“I know she skimped on the math and science part of our education, but we made up for that with weekends in the park with my Pappa. We learned more than most kids about the natural sciences. Heck, Jenny taught science until she got married.
“I liked some books more than others. But, honestly, I didn’t mind reading any of them. Who doesn’t like a good story?”
Kat’s proverbial jaw had hit the floor ten minutes ago when he declared he preferred Dickens to Austen. But a man this hot, this well read? Her cheeks started flushing hot with her attraction to him, and she couldn’t stop staring.
“Kat…are you…okay?”
“I’m sorry. I’m still sort of processing this.” She sipped her water, forcing herself to look away as she fanned her face.
“It’s that weird? That I’ve read a lot of books?”
“Weird? No!” Hot? Yes! “It’s just…unusual. I’ve never met anyone as well read as you. And all of your mom’s favorites are my favorites too.”
He grinned, like he had an idea. “North and South?”
“Swoon!” Katrin put her palms on her chest. “John Thornton!”
“Darcy or Wickham?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Darcy.”
“Anne Elliott or Jane Eyre?”
“Oooo! Jane’s so...self-righteous and prickly. I have to go with Anne.”
“A fan of Captain Wentworth too?”
She shrugged and pursed her lips, shaking her head. “Not really. He almost moved on without Anne.”
“Anne broke his heart rejecting him.”
“He made her pay for it. Making her believe he wanted Louisa Musgrove? That was punishment enough.”
“Come on. That was just to make Anne jealous. To get those feelings to the surface again. He loved her all along. He says so in the letter he writes to her at the end.”
She tilted her head to the side, staring at him with wonder. “Maybe.”
“Heathcliff or Gatsby?”
Katrin looked at him thoughtfully. Both dark, brooding, desperate, unfulfilled. But, one rough and ragged, and the other smooth as silk. Rough over smooth for me.
“Heathcliff,” she sighed.
Erik raised his eyebrows and smiled at her, pleased.
“My turn!”
“Okay. Try to stump me. You can’t.”
“Elizabeth or Jane?”
“Lizzie. You’re not even trying.”
“Lady Catherine or Lady Russell?”
He winced. “Well-intentioned interfering or pompous interfering. Well-intentioned’s got to be better, so I guess Lady Russell.”
Katrin smiled, delighted. How is this happening? He knew the characters every bit as well as she! “Fagin or Scrooge?”
He scoffed. “Okay. Now you’re getting interesting. Ummm. Fagin. At least he was consistent. Scrappy and genuine, whether you liked him or not. I don’t buy that malarkey that people can change overnight. People are who they are.”
Malarkey, huh? When you changed your whole life overnight, leaving Gardiner for Kalispell. Hmm…
“Wickham or Willoughby?”
“They’re the same character. It’s a draw.”
“Are they the same?”
“Sure. Charming. Pretty. Soulless.”
“I don’t know.” Katrin looked down at the table, considering the two characters. “Willoughby loved Marianne. I don’t think Wickham loved anyone but himself.”
“Fair point, I guess, but you’re splitting hairs.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. They married—or didn’t marry—for money. In the end, they both made the same choice.”
“Not exactly. Wickham didn’t love Lydia, but he married her for Darcy’s money. Willoughby actually loved Marianne, but if he had chosen her, his aunt would have disowned him.”
“Exactly my point. It all came down to cash. And, while we’re on the topic, did Willoughby love Marianne? He certainly didn’t love her enough,” he said, derisively, his voice low and passionate. “If he had, the money wouldn’t have mattered. Nothing would have mattered. He would have made a commitment to her and nothing could have gotten in his way. Not money, not health, he would have—”
“He would have been penniless.”
“Well, that’s a crap reason to make a life decision.”
Katrin was surprised by the force behind Erik’s words. Again, he was contradicting himself and his “no picket fences” speech in the car last week. How could a man so set against love and commitment be so moved by characters who abuse it?
“You would have admired Willoughby for turning his back on his aunt’s money and choosing Marianne?”
“It would have been honest.”
“You would have admired him for choosing love over money? Would that have been a better reason to make his decision? Love?”
He stared at her for a moment, and then looked down, refusing to answer. She waited. She wanted to hear what he had to say. It felt like an eternity before he raised his head. Exit passionate discourse, cue sardonic smirk.
“I guess. If that’s your thing.”
“But, it’s not your thing?”
He shrugged, and his smile had faded. “Love is risky.”
“Love is worth it,” she murmured. “Look at your sister. It worked out for her.”
Erik stared at the table working his jaw and Katrin wanted to understand why.
“Erik…isn’t that a good thing?”
“Did it work out for you, Kat?” His face was cool, expressionless.
She jerked back as though he’d slapped her. He stared at her intently, those ice blue eyes gem-like, sparkling and stone cold. She shook her head, answering in a whisper, “No. No, it didn’t.”
No, it hadn’t worked out with Wade, that’s for sure.
For a moment, she felt small and vulnerable and defeated. Then something occurred to her that took all of the sting out of his words. This wasn’t about her. It was about him, and she learned something true and basic about Erik in that moment. He wasn’t trying to be mean. He was scared. Big, strong Erik Lindstrom wasn’t only scared of commitment; he was terrified of falling in love.
This made her regard him tenderly, as she would a lost child who lashed out in fear. “Maybe I made some bad choices. I
