Lawfully Unwed

by ALLISON LEIGH,

  “Please. Your ego is steel-plated.”

  He chuckled. It was better than letting on that she was the only one who had ever left real dents in it.

  She skipped down several more steps, her hair bouncing like springs around her shoulders. He could understand his nephew’s appreciation for her hair. It was even curlier than his stepmother’s was, though nowhere near as long. Meredith’s wildly curling hair reached almost to her waist. Nell’s—on these rare occasions when it was actually down like now—bounced around just below her shoulders.

  His dad had once told him that the first thing he’d noticed about Meredith had been her hair. The second had been her happy spirit, which, considering everything Archer knew about those days, said a lot about his stepmother’s ability to rise above her situation.

  Nell had noticeable hair, too. But until lately—until she’d left Cheyenne, in fact—the last time Archer had seen any kind of real happiness in her spirit had been when she was in law school. When, if she weren’t studying, she’d been working in a dinky off-campus bookstore that she said reminded her of the one her mother had owned.

  They’d finally reached the street where his truck was parked and he set the wrenches in the back seat. She’d already climbed in before he could open her door and he sighed a little inside.

  Carter Templeton had raised his kids with some hard-and-fast rules.

  One: you returned anything you borrowed, especially tools and money.

  Two: men took off their hats indoors and held both chairs and doors for women, regardless of whether they were two or two hundred.

  Three: you protected others. The people you cared about. The people who couldn’t protect themselves. Even the people who didn’t realize they needed protecting.

  He got behind the wheel and drove across town to his parents’ house. Nell was quiet, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

  “You don’t mind stopping at my folks’ house, do you?”

  “What?” She gave him a surprised look. “Of course not. I haven’t seen Meredith in—” She was shaking her head. “I don’t know. Too long to remember.” She was silent while he drove through an intersection. “Braden’s grown a lot since I was here with Ros.”

  “Lot of time has passed since then. Lot of changes. Fortunately, whatever Braden doesn’t have, Weaver does, and vice versa. Folks around here may not have everything they want, but they pretty much have everything they need.”

  “Except a sufficiently large library.”

  He smiled slightly. “Except that.” They passed a large darkened building with boarded windows. “And that.” He jabbed his thumb at the window. “Movie theater. Closed at least a year ago.”

  “Free access to a public library is more important than commercial access to a movie house.”

  “Tell that to the people spending fortunes making movies.” He turned a corner. “And people around this area who have to drive to Gillette or Sheridan just to see a movie in a real theater. Would be like someone in Cheyenne having to go to Denver.”

  She peered out the side window. “Is that building still your uncle’s pediatrics office?”

  “I’m surprised you remember.”

  She rubbed her arm. “He had to give me a tetanus shot that summer when I cut my foot—”

  “—climbing the fence at the schoolyard with Ros. I remember.”

  “That leaves us both surprised, then.” Her voice was light.

  His, not so much. “I remember a lot of things, Nell.”

  He felt her gaze, but she didn’t say anything.

  And then he was pulling up in front of his parents’ house. He parked and got out, retrieving the set of wrenches from the back seat. Nell was still sitting with her door closed and he pulled it open. The interior light came on, shining over the top of her dark head like some sort of halo. “Come on.”

  “It’s late,” she started to protest. “I shouldn’t—”

  “—avoid Meredith and let her find out about it,” he said over her words. He reached in, and ignoring the consternation on her face, unsnapped her safety belt. He gestured. “Come on.”

  Nell’s waist tingled where his arm had grazed it and she briefly debated whether it was worth taking him to task for undoing her belt without asking.

  It wasn’t.

  When it came to debates with Archer, she rarely won. She finally huffed, swinging her legs around so she could slide out of the truck. She couldn’t explain the reluctance she felt accompanying him inside his childhood home. “You could at least warn them.”

  “We don’t need warnings in my family.”

  “I’m not your family.”

  “No matter what’s going on between the two of you lately, you might as well be Ros’s family, so that counts, too.”

  Maybe that was the problem. Seeing Meredith Templeton would bring home all over again the pain Nell felt where Ros was concerned. “You wouldn’t say that about Martin.”

  “That’s because he gives cockroaches a bad name.” Archer took her arm and tugged her up the walkway toward the house. It was the same one she’d visited all those years ago.

  Just a normal house. Not overly large. Not overly small. The kind of house that was comfortable and filled with family members who squabbled and laughed and always, always loved. Being here that summer after her mother had died had been a balm for Nell’s aching soul.

  And she couldn’t believe how choked up she felt as he reached the front door and walked right in with only a loud knock and a “hello,” to announce their arrival. The hand he’d kept on her arm now caught her hand, brooking no argument as he pulled her inside the house. “I brought a guest,” he said as he walked across the foyer.

  “In the kitchen!” a bright, feminine voice answered, and a moment later, a familiar face popped around a doorway.

  Meredith Templeton’s eyes widened at the sight of Nell and her smile widened even more as she hurried toward them, bringing with her the scent of lavender and patchouli and the faint jingle of bells from the bracelet she wore around one ankle. “Nell! Well my goodness, what a delightful surprise.”

  Nell caught the way Meredith looked beyond her, as if she hoped to see someone else—namely her eldest daughter—accompanying them.

  If Meredith was disappointed that she didn’t, she hid it well as she lifted her cheek toward Archer’s kiss. “I didn’t even know you were back from Denver!”

  “A few days now.”

  “You make it so difficult to keep up with you. If it weren’t for the calendar Jennifer sends me, I’d never know where to find you.” She lightly swatted his shoulder and turned in a brightly colored swirl of flowing fabric. She stretched out her arms. “Honey, what a treat this is.”

  Before Nell knew what was happening, Meredith—several inches shorter than her—had pulled her down into a tight squeeze of a hug.

  Her eyes stung. “It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Templeton.”

  “Don’t you dare call me that.” Meredith pushed her back and peered into her face. “I’d heard that you began working for Vivian. She’s the only Mrs. Templeton around here. And I have to say that Cheyenne’s loss is certainly Weaver’s gain.” She twirled on her bare foot again, skipping slightly as she hurried over to a doorway. “Carter! Put down the book and come see your son.” She practically danced back to them and she wrapped her arm through Nell’s. “Come into the kitchen. I’m testing out a recipe for the women’s wellness expo next month.”

  “Beware,” Carter said as he entered the room and followed them into the kitchen. “This is her third go at it. She’s been trying to bake chocolate brownies without using real sugar, flour or chocolate.”

  He stood as tall as Nell remembered—and looked just as stern and formidable, particularly now that he had more gray than brown in his hair. Carter offered a glimpse into the future of Archer’s looks,
because their handsome faces were nearly identical. His gaze rested on Nell and there was a faint smile in his eyes. “Considering you’re working for my mother, you’re looking well.”

  “She looks better than well,” Meredith chided. “She looks positively wonderful!” She let go of Nell and pulled on an oven mitt. She opened the oven door and a strong scent of chocolate wafted out even before she withdrew the pan and set it on a trivet. When she was done, she tossed her oven mitt aside.

  “Now.” She turned once more to the accompaniment of soft bells and the swishing skirt around her ankles. “Tell me everything that’s going on in your life. How do you like working for Vivian? Is Montrose behaving himself? Where are you staying?” Her bright gaze landed on her husband. “Oh, Carter, don’t you wish she could stay here?”

  Carter’s expression when he looked at his lively wife was a combination of indulgence, bemusement and abject adoration.

  It was as wonderful a thing to witness now as it had been when Nell was a teenager. And it was one of the realities that had most nagged at Ros—the fact that her mother was so deeply happy with her new family. A new family that hadn’t really included Ros no matter how often Meredith reached out.

  “I think she’d get a little tired of commuting between here and Vivian’s house in Weaver,” Carter told his wife with the same dry tone that Archer so often used. His gaze took in Nell. “But of course you are always welcomed here. We have plenty of empty bedrooms. Only times they’re used these days are when we’re watching one of the grandkids.”

  “Which is never often enough,” Meredith admitted ruefully. “And because we don’t have enough of them. Did you hear me, Archer?”

  “I heard. You tell me often enough.” Archer’s amused gaze met Nell’s for a moment before he turned away and pulled open a drawer.

  Feeling a little overwhelmed, Nell looked from Carter to Meredith. “That’s very kind of you, but—” She shook her head. “It would be a long drive every day.” There were other reasons why she’d never agree—their son, Archer, being chief among them—but it was by far the easiest excuse.

  “Of course it would,” Meredith agreed. “Archer’s place is much closer to Vivian’s. You could stay with him.”

  Nell nearly choked.

  “I tried telling her that.” Archer gave a helpless shrug.

  The problem with that, of course, was that Nell had never known him to be helpless for a single day in his life. “I’m looking for something to rent in Weaver,” she said, hoping to put an end to the topic altogether.

  She hadn’t actually devoted any time to the endeavor in the last few days, but then again she hadn’t actually had much time to do so.

  “Meanwhile, she’s at the Cozy Night,” Archer informed his parents. He’d pulled a fork from the drawer and shoved it closed with a little snap.

  Meredith looked dismayed. Carter’s brows pulled together.

  “It’s fine,” Nell said quickly. “There’s a really nice woman and her three boys who have the room next to me and we’ve grilled out together by the pool and...and everything.” Yes, it was an exaggeration, but under the circumstances, she thought it was a forgivable one.

  “But it’s the Cozy Night,” Meredith protested weakly. “It was closed down last year because of drugs.”

  “And it opened up again,” Carter reminded her. “All cleaned up. Unless you don’t believe Ali. She’s the police officer in the family. She ought to know.”

  “Of course I believe Ali.” Meredith looked at Nell again. “But surely there’s a better solution while you try to find something suitable to rent. Vivian would certainly have room—”

  “She doesn’t want to live at Vivian’s, either,” Archer said. “All those years living with Ros must have rubbed off on her. Stubborn as the day is long.”

  The last thing Nell wanted was to get onto the subject of Rosalind.

  “I’ll probably be out of the motel in a week,” Nell told Meredith with an optimism that she miraculously conjured out of nowhere. “And I’m hardly ever there anyway. I appreciate your concern but truly, there’s no need to worry about me.” She spread her hands and smiled. “I’m a little more grown up now than I was the last time I was here. I’m used to looking after myself.”

  Meredith clasped one of Nell’s hands in hers. “And I know you’re positively brilliant. Archer has said so more than once.”

  Nell’s cheeks warmed and she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Archer. Fortunately, he was poking the fork into the contents of the hot pan so he didn’t notice.

  He lifted out a little hunk of brownie, blowing on it for a moment before gingerly putting the morsel in his mouth. He swore around it and swallowed quickly before sticking his mouth right under the faucet for water.

  “Archer,” Meredith chided. “Manners.”

  “Emergency measures,” he said when he’d shut off the water and straightened. His expression could have belonged to Liam when he’d high-fived. “Hotter ’n hell.” He grabbed the checkered towel folded over the edge of the sink and wiped his chin. “A little sticky. But they taste pretty good.”

  Meredith crossed her arms. “And why do you make that sound surprising?”

  His laugh was rich and full and it curled right around Nell.

  He dropped a kiss on his stepmother’s head. “I adore you almost as much as my old man does, but even he would agree that not all of your kitchen experiments have been towering successes.”

  Meredith gave her husband an equally arch look. “Is that so?”

  Carter’s smile was slow. He crossed the room toward her. “Do you want me to say I fell in love with you because of your baking skills?” He closed his hands over her shoulders. “Or do you want me to tell the truth and say I fell in love with you for your—”

  Meredith raised her hand. “That’s enough,” she warned with a musical laugh. But then she went up on her toes and caught his face between her hands, pressing her lips to his.

  The kiss didn’t last long. It wasn’t some display of crazy-hot passion.

  But the sheer intimacy in the look that passed between Meredith and Carter made Nell ache inside.

  This. The word whispered through her. This is what it should all be about.

  She found her eyes sliding toward Archer.

  He’d hooked open the refrigerator door and was pulling out the milk jug. He poured himself a small glassful, sent an inquiring look Nell’s way, and at her bemused headshake, returned the jar to the refrigerator. Then he scooped up another forkful of brownie and, this time, chased it with the cold milk.

  “Definitely better,” he said. “But if they don’t have real sugar or flour in them, what do they have?”

  “I’ve learned it’s better not to ask these things,” Carter cautioned humorously. He’d circled his arms around his wife’s shoulders, holding her loosely against his chest. “Thought I’d taught you that, as well.”

  “You know me.” Archer’s gaze landed on Nell’s face. “I like living dangerously.”

  Meredith’s eyes sparkled with merriment above her husband’s forearms as she looked toward Nell. “What are we going to do with these men?”

  Nell managed a smile that she didn’t feel. Neither of these men—Archer in particular—was hers with which to do anything. “You said you’re preparing for a women’s event?”

  “I am, indeed.” Meredith ducked out from Carter’s embrace to begin cutting the brownies and scooping them onto a plate. “I’m very excited about it. Thanks to Vivian’s financial support, we’ll be able to bring in a few national speakers. We’ll have free health screenings, a mobile mammogram truck, yoga sessions, art sessions, cooking, child care naturally. All sorts of things. It’s a first, of course, but I’m hoping that it’ll be successful and we can repeat it every year.”

  “Sounds great. If there’s anything I can do to he
lp—”

  “Bless you, sweetie. There’s always room for help.” Meredith suddenly looked at Archer. “I bet she could help with your session, honey.” Her head swiveled back toward Nell. “He’s giving a workshop on navigating the legal system when it comes to child custody issues and child support.” She clasped her hands, actually rising up on her bare toes in her enthusiasm. “It would be perfect! Women are often more comfortable talking to another woman about some things. Archer, you know that. You’ve talked about it so often. The two of you could be partners. Work as a team.”

  Archer’s inquiring gaze caught Nell’s and held it. “Well? What do you say? Do you finally want to be my partner?”

  Her mouth turned dry.

  He’d asked her that once. To be his partner.

  It had been shortly after they’d slept together.

  Shortly after Ros—who hadn’t even known about her stepbrother and her best friend—had told Nell about the latest fling Archer was having with one of their professors.

  Nell had been a month from graduating. She’d still needed to pass the bar exam.

  She’d needed to remember that following her head never hurt the way trusting with her heart had.

  She’d turned him down.

  And chosen Martin instead. Martin, who’d been a mentor. Martin, whom Nell owed for having kept a roof over her head. Martin, whose approval Nell had wanted almost as badly as Ros had wanted his love.

  “Yes,” she said. Her head felt a little dizzy. As if she really were spiraling down into Archer’s green, green gaze. “I’ll be your partner.”

  Meredith clapped her hands happily and the sound seemed to echo inside the warm, inviting kitchen.

  Or maybe it was just inside Nell’s head.

  “This’ll be just perfect,” the older woman was exclaiming. “The two of you together? You know exactly what you’re getting.”

  But now that Nell had agreed, and she realized that deviltry had entered Archer’s eyes, she wasn’t sure at all what exactly she’d be getting.