CHAPTER 11
IT WAS ALMOST two in the morning by the time he got home, and he felt exhausted down to his soul. A three-car mishap had dragged him out of Misty’s arms. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, but he was still pissed off. A few idiots from the next county over drank too much and tried joyriding over their deeper roads. They’d taken out not only a length of fence along Carl Webb’s property, but they’d also knocked over a telephone pole. Cows had wandered loose in the road and into the neighboring field, Carl had been infuriated—and rightfully so—and many people had been without phone service.
In the pouring rain, it was damn inconvenient trying to sort everything out. One of the fools had a concussion, the other a broken nose. Morgan thought they deserved at least that much, though they’d both whined and complained endlessly.
He hadn’t had a chance to say anything to Misty. He’d made love to her, and he’d made her laugh, but he hadn’t told her that he wanted her to stick around as a permanent member of the family. He hadn’t told her that he wanted her to be with him forever.
And she hadn’t said a thing about how she felt, other than that she’d enjoyed making love with him. That was just dandy, but it wasn’t enough. Not even close.
He kicked off his muddy boots just inside the kitchen doorway and made his way through the silent house to his room. His wet clothes went into a hamper and a warm shower helped to relieve his aching muscles, but not his aching head. He needed some sleep, but as he threw back the top sheet, the thought of climbing into his big bed all alone didn’t appeal to him one bit. He glanced at the door, thought of Misty all warm and snuggled up in her own bed, and it felt like that fat elephant was on his chest again.
He stood there undecided, at the side of the bed for a full three minutes before cursing and pulling on underwear. Grumbling all the way down the hall, he got to Misty’s room and started to knock, then changed his mind. The doorknob turned easily and the door swung open on silent hinges. He could barely see Misty curled on top of the mattress, her room nothing but shifting moon shadows as the trees swayed outside with the wind. But he could hear her soft, even breathing. She was likely exhausted and he promised himself he wouldn’t keep her awake, but he wanted to hold her and there was no longer any reason to deny himself.
When he stood next to her bed she shifted and yawned, then opened her eyes to look at him. Immediately she sat up, shoving her silky hair out of her face. “Morgan? What’s wrong? Did you just get in?”
Her normally deep voice was even rougher with sleep, and sexy as hell. “Yeah.” He bent and scooped her out of the bed, lifted her up against his bare chest, and started out of the room. She had on a thin knee-length cotton gown, and her warm, sweet scent clung to her skin, making him regret his resolve to let her rest.
She tucked her face under his chin. “Where are we going?”
“To my room. I want to hold you while I sleep.”
She made a soft, humming sound of pleasure and curled closer. As he toed her door closed from the hallway, he heard another door open. He turned, Misty held tight in his arms, to see Casey leaving the bathroom.
Casey blinked, then quickly averted his gaze. “I didn’t see a thing.”
“Make sure you don’t repeat a thing, either.”
Casey waved him off, too sleepy to care. Misty groaned. “How do you always embarrass me like this?”
“Why would you be embarrassed?” He went down the hall to his room and once inside he nudged the door closed. He didn’t immediately put her in the bed; he liked the feel of her in his arms, the trusting way she accepted him.
“What will Casey think?”
“That I’ve got too much sense to sleep alone with you nearby.” When she didn’t comment on that he turned her slightly to see her face. Her eyes were closed, her expression relaxed. Not really wanting to, he gently lowered her to the mattress and climbed in beside her. “Sleep, sweetheart. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Before he could pull her against him, she had her arm around his waist, her head on his shoulder and one thigh covering his. And damn, it felt right. He wanted to sleep this way every night for the rest of his life.
Misty kissed his chest. “I’m awake now, you know.”
Her voice was even huskier, and he eyed her in the darkness. “Shh. Don’t tempt me. It’s late and we both need some sleep.” And he fully intended to explain a few things to her before he made love to her again.
Her soft little hand slipped down his stomach, making him suck in a deep breath. “Malone,” he growled in warning. “Behave yourself.”
She sat up, and he expected her to start arguing. He grinned, wondering what she would say, if she’d come right out and admit that she wanted him enough to force the issue.
Instead, she shifted around, and when she curled up against him again, she was naked. She shimmied onto his chest, cupped his face in both hands and said teasingly, “Don’t make me get rough with you, Morgan.”
He stroked the long, silky line of her back to her lush bottom and gave up. “All right, but be gentle with me. I’ve had a trying night.” She laughed at that, her first kiss kind of ticklish and silly. But he had both hands on her bottom now and the second his fingers started to explore she groaned, and for the next hour neither one of them thought of sleep.
* * *
MORNING SUNLIGHT nearly blinded him when he heard Misty’s soft, pain-filled moan. He immediately sat up to look at her. She had both hands holding her middle, her mouth pinched shut and her eyes closed. She looked pale. He said very quietly, “Morning sickness?”
She gave a brief nod. “It hasn’t been this bad lately. But I don’t usually wake up with a hairy thigh over my belly, either.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Morgan shifted away from her, trying not to shake the bed overly, then said, “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” When she didn’t answer, he said, “Malone?”
“All right.”
He pulled on jeans and darted into the kitchen. Honey was there, and Casey and Gabe. They all smiled at him and treated him to a round of inanities. He grumbled his own greetings, then stuck bread in the toaster and water on to boil. He glanced at Casey, who pursed his mouth, silently assuring Morgan he hadn’t said a word about Misty.
Not that it mattered now, anyway. The world would soon know how he felt about that woman.
“What exactly are you doing?” Gabe asked as Morgan dug out a tea bag. Everyone in the family knew for a fact he wasn’t a tea drinker.
“Misty has morning sickness. Mom said nibbling on dry toast and sipping sweet hot tea before she got out of bed would help.”
“Ah.”
Honey started to rise from her chair. “If Misty’s sick—”
Gabe caught her arm, earning Morgan’s gratitude. “It’s nothing Morgan can’t handle. Isn’t that right, Morgan?”
“It’s under control.” He set the toast and tea on a tray and left the room. He heard Gabe chuckling, then some whispering, but he didn’t care. He was going to ask Misty to marry him, so they could gossip all they wanted.
Misty was still flat on her back in the bed when he reached her side. “I have a remedy here. First, nibble a few bites of toast…that’s it. No, don’t argue. I promise, it’ll help.”
Crumbs landed on her chest, and he brushed them away. He imagined he’d have to change his sheets more often if this ritual continued, though his mother had claimed the morning sickness usually didn’t last that long. Generally not past the first trimester, and Misty should be about through that.
“Now some hot tea.”
“I hate tea.”
“Tough. It’ll help. And I made this real sweet.”
She sipped carefully while he held her head, then sighed. “Not bad.”
After several minutes of repeating the procedure, she cautiously sat up and smiled. “You’re a miracle worker. I won’t even need to sneak off to the lake.”
Morgan smoothed her hair, thinking she was about the most precious-looking woman first thing in the morning, with her eyes puffy, a crease on her cheek from the pillow. He frowned at himself. “If you ever do want to go to the lake, let me know and I’ll keep you company, okay?”
Instead of answering him, she asked, “You’ve taken care of a lot of pregnant ladies, huh?”
“No, you’re my first. Why?”
“How’d you know the toast and tea would help?”
She was naked under the sheet, which barely kept her nipples concealed. Now that she no longer felt sick, talking required major concentration on his part. “I asked my mother.”
She jumped so hard she spilled her tea. Yep, his sheets were in for a lot of washing.
He eyed the spill on the top sheet and started to pull it away from her before she got soaked, but she gripped it tightly to her chin and glared at him. “You did what?”
She sounded like a frog. “I asked my mother. I figured she had four kids so she had to have had morning sickness, right? She told me what worked for her. And by the way, she sends her love.”
Misty pulled her knees up and dropped her head. “I don’t believe this,” was her muffled complaint.
Morgan smoothed her hair again. He loved her hair, shiny black and silky. Between the two of them, they’d likely have dark-haired children. He wondered if their eyes would be dark blue like his, or vivid blue like Misty’s. It didn’t matter to him one whit. “Will you marry me, Misty?”
She jerked upright and thwacked her skull on the headboard. With a wince, she rubbed her head, then eyed Morgan. “What did you say?”
Damn. Morgan took in her expression of stark disbelief and faltered. Her eyes were narrowed, her pupils dilated. Her soft mouth was pinched tight.
And he was hard again.
“I said,” he muttered through his teeth, “will you marry me?”
“Why?”
Morgan stiffened, and he knew his damn face was heating. He hadn’t blushed since sixth grade! “What the hell do you mean, why?”
She didn’t blink, didn’t look away from him. As if talking to a nitwit, she asked slowly, “Why do you want to marry me?”
A knock on the door saved him from trying to give a stammering reply. He sure as hell hadn’t expected her to answer his proposal with an interrogation. He gave her a glare, waited until she’d pulled the sheet higher, then called out, “Come in.”
Gabe stuck his head in the door. He kept his gaze resolutely on Morgan, and not on Misty. “You have a phone call.”
“Take a message.”
“Uh, Morgan, it’s from out of town. I think you’ll want to take it.”
He could tell by Gabe’s tone who the caller was. Hating the interruption, even while he was relieved by it, he stood. “I’ll be right back.”
Misty nodded, her face almost blank.
He put his hands on his hips. “We’ll finish this conversation when I get off the phone.”
“All right.”
She sounded far from enthusiastic, and he wanted to demand to know how she felt, but knew he’d do better to bide his time. Patience, more often than not, wasn’t his virtue.
He didn’t look at her again as he left the room.
Twenty minutes later he was lounging against the wall outside the hall bathroom when Misty finally emerged, fresh from her shower. She put on her brakes when she saw him and stared at him warily without saying a word.
Morgan noticed her wet hair, her pink cheeks, her bare feet. She had on a T-shirt and loose cotton drawstring pants. “You going somewhere?”
“I have to be at the diner in about an hour.”
He wanted to curse, to insist she skip work today, but he knew without even asking that he’d be wasting his breath. The woman was bound and determined to make all the money she could. Well, that’d be over with soon enough.
“All right. Then I guess we ought to get right to it.”
“You’re going to tell me why you want to marry me?”
There was no one else in the hallway, but he’d definitely prefer more guaranteed privacy. He took her arm and led her to his room. When he closed the door, he leaned against it and watched her. “Do you remember a woman named Victoria Markum?”
Misty backed up until her knees hit his mattress, then dropped onto it. “Yes. She was Mr. Collins’s girlfriend.”
He nodded. “Well, I hired some people to talk to her.”
She frowned in confusion. “You hired people?” At his nod, she asked, “But why?”
“To prove your innocence. And don’t give me that look, Malone. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to start squawking about me spending my money. This is something I wanted to do, all right?”
“I’ll pay you back—”
“The hell you will.” Morgan went to her and sat beside her, then took her hands. “Can’t you just accept that I care and I want to help?”
She searched his face for a long time before she grudgingly said, “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”
“You could ask me what I found out.”
“All right.” She bit her lip, her face filled with anxiety. “I hope, judging by the way you’re acting, it’s good news?”
“As a matter of fact, it is. You see, Malone, I believed you when you said you hadn’t taken the money. That meant someone else did, of course. I wondered if perhaps Ms. Markum might have done it.”
Misty squeezed his fingers; her hands were ice cold. “I never even considered that. I kept wondering if someone had managed to slip into the store and open the register while I was in the rest room, or if maybe the money had just been miscounted, but…Victoria didn’t seem like a thief to me. She was…I don’t know. Too ditzy. And I think they were planning on getting married, so she’d have been sort of stealing from herself, right?”
Morgan held both her hands between his own to warm them. “Actually, they were planning on marrying, or at least, Ms. Markum was. But we found out that Ms. Markum and your boss had a falling out. He, it seems, took the money she’d been holding for him in her own savings account, and ran with it, so she was more than willing to talk to us. It didn’t even take much prodding, from what the investigator told me. You see, she didn’t steal the money…but he did.”
“What?”
“Collins had been skimming from himself. Ms. Markum may be a ditz, but she has facts and dates and exact amounts that should corroborate her testimony. All we need to do now is contact your lawyer, who can file for a motion for the first trial to be declared a mistrial, based on the new evidence. The second trial should be scheduled quickly, probably within a month, because they won’t want you serving more of a sentence than you’ve already had to.”
She shook her head. “It can’t be that easy.”
“Actually it is.” He smiled, trying to reassure her. “Well, you’ll have to see the judge again, of course, but this time I’ll be with you.”
She stared at him in amazement, her bottom lip starting to quiver.
“Now, Malone,” he said uneasily, “don’t cry. I can’t stand it.”
Big tears welled in her eyes anyway. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
He pulled her close and kissed the tip of her nose, which was starting to turn red. “I want you to be happy.”
She launched herself against him, knocking him back on the bed. She kissed his face, his throat, his ear. Morgan laughed even as he felt himself harden. There was no way Misty Malone could crawl all over him without turning him on. He caught her mouth and held her still for the deep thrust of his tongue, but pulled back slowly before he completely lost control.
He held her head to his shoulder and smiled. “That’s one problem taken care of.”
She squeezed him tight. “You are the most amazing man.”
Laughing, Morgan growled, “So you keep telling me. Now answer my other question. Will you marry me?”
She went still. Very slowly she raised her face. “You still haven’t told me why you want to marry me.”
Because he’d had a few minutes to come up with a reply, he said easily, “You’re sexy and beautiful.”
Her smile was radiant. “You’re sexy and beautiful, too, but that’s not a good reason to tie yourself to someone for life.”
He snorted at her compliment. “We have great sex together. Hell, I still feel singed.”
Her smile melted away and her eyes darkened. “Me, too. It was the most incredible thing. I’d never imagined sex could be like that.” She brushed a kiss over his jaw, then added, “But we don’t have to get married to have great sex. For as long as I’m here, I’m willing, Morgan.”
His stomach started to cramp. She wasn’t saying yes, and in fact, she was making a lot of excuses to cancel out every reason he gave her. But there was one reason she couldn’t refute. “You’re pregnant.”
“The baby isn’t your responsibility.”
“It is if I want to make it my responsibility.”
“Oh, Morgan. You’re not thinking straight. You can’t really want to be a fill-in for another man’s child.”
“The baby will be mine if you marry me.”
She touched gentle fingers to his mouth and her expression was one of wonderment. “You say that now because you’re feeling protective of me, just like you feel about everyone. But I don’t need you to take care of me, Morgan. I can take care of myself, and the baby.”
Morgan moved swiftly, rolling her beneath him before she could draw a deep breath. “Let me tell you something, Misty Malone. What you know about men doesn’t add up to jack. And for your information, I don’t care that the baby isn’t mine. It’s yours, and that’s all that matters to me.”
She shook her head, making him curse. He caught her hands and raised them over her head. “I’m going to tell you a little story.”
“I have to be at work soon.”
“Tough. Don’t rush me.” She wisely didn’t push him on that score. Morgan drew a deep breath, then admitted, “Sawyer isn’t Casey’s natural father.”
Misty’s eyes widened and her mouth opened twice before she sputtered, “That’s ridiculous!”
“No, it’s true. If you want all the details, you can ask Honey. I’m sure Sawyer told her the whole story.”
“But…” She searched his face, then looked away. “She’s never said a word.”
“Likely because it doesn’t matter. Not to Sawyer, and sure as hell not to the rest of us. No one could love that boy more than we do. Sawyer knew all along that Casey wasn’t his. But he’d been married to Casey’s mother, and she didn’t want him. So he brought Case home, a squalling little red-faced rodent, and we all went head over heels. Hell, a baby is a baby. It doesn’t matter who planted the seed. All that matters is who loves him and cares for him and shelters him. I want to do that with you, Misty.” He swallowed hard, his hands gripping her shoulders. “Marry me.”
He could feel her shaking beneath him, saw the tears gathering in her eyes. She bit her lip and sniffed.
“Malone?”
“I…I can’t.”
Never in his life, Morgan thought, had anything hurt so much. He’d been in brawls, he’d been injured by cars and animals. He’d had broken limbs and a broken nose and more bruises than he could count. But nothing had ever hurt like this.
He stared at Misty, not wanting to believe that she’d refused him. She’d told him all along that she didn’t want commitment, that she was through with involvement. But he hadn’t believed her, not really. He hadn’t wanted to believe her.
His head throbbed and his blood boiled. He wanted to rage, he wanted to shout. But he’d made a big enough fool of himself already.
He rolled to the side of the bed and stared at the ceiling. He started to ask her why, but wasn’t at all sure he wanted to know the answer. Misty scampered off the bed, and her bare feet made no sound on the carpet. His door closed very quietly.
By the time he followed her, she’d already left for work.
Gabe gave him a questioning look, but Morgan didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. He left for work and didn’t come home until late that night. He didn’t see Misty at all.
* * *
MISTY WAS SITTING by the lake when Honey found her. She glanced at her sister, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Hey. What’s up?”
“That was my question.” Honey lowered herself onto the edge of the dock beside Misty. She pulled off her sandals and dangled her feet in the water. “Morgan has looked like a thundercloud all day, growling at everyone, ready to spit nails. We’re all avoiding him. The only one not afraid is the puppy.”
Misty looked at the dark lake water and promised herself she wouldn’t cry. “The dog has really taken to him, then?”
“Amazing, isn’t it? Do you know what he named that little wad of fur? Godzilla. And the dog seems to like it.”
Misty summoned up a smile, when in truth, it was all she could do not to bawl like a baby.
Honey made an exasperated sound. “So Morgan is more feral than ever and you’re so morose the sun won’t even shine on you. What’s going on?”
Misty turned her face away, resting it on her bent knees. Hoping Honey couldn’t hear the strain in her voice, she said, “Nothing. I just wanted some peace and quiet.”
“Funny. That’s just what Morgan said.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He sent Gabe and Jordan running, and Sawyer was ready to hit him in the head, but I insisted he talk to me. He won’t growl at me, you know. I think he’s afraid it’ll break me or something.”
Funny. Morgan had never hesitated to shower her with his bad moods, not that she’d minded. He hadn’t scared her at all, because she’d seen through him.
Honey cleared her throat. “He told me he just wants to finish up the house so he can get moved out. He’s been spending every spare minute up there.” Honey hesitated, then said with a dramatic flair, “Tomorrow he’s moving in.”
Her stomach cramped, because she knew she’d chased him away, but what else could she do? Marry a man who didn’t love her?
“I hate to see him go,” Honey admitted softly. “The house won’t seem the same without him.”
Misty didn’t reply to that. What could she say? She’d barely seen Morgan in two days. Even today, at the station, he’d not taken much notice of her. When he had looked at her, his expression had been flat. There’d been no teasing, no lust, no tenderness, none of the things she was used to and that she had begun to expect. Oh, he’d still been courteous, telling her to go to lunch, to take her time, to make sure she ate right. It was as if what had been between them was no longer there.
Misty couldn’t bear to think about that, so she decided to do something she should have done already. “I have a confession.”
Honey’s arm slipped around her shoulders. “I’m still a good listener, you know.”
“You’re going to be angry,” Misty warned her.
“I doubt it.”
But when Misty explained all about the theft, how she’d been found guilty, Honey was absolutely livid. Not at Misty, so much, but that her boss had dared to accuse her and that the judge hadn’t believed her.
It took some fast talking on Misty’s part to make Honey understand that all was well now, or at least on the way to being well, thanks to Morgan, and to explain why she hadn’t told her sooner.
“So Morgan is the one that got it all straightened out?”
Misty nodded, once again confounded by his generosity. “He’s pretty wonderful, isn’t he?”
“I’ve certainly always thought so.”
She’d always thought so, too, but what she felt wasn’t enough to make a marriage work. Misty heaved a sigh. “I have to leave tomorrow morning. I might be gone overnight. I’m not sure.”
Honey stiffened. “Leave where?”
“My lawyer needs to see me. There’re some things that have to be done to set up the new trial. Everything should go well, so I’m not worried about that. I already told Ceily, and I told Nate. I know I should have told Morgan that I wouldn’t be in, but I just couldn’t. Things aren’t great between us right now.”
Very gently, Honey asked, “Why not?”
Misty squeezed her hands into fists. “He asked me to marry him.”
There was a moment of stunned silence, then Honey gasped theatrically. “Well, that bastard! How dare he?”
Shaking her head at her sister’s mocking outrage, Misty said, “You don’t understand.”
“I understand that you love him, sis. Isn’t that what’s most important?”
“No.” Misty dropped her feet into the water with a splash, then watched the ripples fan out until they disappeared. “What’s important is that two people love each other. But Morgan doesn’t love me. He likes to take care of people, and he thinks I need a husband because I’m pregnant. You’ve said yourself how old-fashioned he is. But that’s not good enough anymore. I’ve learned a lot through all this, most importantly that you can’t cut corners. If there isn’t love, then there’s nothing.”
“And you think Morgan doesn’t love you?”
Misty lifted one shoulder, not sure what to say. “I asked him why he wanted to marry me. He gave me a lot of good reasons, but not once did he say he loved me.”
“So ask him outright.”
Misty stared at her, appalled. “I can’t do that!”
“Why not?” Honey kicked her feet, too, splashing them both. “Morgan is a hard-headed man. Actually, he’s just hard, period. All over.”
“I know, I know.” Misty hadn’t been able to sleep at night, remembering how wonderfully hard Morgan was. She loved everything about him, but she was crazy nuts about his big, solid body. And after only making love with him twice, she was addicted. She didn’t think she could have ever gotten enough of him.
“Hard men are usually sensitive men.”
Misty snorted over that bit of nonsense. “Morgan is about as blunt as they come. He always tells me what he’s thinking or feeling, even if it embarrasses me to death.”
Honey looked at the sky and pondered that. “Well, then, don’t you think you owe him the same courtesy?”
She shuddered at just the thought. “I’m a horrible coward. Morgan’s made it clear from the first that he’s attracted to me. But that’s all.”
“How can you say that?” Honey frowned at her. “Morgan’s done everything he could to keep you close by. He even made up that ridiculous story about the two of you having an agreement.”
“You knew that wasn’t real?”
Honey smiled. “It was plain on your face.”
Bemused for a moment, Misty wondered if all his brothers had known he was just making up their involvement. Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He kept me here because he was trying to take care of me—whether I wanted him to or not. He does that for everyone, Honey.” She turned to face her sister, wanting her to understand. “Morgan is about the most giving, caring man I’ve ever met. That’s why being a sheriff is so perfect for him. He loves taking care of other people’s problems. He’s a natural caregiver—though he’d choke if he heard me say that, and probably frown something fierce. He tries to hide his gentleness behind a big tough exterior.”
Honey waved that away. “I know. But still—”
“No. If he loved me, surely he would have said so.”
“Will you at least think about it? Maybe he’s not quite as tough or as confident as you think he is.”
The idea of Morgan being insecure would take some getting used to, but to appease her sister, she agreed to think it over. What would Morgan say if she blurted out that she loved him? Would he be embarrassed? Would he lie and say he loved her, too, just to keep her from embarrassment? She closed her eyes, not sure at all what his reaction would be.
“I was looking for you for another reason, too.”
Honey’s serious tone pulled Misty out of her contemplation. “What’s wrong?”
After a deep breath, Honey said, “Father wants to visit us. He called a few minutes ago.”
That was the very last thing Misty had expected to hear. Incredulous, she stared at her sister. “You must be kidding.”
“Unfortunately…no.”
Misty narrowed her eyes. “He wants to come here? To Kentucky?”
“Yes. That’s what he said. I’m supposed to call him back and tell him when it’d be convenient.”
A summons from her father wouldn’t have thrown her so badly. But a visit? It didn’t make any sense. Unless…“What are we being accused of now? Is he mad about something?” Then a horrid thought intruded. “Oh, God. He found out I’d been arrested, didn’t he?”
“I don’t think so. Actually, he told me he wants to meet my husband. Sawyer is afraid he’s going to bring up his will again, and you can just imagine how that’d go over.”
Misty nodded. All her life, her father had claimed to want a son to carry on the family name. Since their mother had died without giving him one, he’d decided that Honey, as the oldest child, would have to supply a husband to fill the role of masculine heir.
Sawyer had flatly refused to accept anything from him. And their father had been peeved ever since. He hadn’t even attended the wedding.
“Father said he was intrigued by the notion of men who would blindly turn down money and power. When I mentioned to him that he should have come to the wedding, he actually said he regretted missing it. Can you believe that?”
“Uh…no.”
Honey softened her tone. “He also said he was worried about you.”
“Since when?” Misty couldn’t help but feel bitter over her last conversation with her father. He’d been very disappointed that she’d gotten pregnant, and he hadn’t bothered to try to hide that disappointment.
“Here’s what I think.” Honey pulled her feet from the water and stood, then looked at Misty. “I think I’m so happy that I don’t mind hearing him out, seeing what he has to say. Sawyer told me that not everyone is as capable of expressing love as we are. He asked me about Father’s upbringing, our grandparents, and you know, I think he might be onto something there. Father was always a cold, detached man, just as his parents were and as they expected him to be. After Mom died, he was all alone. That couldn’t have been easy for him, Misty. I’m not saying we have to be all loving and hugging.” She shuddered, then laughed. “That would be too weird after all this time. But I’d at least like to make my peace with him. And you’re going to be giving him a grandchild. Maybe he’ll look at things differently, but either way, I want to know that I gave our relationship every chance.”
Honey walked away, leaving Misty to think things over. True, her father had never been the type to hug or even give a quick compliment. But he’d made certain they were always well dressed and well fed, and they’d never wanted for anything material. Just the fact that he wanted to meet Sawyer and the brothers showed a bending on his part, a sort of olive branch. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to listen to him.
As she walked up to the house, dodging stones on the ground and the occasional bee feasting on clover, she smiled. She couldn’t begin to imagine her father’s reaction to the brothers. They were overwhelming and dominating and they spoke their minds without hesitation.
Her father would be in for a surprise.
* * *
EARLY the next morning, Morgan stared at his bedroom ceiling, a habit that had replaced sleeping in the past few days. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how he exhausted himself, he couldn’t sleep. He was so damn tired he could barely see straight, but when he closed his eyes, all he could think of was Misty.
Hell, even with his eyes open, she was all he could think of. He alternated between fantasies of making love to her until she begged him to marry her and throttling her for turning down his proposal in the first place. Not that he would ever really hurt her, he thought with disgust. Hell, no.
There was one bright side to all his recent labors; his house was done. He could now move in and live in comfort—and solitude. But he didn’t want to. He’d come to think of the house with Misty in it. Without her, it didn’t seem complete no matter what he did to it.
Sawyer was right, he was a miserable bastard. He never should have given in to his needs. He should have avoided her instead of finding out for a fact how sweet she was, how right it felt to be inside her, holding her, talking with her, loving her. Now she was still here, a damn relative, and he had to look at her and know she was close, but she didn’t want him.
He closed his eyes and groaned.
Two seconds later his bedroom door flew open and bounced off the wall. Morgan leaped out of bed, automatically reaching for his gun. The overhead light came on, nearly blinding him in the gray morning shadows, but showing his brother’s angry face clear as day. Sawyer stalked in, grabbed Morgan’s discarded jeans and flung them at him.
“Get dressed.”
Morgan began pulling on his pants without hesitation. It wasn’t often Sawyer issued commands that way. “What’s wrong?”
“You blew it, that’s what.”
He stumbled, his jeans only to his knees. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means Misty is gone.”
Forget the elephant, it felt like his heart was smashed flat. Wheezing, a little light-headed, he asked, “Gone where?”
Sawyer jutted his chin toward Morgan and growled, “She left, Morgan. What did you expect her to do with you moping around, ignoring her, acting like she didn’t exist? I thought you loved her!”
Morgan dropped onto the edge of the bed. “I asked her to marry me,” he said, feeling numb. “She turned me down.”
“You must have misunderstood.”
Sawyer and Morgan both turned to see Jordan standing in the doorway. Morgan shook his head. “No, I asked and she flatly refused.”
Jordan crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “I can tell she cares about you.”
Gabe walked in. “She’s crazy about him, if you ask me.”
“Oh, for the love of—” Morgan stood and finished pulling on his pants. “If that’s true, why wouldn’t she marry me?”
Honey pushed Gabe out of her way and glared at all of them. “Because she said you didn’t love her.”
“What?”
“She said you were just trying to take care of her, but without love, it wasn’t worth it.”
Morgan cursed so viciously that Gabe backed up and Jordan rolled his eyes. Sawyer pulled Honey protectively to his side. “Get a grip, Morgan. Are you going to go after her or not?”
His head shot up. “Go after her? When did she leave?”
Honey tapped her foot. “About two minutes ago.”
Before she had finished, Morgan had snapped his jeans, shoved his gun in his pocket and started out of the room. But his brothers had all congregated inside, blocking his path at the end of the bed, so he bounded over it instead, bouncing on the mattress as he dodged past them. He ran out the doorway, not bothering with a shirt or shoes. Gabe trotted after him, waving a shirt. “Wait! Don’t you want to finish dressing?”
Morgan ignored him, but he couldn’t ignore the loud guffaws from his other brothers. He snatched his keys from the peg by the back door and ran into the yard.
“Damn irritants,” he muttered, then winced as his bare feet came into contact with every sharp stone on the dewwet grass. He slipped twice, but within thirty seconds he had the Bronco out, lights flashing and sirens blasting. When he caught up to her…
Morgan filled the time it took to get to town by plotting all the ways he’d set her straight.
She was in front of the sheriff’s office when he spotted her. She slowed when she noticed his flashing lights, and after a few seconds she pulled over.
Unfortunately, Ceily was just coming to the diner to start preparing the food, and she paused on the front stoop to watch as Morgan climbed out of the Bronco and slammed the door. Nate was at the station already, and he and Howard and Jesse also walked out to see what was happening. It wasn’t often that Morgan pulled anyone over with so much fanfare.
By the time he’d circled the front of the Bronco, Misty had already left her car. She gaped at him, then demanded, “What in the world is wrong with you? Has something happened?” She gazed at him from his shaggy hair, his bare chest, to his naked feet.
Morgan stomped up to her, ignoring the sting to his feet and the way the sidewalk was quickly beginning to crowd with curious onlookers. He hooked his hand around the back of her neck and drew her up to her tiptoes. “Where in hell do you think you’re going?”
She blinked at him. “I have to meet with my lawyer today.”
Morgan prepared to blast her with his wrath—and then her words sank in. “You’re not leaving?”
“Leaving, as in for good?”
He nodded.
“Why would you think that?”
He seriously considered going home and choking Sawyer. But first, he had a few things to straighten out. “You should have told me you were leaving.”
“You,” she said, beginning to show her own pique, “haven’t shown the slightest interest in talking to me lately!”
“Because I asked you to marry me and you had the nerve to say no.”
A loud gasp rose from their audience.
Morgan pretended he hadn’t heard them. “Do you know how many other women I’ve asked to be wife? Do you? None!”
“Well, I’m honored,” Misty sneered, then poked him in the chest and her own voice rose to a shout. “But I’m not marrying a man who doesn’t love me.”
He sputtered in renewed outrage. “Who the hell says I don’t love you?”
Misty caught her breath, panting, then said with deep feeling, her gaze intent, “Who says you do?”
Morgan growled, ran a hand roughly through his hair, then he picked her up. He held her at eye level and said, “Damn woman, I asked you to marry me! Why would I do that if I didn’t love you?”
Someone on the sidewalk—it sounded like Ceily—called out in a laughing voice, “Yeah, why would Morgan do that?”
Morgan jerked his head around to face them all. “Can’t you people find something to do?”
“No!” was the unanimous retort.
Morgan growled again. “Nate, arrest anyone who doesn’t scatter.”
Nate promptly looked dumbfounded. “Uh…”
Misty regained his attention by saying softly, “You just want to help me, like you helped that woman with the flat tire, and the dog, and the school kids and the elderly.”
Morgan walked to her car and plunked her down gently on the hood. He braced his hands on either side of her hips, then leaned in so close his nose touched hers. “Listen up, Malone. I didn’t ask the damn dog to marry me. I didn’t ask Howard or Jesse to marry me.”
Jesse shouted, “He’s speakin’ the truth there.”
Misty opened her mouth twice before she got words to come out. She spoke so softly, Morgan could barely hear her. “You said…you said you were looking for a wife.”
He gave a sharp nod. “You.”
“But…” Her voice faded to a shy whisper. “You said you wanted three children.”
“Three total.” His hand covered her belly, and he smiled. Breathing the words so no one else would hear, he explained, “This one and two more. I was trying to hint to you that I’d be a good father.”
“Oh, Morgan.” She cupped his face, and tears filled her eyes. “I already know you’d be an excellent father.”
He straightened and put his hands on his hips. “I swear, if you start crying again, Malone, I won’t like it.” He drew a breath and added, “Hell, it just about kills me to see you unhappy.”
She sniffed loudly. “I’m very happy.”
“So you won’t cry?”
“I won’t cry.”
A fat tear rolled down her cheek, making him sigh in exasperation. The woman was forever turning him in circles. But since she seemed in an agreeable mood for a change…“Tell me you’ll marry me.”
She nodded. “I’ll marry you.”
She started to put her arms around his neck, but he held her off. “Not so quick, Malone. I told you I love you. Don’t you have something to say to me?”
With everyone on the sidewalk cheering her on, she grinned around her tears and said, “Morgan Hudson, I love you so much it hurts.”
He scooped her into his arms for a fierce hug, then turned to the crowd, laughing out loud. “You heard her. Consider me an engaged man.” Then to Misty, “Damn. Do you think we have time for me to go home and get dressed before we go see your lawyer? I’d probably make a better impression that way.”