“I don’t like him most of the time, either, but I love him because he’s my brother. When I was so mad at him for what he did with Brenda and then again with Natalie, it brought on a guilt trip because we’re supposed to love our siblings. I’ve come to realize that you can love someone but not like them,” Mack said.

“Was Adam like that as a little boy? Did he always want your toys?” Lily immediately felt like a therapist again.

“Oh, yeah”—Mack nodded—“and our mother’s attention. He had to be number one, no matter what it took. He couldn’t stand it because I was close to Dad. He thought he’d won another feather for his cap when our folks moved to San Antonio to be close to Dad’s Alzheimer’s doctor. I guess Adam thought since Dad wasn’t in the goat business anymore that he would finally be number one with him, too.” Mack paused. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You’ll think I’m a big pushover.”

Lily’s heart went out to Mack. “I don’t think that at all, but why didn’t you stand up to him?”

“I got tired of the constant fighting. Besides, what did a toy matter? It wasn’t until Brenda and Natalie that I realized he had this uncontrollable urge to take everything from me. The crazy thing was that I thought he deserved it. After all, he was the pretty one. He was the athletic son and the charismatic twin,” Mack answered. “When he took away not one but two of my girlfriends, that’s when I stopped giving in. It’s when I figured out that in my own right I’m equal to him, and I got comfortable in my own skin. It’s been tough on him ever since.”

“Sounds to me like Adam has NPD, but until he realizes that he has a problem and gets some help, it’s not going to go away,” Lily said.

“I’d forgotten that you were a therapist.” Mack grinned and asked, “What exactly does that mean?”

“School counselor to begin with, and then a therapist. I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist,” she replied, “and NPD stands for narcissistic personality disorder. It means that he’s got exaggerated feelings of self-importance, a need for self-admiration, and a lack of empathy. People with that problem spend too much time worrying about success in everything, as well as their personal appearance. They tend to take advantage of the people around them. The problem usually starts early in childhood. He should’ve had some kind of therapy when he was a little boy.”

“How do I help him now?” Mack asked.

Lily just shook her head. Mack was truly a good brother if he’d taken that kind of abuse all those years and still wanted to help his twin.

“He’d have to agree to therapy and be willing to admit he had a problem, and then he could work on making changes,” Lily answered.

“I don’t see that happening. What causes this disorder anyway?” Mack asked.

Lily shrugged. “I only had two students with those symptoms that I thought should be sent for a full evaluation. One came from an affluent family and had siblings. The other came from a poorer home and was an only child. They displayed the same traits. So all I can tell you is that you’ll have to ask someone far smarter than me what causes it.”

“Oh, well.” Mack picked up the remote. “Like you said, until he realizes he has a problem, it’s not going to get fixed, anyway.”

“That’s right,” Lily agreed.

Mack started the next episode of Lethal Weapon, and Lily watched it with brand-new insight. One of the main characters, Martin Riggs, was flawed because of his wife’s death. Mack Cooper had problems because of his brother’s narcissistic attitude. It was easy to see why Mack would relate to Riggs. Lily wanted to hug Mack, but he sure wouldn’t like that, she was certain.

When the episode ended, she yawned. “I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m going up to bed. Good night, Mack.”

“’Night to you, and thanks for listening.” He got out of his chair and rolled his neck to get the kinks out.

“Anytime,” she said on her way out the door.

Once she’d had a bath and was dressed for bed, she got out the journal again. She read the entry about Henry’s attitude when he had come home from the war. “He was like Adam,” she whispered. “He felt entitled and special.”

She turned the page to reread the entry dated December 1865:

Matilda left this morning on a stagecoach. I already miss her and she’s only been gone a few hours. I feel like she’s making a mistake, but she’s adamant that she loves the man. She’s going to marry a Yankee, the friend that Henry brought home last summer. They’ve been writing since he and Henry left, and Henry’s been sending Rayford’s letters to her with his. What did I do wrong with my children? Everett tries to comfort me, but I feel like a complete failure. I may never see my daughter again. My son says he has no intentions of ever coming back to the cursed south again. A part of me admires him for his conviction; the other part wants to shake him until his teeth rattle even though he’s a grown man.

Determined that she and Holly should share the new entries, Lily closed the journal and didn’t read on.

Chapter Eight

Mack used his planning period on Thursday morning to look up NPD, and was amazed to find that the symptoms fit Adam so well. He and his brother were twins, so it stood to reason that they would be drawn to the same type of woman. But if Adam really had NPD, then why hadn’t Mack developed that condition, also?

Lunchtime was right after his planning period, and a 4-H meeting had been scheduled for noon that day. He had to hustle to get over to the library at the middle school for the meeting. Today, they would be discussing the upcoming junior livestock exhibition, and the kids would be taking the forms home to fill out concerning what animals they would show that spring.

He was surprised to see Braden enter the room with Isaac Torres, who’d won first place the year before with his Angus steer. Isaac came from a fairly affluent family, one with a pretty nice-size spread out west of town. However, he was an overweight kid, kind of shy, and didn’t have many friends, despite his family’s wealth.

“Hey, Mack,” Braden said, and then his face turned scarlet red. “I mean, Mr. Cooper.”

“It’s all right.” Mack grinned. “The kids in 4-H and FFA usually just call me Mr. Mack. Are you interested in 4-H?”

“Maybe,” Braden replied. “Isaac said I could come to the meeting with him and see what it’s all about.”

“Well, then, thank you, Isaac, for inviting a new person to the club,” Mack said.

Isaac ducked his head and blushed right along with Braden. “He said that he likes your goats. I thought he might like 4-H. Maybe next year he can show a goat.”

“That would be great,” Mack said as several more members brought their lunch into the library and took a seat. “Looks like we’re all here. This is an informal meeting today. We’re here mainly to talk about the spring livestock show here in Comfort and to make sure you have the forms to fill out. They’re right here on the desk. You need a separate one for each category you plan to enter. Say hey to Braden Anderson while you’re at it. He’s just moved here from Austin, and he might be joining 4-H.”