The Texas Valentine Twins

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Adelaide looked anything but relieved about that. “Does it ever take longer?” she asked.

  “The average time is three to six months in an uncontested divorce,” Gannon said.

  Wyatt resisted the urge to reach over and take Adelaide’s hand only because he sensed comfort was not what she wanted from him. “Is there anything prohibiting us from living together once the papers are filed? Like there was if we had wanted to go for an annulment?” he asked.

  Gannon shook his head. “Not if it’s an uncontested divorce.”

  Adelaide paled. “Can we pursue the dissolution in a way that doesn’t assign fault to either of us?”

  “Yes,” Claire replied, “as long as you both swear under oath that the marriage can no longer continue because of differences that can’t be resolved.”

  Gannon warned, “You will also have to agree on child support, visitation schedule and parenting times. Who gets the children on which holidays. And the division of any property.”

  Wyatt looked at Adelaide who seemed as overwhelmed as he was. She blew out a breath. “The property is easy enough.”

  Wyatt read her mind. “We’ll both keep what’s ours.”

  “As for the rest...” Adelaide relaxed slightly. “Can’t we just tell the court we’ll decide on a day-to-day basis?”

  Both lawyers shook their heads firmly. Claire said, “The court wants it all agreed upon—in writing—at the time the divorce petition is filed.”

  “And that’s good for you all, too,” Gannon chimed in, “since you will have a set of rules to follow if and when any disagreements do come up.”

  Which meant they couldn’t go forward with anything until decisions were made. Wyatt swore silently.

  Claire soothed, “We’ll give you each work sheets to fill out. Take the time to think about what you each want. Then call us, and we’ll all sit down together and hash out a final version that works for everyone.”

  “What are you thinking?” Wyatt asked when he and Adelaide left and headed toward the parking lot.

  Her lips twisted ruefully. “That I don’t think I’ll ever be able to split up our time with the kids the way it sounds like we’re going to be required to do...at least on paper.”

  He followed her to his pickup truck. “Me, either.”

  Adelaide leaned against the side of the vehicle while he unlocked it and opened the door for her. “But, I see the point. It’s not as if we intend to stay married.”

  He caught her hand before she could slip inside. “Do you want to date anyone?”

  She gave him a shocked look. “What?”

  “Do you want to date anyone else?”

  “No.” She sounded affronted. “Do you?”

  “No.” He flashed her a reckless grin, continued wryly, “So, that being the case, why do we have to divorce at all? Why not just stay legally married indefinitely, the way we first thought we would? Until we both feel the time is right for us to split up. Taking care of infants is a lot of work. Even with both of us, we’re exhausted.”

  She clamped her arms in front of her, as if warding off a sudden chill. “That’s true.” Worry clouded her eyes. “But there’s still all the gossip to be quieted. Much as I’d like to just ignore it, we can’t. We need to protect your mom and our families’ reputations.”

  Wyatt studied her closely. “And that means no more scandal.” He exhaled roughly. “The question is how? We can’t do what my mother would prefer and recite vows we don’t mean.”

  “I totally agree. We already did that once.”

  You did that once, Wyatt thought bitterly. I meant mine then with all my heart and soul. The question was, would he ever be able to mean them again if they did ever find themselves contemplating entering into a real marriage? Not just one that was continuing out of expedience.

  “And we can’t divorce.” Oblivious to his thoughts, Adelaide rushed to add, “At least any time soon. So what do we do?”

  Wyatt gave her a hand up as she climbed inside the cab. He watched her tug the hem of her skirt down to her knees. The glimpse of silky thigh filled his body with need. Deliberately, he pushed the desire away. “Let’s talk to Hope. See if she has any more ideas.”

  Luckily, the crisis manager was available when they stopped by her office. “There must be another way that doesn’t involve renewing our vows or getting a divorce,” Adelaide said.

  “Some middle ground,” Wyatt persisted with a terse nod.

  “Well, actually, there is one thing you can do.” Hope rocked back in her desk chair. “You can always fight fire with fire.”

  Chapter Eight

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Adelaide said the following morning.

  Wyatt emerged from his pickup truck and walked around to open her door. He gave her a gentlemanly hand down, much as if they had been on a date. Leaning over, he brushed his lips across her temple. For show? Or for real? It was impossible to tell.

  Straightening, he smiled down at her. Then promised, “It’s just a few hours.”

  Adelaide shivered, whether from the wintry February air or nerves, she did not know. “And a lot of scrutiny.”

  Wyatt wrapped a protective arm about her waist as he led her down Main Street toward his sister’s coffee shop and bakery, The Cowgirl Chef.

  “From afar.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Hope promised the paparazzo she hired to follow us around on our errands wouldn’t get closer than a thousand feet.”

  Adelaide leaned into the curve of her husband’s body, appreciating the warmth and strength. Her pulse pounding, she stopped to turn and look up at him. “Problem is, we don’t know in which direction Marco Maletti will be shooting us from,” she whispered.

  Wyatt tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Like Hope said, it’s best we don’t know. Otherwise, it wouldn’t look as if we were getting surreptitiously photographed. It’s got to seem like these are unguarded moments.”

  When something was happening between them.

  Something romantic, Hope had stressed.

  Adelaide felt the heat pour into her face. “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” she confided in a trembling tone. She already felt ridiculously self-conscious.

  He leaned down, and his lips brushed hers. “Then just don’t think about it,” he murmured huskily.

  The next thing she knew, his arms were wrapped all the way around her, and his mouth was on hers. Hot and insistent. Patient and sweet. Caressing. Tempting. Her body responded with a tidal wave of lust.

  Telling herself this was all for show and not what she really wanted deep down in her heart, Adelaide wrapped her arms about his neck and rose on tiptoe, pressing her body fully against the hardness of his. Avidly, she met his kiss.

  And that was when they heard it.

  Guffaws. Followed by a loud cough.

  They broke apart and turned in time to see two of Wyatt’s brothers, Chance and Garrett, grinning from ear to ear.

  Both were in on Hope’s plan to battle the rumors with an emerging “story” of their own. “Too bad Mom’s not here to see this,” Chance ribbed.

  Garrett ran a hand along his jaw, teasing, “She’d think her fondest wish was coming true.”

  Lockhart family unity was also on Hope’s agenda of things to be publicly demonstrated. Although in this case the action synched with Adelaide’s instinct, too.

  The members of the Lockhart clan were famously strong individually. United, they were invincible. It made her feel a lot safer, knowing that she and the twins were now part of the famous Texas family.

  “Nice to see you.” Adelaide went to give both big men a warm and welcoming hug. Like Wyatt, his brothers were tall and fit, with rangy muscular frames.

  Chance winked. “Mom’d probably also tell yo
u to get a room.” Adelaide blushed, and they all laughed.

  Garrett flashed a devilish smile. “Where are the little ones?”

  Glad to have something else to focus on besides her PDA with their brother, Adelaide answered, “At the Circle H. Lucille and Hope are going to bring them into town in a little while.”

  Arm locked around her waist, Wyatt wheeled Adelaide in the direction of his sister’s bistro. “Meantime, we’ve got a breakfast to get.”

  “Lots of luck.” The brothers inclined their handsome heads down the street, where a line was coming out the door. “Sage has her usual crowd.”

  All of whom, as it turned out, wanted to congratulate Adelaide and Wyatt on their “news.”

  “Looks like love is in the air,” the mayor said with a wink. “And it’s not even Valentine’s Day yet.”

  “Didn’t the two of you elope on Valentine’s Day?” his wife asked.

  Wyatt grinned proudly. “Ten years ago.”

  “So you’ve got an anniversary coming up,” Nurse Bess Monroe observed.

  Her twin, Bridgett, winked. “The traditional gift is tin.”

  Family law attorney Liz Anderson said, “That’s changed with the times. These days, the gift is supposed to be diamonds.”

  “I can’t see Wyatt wearing diamonds,” Rebecca Carrigan-McCabe said teasingly.

  Octogenarian Tillie Cartwright squinted. “He’d look good in tin, though.”

  Chuckles abounded.

  “Speaking of Valentine’s Day, are the two of you volunteering for the Laramie Chili Festival?” the mayor asked.

  It was a major fund-raiser for the community. As well as a good time.

  “I’m manning the cutting-horse training demonstration at the fairgrounds,” Wyatt said.

  “Adelaide?”

  “I’m on the planning committee for the Lockhart Foundation, and I also signed up for shifts in the LF Information booth as well as the WTWA Go Fishing game for children.”

  “She’s also going to be assisting me,” Wyatt added.

  Adelaide whirled, a question in her eyes.

  “Looks like it’s news to your wife,” Travis Anderson observed.

  Adelaide batted her lashes comically. “I guess that must mean we are married.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Well, we’re happy to have you both,” the mayor said.

  They chatted a little more, enjoying the warm congratulations from the community, then Wyatt and Adelaide walked out and headed across the street to the local park.

  They sat side by side on a bench, munching on iced Danish pastry, stuffed with almonds, and made in the shape of bear claws. “You have to work today?” Wyatt asked.

  “For about four hours this afternoon,” Adelaide said, aware how cozy this all was.

  “Can it be done at the ranch?”

  “It’s work for the foundation, so I need to do it at their office, on their computer system.”

  Which had state-of-the-art cybersecurity protection and more firewalls than anyone thought was necessary. But after the embezzlement scandal the previous summer, Adelaide wasn’t about to take any chances. Or make it possible for her father, the foundation’s previous CFO, to strike again.

  Intuiting her need for comforting, Wyatt draped his arm along the back of the bench. “What about the twins?”

  She snuggled against him, loving his warmth and his strength. “I’ve been taking them with me when I have to go in. There’s usually no shortage of people willing to pitch in and hold Jake and Jenny if need be. Although most of the time they usually sleep. Probably because there actually are an abundant number of people willing and ready to hold them,” she quipped. Unable to help herself, she scanned the surrounding landscaped areas. Saw nothing. No one. Which meant what? The paparazzo wasn’t here yet, or he was? In any case, they wouldn’t be able to spot him at that distance.

  She turned back to Wyatt. Unlike her, he was totally relaxed and oblivious. “You?” she asked.

  Playfully, he nudged his thigh against hers. “Troy and Flint can handle things at Wind River today.”

  “Do you have anything else you need to do today?”

  He grinned sexily. “Just be with you.”

  That should have been comforting. Having him shadowing her. There to help with their twins while she recorded the latest donations, did the foundation payroll and updated the LF books. But right now all she could think about was her unoccupied home. Feeling more jittery than ever, Adelaide took another hasty sip of coffee, started to rise. “Listen, as long as we’re in town, why don’t we...?”

  Firm hand on her shoulder, Wyatt tugged her back down and delivered another long, toe-curling kiss.

  Finding she was just as susceptible to his brazen seduction as ever, Adelaide drew back breathlessly. “What was that for?”

  He waggled his brows. “In case Marco Maletti didn’t get the last one.”

  “Is he here?”

  Wyatt’s eyes twinkled. “I assume so.”

  She let her gaze rove over his handsome face and powerfully built frame. “Meaning you haven’t seen him?”

  He looked at her, as if completely besotted. “Haven’t really tried.” He traced her lips with the pad of his thumb. Bent down to kiss her again. “I’ve been too busy looking at you.”

  “I really don’t think...”

  He captured her lips with his. When she could finally breathe again, Adelaide said, “You’re enjoying this.”

  He caught her hand and held it over his heart. “Aren’t you?”

  “Heck, yes. But I’m not in the habit of making out in the middle of Laramie.”

  He tunneled his hands through the windswept strands of her hair, bent his head. And kissed her...cheek. “Maybe you should be.” His lips ventured to the sensitive area just beneath her ear. As he worked his magic, it was all she could do not to moan out loud. There was absolutely nothing she could do about the dampness between her thighs.

  Adelaide shut her eyes as another wave of desire sifted through her. Heaven help her. The reckless, wild boy—the one who had caused her so much trouble in her youth—was back.

  “Your mother wouldn’t approve,” she argued weakly, sensing he was about to try to kiss her—really kiss her—again.

  “Actually,” Wyatt said with a grin, “I think she does.”

  Adelaide bolted upright. “What?”

  He nodded. “She’s over there, parked in front of the coffee shop. Waving. Looks like she was about to send Hope over to get us. To let us know the twins are here.”

  Was this Step 3 or 4 or 5 of their fight-fire-with-fire plan? Adelaide couldn’t remember. She was so dazed from their smoldering hot make-out session.

  She rose on wobbly legs. “Time to take them on a stroll?”

  “Apparently so.”

  They walked across the street. A delighted Lucille approached them, just as the sun peeked through the clouds. “Everything’s going well, I take it?”

  “Oh, yes,” Adelaide said. If you could discount how real it all felt, that was.

  As Wyatt got the convertible double stroller out of the rear seat of his pickup truck, her phone went off.

  She stepped back to answer it. Saw a Snapchat had come in from someone she’d gone to college with.

  Curious, she tapped on the icon and instantly her screen was filled with a photo. Not of any of her pals, but of a deeply tanned fiftysomething man, with spiky peroxide bleached-yellow hair, a salt-and-pepper goatee, tropical shirt and cargo pants. He had a camera slung around his neck, earrings glinting from both ears. Sunglasses covered his eyes. She couldn’t say how tall, but five feet ten inches seemed about right. He was a little chunky around the middle and had a gorgeous beach behind him. The message Can’t Wait To See You
and the Kids! flashed across the screen.

  Causing Adelaide to take another, harder look.

  Could that be...

  My God.

  Was that her father?

  His nose was all wrong.

  And he’d gained weight. Changed his hair.

  But the rest of him...

  The image disappeared. Meaning ten seconds had passed.

  Wyatt and Lucille were both looking at her. “Is everything okay?” Lucille asked.

  Adelaide thought about everything the matriarch and her entire family had already been through. Thanks to her criminal dad.

  A chill went down her spine.

  Ignoring the curiosity and concern in Wyatt’s eyes, she forced a smile. “Yes. I just remembered something. Is it okay if I meet the two of you over at my house? I really need to check out the framing for the foundation of the new addition. See how that’s going.”

  Without waiting for permission, tacit or otherwise, she rushed off.

  * * *

  “THIS WASN’T THE PLAN,” Lucille said worriedly as Adelaide drove off in Wyatt’s pickup truck, while he and his mom pushed the double stroller down Main Street. Wyatt knew that, and even worse, he sensed his wife was keeping something from him. Again. He hoped it was just about her house. Some unexpected—and probably costly—problem there she did not want to discuss.

  He soothed his mother with a reassuring smile. “Adelaide and I can walk Jake and Jenny in her neighborhood, instead of the park, Mom. It will be fine.” Which, as it happened, was only three blocks from historic downtown Laramie anyway.

  Lucille fretted. “She looked white as a ghost to me.”

  To me, too, Wyatt thought. But there was no need to worry his mom. He pointed out casually, “Renovating can be nerve-racking, even when you have a normal amount of sleep.”

  His attempt to change the subject worked. “How are things going with the twins?” Lucille asked.

  They make great chaperones. “We’re still trying to get them on a schedule,” he admitted.

  “It’ll happen. Although, in addition to the wind-up infant swings we brought you, you might try...” His mom proceeded to give him a dozen tips. Most of which went right in one ear and out the other because he was so focused on wondering what was going on with Adelaide.