowed him to exert over her. She never, ever rode her bike without her leathers. Wouldn’t even have considered going to the dairy on the corner without putting on her protective clothing. And yet here she was, kilometers from home in her board shorts and a skimpy T-shirt. Riding sedately along the slow lane, like a learner driver, Zoe paid careful attention to getting back to Devonport in one piece.

Bess showed no concern, so Zoe figured Connor had said nothing about their confrontation. But Zoe knew he wouldn’t give up. He was determined to get her out of the house, and out of his grandmother’s life.

Apart from a muttered “hello” or “good morning,” Zoe ignored Connor, making no further attempt at friendship.

Her impending exams made things easier. Bess didn’t question the long hours she spent in her room. If the car she had begrudgingly helped Connor purchase was visible in the driveway as she approached the house, she would have study to do. If not, she’d spend some time with her grandmother. But even some of those days, she still needed to hit the books. Risking this course wasn’t an option.

Zoe found herself missing the daily interaction with Bess. Exams would soon be over, but in the meantime, she blamed Connor’s presence for upsetting the closeness they’d found.

“Is everything all right, Zoe?”

Stomping through the house had obviously given her grandmother insight into her lousy mood.

“Sure,” she mumbled. “Everything’s just hunky-dory.”

Seeing a satisfied smile cross Connor’s face was just too much. She slammed her bedroom door shut and threw her backpack onto her bed.

Bess’s hushed entry, following a perfunctory knock, was so in contrast to her own lousy mood, her ire rose.

“Zoe? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Zoe, please. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” She threw her leather trousers on top of the jacket already scrunched in the corner. “I’m just in a bad mood. That’s all.”

“Rubbish. You don’t get in bad moods.”

Sinking onto her bed, she grimaced as Bess sat down beside her. “Ah, but I’ve always been on my best behavior around you.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. More likely you previously haven’t had anyone around to annoy you.”

Zoe’s shoulders slumped as Bess touched her hand.

“What’s he done? What’s Connor said to upset you?” A fierce expression settled on Bess’s face. “I’ll box that boy’s ears if he—”

How can I tell Bess the truth? “Connor hasn’t done anything, Gran.”

“Ha, you expect me to believe that? I might be old, Zoe, but I’m not stupid. The air fairly crackles whenever you two are in the same room. I want to know what he’s said. He promised me―”

“What did he promise, Gran?” Zoe straightened as all sorts of possibilities flashed through her mind.

“Nothing, nothing really.” Bess evaded Zoe’s question and her eyes. “I just wanted…hoped you’d get on. If things went smoothly with Connor, then you’d be ready to meet everybody else, and I wouldn’t have to keep pretending—”

“Oh, Gran.” Zoe’s arm slipped around her grandmother’s shoulders. She hadn’t understood her insistence on secrecy had so affected Bess. “I’m so sorry. It’s been selfish of me, hasn’t it?”

Zoe blinked hard to disperse the tears forming in her eyes. “It was just so new, and I guess scary too, having a family.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to go on. “I’ve been scared I’ll wake up one day and find I’ve been in a wonderful dream.”

“Does this feel like a dream?” Bess pinched her leg.

“Ouch.” Zoe rubbed the red spot forming on her thigh. “It’s more like a nightmare, with you the wicked old witch.” She glared at Bess. “You’re a vicious old lady.”

“You’d just better believe that, my girl.” Bess’s eyes twinkled for a moment before the sparkle was replaced with a look of determination. “I want to know what’s going on between you and Connor. I’m not going to give up until you give me an answer, Zoe, so you might as well come clean.”

Zoe chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of some way to avoid the question. After flying around the room seeking inspiration, her gaze settled back on her grandmother.

“You’re such a fraud.” Zoe groaned. “You look like a delicate flower that would wilt without constant attention, when you’re really as stubborn as an ass, or a mule, or whatever the saying is. Can’t you just leave it be?”

“No.”

“Oh, Gran. If there’s any chance of hurting you, then I’m outta here. I’m not coming between you and your family. I—”

“You are my family.”

“I know, and I’m so thankful to have found you. But I refuse to be the cause of any grief.” Zoe leapt to her feet and paced across the small space a couple of times, feeling her grandmother’s gaze following her every movement.

Eventually she sank back down beside the older lady. “Sometimes people just don’t hit it off, Gran, and there’s nothing you can do about it. I guess that’s what’s happened between me and Connor.” Can I convince Bess that’s all it is?

“Connor hasn’t done anything, Gran.” Except be his obnoxious self. “We just seem to grate each other up the wrong way.”

She gripped her grandmother’s arm. “Please don’t go saying anything to him.” He’ll only assume I’ve been complaining. “I don’t want to be the cause of any friction between you. Please, Gran.”

Zoe chewed on her lip waiting for Bess’s response. Zoe’s conscience pricked as the eventual heavy sigh told her just how much a burden this situation was to Bess.

Before she allowed herself time to consider, she offered, “What about if I come to Wellington with you for Christmas?”

Her rising panic was quelled for a moment by the excited wonderment shining on Bess’s face.

Her fingers clutched at Zoe’s arm. “Do you mean that? Are you sure?”

Zoe nodded, doubting her voice would work now the panic was setting in.

“Oh, Zoe, thank you.”

She returned Bess’s embrace.

“You won’t be sorry. They’ll all love you.”

Except Connor. “Please don’t say anything to Connor.”

Zoe had to be content with a misty smile.

“I’ve been worrying about my bus trip. Do you remember? We’re scheduled to leave next Wednesday.”

Zoe had forgotten all about the Senior Citizen bus trip Bess had told her about. Two weeks touring around the East Coast.

“I wondered if I should cancel…they’ll probably be able to find someone else to take my place.”

“Cancel? Why on earth would you want to cancel? You were looking forward to it, weren’t you?” Now she remembered the conversation, she was sure Bess had been excited at being able to obtain a seat on the popular excursion.

“Well…you and Connor…I mean you not getting on—”

Zoe forced a laugh. “Don’t be silly, Gran. Of course you must go. So what if Connor and I can’t stand the sight of each other? We’re adults. I’m sure we can get by for a couple of weeks without doing each other any harm.”

She crossed her fingers behind her back, appalled at the idea. “Don’t even consider trying to back out.” She hugged the stooped shoulders. “I’d be very angry,” she warned.

Zoe’s effort to persuade Bess everything would be fine while she was away must have worked. Bess left the room as abruptly as she’d arrived, but with a big smile on her face.

Thrusting open her window, Zoe slumped against the window jamb, staring out at nothing.

Bloody hell! What have I let myself in for? Two weeks alone with Connor, and a meeting with my family. She didn’t know which one scared her more.

Pains in her stomach, deep shooting pains, had her bending over to ease them away with deep cleansing breaths. She’d assumed this symptom of extreme anxiety had disappeared with childhood.

Perhaps next year I could take some psychology papers and see if I can talk myself out of this physical reaction to fear. In the meantime, her concern for Bess’s happiness was more important than a little discomfort.

****

Thank heavens Connor was nowhere around next morning, so she didn’t have to pretend to be relaxed and carefree.

In fact Zoe couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t seen him for a couple of days. Although she had heard him talking to Bess on multiple occasions while she was busy studying, so she’d lucked out on the chance he might have shifted.

Perhaps he’d started his job, although it seemed unlikely to start working at the medical school near the end of a semester. But if it kept him out of her hair, Zoe was more than happy. Keeping a low profile was proving to be easier than she’d hoped.

****

The first Saturday of the university summer break turned out to be one of those depressing, wet days. Although the television weathermen kept telling them the reservoirs were low and they needed rain, Zoe was bummed out as she looked out at the dreary sight.

The pressure of exams was off until next year. She glanced up glumly as Bess strolled into the kitchen. “I was looking forward to doing something exciting today. It’s like a massive weight’s been lifted and I wanted to celebrate. I was planning to walk down to the garden center this morning and buy some more plants.”

“You and that garden.” Bess chuckled as she accepted the cup of tea Zoe handed her. “You’ll run out of space soon if you keep buying more. You should be out with some young man, if you’re looking for excitement, not messing around in my garden.”

Connor’s attitude had made Zoe more sensitive to undercurrents in conversations and she glanced at Bess quickly. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Of course not, honey.”

“I’ve never had a garden before.” Zoe looked at her grandmother, trusting she could tell this lady things no one else had ever heard. “I never guessed how great it would feel.” If only I’m still here to see things I planted actually growing.

Bess clasped Zoe’s fingers firmly. “As far as I’m concerned, Zoe, that garden is now yours. You do whatever you like out there. I know it’ll always look beautiful, if you have anything to do with it.”

Zoe blinked furiously, wondering if something could be wrong with her tear ducts. Maybe she had an infection or something. They’d taken to leaking so much lately.

“Where’s Connor? Did he have a late night?” Talking about him will soon destroy any fuzzy emotionalism, Zoe reckoned. She had to make sure she never got too used to this set-up, in case it never lasted.

“Oh, didn’t he tell you?” Bess frowned. “I thought he would have told you.”

Zoe couldn’t let on to Bess that Connor wouldn’t tell her the time of day, let alone anything else.

“He’s gone to Wellington for the weekend.”

Zoe almost jumped up with glee. A whole weekend, just her and Bess, without the grating presence of Connor watching every move she made. She could relax, and be herself. Not have to watch everything she said, in case there was any ambiguity in her words.

“Do you have any plans?” Zoe asked eagerly. “We could do something together.”

“That would be nice, dear. But don’t you have things to do yourself?”

Not now I know Connor is away. “Not another thing. Is there a movie you’d like to see, or some shopping you’d like to do? I could drive you into the city.”

Bess hesitated before saying rather timidly, “There is one thing.”

“What? You name it, and we’ll do it.”

“Could you help me start sorting through all my papers and photos? I want everything catalogued before I die. Otherwise Warren and David will have no idea.” Her look was eager and hopeful. “You said you know about all this…what’s it called?”

“Genealogy.”

“Yes, genealogy. Would it be too boring for you to help me make some order out of all the shoeboxes I have in my wardrobe?”

“Boring?” Zoe leapt to her feet. “Gran, it’ll be the most exciting thing you could ask me to do.” She had to ask. “But are you sure you wouldn’t rather someone else do it, maybe one of your sons or grandchildren? They might—”

“I am getting one of my grandchildren to do it…you.” A faint smile twitched at her lips. “You might be intent on hiding our relationship, Lord knows why, but I’m not.” She stood. “So, will you help me?”

“Oh, Gran.” She slipped around the bench and hugged the older woman tightly. “Yes, yes, yes.” She couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Yes, please. It’s not something we’ll be able to do in a few hours, though,” she warned.

“I know it’ll take days to just sort through all the rubbish I’ve collected over the years. But afterwards, perhaps we could go on to find out more about my…our ancestors too? If you have time, of course.”

“You betcha. There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

The weekend was one of the happiest Zoe could remember. The dining room remained a shambles, and neither of them cared. Papers and photos lay around everywhere while Zoe’s handwritten family tree continued to grow as Bess remembered, or discovered, increasing information about their family.

Bess’s excitement fuelled her own, as Zoe determined to produce the most comprehensive history of the family she could.

“What on earth’s going on here?”

It showed the extent of Zoe’s concentration that she hadn’t even been aware of Connor’s return until he spoke from the doorway.

“Zoe knows all about genealogy.” Bess boasted from under a pile of papers she was sorting through. “She’s doing our family tree.”

“We’re doing ou…your family tree, Gr…Bess.”

Two days without Connor had made Zoe careless. She bit her lip as she leaned over the computer screen, praying he hadn’t picked up on her slips.

“Where did you get the laptop? Is that yours, Zoe?”

Before Zoe could reply, Bess absently spoke. “No, I bought it yesterday. Zoe said it would be easier to get everything tidied up if we had a computer.”

“Did she indeed?” Ignoring his contemptuous tone, Zoe kept typing. “And of course, she’ll be able to use it for her studies, too.”

“Oh, that’s an idea.” Bess looked up. “Zoe, would it be useful to take that thing”—she pointed at the compact laptop—“to classes with you?”

“Oh, yes. It’ll be most useful.” His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Zoe ignored him, although the words now appearing on the screen were completely unreadable.

“And you’ll be able to do your assignments at home next year instead of spending all those hours at the library?”

Zoe glanced at Bess.

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed a computer? I’d have bought you one sooner.”

“I didn’t really need one, Bess.” Zoe spoke in a suffocating whisper, knowing exactly what Connor was making of Bess’s purchase. “This is for you. I’ll teach you how to use it, and you can write to all your friends. Maybe you’d even like to get a connection to the Internet so you can use email.”

“An Internet connection, too?” Connor’s voice hadn’t changed; it was still cold and hard. “That would help with all your research, too, wouldn’t it, Zoe?”

Zoe tilted her chin up and shot him what she hoped was a withering gaze.

She easily turned his comment around from the barbed inference he intended. “Connor’s right, Bess. There’s a lot of information available on the Internet now. We could do a lot of research right here, instead of at the family history center. You might like to get Connor to look into the feasibility of getting connected, the costs, etc.” She shot him a forced, sweet smile. “I don’t know anything about it.”

The glare he shot her way bounced straight off as she ducked her head again, pleased she’d scored at least one point against him.

“This is so interesting, Connor.”

Bess couldn’t be unaware of the friction sparking between us tonight.

And yet she seemed oblivious as she produced some papers and passed them to him. “Zoe knows all about how to trace ancestors back in Scotland, and everything.”

“What a total waste of time.”

Connor’s abrupt response drove Zoe to query. “Aren’t you interested in knowing where you’ve come from, your history?”

“No.” His eyes were even colder now as she looked across at him.

“But—”

“Searching the past is dangerous. It’ll only result in pain and heartache,” he warned. “I wish you hadn’t encouraged Gran to think of doing such a thing.”

“This wasn’t Zoe’s idea, Con.” Bess stood and stretched. “I’ve wanted to sort all this out for years. What do you think Warren and David would do with it all if I dropped dead tomorrow?”

“Burn it, if they have any sense.”

“Oh, Connor,” Bess gasped. “You can’t mean that.”

His dark, brooding expression suggested he was quite serious.

“All the more reason for you to get it done, Bess, and copied onto some CDs. That way you can protect all this precious history from morons like Connor.” Zoe glared at him, finding it totally incomprehensible that someone could be so callous about his own family history.

She survived the murderous scowl he shot her way before he abruptly excused himself and stomped out of the room.

“What’s with him?” she couldn’t help asking.

“He’s not interested in family history. He’s always thought it a waste of time.”

“Well, he’s wrong,” Zoe contradicted. She picked up another piece of paper to transcribe into the computer. “If I hadn’t got interested in tracing my father, I’d never have found you. Genealogy hasn’t brought me any pain or heartache.”

“Exactly the opposite, I hope?”

Zoe grinned across at her grandmother. “Exactly the opposite,” she confirmed.