Page 7 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

“Did you find it? What does it say?”

His eyes swept across the names once more, just to be certain he wasn’t seeing things. Nope. There they were, just as he’d read the first time. He closed the document as if doing so could make him unsee it.

“What? What’s wrong? Didn’t they name a guardian? Just tell me, for heaven’s sake.”

He cleared his throat. “No, they did.”

“Thank God. Who is it? Not her mom.”

Gavin looked up at her. “No.”

“Then who?” she fairly snapped. “Who did they name?”

He swallowed hard. No way to soften this blow. “Us,” he said finally. “They namedusas Emma’s guardians.”

Chapter4

It had not been love at first sight for Laurel and Gavin.

She’d noticed him right away when she entered biology class her first day of sophomore year at Riverbend Gap High School. She’d attended Hopewell Academy till now, but she’d seen Gavin before, knew of him. Everyone knew of the well-liked Robinson family.

Gavin was sitting at the desk closest to the teacher. He had short dark hair, and a pale-blue T-shirt clung to his lean, muscular frame. She was surprised he wasn’t sitting in the back where the other jocks would no doubt gather.

He sized her up as she took the empty desk beside him. She’d been something of a science and math whiz at her academically rigorous school. She’d hated the idea of transferring—a public school wouldn’t be as impressive on her college applications. But at least the classes would be easier—she planned to rise straight to the top. And not having to be the poor kid on scholarship was a bonus.

“You’re new here,” he said a full three minutes later.

“That’s right.”

The teacher started class, leaving no room for further conversation. He went over class rules, then instructed them to open their textbooks to chapter 1.

“Who can tell me what the basic unit of life is?” Mr.Morton asked.

Her school had covered this in seventh grade. She slipped her hand up, and the teacher called on her. “Cells,” she said.

“Very good. Every living thing is made of these basic building blocks. Some organisms are made up of only one cell. Can anyone give me an example?”

Someone whispered behind her. A phone buzzed. Gavin raised his hand.

The teacher smiled at him. “Mr.Robinson.”

“Protozoa.”

“Excellent.”

Laurel raised her hand. “Bacteria,” she said when called upon.

“Very good.”

Later that day Laurel found that Gavin also shared her algebra class. This time she took care to keep her distance.

On the second day of biology, she entered the room to find him at the same desk. As much as she wanted to sit elsewhere, there was no way she would allow him to think he intimidated her.

And so it went.

Week after week they competed to answer the teachers’ questions correctly. When Laurel got back a test, she made sure to leave it on her desk where he’d see the 97 or 98percent written in red ink. Sometimes when she glanced over at his test, his grade was a point or two higher. Sometimes a point or two lower.

So he wasn’t a stereotypical jock. But she knew she was the better student and intended to prove it daily. Whereas everyonein the entire school seemed to love him, he had nothing for Laurel but dark scowls and tolerant looks. That was okay. She wasn’t here to make friends.

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