Someone's Baby
Page 20
"So maybe I'll have to train you as well."
"Think so?"
His smile came slowly. It started in his eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth until it was wide and sexy and perfect.
"It'll be fun finding out, don't you think?"
She resisted every impulse in her that longed to kiss those lips and plaster herself against that hard lean body. "I think you need to spell it out for me, Cade."
"I was afraid of that. I told Zed I was no good with words."
"You talked to Zed about us?"
"And Rio and Luis and your father and everyone else who would listen."
"Luis?"
Cade shrugged. "His mother died a couple of months ago. He's totally alone now."
"And you know what that feels like." She hurt for the shadows in his eyes.
"We got to talking when I ran into him at the hospital. He went there to thank Zed for saving his life."
"You didn't press charges."
"It would only have been malicious mischief at most. Hap was behind the majority of the damage. Besides, Luis apologized for his part in things. He offered to work for me for free to make up for the fences and the girths and the things he'd had a part in."
"And you're going to let him, aren't you?"
His shoulders inched up a notch.
"The kid doesn't have anyone else. Hap was filling his head with all kinds of tales, but I think deep down he knew what his sister was. Bonita wasn't much of a wife, but that still makes the kid my family in a way. And the rodeo's no life for someone like him. He's bright. Likes computers. I figured maybe he could help me computerize some of my breeding programs and I could help him go to college and—umph"
She launched herself into his arms, forgetting about his injury. When he grunted she would have pulled back only he held her there and covered her mouth with his own.
The universe tilted away. She strained against him, trying to get closer.
"He'd better be planning to marry her," a familiar voice said to her left, "or I'm going to have to forget I'm an officer of the court and beat that cowboy into prime manure."
"I'll help," her brother, the sheriff agreed.
"Count me in," her brother the trainer said solemnly.
Jayne allowed their lips to cling for a moment longer before reluctantly pulling back to find they'd acquired quite an audience. Her father still stood in the training ring, but her mother was now wrapped in his arms. They were both smiling in her direction. Carlita had stopped riding. The young girl was watching the scene with interest. Jayne's three brothers formed a united semicircle to her left, a few steps from Cade.
"You'd better come and meet my brothers," she said in resignation.
Cade glanced at the three men but he didn't release her. He smiled. "Maybe later. We have a wedding to plan," he said softly.
"We do?"
"Don't we?"
"I guess that depends."
"On?"
"On why you want to marry me."
"Well, I could say it was because the sex was fantastic," he said too softly for her brothers to hear, "but then your brothers would definitely turn me into manure."
She stifled a giggle, but her heart lightened until she thought he might have to hold her just to keep her feet on the ground.
"I could tell you that I was thinking about selling the Circle M and finding a place closer to town and I need you to manage my household."
"You wouldn't sell the Circle M! Oh, Cade, no. It's so beautiful there."
Cade grinned. "Okay. Then I could tell you that I plan to build a new house up where that line shack is and I want it to have a woman's touch."
She knew he felt her tremble. Excitement, desire, longing all jumbled together inside her.
"That would be a great place to have a house."
Cade nodded.
"Or I could simply tell you that my life is totally empty if you aren't part of it." He cupped her face lightly, his eyes dark with need. "I love you, Jayne."
She didn't know if he moved or she did, but the kiss was deeper, stealing her soul.
"I like that reason best," she said against his mouth when she could speak again.
"Me, too. Will you marry me?"
Her smile felt wide enough to light the world. "We could be in Nevada in a matter of hours."
"You are not eloping with our sister," Devlin stated in his most sherifflike tone.
"Better believe it," Liam, the judge, agreed solemnly.
"What's the penalty for aggravated assault, Liam?" Rory, the trainer, asked.
She'd forgotten her brothers were expected today. Apparently, they had arrived. Cade turned slowly, taking her with him. He faced the three men, glanced at her parents and nodded slightly in greeting, before turning back to her brothers.
"I'm not used to having a family," he told the men. "I don't know the way things are done, so I figure we'll have to work out the pecking order later. Right now, your sister and I need some privacy to discuss our plans. So if you'll excuse us?"
"And if we won't?" Rory demanded.
Jayne started to respond, but Cade gave her arm a gentle squeeze.
"Then I'll turn your sister loose on the lot of you," he said calmly.
Jayne felt the laughter bubble up in her chest. She wondered if a person could explode from sheer happiness.
"Aw, hell, not that," Devlin protested.
Liam and Rory grinned. "Poor dumb bastard has no idea what he's in for, does he?" Liam asked.
"Hey, let's not queer this deal or we'll have to keep pulling her out of scrapes ourselves," Rory pointed out. "He looks competent. Let him ride herd on her."
"Good point." Devlin turned toward his parents. "Hey Mom, what's for dinner?"
Jayne and Cade were laughing when they reached the red truck. Cade handed her up and came around to the driver's side, wincing slightly as he got in behind the wheel.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I will be, for as long as you love me."
"Then you'd better plan on a long happy life, Cade, because I don't ever plan to stop loving you."
Cade put the truck in gear.
Copyright © 2001 Dani Sinclair
Someone's Baby
Harlequin Intrigue #613
All rights reserved. Except for use In any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or In part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any Information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M38 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure Invention.
Table of Contents
Title
Synopsis
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Copyright