“I have my sources. But I could have guessed your scheme on my own. I know you too well.”
Hawk slipped an arm around her waist. “I never stood a chance once she set her sights on me.” When he locked gazes with her, she could see the smile deep in his gray eyes.
Smiling in return, Skye turned her attention back to her brother. “Why did you disappear?”
“You know very well why. When I last saw you in September, you and Kate were set on finding me a bride. Remaining within reach would have been lethal to my bachelorhood.”
Katharine joined them in time to hear his complaint. She gave Quinn a quick hug, then tucked her arm in his. “This is three cousins down, plus our uncle. Only two more to go—you and I, Quinn.”
His grimace held exasperation and disgust. “You should work on your own tale and leave me be. I am happy as I am.”
As the most romantic Wilde cousin, Kate was not about to abandon her search for true love for either Quinn or herself. Kate was severely disappointed that her own legendary lovers tale wasn’t evident yet, but she planned for Quinn’s romance, Skye knew, to follow the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a sculptor who had fallen so deeply in love with the statue he’d created, the gods took pity on him and brought her to life.
“I have the perfect bride picked out for you, Quinn,” Kate informed him. “You need a young lady of birth and breeding but malleable enough that you can mold her to your exact specifications.”
He gave a mock shudder. “God forbid.”
“I have won Ash and Jack over to my theory. With your scientific bent, you ought to be able to see the proof right under your nose.”
Skye chimed in to tease her brother. “Tallis Court will need a mistress now that I am leaving.”
“I will muddle through without a wife somehow.”
Skye suddenly realized the lateness of the hour. “There will be time to argue about your bride later. You are delaying my wedding.”
“How wicked of me.”
“Perhaps you should go inside and greet Aunt Bella? I will be there in a moment.”
When he and Kate obliged, Skye slid her arms around Hawk’s neck. “Are you sorry that I pursued you?”
“On the contrary. I am immensely thankful for your stubbornness.”
Skye smiled victoriously. “I almost feel sorry for Miss Olwen.”
“And why is that?”
“She won’t have you for her husband. I am claiming you forever. But I am certain Kate could find her an eligible suitor—and Daphne as well, for that matter.”
Hawk shook his head. “I can see why your brother made himself scarce.”
“He still believes he can withstand our combined efforts, but we are plotting a new strategy for Quinn, and Kate is a matchmaker extraordinaire. She helped me find you.”
“But Isabella deserves more credit for bringing us together.”
“Not all the credit,” Skye objected. “Aunt Bella might have advised me about techniques for enticing a man, but it was no small feat, seducing a beast, let me tell you. Although you are changing. You haven’t growled at me in quite some time.”
A lazy, heated smile gleamed in his gray eyes. “You are still a beauty.”
Skye met his gaze and laughed. “Beauty or not, I am confident I am your ideal match.?
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“You are my match in every way. I can’t imagine living without you now.”
Bending his head, Hawk gave her a tender, reassuring kiss that made her heart swell. “You taste like hope, a new beginning.…” he murmured against her lips.
“That is a beautiful thought, my love.”