From the Heart by Nora Roberts Page A

challenge. “What’s the capital of Arkansas?”
    Alison giggled and whispered in his ear.
    â€œArkansas,” Kasey murmured. Her gaze wandered to the ceiling. “Arkansas . . . south central United States. North boundary, Missouri; east boundary, Mississippi and Tennessee; south, Louisiana; west, Texas and Okalahoma. Twenty-fifth state as of June, eighteen-thirty-six. Arkansas has soil favorable to agriculture, numerous mineral deposits that include the only diamond mine in the United States and extensive forest areas. The name comes from a Siouan tribe, the Quapaw. There are no natural lakes of importance, and it has a relatively mild climate. Oh, yes.” She held up a finger. “Little Rock is the capital as well as the largest city.”
    She dropped her eyes from the ceiling and smiled guilelessly at Jordan. “Would anyone like to take a walk before dinner?”

7
    T he climate in Palm Springs was dry and warm and sunny. The servants in the Taylor household were well-trained, solicitous. The food was invariably superb. And the monotony of it all was driving her crazy.
    If Kasey could have loved Jordan less, she could have escaped. But as each day passed, she knew she was adding links to the chain that kept her there. The time she spent with Jordan on research was a stimulant, as was the time she shared with Alison. But there were long hours with only idleness, and she had never been able to cope with idleness.
    In the night, in Jordan’s arms, she could let herself forget everything else. But their hours together as man and woman were all too brief. When he would leave her bed, she was left with too much time to think. It was difficult for her to admit that for all her sophisticated education and free-thinking ideas, she was uncomfortable in an affair. Perhaps if the relationship could have been more open, she would have had less doubt. But there was a child to think of.
    It was already December. For Kasey, time was running out. In another month, perhaps six weeks, her usefulness would be at an end. And what then? she asked herself as she stepped outside. How much longer could she put off thinking about the future? She should have been booking another lecture tour for January. She should have found out if the Patterson dig was going on schedule in March.
    She stuck her hands in her pockets and stared at a palm tree. She needed to get away, she decided. She needed to start thinking about herself again. She had to write her doctorate. She shut her eyes against the glare of the sun.
    If she didn’t start to make the break soon, it would hurt much, much more when the time came. How would Jordan feel when she left? Kasey stepped from the patio onto the lawn. Would he feel as though he’d lost something? Or would he simply remember their time together as one pleasant autumn?
    As someone who made it a habit to pick apart the human brain, she found it strange that she couldn’t fully understand Jordan’s. Perhaps it was because he was more important than anyone else had ever been. Emotions clouded her intuition, and she couldn’t see clearly. She was only certain of Alison.
    She had the child’s love. It was simple, open. At eleven, a child had no masks. How many does he have? she wondered, thinking of Jordan. How many do I have? Why do we insist on wearing them? She looked around again at the smooth, even lawn, the perfectly groomed trees and organized flowers. I have to get away from here, she thought again. I can’t stand the spotlessness much longer.
    â€œKasey!”
    She turned to watch Alison dart toward her a few steps ahead of Jordan.
    And when I do go, she reflected, they’ll have each other. That much I can take with me.
    â€œWe couldn’t find you.” Alison grabbed her hand and smiled up at her. “We wanted you to go swimming with us.”
    The simple request set off a chain of emotional reactions. They don’t belong to