by Tina Leonard
“Why are you limping?” Seton asked.
“Just a little crick in my leg. Legs. No worries,” Sam said. “I’ll still be able to do my wedding night duties by you. No charley horse will stop me.”
“Fat chance,” Seton said, laughing. “You look like you’re eighty years old. You look like one of those sailors who used to get those funky ship diseases that made their legs bow.”
“Thanks for going easy on my ego,” Sam said. “You’re supposed to give me a brandy and maybe a massage, and pretend not to notice that I’ve been brought down by a donkey. Why aren’t you sore?”
Seton shrugged. “Maybe because my donkey was pretty thin. Yours had a cute barrel shape to it.”
“And it was stubborn as hell. I had to fight it every step of the way. It didn’t want to do anything but go off the trail.”
Seton giggled. “You do look like you’re in pain.”
“It’s nothing a hot shower won’t cure,” Sam said bravely, hoping like hell he was right.
Two hours later, Sam realized romance was pretty much off the table. “This is bad,” he said. “I’m supposed to be romancing you.”
“Not really,” Seton said. “That was never in our agreement.”
Sam looked at her. “I don’t suppose you want to get on top?”
Seton gave him a tiny smack on the shoulder. “I’ll order you some brandy. And then I’m going to sleep. I’ve had a lot of excitement today, you know.”
“Wait,” Sam said. “I’m going to fall like a tree into that bed, and then you come over and—”
“No,” Seton said. “Quit being pitiful while I call room service.”
“If my brothers knew that I was unable to do my husbandly thing, they’d laugh me into the next county. I’d never live it down.”
“Believe me, I won’t tell,” Seton said. “We McKinleys know how to keep secrets.”
“I noticed. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you two girls kept Sabrina’s pregnancy under your hats. But,” Sam said, “you’re not a McKinley anymore. You’re a Callahan.”
He hoped Seton wasn’t going to be one of those keep-my-own-name women, but she was pretty independent. He was lucky she was wearing his ring. Hell, he was damn lucky she was in the same room with him. “I’ll make this up to you, I promise.”
She hung up the phone. “Brandy’s on the way. Try to relax. If the brandy doesn’t work, we can see if there’s a doctor who’ll order you a muscle relaxer.”
“Jonas could do that, but I’m too embarrassed to ask,” Sam groaned. “Make sure that brandy’s a big one, please.”
“I ordered a bottle,” Seton said, her tone sweeter than he thought was healthy. A knock sounded on the door. “And here it is.” She took the bottle, signed for it and closed the door. He watched while Seton poured him a nice tumbler and a small glass for herself.
When she handed it to him, he sighed. “This will help me relax, I’m sure.”
She clinked his glass.
“To being married,” he said. “It should be fun.”
“To being married,” Seton said, “and of course I’m keeping my own name.” She drank, and after a moment, he drained his glass. There was nothing else to do. His back was beginning to draw up in places, reacting to the cramps in his legs and the tightness and the long ride on Happy’s fat back. Seton refilled his glass and got in bed next to him, and they both lay against their pillows and stared at the television they hadn’t bothered to turn on. A slight breeze lifted the white curtains hanging in front of the window Seton had opened, and a full moon shone in the dark velvet sky outside.
“This is romantic,” Sam said.
“Yes, it is,” Seton softly replied.
He turned to look at her. “I married you because I think I really like you. A helluva lot.”
She sipped her brandy, then turned to him. “I married you because I think I might like you. A little bit.”
“Is that your version of meeting me halfway?” Sam asked, unable to help the smile that spread to his lips.
“Yes.” She reached over and topped off her drink, then his. “You have an ego the size of that moon.”
He shook his head. “I hope you realize that if Fat Happy hadn’t crippled me, I’d be jumping your bones right now.”
Seton smiled and sipped her drink. “Dream on, cowboy.”
“Well, I’d be giving it my best effort.” He ran a hand down her arm. “Are you going to change out of those clothes into something more comfortable?”
“I’m going to take a nice long shower as soon as you relax.”
Sam grunted. “I don’t know if I can relax around you. The thing is, I’ve always had this thing for you. Just a small, tiny thing—”
“Oh, no,” Seton said. “Disclosures like that should be made before the wedding.”
Sam reached over and lightly pinched her arm. “Don’t worry about that, lamb cake. I assure you—”
“All right,” Seton said. “I can take only so much of your bragging.”
He grinned. “Anyway, I think I always had a thing for you. When you went away, it kind of sucked. In fact, I was surprised by how much I wished you hadn’t left Diablo.”
“Really?” She gazed at him, and he drew in a breath. With the moon lighting her hair and the soft look in her eyes, he thought Seton had never been more beautiful.
“Yeah. Really.” He shrugged. “So when you came back, I guess I was determined not to let you slip away again. I thought up every excuse I could to date you. I couldn’t really think of anything good enough to convince you. Then I realized I needed a wife.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I didn’t know that until today. When Bode’s letter arrived, I was sure you’d dash off with your freedom. I was relieved when you didn’t.”
“I told you, Sam. I want a baby almost as much as you don’t want one.” Seton refilled his glass. “You may not be the brightest bulb in the box—”
“Yeah, right.” He laughed.
“Or perhaps the most handsome or understanding—”
“Mmm. If you’re going to take advantage of me in my weakened state, you’re going to have to use flattery.”
Seton laughed out loud. “Whatever.”
They sat and sipped their brandy for a few more moments, then Seton looked at him. “How’s the stiffness?”
“Moving to other parts of my body.”
She set down her glass. “Do you want me to call someone? Jonas?”
Sam laughed and set his glass on the bedside table. “No, thanks,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Let’s see if you can make it go away.”
Chapter Nine
“And that’s what we did all week,” Seton told her aunt after she and Sam returned from their adventures. They’d decided they liked seeing the New Mexico sights, and had explored every trail, every historic church, every sight that was on their unplanned route. “We just drove and drove in no particular direction and with no itinerary. It was so much fun.”
Corinne’s eyes widened. She took cookies out of the oven and slid them onto a cooling rack. “I don’t know if I’d want to be in a truck for a week.”
Seton smiled. “I guess it doesn’t sound that spectacular. But I really enjoyed getting to spend a lot of time with Sam.”
They’d made love a lot, but she wasn’t going to share that detail. It was crazy how well matched she and Sam were, physically. Out of bed he still had a tendency to be stubborn and opinionated at times, but she’d noticed that the longer they were away from the ranch and his job and Diablo, the more settled down he’d become. “We almost stayed gone another week,” Seton confided. “But I’ve got this case I’m working on, so we couldn’t.” She looked at her aunt. “When did Sabrina go back?”
“Oh, she didn’t.” Corinne turned to gaze at her. “Didn’t you know?”
Seton shook her head. “We didn’t talk to a single soul while we were gone. We deliberately agreed we wanted one week to ourselves ju
st to see if we could stand each other. Sam called it forced intimacy.”
“Good idea.” Corinne went back to removing cookies from the cookie sheet. “Jonas went to Ireland, so Sabrina was in no hurry to leave. She’ll probably go when he gets back, but who knows when that will be?” A frown creased their aunt’s forehead. “Actually, she’s getting far enough along that it may be better for her to stay here, something I am, in fact, hoping for.”
“It would be wonderful if Sabrina has the baby in Diablo.” Seton went over to help frost a batch of cookies that had already cooled. “Sam needs to be around an infant so he won’t be so scared of babies.”
“What do you mean, scared? There are plenty of infants out at Rancho Diablo!”
“Sam doesn’t want children.” Seton shrugged. “He says he doesn’t know who he is, and that wouldn’t be fair to any children he might have.”
“He’s a Callahan. What more does he want to know?”
“I don’t know.” Seton really didn’t. But it was Sam’s shadow to deal with; he’d made it plain he didn’t want help with it.
“How’s life in the bunkhouse?” Corinne asked.
“Bunkhouse-y. The first night we were too tired to decide if we liked it or not. It may take me a week or two to know for sure.”
She was pretty certain she didn’t care where she slept as long as Sam was with her. After his initial issue with the donkey, Sam had proved himself to be an enthusiastic and generous lover. It was more than she’d ever dreamed she’d find in a man, and bunkhouse or no, she was staying with him.
“You look so happy,” Corinne said, and Seton smiled.
She was so happy it was hard to imagine what could ever make her doubt that she’d made the right decision when she’d married Sam.
A MONTH LATER, Sam decided Jonas was the laziest brother on the planet and needed to quit vacationing and come home. “Who does he think’s going to do all the work around here?” he asked Rafe.
Rafe shrugged and kept pitching hay into the feed boxes. “We are. Anyway, he’s having trouble locating Fiona and Burke.”
Sam’s skin chilled. “What do you mean?”
“According to the neighbor who is keeping an eye on their house, they weren’t there very long. Fiona and Burke asked her to look after the place, and they left. Which explains why we haven’t been able to get in touch with them. Jonas has been staying in their home. He says their answering machine is unplugged.”
Sam blinked. “So she doesn’t know that Bode called off the lawsuit.”
“Nope.” Rafe moved to another stall. “I don’t know if you know this, since you’ve been so focused on your wife, but according to Bode, the reason he gave up his claim is that Julie told him she was going to move away—with the grandbabies.”
“Were you planning to leave Rancho Diablo?” Sam asked. He couldn’t believe that Rafe would.
“I didn’t want to, but I was going to do whatever my little wife wanted. Trust me, when your woman has triplets, you kind of do whatever it takes to make her life easier. And Julie was getting tired of the tension between her and her father, especially once we got married. I think her basic hint was Get along or I’m gone.”
“Whoa,” Sam said. “Go, Judge Julie.”
Rafe grinned. “Funny how we’ve all married really independent, sort of spicy women, huh?”
“I guess.” Sam frowned, remembering that Seton had told him she’d married him so she, too, could have a child. He’d told her she wasn’t getting one.
She was pretty independent.
“So, about this baby thing,” Sam said. “Do you feel that the triplets have furthered your relationship with Julie? Or do you wish you were still single and living the life?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Rafe demanded. “For such a smart man, you’re definitely dumb when it comes to women. Are you trying to sell your wife that lame excuse for the DINK couple?”
Sam’s temper rose. “What is a DINK, dork?”
“Dual income, no kids.” Rafe glared at him. “Did Seton know up front you had no plans to become a father?”
“Yes,” Sam said defensively.
“Well, then she should have left you in the pond. There’s nothing greater than being a dad.”
“Not everyone is cut out for it,” Sam said stiffly. “I don’t think I’d be a good one.”
Rafe sighed. “Suit yourself. See if you like being divorced any better.”
Rafe had a point. Seton hadn’t said anything more about having children, but he couldn’t hope that their awesome sex life would be enough to keep her satisfied. He saw her holding his brothers’ children on the ranch all the time. He knew she’d be a great mother. “I’m going to go,” Sam said.
Rafe glanced up. “C’mon, Sam, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
Sam waved at his brother and left the barn.
It was time to figure some things out.
SETON SQUEALED when the bunkhouse door opened with a crash. “Sam! Did the wind catch the door?”
He peered into the kitchen. “What are you doing up there? It looks dangerous.”
She looked down at her husband from the countertop where she was dusting off kitchen shelves and storing away china and dishes they’d gotten as wedding gifts. “It’s not dangerous when you don’t scare me half to death by trying to take the door off its hinges.”
“Sorry.” Sam glared at her. “I don’t think you should be doing that if I’m not here, in case you fall.”
“I’m fine. Did you want something?” Seton could tell her husband had something on his mind. Whether he shared it or not remained to be seen.
“You,” he said.
“Oh,” Seton said. “Well, actually, Sam, I need to talk to you.” It was now or never, she realized. They’d been going along for a month and a half, trying on their new marriage, getting to know each other. Things seemed fine, although sometimes she wondered what would hold them together. She and Sabrina had talked a lot, and Seton knew that a baby wasn’t always the glue a marriage needed.
“Talk fast,” Sam said. “The afternoon is young and I could be easily convinced to have plans for you.”
Seton put away the piece of china she was holding, and sat down on the kitchen counter. Sam came over and tugged her close to him, so that their bodies met and melded.
“This isn’t something I can tell you quickly.” He was nibbling on her ear, but Seton was suddenly too nervous to warm up to her husband.
“Thumbnail sketch is fine,” Sam said. “We have things to do.”
“I’m pregnant,” Seton said, and Sam pulled back to stare into her eyes. Her heart pounded, and she realized she was sinking her fingers into his forearms, trying to keep him from running away. Once she noticed her subconscious reaction, she took her hands off his arms and waited.
He swallowed hard. “Pregnant?”
She nodded.
He took a deep breath. “How? We’ve been so careful.”
Seton drew in a breath of her own. Now was not the time to make her confession to Sam. He was already in shock. “As you probably remember, we had a very good time on our trip. There was the time in the shower, and the quickie in the back of the truck looking at the stars from the canyon—”
Sam shook his head. “It was a rhetorical question. I was pretty much talking to myself. I know how babies happen, Seton.”
She swallowed at the detached tone of his voice.
“That’s great. Really great. I’m going to go right now,” he said, backing up. “I have some things I need to do in town.”
“All right.” Seton looked at her husband, knowing he was experiencing some emotion she couldn’t really understand.
“I’ll see you later.” Sam turned and left.
Seton went back to unpacking wedding gifts, trying not to give in to the hurt. The truth was, she’d never expected to get pregnant so easily. She hadn’t during her first marriage, after she’d had the ectopic pregnancy. That
relationship had gradually fallen apart when she couldn’t conceive again.
She certainly hadn’t expected the drugs to work so quickly. She was thrilled to be pregnant—but she knew Sam was not.
The knowledge scared her. Everything had been going along so well.
Maybe Sam was just in shock, Seton told herself. I was, too, when I found out.
