Part 16 (1/2)

Billy laughed. ”I would have been happy to do it for you.”

Summer laughed along with him. ”That would have been satisfying. But it's not exactly the impression I was hoping you'd make tonight.”

He stopped and stared at her. ”Brought your prize hog to market, have you?”

”Don't be an idiot. People are naturally curious about the two of us. They can't figure out why you'd pick someone like me for your wife.”

Billy stared at her, then grinned and shook his head. ”You never cease to amaze me.”

She beamed at him. ”I know. Now if I could just convince all these other people how amazing I am, they'd understand the attraction.”

”You started to say something at the end of the dance, before we were interrupted. What was it?”

Summer made a face. ”It was nothing.”

He tipped her chin up. ”I was hoping it was something.”

”I was going to say I'm tired of trying to stay on my own side of the bed. It's impossible anyway, when the mattress sags in the middle.”

”I thought we agreed-”

”You set the terms,” she said.

”And now you want to change them?”

”I might.”

His body ached, wanting her. It would be so easy to agree with her, to make their marriage a little more real than it was. To add s.e.x.

Only for him, it wouldn't be just s.e.x. It would be making love. And he wasn't sure he could take that chance. He already felt a knot in his stomach every time he thought of what he'd do when their two years together were up. How would he be able to handle the situation if they became lovers? Was the pleasure now worth the pain later?

”You're taking an awful long time to answer,” she said. ”Which suggests the answer is no.”

He reached for her hand to keep her from turning away. ”The answer is I have to think about it. We're not kids anymore, Summer. The things we choose to do have consequences.”

She placed her palm against his cheek and said, ”What happened to the dangerous, risk-taking Billy I used to know?”

”He grew up. He became a father.”

”I liked the old Billy better,” she said, her lips pouting.

The old Billy wanted to suck one of those pouting lips into his mouth and taste the sweetness of it. The old Billy wanted to palm one of her lush b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hand and work the nipple into a tight bud. The old Billy wanted to lay her flat and thrust the hard, bulging erection behind the fly of his jeans deep inside her.

The new Billy satisfied himself with a quick peck on her lips before he backed off, letting go of her hand. ”Your brothers are heading this way.”

She turned and watched as her twin brothers Owen and Clay headed straight for them without pausing for the occasional handshake or amenity with anyone.

Billy steeled himself for the verbal-and maybe even physical-attack he figured was coming. Summer backed up against him, putting herself between him and her brothers. He took her by the shoulders and, despite her resistance, moved her to his left, out of the way of harm, in case one of her brothers launched a blow in his direction.

”You lowdown, dirty-”

”Stop right there, Clay,” Summer said. ”You're talking about my husband.”

Even for Billy, it wasn't hard to tell the twins apart. Owen was a Texas Ranger and had spent his life outdoors hunting down badmen. His features were weathered from the sun and his jeans and s.h.i.+rt were worn and soft from a thousand was.h.i.+ngs. A five-pointed silver star was pinned above his pocket and he had a Colt .45 strapped high on his hip.

Clay had been elected the youngest ever attorney general of the state of Texas and spent his days prosecuting criminals in the courtroom. He looked younger than Owen, but his gray eyes were no less piercing, and his over-six-foot body looked just as hard beneath the blended wool suit pants and white oxford-cloth s.h.i.+rt that had been unb.u.t.toned at the neck, with the conservative striped tie pulled down to make his office uniform look more appropriate for the outdoor occasion.

”Well, well,” Clay drawled. ”Bad Billy Coburn-”

”That's enough, Clay,” Summer warned, stepping back in front of Billy.

He took her by the shoulders again, but she resisted his attempts to move her aside. He gave in and slid his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him, so they presented a united front. ”h.e.l.lo, Clay. Owen,” he said, nodding to his brothers-in-law. This was the first time he'd come in contact with them since he'd learned they were also his half brothers.

He saw pieces of himself in them. The chin. The cheekbones. The hair. The nose. But he'd gotten his dark eyes from his mother, while they'd gotten theirs from Blackjack-the ruthless gray eyes of a predator.

”Welcome to the family,” Owen said, extending his hand.

Billy was both disconcerted by the friendly gesture and wary of it.

Summer was more direct. ”If you have any intention of grabbing Billy and-”

”I just want to shake your husband's hand,” Owen said. ”I want to wish the two of you well and invite you to visit me and Bay and the kids next time you're in Fredericksburg.”

”Where is Bay?” Summer asked.

”She's at home with the twins. They're just getting over the chicken pox.”

”Thank you, Owen,” Summer said. ”We'll try to make it.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Billy, and he knew she expected him to shake Owen's hand, which was still extended. Owen, who'd arrested him once for driving drunk. Who'd more than once warned him away from Summer and made it clear he didn't have much use for lowlifes like Bad Billy Coburn.

Billy reminded himself he wasn't ”Bad” Billy Coburn anymore. That he'd likely be spending the rest of his life in this sawed-off town. And that it wouldn't hurt to have the goodwill of a respected man like Owen Blackthorne, especially when his son would be growing up and making a place for himself here.

”Thanks,” he said gruffly, as he extended his hand.

Owen's grip was firm, but not so tight as to turn the handshake into a contest. When Billy would have let go, Owen held on and said, ”I wish I'd known sooner that we're kin. I'd have lent you a helping hand-”

Billy yanked his hand free and said, ”Keep your charity to yourself, Blackthorne.”

”See what I mean, Owe?” Clay said. ”An ungrateful yellow-bellied cur. Bad to the bone.”

”Say that again when your sister isn't standing between us,” Billy taunted, using his hold on Summer's waist to throw her out of the range of the two men's fists.

”Whoa there, boys,” Owen said, playing peacemaker. ”Shake hands and be friends.”

Billy didn't feel like being friendly. He narrowed his eyes at Clay and said, ”Takes a yellow-bellied cur to know one.”

”Billy, please don't fight,” Summer begged.