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“Babies?” His heart ground to a halt in his chest. “Babies? “
She nodded. “We’re having twins.”
Judah’s world opened up, chasmlike. His pulse jumped, more fiercely than when he’d been on the back of Lightfoot. “You say we’re—”
“Yes.”
He passed a hand across his forehead, realized he was sweating under his hat. “I don’t mean to be coarse, but how do you know that you’re pregnant by me and not by your fiancé?” He wasn’t about to say the man’s name.
“Because I’ve never slept with him.”
“Why not? Not to be indelicate—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Darla said. “We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
Maybe the man was an idiot. Maybe his thing didn’t work. Judah couldn’t believe that a guy who was fortunate enough to get a ring on Darla’s finger wouldn’t be making love to her like a madman every night. “Every man has that kind of relationship, darlin’.”
She wore embarrassment like a heavy winter cloak. “When Sid asked me to marry him, we agreed on a business relationship. That’s it, and no more.”
Sid. Judah leaned back, trying to take in everything he was hearing. “That’s why you were so eager to get in my bed that night. You wanted a good time before you tied yourself to this business relationship.”
She hadn’t been interested in business with Judah.
A blush crossed her cheeks. “I—yes. And I’m not sorry about it. Even now.”
“Nice to know you don’t regret it.” He couldn’t help the sour tone in his voice. “So what does Tunstall think about you being pregnant?”
Darla stared him down. “It was unexpected, obviously, but he’s not opposed to being a father.”
Judah jumped to his feet, crossing to her. “Let me tell you something, Darla Cameron. If you’re telling the truth—and something tells me you are—no one will be a father to my children but me. Let’s just get that straight up front.” He studied her, deciding it was time this relationship got on the right track. “Something’s going to have to change about your wedding plans, sweetheart.”
Darla shook her head at him. Judah was angry. She’d expected anger, but not his statement about her wedding. “What exactly does that mean?”
He went back to his chair, dropping into it with an enigmatic smile shadowing his lips. “It means you’ve got the tiger by the tail, and now you’re going to have to tame it. I shouldn’t have to spell anything out for you. You knew when you told me this that your wedding to the good doc was never going to happen.”
“I know no such thing!”
“You’re not marrying another man while you’re carrying my children. So put all that out of your sweet head.”
Darla felt her own stubbornness rise. “I’m not having children out of wedlock when I’ve got a perfectly good groom planning to be my husband, Judah. It’s no inconvenience to you if I’m married. You’re not planning on being around.”
She could see by Judah’s expression that he was fighting to be civil. But he didn’t have the right to tell her how to run her life.
“It’ll be inconvenient for you when two grooms are standing at the altar with you on your wedding day,” Judah said.
“You’re not suggesting that you want to marry me?”
He nodded. “If you’re pregnant by me, the only man you’re marrying is me. That’s the way I do business, babe.”
Annoyance rose inside her. “Not that I expect romance in a proposal, but I don’t want to be told what I’m going to do, either.”
“And I don’t want to be told that I’m going to be a father, and that someone else is planning to raise my children.” He gave her a determined stare. “I’m being very reasonable, under the circumstances.”
This was awful. No woman wanted the man she loved this way. Darla wished she could walk out the door and forget these past ten minutes had ever happened. But she couldn’t. Her pride couldn’t be the most important thing to her right now—she had her children’s welfare to consider. “I’ll think about your proposal,” she said coolly, going to the door.
“You do that, and don’t forget to tell the good doc your business merger’s off.” Judah followed, putting his hand on the doorknob to open the door for her—at least that’s what she thought he was going to do—before pressing his lips against her cheek, his stubble grazing her skin ever so slightly. “Just so you know, Darla, I don’t plan on mixing business with my marriage.”
His meaning was unmistakable. His hand moved to her waist in a possessive motion, lingering at her hip just for a second, capturing her. She remembered everything—how good he’d made her feel, how magical the night in his arms had been—and wished his proposal was made from love and not possessiveness.
Judah pulled the door open. “Next time I see you will be at the altar. Till death do us part, darlin’.”
Darla stared at him for a long, wary second before stalking off.
If Judah Callahan thought she was going to marry a hard-headed, mule-stubborn man like him, then he was in for a shock.
Chapter Four
Judah had never been one to let someone else fight his battles. So it wasn’t even a stretch for him to hunt up Dr. Sidney Tunstall. The good doctor was taking a breather in a bar down the street, which was good because Judah needed a drink himself.
First things first. “Tunstall,” he said, seating himself next to the ex-bronc buster. “We have business to discuss.”
Sidney put down his beer and gave him a long look. “Do we?”
Judah nodded. “I think it’s only fair to let you know that you’ll be hearing from Darla that your wedding is off.”
The doctor raised a brow. “And how would you know?”
“Because,” Judah said, “we just finished having a chat, Darla and I. And we came to the same conclusion. She can’t marry you.”
Sidney finished his beer, waved for another. “I’ll wait to hear that from her, if you don’t mind, Callahan.”
“See, though, I do mind.” He put down the money to pay for the beer. Sidney grunted, not about to utter any gratitude, and Judah couldn’t blame him. “Darla says she’s expecting my children. So that means she’ll be taking the Callahan name. My name.”
Sidney turned. “I happen to know that Darla thinks you’re an ass she wishes she’d never met. And she’s never mentioned you being the father of her children, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re not even in the picture.” He raised his bottle in a sardonic wave. “Thanks for the brew, but buzz off and let me drink it in peace.”
Judah elected to ignore the insult. “What do you mean, you don’t know about her being pregnant by me?”
The doctor shrugged. “We never talked about it. I don’t need to know everything in her past. And until I know better, you are her past.”
Judah slumped on his bar stool for a moment. He couldn’t be mad at Tunstall—the man clearly wasn’t in possession of all the facts. Just like a woman to leave out important details. Judah stood, tossed some tip money on the bar. “Look, Tunstall, you’re an innocent party here, so I’m going to cut you some slack. But don’t get in my way. I’ll be standing at the altar with Darla, I’ll be raising my own sons, and that’s just the way it is.”
“Maybe,” Sidney said, “and maybe not.”
The man had no idea how thin Judah’s temper was at the moment. It was all he could do not to pound good sense into him. But Darla was the person he needed to be setting straight, so he took a deep breath and sauntered off to collect his wits before his rides tomorrow.
It wasn’t going to be easy. His concentration had never been so scattered.
He couldn’t decide if it was suddenly finding himself altar-bound or becoming a father that had him the most bent.
“HOW DARE YOU?” Darla demanded when Judah made it to his motel room an hour later, where she was waiting outside the door. He cast an appreciative eye over the snapping fire in her blue eyes, and her long blond hair. She looked like an angel, but she was going to bless him out like a she-devil.
Which meant that Tunstall had given her the bad news. And that suited Judah just fine.
“I dare,” he said, unlocking his door and stepping inside his room with her on his heels, “because that’s what I do. Idare.”
Her lips compressed for a moment. “You have no right to interfere.”
He tossed his hat into the chair. “Just one man chatting with another. Don’t get your panties in a twist over it, sugar.” Grinning, he pulled a beer from the six-pack his brothers had thoughtfully left in his room, satisfied that matters should be straight as an arrow between him and his buttercup.
“I’m not going to marry you, Judah.” Darla’s chin rose, and her tiny nose nearly pointed at his chin. He so badly wanted to run his finger down her face and tell her everything was going to be just fine, if she’d only settle down and let him take care of her.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow after I ride. There’s a lot of things we’ll have to plan, like naming my sons. You’ll need to enroll in a prenatal yoga class, too. I hear it’s very beneficial for the mother and the babies.”
Darla’s cheeks went pink. “I’m leaving now,” she told him, “and I am marrying Sidney. Quit trying to take over my life.”
“Whew,” Judah said, pulling her close against his chest. “You’ll know when I’m trying to take over your life, babe. I’ll say, ‘Get in my bed,’ and you’ll go happily because you’ll know I’m going to make you feel like a princess.”
Irate as Darla was, she leaned into him, and for a moment, completely relaxed.
But she suddenly pulled herself away and marched to the door. “Not a chance, Judah. Goodbye.”
THE NEXT DAY Darla carried the magic wedding dress to the back of the store where she couldn’t see it. Lately, it had begun to call to her with a siren song of such temptation that she could barely resist it.
“Just try on the gown,” Jackie urged. But Darla didn’t want to fashion hopes and dreams through simple fabric.
“I don’t need fairy tales and magic in my life. I’m making a solid, practical decision to marry a man who’s as even-keeled as I am. Judah is a winter wind blowing through a canyon. I could never rely on him.”
“But he’s the father of your children,” Jackie said. “You don’t want to do something in the heat of passion, Darla.”
“I already did that,” she replied, “which is why I’m choosing to be quite selective with my children’s futures now. Sidney will be a good father. He comes from a very small family, and has always wanted a large one. We’re good friends. I’ll be an organized, supportive doctor’s wife.” Darla stowed the magic wedding gown in the very back of the stock closet, behind back-stock dresses. It did lure her. Sometimes in the night, she could hear a faint rustle of musical chimes, like an antique jewelry box opening to play a lilting melody. The dress was beautiful.
And she wanted it so badly. But she wouldn’t admit that to Jackie. Darla wanted to believe in romance and dreams and fairy tales, just like any other bride. Yet she couldn’t afford any mistakes. Her whole makeup was geared toward thoughtful, careful decision making. There really wasn’t any room for loving a bonehead like Judah.
Unfortunately for her, that bonehead made her body shiver and ache every time she thought of him. It was like that wild winter wind blew over her skin, reminding her of how much she loved him.
But that was the problem. She did love Judah—and she was just another responsibility for him, much like the ranch, and his family, and rodeo. Nothing special or different. Something he had to rule over, boss, command. Before their night together, he’d never spoken to her, nothing more than a passing hello and chitchat about the weather. And he hadn’t so much as sought her out at the store since that night, either.
A woman knew when she was the object of a man’s passions, and she wasn’t that to Judah. He was too wild for her, too unsettled for a woman who liked calm rational choices in her life. Judah was her one moment of reckless abandon—and it didn’t take a psychic gift to know they were not meant to be.
“Speaking of psychic,” Darla said, and Jackie glanced up.
“Were we?” she asked.
“No, but is Sabrina really going to work for Fiona?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Because I was thinking about asking her if she wanted to work in the shop while I’m out after the babies are born. You can’t do it all by yourself,” Darla said, staying in practical mode.
“I’ll be fine,” Jackie assured her.
“You have three little ones. We need backup.”
The door swung open, sending the bells over the shop door tinkling. Judah strolled in, the man of her dreams obviously on a mission, judging by the hot gleam in his eyes. Darla’s heart jumped into overdrive.
“We need to talk,” he stated, and Jackie said, “I’ll be heading out for a coffee break. Nice ride last night, Judah.”
He tipped his hat to her, and when the door swung shut behind her, he put the closed sign in the window.
“You can’t close my shop,” Darla said.
“We have to talk.”
“Not while I’m working.”
“The brides of Diablo will just have to wait while you take a fruit and juice break.” He handed her a small bag. “Organic. Every bite.”
She began to seethe. “I eat healthy, Judah. You don’t need to concern yourself with my diet.”
He nodded. “A husband takes care of his wife.”
“Not to point out the obvious—”
He handed her a box. “Darla, you have to quit being so stubborn.”
“What’s this?” She eyed the small dark box as if it were a bomb.
“What a man gives a woman he wants to marry.” He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
She handed it back. “I’ll keep the organic breakfast. You can keep your Pandora’s box.”
He put it on the counter. “If you don’t want me to romance you, I’ll stop.”
“Thank you.” She folded her arms.
He shrugged. “If that’s the way you want it.”
She didn’t say anything to confirm his statement because it really wasn’t the way she wanted it. But under the circumstances, “no” was the only option. Judah was a conqueror. He wanted to bulldoze her ivory tower and take her prisoner—but letting him do so would be a mistake.
“Why aren’t you at the rodeo?”
“I can’t ride when I’m all torn up like this.”
That stopped her. She checked his eyes for signs of amusement, found none. Surely he was jesting, though. Judah wasn’t a man whose emotions ruled his life. He was all action, sometimes even brave, fearless action. She again checked his expression for teasing, but he looked just as deadly serious as he had a moment ago. It was like gazing into the eyes of an Old West gunslinger in a classic movie: resolute, determined, honest.
She caught her breath. “We don’t know each other at all.”
He looked at her. “We know each other well enough to be parents.”
