"Fortunately, I'm not in the market, so it doesn't matter." Suzy glanced around, glad that the men had gone out to the barn. Heaven only knew what they were doing there, in the darkness of one of the coldest January nights on record. "Neither of them strikes me as father material, anyway."
"You never talk to your old fiance?"
"No. It's not like I shut the door on Frank to delib-
erately keep him away from Nicole and Sandra. But he made it clear he wasn't interested in being a father." Suzy was sad for her children, but his desertion was really no different from her parents' feelings. She'd chosen to go into parenthood alone. It wasn't a decision she regretted for even a fraction of a second. "The girls have a wonderful godmother in you, though," Suzy said, smiling so that Cricket wouldn't know how sad she felt about her girls' father and grandparents.
"It must be hard for you, Suzy," Cricket murmured.
"My life is so much better since the girls were born. They make me laugh, they make me smile, they give me focus. There's nothing I want more than to see them grow up to be happy and loved."
"I want children," Cricket admitted, "but not necessarily a husband. Does that sound awful?"
"Not to me," Suzy said, "but the church might be concerned."
Cricket smiled. "What I meant was, I believe I could handle the responsibilities that go along with children better than I could handle a man. Your girls are such angels."
Suzy felt surrounded by a warm glow over the mention of her babies. "Don't let the Morgan men hear you say you want children." Suzy thought about how far away from her girls Dane managed to stay. Pete, on the other hand, seemed more than happy to play stand-in uncle. "Supposedly there's a Grandchildren Conspiracy, to hear Dane tell it."
"Oh. No worries on that score." Cricket smiled. "Your kids are enough for me for now. But what about you? What do you dream of?"
Suzy hesitated. Her family was cold, aloof from each other. She'd spent hours watching family TV shows where the characters were happy being close-knit, supportive and affectionate. "I'd love more children."
Cricket lilted her teacup in a cheers motion. "My hat is off to you."
Suzy shook her head. "Put your hat back on. I said I'd love them, not that I plan to have more."
"Suzy, why don't you take the girls by to see your parents?" Cricket asked, her voice soft.
Suzy shook her head. "My folks are the complete opposite of Mr. Morgan. Children born out of wedlock are not welcome."
Cricket hesitated, then sighed. "Don't you think that if your parents just saw the girls, saw how adorable and sweet they are—"
"The girls and I are a family, and that's enough." Suzy didn't mean to be rude by cutting off Cricket's encouragement, but her friend couldn't possibly understand how impossible some bridges were to cross.
Josiah Morgan knhw something about being alone. It was why he wanted his boys to have loving marriages and children to comfort them in their old age. When his wife left him and the boys behind all those years ago, he'd tasted the bitter, galling taste of rejection. When his
boys left him, he'd been shattered by the knowledge that he was an utter failure.
Was that too simple? Hell. no. Josiah knew it deep in his bones. He'd lost a good wife, he'd made his own children hate him. There was nothing painless about that.
It took a very hard-hearted man to realize he was an unlikable human being.
When his wife left, he'd accepted it without complaint. A woman was a free-willed creature. In spite of his best efforts to make Giselle happy, it had taken him many years to realize his best efforts were not pointed in the right direction. His passion had been to make himself happy as he built worlds outside of his home. She had responded by returning to France.
He'd had no choice but to accept it.
But his boys' desertion—that had forced a mirror of self-reflection on him that he could not escape, an image that was harsh and destined to be lonely.
Still, he knew no other way to be. The boys had done wrong, scaring him by sneaking out to watch Jack at the rodeo. They could have been killed in that car accident.
They couldn't understand the deep fear fathers suffered—particularly single fathers. They would never know the bonc-deep terror a man could feel at the prospect of losing his children when he had nothing else in life he loved.
It was true. Josiah Morgan was a man who saw his
real riches in terms of his four boys, but it had taken them leaving for him to realize it.
Now it was too late. Life's clock ticked by inexorably, stealing the bits of time he had left to be a father. He'd probably burn in hell for being such an earthly failure. Certainly he'd not be awarded angel's wings.
So he'd added to his sins by meddling. Could meddling be considered a sin? He thought it would be by his sons. Yet Gabriel seemed happy in the end with his father's matchmaking. Would they ever understand he only wanted them to have the one thing money couldn't buy—love?
Now he had to work on Dane and Pete. They'd be harder than Gabriel to fall in with his plans, because they weren't the type to settle down at all. He didn't even allow himself to consider his wildest card, Jack. His own personal one-eyed Jack, wild as a March hare and bent on self-destruction.
There was nothing he could do about it now. The wheels of destiny had been put into motion long ago.
He wondered what his boys would think if they knew he was in France, in this damned Knights Templar's house—a beautiful structure, really, a history buff's timepiece—solely because their mother wasn't far from here, just a couple hours away, hidden away in a valley in France.
He knew where she was, and he'd laid eyes on her briefly. Though older, she looked the same to him, somehow more beautiful. He excused his spying, telling
himself that it was normal to make certain the only woman he'd ever loved was happy. That she was well taken care of.
It was no sin to want the mother of his fine boys to be happy and to have everything she needed.
He wished she needed him, but he'd flattened that out of her long ago. He simply yearned for the time to tell his boys that life was short, that men by nature were selfish creatures who would be happier if they took the time to learn the secrets of the female heart, but he doubted it was a lesson they'd take kindly coming from him.
He couldn't solve Dane's issue, though he'd given it a shot, because his third son was the proverbial rolling stone. He understood now that the weight of a moving stone overruled everything in its path—it was not easily halted. So he bent his head to thinking about Pete's, his second son's, bachelor status. Surely there was a good woman out there, a lady just right for a man who believed he had nothing valuable to lose in life.
For just a brief moment, Josiah wondered if maybe he should just be content. He had Gabriel settled with a good wife and children. A man couldn't make decisions for his children, after all. His life was a study in decisions that had gone wrong.
But he was a father. That was all he had left to call himself. When he stood at the pearly gates, he wanted to at least be able to say, "Until my very last breath, I tried to be a good father."
Whether or not his sons would agree with that, he
couldn't answer. But he did know that a father went out fighting for his family.
And who could know? They didn't hand out redemption at the pearly gates.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a reward for effort.
Danf was wfll aware of his father's plan. What he failed to understand was what was on his brother's mind. Why did Pete have such a problem with the form of entertainment Dane had selected for tomorrow? "So what's your beef with a rodeo? Some of the world's greatest fun?"
"Because it won't be fun/* Pete said. He sat on a small stool and diligently polished some tack. "I hate bad ideas. I dislike poor planning."
Dane frowned. "It was no more spur-of-the-moment than us all running out for hot chocolate and a walk around town."
Pete set the tack down, gl
aring at his brother. "Well, we'll know tomorrow, won't we?"
"I don't know. Will we?" Dane hated his brother's mysterious issue. "Look, if you don't want to come with us, stay home."
"I could, but...three's a crowd."
"And four is...?"
"Just right." Pete nodded. "Someone needs to watch the children."
Dane raised his brows, some jealousy steaming his gut. "You're raising your hand for babysitting?"
Pete shrugged. 'They're pretty cool little babies."
Dane sat opposite his brother, wondering why he chafed so at his brother's interest in Suzy's children. "Why don't we just take the group somewhere else?"
"Because you've already invoked the magic of rodeo, and anything else would be a disappointment." Pete's mouth turned down. "But we don't go until after twelve."
"What is your problem?" Dane demanded, and then the lightbulb went on. "Jack's riding!"
Pete shrugged.
"He is, isn't he?"
"Guess we'll find out," Pete said, a little sullenly.
"How do you know he is?" Dane asked, completely ignoring his brother's sour expression.
"Someone sent me a text that Jack had entered. Sure enough, he has. I checked with a buddy who's riding, and he said Jack's name was in the draw."
"Why wouldn't you want to see him?" Dane thought it'd be great to see his brother again.
"Because he doesn't want to see us," Pete snapped. "Didn't you get the hint when he was in the hospital last summer?"
Dane blinked. "Apparently not."
"He's never coming back. You can bank on that, and Pop can just get over it. This happy family gathering he's cooked up is only going to go so far." Pete shook his head. "Jack doesn't care about money, not Pop's, anyway."
"He's going to be within miles," Dane murmured, "and he won't even swing by the ranch?"
"Nope," Pete said, "why should he? This isn't his home, any more than it is yours or mine. Unlike Jack, we're here for the money." He sighed, not sounding happy about it.
"Yeah." But his plan felt like it was slipping away, thanks to Suzy. She, too, was on the ranch for money, and yet, she had so much affection for Pop that he knew she was also here because she wanted to be. He didn't, and Pete didn't, either. "I'm going to talk to Jack."
"Suit yourself."
Dane's nostrils flared. "That night was not my fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It just happened. It's no reason for him to not want to be on speaking terms with his own brothers."
"Okay," Pete said, "but Pop told him he was trouble. Told him he would never amount to anything, and he wasn't going to drag us down with him. How do you expect Jack to feel?"
Like crap, which is how he would have felt. "I think we should overcome the old man's spirit by welcoming Jack back into the fold."
"While you take the old man's money," Pete said, annoyed, and Dane grinned.
"Be a jackass kind of thing to do, wouldn't it? Something the old man himself would do? Take the money and run?"
Pete looked at him. "The assignment was that we all live under this roof and learn to be a family."
"What better way to be a family than to bring back
the prodigal son for the even more prodigal father?" Dane asked. "All we can do is give it a shot."
"All right, Ranger," Pete finally said after retlecting for a moment. "One shot. And that's all we're loading into the family firearm. Deal?"
"Deal," Dane said, satisfied that the strained family relations would finally receive a bandage, no matter how small.
Chapter Six
Early the next morning, before the sun was even warming the cold ground, Su/y paeked her toddlers into Cricket's ear. "This is going to be fun, girls."
Dane peered into the other side of her ear. "There's plenty of room in my truck."
"We'll follow," Cricket said, and Su/y nodded. "You guys may want to stay later than we can—nap time can come quickly—and besides, car seats take up more room than you realize." Dane wasn't used to packing for twins; he didn't have any idea how much gear had to go along with two active young children. Anyway, she felt safer emotionally this way. If at any time the girls were cranky, she and Cricket could leave. Should Dane get tired of the busy antics of toddlers, she could put the girls in the car and say goodbye before hard feelings developed. After all, they were already living under one roof—it was best to keep matters as separate as possible, and very, very professional.
"You're definitely keeping that man in wait mode," Cricket said as they strapped themselves into her car.
"No, I'm not," Suzy said. "I'm keeping a smart amount of distance between us. Wise is the woman who doesn't mix business and pleasure."
"I respect that," Cricket said. "Just as long as you have a plan."
"I do. Put money in the bank, pay my bills, and know that I've done my job well. That's the plan."
"So will you go back to work at the hospital after the year of employment at the ranch is up?"
Cricket turned onto the main road, and Suzy watched the cold, tree-rich landscape rush by as they followed Dane's truck. She could smell crispness in the air, feel winter's chill seeping into her boots despite the car heater. "I plan to. The girls' medical insurance is covered for now under an extension plan I bought, but I'll want something more affordable soon enough. And I don't want to fall behind in the job market."
"And if Mr. Morgan wants you to stay on?"
Suzy shook her head. "My understanding is that once the year is up, and the brothers are no longer at the ranch, Mr. Morgan may sell it."
"Really?"
"He just kept it for his sons," Suzy said softly, "but they don't know that. In fact, I think he's already had several offers he's pondering"
"He wouldn't give first right of refusal to his sons?"
"I don't know" Suzy said, thinking of Mr. Morgan's
medical condition. She was pretty certain he had to have a pretty tight timetable for wrapping up his considerable estates.
"What if something should happen to him before this family experiment is over?"
That was a question she, too, had contemplated. "He must have some provision in place, but I'm not aware of what it is. He told me a few things in confidence, but nothing thai pertains to what he has planned for the future."
"You're doing the right thing by not letting yourself fall for Dane." Cricket said. "He'd probably never want to settle down as long as there're all these issues with his family/'
"I've got plenty of issues of my own," Suzy said, "and the last thing I want to do is deal with them. However, he might be totally excited about a deacon," she teased.
"Would you believe both of those men are a bit too wild for me?" Cricket asked with a glance at Suzy. "Could you have ever guessed?"
"We're practical women" Suzy said. "Wild men are not our thing. See how easy it is to stay single?"
Suzy thought staying single was the easiest thing she'd ever do in her life—until she saw Priscilla Perkins make a beeline for Dane and Pete the instant they got out of the truck at the rodeo grounds.
Cricket gasped. "What is Priscilla doing here?" "I called her. Where better to check out very fit
bachelors?" Suzy helped her daughters out of the car, standing each girl steadily on her feet. She smiled at Sandra and Nicole in their little cowgirl hats Pete had given them. "You two are so cute. We're going to have to get pictures of you with a rodeo clown or something." She refused to look Dane's way as he was accosted by the gorgeous woman. She didn't feel stirrings of jealousy; she wasn't interested in Dane.
Sure I am. Who am I kidding? Vd have to have a screw loose not to be —
"Suzy!" Priscilla exclaimed as she realized Pete and Dane were in a group with Suzy and Cricket. "How have you been, sugar?"
She gave Suzy a smack-smack kiss, and then one for Cricket. "And these must be your girls! Hello, angels," Priscilla said in a sweet voice, "I'm Miss Priscilla! What little dolls!"
Suzy smiled at her friend. "You
look well, Priscilla."
"And you do, too! Especially for a woman who carried twins!" Priscilla shuddered delicately. "I don't know how you did it, darling. And you look just fine."
Cricket picked up Sandra so that Suzy could take Nicole. "Dane, would you mind showing us to our seats? Priscilla, we need to get the girls inside. It's too cold out here for them."
"Oh, of course! You just come on in here and join me and my family in our box," Priscilla said, her voice high and friendly as she ate up Dane and Pete with her lovely eyes. "We have plenty of room!"
Suzy's heart ripped a little, just a small tear, when Dane and Pete grinned at the vivacious Priscilla, who smiled up at them adoringly. But this was an excellent time to prove to herself that the kiss Dane had pressed so hungrily against her lips had meant nothing to him at all.
Danf CONSIDERED HIMSELF a student when it came to women. He prided himself on not stepping into dumb situations where ladies were concerned. As a Ranger, he'd broken up a cattlght or two, so he knew the signs of female manipulation. But Pete, the big dummy, was eying Priscilla as If she were a Christmas gift waiting to be unwrapped.
This was great. It was kind of fun watching Pete get tied around a woman's finger so easily.
"Let me help you carry one of the girls." Turning to Suzy, he took Nicole from her and followed the Pete-and-Priscilla show. They all walked inside together— so far. so good, Dane thought with satisfaction.
At that moment, a gate crashed open. The audience gasped. Their group turned to look at the cowboy being flung back and forth and up and down by the bull that had rushed from the chute. Dane felt a moment of camaraderie for the cowboy—until he realized it was Jack. Caught by the spectacle, he could only stare as he watched his brother flail wildly on the bull determined to get rid of him. The bull wheeled around, and Dane saw that Jack had no intention of getting bucked off. It was him and the bull locked in an epic struggle of domi-
nation. Sweat broke out along Dane's upper lip as he remembered the night Jack had been so badly hurt. In a split second he realized he'd never forgiven himself for not standing up to Pop about sneaking out to watch Jack ride. He'd wanted Jack to win the buckle, win it all— and even back then he'd known he would always sneak out to watch Jack. In his eyes, Jack was a hero, big brother who thumbed his nose at life, living it his way.
The Texas ranger's twins Page 4
