“And just when I had you where I wanted you…

“Come with me,” Navarro continued.

Nina laughed. “Be that irresponsible? You’re crazy! I can’t quit my job for a man. Not even a sexy-to-the-bone cowboy.”

The pull was strong, but she knew she had to resist. She had known it the instant she’d seen him. No matter what he said, she was just plain-Jane vanilla, a librarian by vocation and avocation.

He gently framed her face with his palms. “Nina,” he whispered against her lips, “if I were a sultan, I’d carry you away on my horse. If I were a wealthy playboy, I’d sweep you out to sea on my yacht. But,” he said, sliding his hands into her back pockets and tugging her against him, “I’m just a cowboy who wants to make love to you.”

It was madness, insanity. A librarian didn’t go trolling around in a truck through the dusty countryside with a man whose one stated goal was to love her senseless.

Or did she?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Leonard loves to laugh, which is one of the many reasons she loves writing Harlequin American Romance novels. In another lifetime, Tina thought she’d be single and an East Coast fashion buyer forever. The unexpected happened when Tina met Tim again after many years—she hadn’t seen him since they’d attended school together from first through eighth grade. They married, and now Tina keeps a close eye on her school-age children’s friends! Lisa and Dean keep their mother busy with soccer, gymnastics and horseback riding. They are proud of their mom’s “kissy books” and eagerly help her any way they can. Tina hopes that readers will enjoy the love of family she writes about in her stories. Recently a reviewer wrote, “Leonard has a wonderful sense of the ridiculous,” which Tina loved so much she wants it for her epitaph. Right now, however, she’s focusing on her wonderful life and writing a lot more romance!

Navarro or Not
Tina Leonard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE JEFFERSON BROTHERS OF MALFUNCTION JUNCTION

Mason (38)—Maverick and Mercy’s eldest son—He can’t run away from his own heartache or The Family Problem.

Frisco Joe (37)—Fell hard for Annabelle Turnberry and has sweet Emmie to show for it. They live in Texas wine country.

Fannin (36)—Life can’t be better than cozying up with Kelly Stone and his darling twins in Ireland.

Laredo (35), twin to Tex—Loves Katy Goodnight, North Carolina and being the only brother with a reputation for winning his woman without staying on a bull.

Tex (35), twin to Laredo—Grower of roses and other plants, Tex fell for Cissy Kisserton and decided her water-bound way of life was best.

Calhoun (34)—Doesn’t want the family mantle passing to him.

Ranger (33), twin to Archer—Fell for Hannah Hotchkiss and will never leave the open road without her.

Archer (33), twin to Ranger—Talking with a faraway woman in Australia by e-mail is better than having a real woman to bother him.

Crockett (31), twin to Navarro—Paints portraits of nudes, but never wants to see a woman fully clothed in a wedding gown saying, “I do” to him

Navarro (31), twin to Crockett—Fell for Nina Cakes when he was supposed to be watching her sister, Valentine, who is carrying Last’s child.

Bandera (27)—Spouts poetry and has moved from Whitman to Frost—anything to keep his mind off the ranch’s troubles.

Last (26)—The only brother who finds himself expecting a baby with no hope of marrying the mother. Will he ever find the happy ending he always wanted?

To Lisa and Dean, always. I love you.

To my gal pals, whose friendship means so much to me: Cryna Palmiere, Riza Majerreis, Donna Opalenik, Jerry Shriver, Latesha Ballard, Amina Rusk, Nicki Flockton, Jennifer, Sally Grabham and KraziKim55!

And to my editors, who are excellent. Many thanks to Paula Eykelhof and Stacy Boyd, who have great patience and who keep me doing what I love best.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Actions speak louder than words. So think your actions over many times.

—Maverick Jefferson when his boys got caught stealing Shoeshine Johnson’s bus for a road trip because it was the only vehicle all twelve of them could fit into at once.

“What has to be done,” Navarro Jefferson told his twin, Crockett, as they sat in his truck, “is that one of us should go live in Lonely Hearts Station. As a sort-of mole. To keep an eye on Last’s pregnancy matter before it gets further out of hand.”

Recently, Last, the youngest Jefferson brother and the family philosophe, had managed to get himself into trouble with a gal of questionable reputation from the wrong side of the beautician tracks.

Ever since their elder brother Frisco Joe had courted and married a stylist from the Lonely Hearts Salon—and put the Jefferson brothers in the middle of a duel between the Lonely Hearts beauties and their salon rivals, the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls—life had not been going well for any of the boys from Union Junction.

Not for Last, nor for the rest of his brothers.

Navarro had sort of expected more trouble, but lacking condom sense was not supposed to be in the cards.

“How would we do that?” Crockett asked. “I think the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls would know we were watching their every move.”

“The only one we need to watch is Valentine,” Navarro told his twin. “You and I could swap out, take turns, and they’d never know the difference. Tag-team girl-watching.”

Crockett blinked. “Why do I find that appealing in a warped kind of way?” He considered the notion, peering out the truck window toward the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon. “Or possibly, I find it depressing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman.”

“Whoa,” Navarro said. “Too much info.”

“Last says he doesn’t remember anything about that night except that he was drinking some exceptional firewater.”

“Man, I remember every good night I’ve had with a lady,” Navarro bragged. “Even in my dreams.”

“More there than not.”

Navarro pulled his hat low over his eyes without comment.

“So how do we invade the landscape without raising suspicions? We need to get on the inside of that salon,” Crockett said.

“Yeah. But bed maneuvers are out. I think there’s enough trouble in the family tree when it comes to the ladies.”

“Mmm.” Crockett studied the goings-on of an attractive band of giggling Never Lonely girls as they left the salon. They were all dressed provocatively, which he appreciated. He wouldn’t date any of the girls—not his type—but he certainly appreciated the goodness they were lending to the view. “You could dress in drag and become a hairdresser alongside them.”

“I think not.”

“You could become a client.”

“I think they’d suspect my motives.” Everyone in town knew that the Jefferson brothers were more likely to be seen at the Lonely Hearts Salon across the street when they needed a trim.

Crockett was silent for a moment. “You could hit on Valentine.”

“I’d rather gnaw off my leg. Anyway, that would totally raise suspicions.”

“Well, then you’d have to prove that your intentions were honest, in order to get the most info out of her. You’d have to get engaged.”

Navarro laughed. “Right.”

“We could get engaged. If we tag-team spy, we might as well tag-team engage. No one would notice that we were switching out. And then we’d be on the inside.”

“What a novel idea. Why don’t we just do something so stupid?”

“I’m serious.” Crockett sat up straight. “It’s not very heroic, and it’s deceitful, but it would get us in a primo position to find out the info we need to save our bro from Valentine’s catch-a-cowboy plot.”

“We’ve done a lot worse, but I don’t think Fannin would approve, even in the name of family. And when Mason comes home, he’d roast us for sure.”

“I say it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission.”

“I say…you’ve got a point.” Navarro drummed the steering wheel. “How are we going to figure out which of those lovelies we want to sucker?”

“I don’t know. How about the little plus-size gal over there with the pretty smile?”

“I think you may be looking at her chest when you talk ‘plus size.’ We could toss her between us like a doll. She’s a little bitty thing—isn’t she?—all curves and swerves.”

“I like blondes,” Crockett mused. “And she’s not dressed fakey. She’s kind of cute. Personality-wise, of course. Is there any chance we could reconsider sleeping with our girlfriend?”

“Absolutely not!” Navarro exclaimed.

“Rats. I do tend to fall easily to temptation. I really like a nice ripe bottom on a woman. She looks like she’s all peach and no pit.”

“She’s definitely ripe. Hey, she’s coming over! Turn your head and act like you’re lost!”

“Hey, guys,” the blonde said. “Lost?”

“Yes,” Crockett said, because Navarro had pulled his hat over his face. “But we want to figure it out ourselves, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh. You’re adventurous types,” she said.

“You could say that,” Crockett agreed.

Nina Cakes smiled at the cowboy, realizing at once that here was the answer to her prayers.

“I need a man,” she said.

“We’ve heard that before, sister,” the cowboy told her. “And we’re always ready to heed the call.”

Nina took a step back from his leer. “Uh, cool your jets, cowboy. I said I need a man, not a mistake.”

The man under the hat snickered. Nina went around to the driver’s side to talk through the window. “Look, it’s actually quite simple. I just need help lifting some boards up the stairs.”

She frowned when he didn’t answer.

“Navarro’s resting. My brother tires out easily. By the way, I’m Crockett.”

He stretched a hand across his brother for her to shake, which Nina did, reluctantly, trying to overlook the coughing fit that seemed to have possessed Hat Man. “He doesn’t look like he’s resting,” she said. “Maybe when he gets up from his nap, I could offer him a job.”

Crockett stretched his muscles for her. “’Course, I’m alive and kicking and ready to do your bidding. I can move a few pieces of wood—for free. I’d be happy to do it for such a pretty girl.”

Nina tried not to roll her eyes. What a come-on! Did she look like the kind of girl who fell for an easy line? Librarians were far smarter than that, and she prided herself on being one of the most qualified, sharpest librarians in Dannon, Delaware.

Of course, today she was in a place called Lonely Hearts Station, Texas, with an heirloom bed her sister Valentine claimed had been broken accidentally. Nina pursed her lips and considered Crockett. He didn’t exactly seem wholesome. What were the odds she could trust him to help her without trying to paw her? Far too sure of himself, he was quite different from the bookish, studious types who came into her library: some students, some older supporters of the library, an occasional mom or dad—but nothing like this man or his mysterious brother.

More wolf than sheep, for certain.

She’d bet these two were probably a lot like the man who’d gotten her sister into trouble. Valentine was in the family way by a nefarious, no-good, irresponsible cowboy. If he was anything like these men, no wonder Valentine had been lured astray. Poor Valentine!

But first things first—the heirloom bed was the matter at hand. Now that Nina had come to Lonely Hearts Station to help her sister, she needed a place to sleep. More importantly, Nina would never be at ease until the heirloom bed that had been in their family for generations was repaired.

The bed was charmed. Nina stared at the hat-covered face next to her, thinking about the importance of the charm. What would this man know about a woman’s secret desires? Every single member of their female family had been conceived or born in that bed. The antique was simply magical in some way no one could really understand. Perhaps it was the delicate latticework headboard. Maybe the fine linens, which were more than a hundred years old, and the hand-crocheted lace edgings worked by Great-grandmother Eugenia from England.

Or the charm could simply rest in the bed’s beauty and simple elegance. It invited a couple to share their dreams and joys while on its frame.

More than anything, Nina wanted that charm to work for her. One day, in the future. Certainly not in the way poor Valentine had chosen. Clearly the charm was still in serious good form because Valentine was due in about six months, give or take a week or two.

She sighed. “This is really important. I can’t trust my bed to just anyone.”

It seemed the cowboy under the hat got very still, his muscles bunching under his T-shirt. That man was no more resting than she was, Nina realized. He was awake and listening to every word she said.

The word “bed” really seemed to get his attention, she noticed.

Cowboys! Apparently they were only interested in boots, babes and beds.

Well, life just wasn’t as carefree for her. “I’m going inside now,” Nina said. “My room is upstairs. Number five. The wood for the slats is by the front door where the delivery company left it. I am in a desperate position, I will admit, so…” She looked at Crockett uncertainly. “Can you lift heavy things?”

“Of course,” he said, sitting straight up. “Wood is my specialty. Lift, saw, nail, glue, hammer—”

“All right,” Nina said. “Tell the woman at the desk that it’s all right for you to go upstairs. Her name is Valentine.”

“Valentine?” Crockett repeated, his tone surprised.

“I admit it’s an unusual name, but then, one might say Crockett and Navarro are unusual, as well,” Nina said. “My name is Nina Cakes. Nina is short for Eugenia. I’m named after my great-grandmother whose heirloom bed I am trying to repair. Valentine is my sister.”

She noticed Navarro’s posture became even more rigid. The stillest she’d ever seen in a human body. His fingers were clamped around the steering wheel bottom, just over his lap and right next to a large belt buckle. All cowboy. He smelled wonderful, she noticed on the sudden breeze that blew through the open windows of the truck. She stopped herself from giving an automatic “mmm” reaction and backed away. “Tell Valentine. I’ll be upstairs,” she said. “And please observe the house rules.”

“Which would be?” Crockett called after her as she walked toward the salon.

“No talking to the women without an appointment,” Nina said, and went inside, wondering what the man behind the hat had been hiding.

Elusive devil.

Poor Valentine. “You should have stayed up north,” she told her sister grumpily as she walked past the reception area. “Clearly cowboys are just out for one thing.”

“That’s what we like about them,” another hair-stylist called. “Didn’t you read the motto?”

Nina glanced at the glittery sign for the hundredth time, high on the wall, with big letters. “‘Save a horse, ride a cowboy,”’ she muttered. “I can read, thanks.”

She could also heed a warning.

“DUDE! THIS IS TOO EASY!” Crockett said, poking Navarro in the arm. “Drag those boards upstairs!”

“Slow down,” Navarro said, the voice of caution. “We need to think this through.”

“Think! Whatever happened to the man of action?”

Navarro pulled his hat off his face to look at his twin. “The man of action was the one not wearing a condom, drinking suspicious firewater and having a real good time. Which is why we’re sitting here, instead of back in Union Junction at the ranch, where we belong. So, let’s take a deep breath and consider the angles.”

Crockett thumped his head back against the headrest. “Angle on.”

“She scares me, for starters.”

Crockett glanced over at him. “Scares you?”

“Yeah.” Navarro shifted uncomfortably. “She’s cute. She’s got a sexy voice. It’s kind of prim-and-proper don’t-mess-with-me. I think my call of the wild found that to be an invitation.”

Crockett laughed. “She had the hots for me, in case you didn’t notice.”

“I did not notice that.” Navarro stared down the old road that was the center of Lonely Hearts Station. It separated one side of town from the other—and effectively separated the two battling beauty salons: Lonely Hearts Salon and the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls.

The Jefferson brothers owed a lot to Delilah, the owner of the Lonely Hearts Salon. She and her employees had chipped in to save Union Junction during the last big freeze. Delilah’s sister, Marvella, was her arch nemesis, and was trying to put her out of business by selling, if rumor was to believed, something more than garden-variety mow-n-go haircuts at the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon. “Why did you tell her our real names?”

Crockett shrugged. “I didn’t tell her our last names. Besides, she won’t know who we are. You carry the boards up—”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the one sitting over there twitching for some action. You’re the man with the call of the wild going on. Besides, you’re more cautious than me. We both know I’d do something wrong.”

“Impulsive.”

“And rightfully so,” Crockett said. “Come on, we haven’t busted up a joint in months. We’ve had to mind our p’s and q’s with Mason taking off. Fannin running the joint. Mimi in the family way. The housekeeper taking over our house.” Crockett blew out a breath. “Last going insane. I mean, I’m about tired of my p’s and q’s being so minded. I want our old life back. Before it got so reputation-conscious.”

Navarro shook his head. “Valentine’s sitting at the desk. She’s going to recognize that we look an awful lot like the rest of the family.”

Crockett shrugged. “Keep your hat low. Dump the lumber and go. But see if Valentine’s really got a belly on her, or if that’s just a bunch of bull to rope Last. I bet she’s not even pregnant. And how do we know Last is the father? I mean, this blows.” Crockett pulled his hat down over his face. “When this is all over, I’m going to go find Mason and tell him he’s never gonna learn what happened to our father, and that he needs to deal with the fact that his true-love Mimi got married on him because he dragged his own dang boots, and that he needs to get his butt home.”

“Good luck,” Navarro said. “But first things first.”

WHEN THE COWBOY WALKED into her room, Nina’s blood started moving around in her body the way it never had before. A crazy tickle and then a full-blown rush filled her veins.

No, she told herself. Not this one. Completely inappropriate choice! And there have been enough of those lately. “Thanks for coming up,” she said.

“There was no one at the desk,” Navarro said. “I just made my way upstairs and—” His dark eyes swept her as she sat on the floor, a pencil and metal measuring tape in her hands. “What are you doing?”

“Measuring off,” Nina said. “Highly advisable if I want to cut these slats properly.”

He eyed the collapsed bed, which made Nina’s face blush a bit. Of course, it was hot in her room. A small fan blew nearby, but it was spring and Marvella hadn’t turned the air-conditioning on yet because the nights were still cool. All the measuring and sawing was making her hot, Nina decided.

“Now that I’ve found your room, I’m going to go get the rest of the wood.” Navarro backed away from her and Nina realized she probably looked sweaty and dirty.

“Thank you, Crockett.”

He hesitated, then left. Nina took a deep breath, then jumped to her feet to cross to the mirror. Yes, sweaty and messy. “How did they make it in the good ol’ days without air-conditioning? I’m going to fry my Delaware skin.” Taking a damp rag, she swept it over her, then reached for some peach gloss to touch to her lips.

She was taking a few swipes at her hair in an effort to tame it when the cowboy strode in, carrying the lumber. Her gaze met his and she dropped the brush, embarrassed to be caught primping.

He grinned at her. “Nice.”

That evil blooming of her skin she’d felt moments before now blushed over her body in a heat wave no air conditioner would cool. She raised her chin. “You can set the wood down there.”

His grin widened to wolfish. “You are a snappy little peach, I’ll grant you that.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he smoothly bent to rest the wood on the floor. His jeans fit so tightly, his butt looked so—

Glancing up, he caught her staring—and laughed.

“I’ve never seen a cowboy up this close,” she said.

“Really? I’ve never seen a…what are you, anyway?”

“Librarian,” Nina said, her chin rising, knowing already what he was going to say. “And I should warn you, I’ve heard every bad line about librarians you could possibly dream—”

“Now, I’ve heard that there are two kinds of librarians,” the cowboy said, leaning up against the wall, his boots crossed, his arms tucked over his chest. His grin was too wide and too playful, and she longed to smack it off his face.

“Well, there is really only one kind of librarian,” she said. “Serious.”

“I heard there was also the skank variety.”

She dropped the measuring tape she’d picked up. “‘Skank variety’?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “She hovers in her book stacks, waiting for the right victim to come along so she can read him the Kama Sutra—well, ‘read’ would be the incorrect verb, I guess. And then—” he lowered his voice “—and then she seduces him in the basement, where he is never heard from again. Skank librarian.” He shrugged. “That’s where the haunted library story comes from. Haunted, you see, because it was the librarian who, like a black widow spider, kills her lover after they—”

“That is ridiculous! And so…chauvinistic!”

He laughed. “Bet you thought I was gonna repeat the stereotype about the dowdy librarian who gets set free sexually by the mystery male who somehow knows he’s latched on to the one hottie card-catalogette in town who’s wearing a thong and bustier under her gray, frumpy suit. Personally, I always thought the skank librarian was more likely. Scary, but likely.”

She ground her teeth. “Actually, I fall under the only heading of librarian I know. Hard-working, sincere, interested, capable—”

His wink stopped her. “I’m just playing around with you.”

Skank librarian, indeed. She thought about her sister and her sister’s reputation, which was nonexistent now. It was up to her to set a good example and to be the most upright Cakes she could be.

“I shouldn’t be playing around with you, probably,” he said. “You broke your bed. You might be dangerous.” He pulled a huge jackknife from his pocket and began marking off sections on the wood.

“Oh, yeah.” Nina sank onto a chair. “You’re in big danger from me.”

“Well, there’s danger. And then there’s danger. That’s what I always say.”

“Profound.”

He glanced up at her. “Yeah. Maybe not by a librarian’s standards. But it works for me.”

She sighed. “So, I guess you wouldn’t be brandishing a knife that big if you didn’t want it commented on.”

He gave her a devilish wink. “I’m not packing small anything, peachy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”

“So, tell me about your sister.”

“No.”

He marked some notches. “Okay.”

“Tell me about your brother who wears the hat on his face.”

“Why? You dig him?”

She laughed. “Dig? How can I dig a guy whose face I haven’t seen?”

He looked at her, his eyes full of mischief. She wondered about that face and those eyes. What would she read in those eyes if she and he were alone together on a moonlit night—

“Maybe a face isn’t what’s important about a man.”

She raised her brows. “Then what is?”

He stuck his knife in the floor and lifted a handsaw to the wood. “The size of his…knife.” The look on her face made him laugh. “Fooled ya. You thought I was going to say something else.”

“I did not!”

“Whatever.”

“I won’t bother to return fire. But I could, with everything I’ve heard about cowboys since I’ve been here.”

“Hardworking, sincere, interested, capable—”

“That’s not what my sister would say,” Nina said. “She would probably say loose, loser, dishonest and wish-I’d-never-met-him.”

“Hey, that’s my bro—”

She stared at him. “Yes? Your what?”

He shook his head. “This is all wrong.”

“Why?”

“Because.” He stood, looking at her thoughtfully. “My name is Navarro Jefferson.”

Her heart started a slow thud. “Jefferson?”

“Jefferson. I’m Last’s older brother.”

“I see.” She backed away from him, turning her face. “Thank you for carrying up the lumber,” she said pointedly. “You can go now.”

“I could, but I think you’ve marked this wrong,” he said, kneeling to look at the pencil markings on the slat. “What happened to this bed, anyway? You got splinters in the drapes.”

She didn’t want to think about what had happened to her charmed bed, especially since she suspected its shattered slats might have been Last Jefferson’s doing. Her stomach churned. And now she had one of the infamous Jefferson brothers alone in the room with her and her broken bed.

He had been deceiving her by not telling her immediately that he was a Jefferson. For a minute she had nearly been taken in by that not-so-suave, good-ol-cowboy facade.

Whew. Close call.

“Hey,” Navarro said. “I am sorry about your sister. We’ll get to the bottom of matters. I promise.”

Still not facing him, and blinking away tears, Nina shook her head. It didn’t matter now. Not really. All her sister’s dreams for the new life she’d hoped to find in Texas were as shattered as the bed. By a Jefferson cowboy. Now, Nina’s goal was to put the bed back together and to recapture the charm.

One day she was going to need that charm for herself.

Chapter Two

So much for the peach being a possibility. Navarro glanced over at Nina, who was studiously ignoring him. That was his invitation to leave, but perversely, he wanted to stay.

It was her roundness, he decided, that he found so delicious. He wanted to take a bite of her—bad. “So, maybe we’ll have to agree to work together.”

She turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “You’re not happy. We’re not happy. No one’s exactly thrilled about the situation. Valentine’s suing us, you know.”

“She has a right to financial assistance from the father of her child.”

“Maybe. If Last is the father.”

Nina gasped. “How dare you?”

“Hold on there, sparky. We have a right to wonder. Last only saw her one night.”

“Okay.” Nina crossed her arms. “How is saying something like that helping us to work together?”

He scratched his head for a minute, thinking hard. Crockett would handle this moment so much better; he’d just sweep Nina into bed and somehow the problem would solve itself.

No, that thought didn’t make Navarro feel better.

Well, if he was their oldest brother, he’d find some anal-retentive solution to talking Nina down out of her tree.

Or maybe not. Mason had never figured out their next-door neighbor and family friend, Mimi, so it was no use looking to his brother’s example for inspiration.

Nor Last’s. The brother with the lollipop-colored memories of the way their family used to be had kept the brothers hewn to hearth and home to make him happy. Until this latest escapade.

Crockett maybe? Archer? Bandera?

No, no and no.

It was up to him to sort out this huge problem. He could wind up a hero, if he figured out a way to fix it. The family could get back to its version of normal, if he played his cards right.

“Hey,” he said, his voice calm, the way it would sound if he was soothing a skittish mare. “Let’s get back to fixing this bed. Then we’ll talk about the other.”

That would give him time to think.

“Actually, I feel very awkward having you help me,” Nina said. “It feels wrong.”

“You don’t owe me anything—”

“I’m not suggesting that I do,” she snapped. “More like you owe us.”

Navarro cautioned himself to keep his cool. He upgraded her from snippy little peach to fiery. Gently he began sawing at a piece of lumber, keeping straight to the line he’d marked with his knife. “So, this bed means a lot to you.”

“Yes. I’m going to get pregnant in it one day.”

He miscued the saw and went into the hardwood floor. “Damn!” Checking the damage, he said, “We’ll pull the rug over that when I’m finished.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, sitting on the floor. “We’re already being charged damages for the room.”

“Really? By whom?”

“Marvella. When the bed broke, it scratched up the floor.”

He glanced under what remained of the frame. “Does seem as if she has a point. So, are…you planning on getting pregnant soon?”

“First, I’d have to find the man, wouldn’t I?” She gave him a pointed look. “And I haven’t met the right one yet.”

“Every day brings a new opportunity,” he said cheerfully.

“Thank you for your opinion, which was unsolicited, I believe.”

He grinned, relieved that there was no boyfriend hanging around her. “So, what if your husband of choice doesn’t want kids? I, myself, for example, do not want children. Nor marriage, but that sort of goes with the territory.”

“Then he wouldn’t be the right man, would he?”

“Now that was a very sensible, librarian-style answer,” Navarro said approvingly. “No messing about. No worrying about broken hearts. Just, when I meet the right man, it will all happen the way I imagine it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No.” He returned to sawing, waiting for her to comment further, since he’d obviously given her something to yammer back at him about.

But she sat quietly, watching him.

He kind of liked her watching him. To be honest, he liked having her full attention. “I would have thought a cute librarian like you would have already been dragged down to the secret labyrinth of the book stacks by now.”

“I would slap anybody who tried,” she said, her tone even.

“Oh.” He made a mental note not to get slapped.

“No man with he-man tendencies would be the man for me,” she told him. “I like gentlemen.”

Uh-oh. No one was ever going to accuse any of the Jeffersons of being gentle. “So, how did you say this bed ended up in this pitiful condition?”

“Best as I can tell, it happened the night your brother was here.”

He stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention. “Last would not break a lady’s bed and then leave her to deal with the consequences of having no place to sleep.”

“Please.”

“You don’t know my brother.”

“I don’t have to. I’ve seen all I need to.”

Navarro had to admit his patience was starting to slide out the window. It was a cursed thing, Jefferson patience. Very rare, very mercurial and, sometimes, very hard to keep under one’s hat. “Did your sister say that Last was responsible?”

“I think she felt that accusing him of the baby matter was sufficient. I, however, feel that he should be held accountable for everything he’s done.”

Okay. Navarro realized that facts had to be faced. He was in a room, developing hots for the only woman on the planet who seemed to be secretly designed as his nemesis. There was no happy meeting point between them; there would be no sweet build up to the happy climax. “Moving on,” he said. “This should be fairly easy to finish.”

“Good.”

He ground his teeth at the “And well it should!” tone. It so reminded him of being in the library with old Mrs. Farklewell. Every time the Jefferson boys were in the school library, they heard a constant litany of “Shh! Shh!” in the tone that only a first-chair violinist and a librarian could muster.

“Well, look who we have here!”

Navarro glanced up at the woman in the doorway. She wore a lot of makeup and seemed very pleased to see him. Marvella.

“A Jefferson.” She fairly crowed. “Cleaning up the mess baby brother left behind.”

The hair under Navarro’s hat started itching. “I’m cleaning up a mess. That’s all I have to say.”

She stroked the black kitten she held in her hands. “And getting acquainted with your future sister-in-law. How nice!”

Navarro and Nina glanced at each other.

“Family time is so important. You feel free to stay as long as you like. Which Jefferson are you, by the way?”

“Navarro, ma’am,” he said automatically, the polite habit coming hard after many years of Mason knocking manners into their heads.

“Well, Navarro, there is a rodeo coming up.” She smiled at him. “You know how I love those Jefferson brothers riding for my salon.”

“I—”

“Someone’s got to pay for this damage,” she said, the expression on her face full of faux concern. “Such a shame to scar up a nice hardwood floor this way. I believe one of the screws even embedded itself in that wall,” she said, pointing. “You know, Last is the first Jefferson brother who’s come in here and treated my home like a shabby saloon. The rest of your brothers seem to prefer the heart-shaped spa.” She shook her head. “But maybe he prefers dry land. Oh, well, no matter. I’ll leave a note at the desk saying you’re to have run of the house while you’re here. Think about my offer.”

She glided from the doorway.

Navarro turned to face Nina. The peach had gone truly pale. Putting the saw down, he sat on the floor. “Holy smokes, she’s evil.”

“On that, we can agree.” Nina nodded at him.

“So we need to play on the same team, against her. Don’t you think?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s what she’s expecting. She wants you and I to band together.”

“To what purpose?”

“I don’t know. Maybe so you’ll pay for the room damages. She can charge you more than me, obviously. Librarians don’t make that much.”

“So I’ll pay the damages.”

She looked at him, her blue eyes hopeful. “It’s nice of you to offer without me having to ask you to pay for your brother’s mess.”

“You know,” Navarro said, “it takes two people in a bed to make something happen.”

“That would be the premise,” she agreed. “And something happened.”

“But I think your theory is too obvious,” Navarro said thoughtfully, trying not to stare at her ankles as she crossed them delicately in front of her. “I think Marvella would rather see us at each other’s throats. Divide and conquer.”

“Elaborate, but possible,” Nina said, nodding. “What would she gain?”

“Two pawns. If there are bad feelings between us, Marvella is free to work her witchery without us being the wiser.”

“You may have a point,” Nina said reluctantly. “In fact, it has always been the enemy’s way to weaken by division, according to many of the great moments in history.”

“Exactly.” Navarro held out his hand. “Let’s shake on working together.”

“I don’t know,” Nina said. “We’re related now, by Valentine’s baby. Shaking seems quite weird.”

But she put her hand in his and, later, after Navarro had time to review his actions, he would often wonder if this was the moment that changed his destiny.

He pulled Nina toward him and kissed her square on the lips.

He waited for the smacking he so righteously deserved and which she’d all but promised any man who tried to drag her into the metaphorical book stacks—but, to his amazement, Nina put her little hand behind his head and held him as she kissed him with a heated peachiness a man could only pray he experienced once in his life.

One shot. That was usually all a man ever got at something like this. Navarro was not known for wasting time or energy. Pulling Nina into his lap, he kissed her deeply, enjoying her passion and her surrender. Maybe all the more sweet because it was wrong, Navarro kissed her hard, fast, wanting as much of her as he could get.

“Ahem!”

Nina jumped out of his lap like a timed-release spring, fleeing a good yard away from him. “Damn it, Crockett!” Navarro said. “What the hell?”

“I might say the same. You were supposed to be carrying some lumber up here, bro. I thought maybe Marvella had you in her clutches.”

“Not quite.” Navarro cursed his empty lap, wanting Nina back immediately. He turned to look at Nina—who was staring at Crockett.

“Twins?” she said. “Twins?”

Crockett grinned. “Two for the price of one.”

Navarro winced. “Not smooth, bro.”

Crockett glanced at him. “Maybe I should start marking off some wood and keep my mouth shut.”

“Excellent idea.” Navarro looked at Nina, realizing unhappiness was her key emotion. “Hey,” he said softly.

“No,” she said automatically. She shook her head. “No.”

Regret filled Navarro that the moment was lost. But it had been sweet while it lasted—and if he ever got a chance to recapture it, he was going to go for it.

Consequences be damned.

NINA COULDN’T BELIEVE her eyes. There were two versions of the man she’d just kissed putting her charmed bed back together! The only way she could tell them apart right now was by shirt color. And personality. Crockett was the brash, outspoken one. Navarro was a methodical thinker. Which should make him boring—but he wasn’t. Her lips were still on fire from his kiss!

How embarrassing to plant herself in his lap—despite all her good intentions to the contrary! Maybe that was part of his plan, to show that neither of the Cakes sisters could be counted on not to fall under a man’s spell of temptation.

She stared at the brothers’ industriously bent heads and decided that probably wasn’t the case. They seemed more hot-blooded than deceptive. Although I wouldn’t count out the deceptive part, either.

Okay, she just had to never lose her mind around Navarro again. And then everything would be fine.

“Friends?” he asked her.

“I’m not sure,” she replied.

“I’m voting for kissing cousins,” Crockett said with a grin. “Now that we’re all related, anyway.”

Navarro slapped him upside the head. Nina smiled. “We’re not related yet,” she told him.

“We’re related to Valentine’s baby,” Crockett replied. “And anyway, once you’ve kissed a Jefferson, you’ll never be able to—ow!” He pulled back from his brother’s slap. “It’s true, all the women say it!”

“Say what?” Nina asked.

“Nothing,” Navarro said.

“No, tell me. I want to know.”

Navarro sighed. “The saying goes that ‘Once you’ve kissed a Jefferson man, you’ll kiss anything he wants you to.”’

Nina laughed out loud. “Is that a saying you brothers made up? To create your own mystique?”

Navarro shrugged.

Crockett shook his head solemnly. “We’ve never had to toot our own horns.”

“Oh, brother.” Nina stared out the window. “Hey, look!”

The brothers came to stand beside her to stare down into the courtyard. Marvella was talking to Valentine, who appeared to be upset.

“I’m going down there,” Nina said, but Navarro held her back.

“Hold on,” he said. “Let’s be good spies.”

“My sister needs me!”

“No. She needs something, but not necessarily you butting into her business.”

She pulled herself out of his hands. “Since when did you become my guardian?” she demanded, keeping a watch on Valentine who was now wiping at her eyes.

“Tried to tell you,” Crockett said. “Once you’ve kissed one of us, you’ll never want to let go of him.”

“That’s not what you said,” Nina said, outraged.

“I’m paraphrasing.” Crockett shrugged. “Most women in your position would be happy right now.”

“My position? What position is that?”

Crockett never took his eyes off Valentine. Nina had a feeling he was talking by rote, ladling the same ol’ bunch of nonsense the brothers probably gave every woman.

“Me and Navarro and a pretty bed all in a room with you. Most women would be happy. They might even try to fulfill some kind of twin fantasy.”

Nina gasped, and Navarro put his hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened at the feel of his arm around her shoulders, his hard length lined up against her back.

“Shh,” he told her. “Let Crockett think.”

“Let him think!” she said, pulling free. “All he does is…is talk about sex.”

Navarro nodded. “That’s what a man does when he’s thinking. But trust me, there’s some serious busywork going on under that hat.”

“I need to be with my sister,” Nina said.

“No,” Crockett said, waving her back.

“You don’t care what happens to her! You don’t care that she’s upset!”

“Sure we do,” Navarro said. “She might be carrying Jefferson goods.”

Nina whipped around to stare into Navarro’s eyes. “Goods?”

“Okay,” Crockett said. “Here’s the deal. Marvella wants Valentine to do something she doesn’t want to. Valentine is upset. I’m going to nonchalantly stroll outside for a smoke.”

“You don’t smoke,” Navarro said.

“Sure I do, for this charade. And Marvella’s going to think I’m you,” he told Navarro. “So don’t blow my cover by letting her know there’s two of us in the house.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Keep your eye on the peach. But don’t do anything else, because I might need a rescue. Listen in case I shout.”

“What’s the point to this?” Nina asked.

“Nemo salis satis sapit,” Crockett said, heading out the door.

“What?” Nina said. “What did he just mumble?”

“Two heads are better than one, loosely translated,” Navarro said, leaning so he could spy from behind the curtain more easily. “Sometimes Crockett likes Latin. As do I.”

“You guys are really weird,” Nina said. “I don’t know if having two heads is a plus for you.”

“But you liked kissing me. Admit it,” he said, staring down as his brother entered the courtyard, whistling innocently.

“Would you stop?” Nina demanded. “That’s exactly what your brother did. Talk about meaningful things while your mind is on something else.”

“We have excellent focus,” Navarro said. “And we’ve been good way too long.”

“Whatever.” Nina watched Marvella greet Crockett. “Think she’ll notice he has on a different shirt?”

“No. No one gets past the pretty face.”

Nina rolled her eyes.

“Besides, he’d just say he changed, and Marvella wouldn’t doubt that because a cowboy always carries a change.”

“I wonder why,” Nina said dryly.

“Hey, we’re trying to help you here, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“What’s Latin for ‘I’m not exactly buying that’?”

He ran a finger slowly up the back of her neck and Nina shivered. “So tell me again about how much you liked kissing me.”

“I grade your ego an A-plus,” Nina murmured. “But clearly it was you who liked kissing me since you can’t stop talking about it.”

Outside, Crockett plucked a rose and handed it to Marvella, which she took with a laugh. To the casual bystander, it would appear to be any other Sunday afternoon, passed pleasantly by people who enjoyed each other’s company.

Only the flash of Valentine’s face as she glanced up at Nina’s window gave away the mirage.

“Something’s not right,” Nina murmured.

“I know. We’re going to help you fix it. You’re new to town. We have to spot you some lag time on learning how to outwit Marvella.”

“But that’s my sister!”

“It’s okay,” Navarro said. “Trust me.” Then he made her shiver again as he put an arm around her. “So back to the kiss we shared—”

“A mistake of epic proportions.”

“Really?” He turned to face her.

“Yes.”

“So you’ll not be kissing anything of mine I ask—”

“No.”

He raised his brows. “Well, that is new.”

“You’re not fooling me, Navarro Jefferson. Any woman with an ounce of sanity would listen to the bull you’re peddling and say, ‘No, thank you.”’

“I like your sense of self-respect.” He turned her head gently so she was looking down into the courtyard again. “Now watch Crockett close the deal.”

Nina watched, amazed, as Crockett led Valentine away from Marvella, apparently with Marvella’s approval. He handed Valentine a hanky out of his pocket, which she gratefully took.

Two minutes later Crockett and Valentine walked into the bedroom.

“Are you all right?” Nina asked, rushing over to her baby sister.

“I’m fine.” Valentine sank into the only chair in the room, while everyone else gathered around her. “And don’t ask me to talk about it, because I can’t.”

“Why not?” Nina demanded.

“I just can’t.” Valentine turned sad eyes on Crockett. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“I like gratitude in a woman,” Crockett said. “Maybe we should try for a foursome.”

To Nina’s surprise, Valentine giggled. “Pass. One Jefferson was all I needed.”

“See?” Crockett said to Nina.

“Okay. Hold on a minute here,” Nina said. “Everybody hear the new rule. No more joking about sexual matters. It’s in very poor taste, considering the…situation.”

Valentine and the two men stared at her.

“Whew, that’s the librarian in her coming out,” Navarro said. “No sense of humor. Where’s your bun?”

Nina swept a hand over her chin-length hair. “Buns are passé for librarians. Why are you all taking this so lightly?”

“So we don’t cry?” Valentine said. “Personally, I prefer their way of talking about it to yours, Nina. No offense or anything. But ever since you got here, you’ve been acting like I should be trundled off to a nunnery, and you’re starting to make me nervous.”

“Nervous?” Nina glanced at Navarro.

“There’s a good chance you’re repressed,” he told her.

“I’m just a woman trying to take care of her family,” Nina said sternly. “I take care of my family differently than you take care of yours. Certain matters deserve respect, and pregnancy is one of them.”

“Yes, but I swear I’ve developed a twitch since you arrived,” Valentine said. “Nina, I’m never going to be able to live up to your standards.”

“Ah,” Navarro said. “Now we’re getting to the deep issues.”

“What are you talking about?” Nina said. “We’re sisters. We have no deep issues to overcome.”

“Yes, we do,” Valentine said. “Even though I love you. Can I have a glass of water? I’m not feeling too well.”

“I’ll get it.” Crockett sprang to do her bidding.

Navarro pulled Nina into the circle of his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“Nothing is going to be fine!” she insisted, but she didn’t try to pull away. “My sister is unmarried and pregnant, and our heirloom bed is broken. How is everything going to be fine?”

“Because,” Navarro said, putting his lips against her temple. “I’ve decided you need me.”

Valentine laughed.

Nina bristled. “I have never needed anything less.”

“That’s not what you were saying when we kissed.”

“You kissed him?” Valentine asked. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“I know, I know. It means that, in the future, I’ll kiss anything he wants me to.”

Valentine frowned. “No, Nina. It means that he’ll love you and leave you.”

Nina’s skin turned cold. “He can’t love me and leave me. We will never have those feelings for each other. In fact, the only reason we’ll ever be on speaking terms is because of the baby.”

But Nina felt another chill hit her—and she realized that she actually did like the big cowboy holding her close to his warm, strong body.

Very unlibrarianlike to fall for a man she’d only just met, especially a man who was used to women kissing him “wherever he liked.” Probably running after him as though he were some kind of prince. In this part of the world, he was likely considered a great catch.

Not by me, Nina thought. I always said I was going to wait for the right man to come along, and Navarro is not the man for my charmed bed!

Chapter Three

“I know what you’re thinking,” Navarro told Nina. “You’re thinking I’m not the right man. But I am. And I’ll show you. Let’s get back to finishing up this bed while the girls hen-talk,” he told his brother.

Nina glanced at Valentine. “Hen-talk, indeed. Could you live with that much chauvinism in your life?”

Valentine smiled. “Yes.”

“How? I’ve worked hard to get an education and to earn respect at my job. No man’s going to refer to me as a hen,” Nina said to Valentine, but she was looking at Navarro.

“Mad as a wet hen,” Crockett pointed out.

“As a counterpoint, I would just like to say that I’ve worked hard to be a good cowboy and to earn respect at my job. Nobody is ever going to henpeck me,” Navarro said to Crockett, but he was looking at Nina.

Valentine sighed. “Crockett says they’re going to take care of me. Is that all right, Nina? I like the sound of it. I think I’m gonna go for it. I’m ready to leave the shelter of your wings.”

“Again?” Nina’s heart burned.

“Yes. You don’t mean to, but you make me feel bad. I know I should be ashamed, but what happened has happened, and I’d rather the Jeffersons take care of me than Marvella. Or you. You need to go back to Delaware, to your life. It’s too cold for me up there, and besides, I like rural life in Texas.” Valentine smiled at the brothers.

“What about the lawsuit?” Nina asked.

“We’re going to have to figure that out,” Valentine replied. “But Crockett says he’s going to help me.”

“Since when did you become Rescue Ranger?” Nina demanded.

“She’s reasonable,” Crockett said. “Reasonable is easy to work with. We’re all going to be one big happy family, anyway. Emphasis on happy.”

“Told you Crockett could make matters work,” Navarro said. “Henny-penny, the sky is not falling.”

“Good one,” Crockett said. “Very hen-dustrious of you to think of a famous hen.”

“Yeah?” Nina looked at Navarro. “So if Crockett’s so skillful, how come he didn’t come to my room to fix the bed, instead of you?”

“Probably because I liked your little voice challenging me,” Navarro said. “And Crockett never has been much for snippy. Too chauvinistic to stand it. I, on the other hand, am not bothered by ruffled feathers and a sharp beaking.” He grinned. “Now, back to the bed.” Glancing over it, he said, “So, Valentine, do you know how this bed ended up in this condition?”

Everyone stopped moving.

“Dude,” Crockett began.

“Er—” Nina said, wondering why Navarro was trying to embarrass her sister.

“Last jumped on it,” Valentine said. “Jumped a lot. Apparently he likes to jump on beds. I sort of thought it was freedom of expression, cowboy style.”

Navarro and Crockett stared at her.

“Our little brother was jumping on your bed, hard enough to break it?” Crockett asked.

“He was having a great time,” Valentine said. “I stood right over there and watched.”

“That doesn’t sound kinky at all,” Navarro said. “I’m almost disappointed.”

“Well, you have to understand the age of this bed,” Valentine said. “It’s an heirloom.”

“Right. The heirloom charmed bed. Guaranteed potency.”

“Exactly,” Valentine said. “Now you just need to put it back together so it can work for Nina. She wants a baby, you know. And she’s no spring chicken.”

“I thought she was pushing the dark side of thirty,” Navarro said. “Though she kisses like a baby.”

“A baby!” Nina was outraged.

“Yeah. All sweet and tender and trusting.”

She stared at him. “You, sir, are no gentleman.”

He snapped his fingers. “I don’t meet those librarian prerequisites. Damn.”

Crockett laughed. “She wants gentle. He comes from a long line of men who know how to kiss women off their feet and enslave them with passion.” Reaching over, he patted Valentine’s tummy. “I can’t wait to be an uncle. We’re going to name him Eustus.”

“No we’re not,” Valentine said. “We’re going to name her Mary. No more Valentines and Eugenias, though those are very fine names.”

Nina gasped. “No family names?”

“No.” Valentine shook her head decisively. “I’m going alone on this one.”

“I still don’t understand why you called off the lawsuit you filed against Last,” Nina said. “I came down here to help save you from the bad guys.”

“Turns out they’re kind of sweet,” Valentine said. “Look, Nina. I’m not like you. I’m not a card-carrying feminist. I’m not looking to be the woman who has it all. I just want a man and a baby. I don’t have the man, but I have the baby, and Crockett says the Jeffersons will make me part of the family. That’s all I want. It replaces what you and I lost when our parents died.”

“And you believe him?” Nina didn’t think she could part with her trust that easily.

“Yeah. I do. Besides, the lawsuit was Marvella’s idea.”

The three of them stared at Valentine.

“How’s that?” Navarro asked. “You mean, you girls weren’t looking to freeload off some wealthy cowboys?”

Nina gave him the evil eye. “Tell me again how these men are the most gentlemanly men you’ll ever meet?”

“You have a bit o’ the pit in you, my peach,” Navarro said. “Were you not involved in the lawsuit idea?”

“I was not,” Nina said between gritted teeth. “I came down here to help my sister with her pregnancy. And to assist her in any other way possible. You know, since I’ve met you this afternoon,” she said to Navarro, “it seems like an awful lot has changed very fast.”

“We aim to please,” Crockett said.

“But hold on a minute here,” Nina said. “You’ve charmed your way into Marvella’s good graces. You’ve talked my sister out of a lawsuit to protect her child, with nothing more than promises on your part, and—”

“And I’ve kissed you,” Navarro said cheerfully. “All in all, a very profitable afternoon.”

“You’ve seduced us,” Nina said with a flash of understanding.

“Not yet.” Navarro looked at her. “Could we count it as something you’d consider?”

Crockett grinned. “Back to that twin fantasy—”

“No!” Nina glared at both of them, completely aware they were yanking her chain. “Let’s just get the bed fixed. Then we’ll figure out everything else.”

THREE HOURS LATER, the bed was good as new, maybe better. Valentine was completely worn out, so she lay on it, just for a test, she said, and went out like a light.

Nina said she’d better make certain the bed would hold two bodies, and she got on the bed, next to her sister. With the twilight-fresh breeze blowing warmly through the room, Nina fell asleep next to her sister.

Really annoying, especially when Navarro thought Nina should be so entranced by him that she would stay awake.

The other problem, Navarro thought as he looked at the newly refurbished bed, was that Nina was so darn upright. She really needed to loosen that librarian corset of hers. It was so tight she didn’t have any fun! And he couldn’t figure out how to make her take another walk on the wild side. There was every possibility he might not ever get another kiss out of her.

He needed to shake something up between them.

Maybe that’s what Last had been doing when he’d jumped on the bed. Shaking things up a bit.

Then there was Crockett, who’d made himself right at home between the two napping sisters.

The dawg.

“Hey,” he said, poking Crockett, who looked about as happy as any man in a nonconjugal, reclined position could be. “Wake up.”

“Don’ wanna,” Crockett said. “I’m between two women. Life is good.”

“They’re just sleeping,” Navarro said. “And you’re barely touching them.”

“The future holds the key,” Crockett said sleepily. “One hates to second-guess surprise and random good luck. Besides, they counterbalance the bed perfectly. Go away.”

Navarro decided the handiwork they’d put into sawing and remounting the slats must have worked if it held three bodies comfortably. Three and a half.

“When are we leaving?” he asked. “I’m getting twitchy.” Super-twitchy, watching his brother snooze so happily next to Nina. Though for the life of him, he wasn’t sure why he should care.

Because when she kissed me, she lit my fire.

“I’m in no hurry,” Crockett said. “Go on before you wake up my girls.”

“Whatever. Call the cell when we decide on the next course of action.”

He started to leave the room. Nina popped up. “I’ll go with you,” she said. “I’m hungry.”

“That’s better,” he said happily.

“Not for me,” Crockett complained. “Get out before you wake the other one. She needs her rest.”

Nina hesitated, wondering if she should leave her sister alone in bed with a stranger. A Jefferson. Her reputation might suffer.

“Crap,” Crockett said, easing up from the bed. “I knew it was too good to be true. I’ll sit over here by the window. Leave the door open so we can air out and keep our reputations unscathed.”

“Thanks, Crockett,” Nina said gratefully.

“No prob. I’m gonna grab a quick beer out of the fridge before I take up duty. Marvella said to help myself.”

“That’s sort of scary,” Navarro said. “But we won’t think about that right now. Just one beer, okay? And I’ll bring you and Sleeping Beauty a snack. Or call if she wakes up soon, and we’ll come by and pick you up. We need to make plans for the future.”

Crockett touched Valentine’s toes on his way past the bed. She didn’t move. “Out like a light,” he said. “Can’t get into any mischief when you’re lying in bed.”

“You can in that bed,” Navarro said. “Don’t even get me started on that.”

“You’re just mad ’cause you didn’t get a turn at snuggling.”

Navarro watched Nina’s roundly plump posterior move down the hall in front of him. “They say that twins can read each other’s minds. Do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Shut the hell up?”

“Exactly,” Navarro said.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT to eat?” Navarro asked Nina once they were outside.

“We can walk to the cafeteria, or we can eat spaghetti in Marvella’s kitchen. Those are the choices,” she told him. “Actually, I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”

“Check it out,” Navarro said. “There’s Marvella’s sister, Delilah.”

“And Marvella.” Nina watched the two women see each other on opposite sidewalks then ignore each other and turn to go into their separate salons. “Ouch,” she said. “I never want that to happen to me and Valentine. I want us to always be friends.”

“Something went very wrong there. I don’t think they’re ever going to make up.” Navarro pulled her away from the street so they could walk down the sidewalk. “You know, one thing worries me about your sister. Maybe she has a rescue-me syndrome going on.”

Nina stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“She doesn’t have your goals or your drive. She’s content to have people take care of her.”

“That doesn’t make her a bad person,” Nina said. “Just young and somewhat immature. And maybe it’s not altogether weird, when you consider that our parents died when she was young.”

“How come you’re so different?”

“Because I had to be. And then because I wanted to be. I was the eldest. It’s just different.”

“Don’t blow a geyser here, but what if Valentine got pregnant just so that someone—Last, at that moment—would have to take care of her?”

The same thought had occurred to Nina, but she didn’t appreciate Navarro broaching it. “Then we’d have to accept that about her. I’m not saying she’s perfect, Navarro.”

“No one is.” They rounded a corner on the way to the cafeteria. “It just worries me, is all. Now that she’s going to have to be the protector, instead of the protected.”

“What are you saying? That my sister won’t make a good mother?”

“No, I’m not saying that. It’s just sort of a feeling I have. Sort of a ‘hey, grow up and think things through’ feeling.”

“What do you want her to do, Navarro?”

“Mainly take care of herself and the baby. But I’d also like to see her take more initiative with her life. Did you notice how quickly she gave up the lawsuit? That was a lot of money she was pressing us for.”

“Yes, but she said it was Marvella’s idea.”

“And how do you think Marvella’s going to react when she finds out the lawsuit is off? Especially if she was trying to squeeze my family for money by manipulating Valentine? And isn’t it funny how nice Marvella’s been to us since we got here. ‘Have a beer…make yourself at home…ride in the rodeo for me—”’

“Apparently that’s Marvella’s game. Be very nice and get what you want.” Nina looked at Navarro’s broad shoulders and then his chest, self-consciously enjoying the view. He was a very handsome man, even if he wasn’t making sense.

Navarro sighed. “She didn’t expect Valentine to tell us that she was behind the lawsuit. Which follows, because I don’t think Valentine could have come up with the idea by herself, and for such a heinous amount to boot. We thought we were going to have to sell the ranch. Or part of it, anyway.”

“What if Marvella doesn’t let Valentine terminate the lawsuit?” Nina asked, feeling somewhat ill.

“She can’t stop her, but I am thinking Marvella will be plenty unhappy. That was so much money, there’s no way she’s not going to feel cheated.” Navarro looked thoughtful. “We need a good plan. Unfortunately, I can’t plan and look at your mouth. It makes me crazy.”

“Does it really?” Nina asked.

“Really, really crazy. All I want to do is kiss you again. You know, you surprised me, crawling up in my lap like that. I was expecting a slap.”

“Maybe next time.”

“I was wondering…” Navarro said. “Is there anything between you and me besides bad feelings and some lust?”

“Lust?” Nina bent to adjust her sandal strap, then rose to meet Navarro’s eyes. “Once again we have a decided difference in terms. I just wanted to kiss you. That’s all it was.”

His eyes widened. “Knife through my heart.”

“Really.” She went ahead of him on the sidewalk.

“Nina.”

She turned around and faced him, her hands on her hips. “What, cowboy?”

He hesitated a moment, so she took the time to look into his eyes. Those eyes could make a less respectable woman toss her panties to the four corners of the earth.

“There was something—” he said.

“Maybe good. Maybe bad. But was.” Her eyes softened. “I’m in a bad spot right now, Navarro. I can’t help seeing what has happened to my sister. You and I have to get along, but—”

“Shh!” He pulled her to the side of the building. “Here comes someone.”

“So? People come by here all the time.” She tried to pull away until she heard a woman’s voice.

Marvella.

Navarro’s arms tensed around her. Nina fought the feeling of attraction so she could focus on eavesdropping.

“It’s simple,” Marvella told one of her employees. “They’re going to ride for the team I sponsor. They’ll have to, if they want to spring Valentine from her contract with me. Obviously the first thing they’re going to do is talk her out of the lawsuit. Which is fine, because I never figured I’d get that much money out of them. I’ll agree to be pleasant about the lawsuit, if they both agree to ride for me. Imagine that,” Marvella said with satisfaction. “Twin Jefferson brothers. Two rides for the price of one admission ticket. It’ll be like a circus attraction. And girls will come from everywhere, buying up tickets and memorabilia. My secret potion will sell like there’s no tomorrow. And girls will bring the boys running,” she said. Her companion laughed as they went inside the cafeteria.

“Okay, now I intensely dislike her,” Nina said. “Manipulating your family was her idea all along. Valentine’s such a wimp, although I hate to say it. She’s got to grow a spine. You know, I really want to see her become a vertebrate.”

“Hey!” He turned her to face him. “Be nice to your sis.”

“I always am. But Marvella was going to gouge you by using Valentine, and Valentine should have stood up and said, ‘No, thanks—have a party without me.”’

“She’s pregnant,” Navarro reminded her. “We Jeffersons do have some responsibility here.”

She looked at him.

“I mean, I’m not exactly trying to be all honorable or anything,” Navarro said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to look good to you. We’re going to be related, I guess, by baby. So,” he said with a shrug, “I’ll probably see you every Thanksgiving or so. Maybe at Christmas I can catch you under the mistletoe.”

“Well, you’re being more honest than me.” She looked down the street. “Let’s go before we run into Marvella. I need to ponder Valentine’s next action. And mine.”

He pulled her to him so that he could lift her chin and look into her eyes. “You’re not listening to me. You’re making me want to read a new kind of book.”

“I’ve had enough of reading,” she said, knowing he wasn’t talking about books at all. “For now, I’ve got to think. And the first thing that comes to mind is getting Valentine away from Marvella.”

“So you two should come to the ranch.”

She stared at him. “Ranch?”

“Union Junction Ranch—Malfunction Junction. You’ll be safe there with my family. And we can plot our course.”

“What do you think Last would say about that?”

Navarro shrugged. “Whether he likes it or not, we’re one big happy family. Provided, of course, that the baby is Last’s. And I don’t say that to be mean, but—”

“Valentine says it is.”

He nodded. “Come to the ranch with me. Tonight. We’ll leave Marvella a congenial kiss-my-grits note. Very congenial, for the sake of future relations. Namely, coming back to get your charmed bed.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to the ranch. I want to live my own life. Actually, I wouldn’t be averse to Valentine letting me raise her baby back in Delaware.”

“What?”

She could tell that thought had never crossed this cowboy’s mind.

“That’s Jefferson flesh and blood you’re talking about,” he said on a growl. “Come on, Nina, don’t make my head pop off my shoulders here.”

“It’s also Cakes flesh and blood. And I’m going to do what’s best for Valentine. Maybe she doesn’t want to live forever at your ranch. Perhaps it would be good for her to grow up and not always have someone rescue her. And, anyway, Last may not want her around.”

“It doesn’t matter what Last wants.” His fingers tightened just a bit on her arms. “Nina, you moving away with the baby would be very hard on us Jeffersons. Let’s smoke on this some more, okay? There’s a way to work this out. We probably need a librarian in town.”

She looked at him. “What town?”

“Union Junction.”

“Why do I need to know that?”

“Won’t you want a job?”

“I have a job in Dannon. I took vacation to come down here and help my sister fend off your brother.”

“Fend off my…wait a minute. Last isn’t exactly bothering your sister. She was the one seeking money from us.”

“This whole business of taking Valentine to the ranch with you is just a way to get around talking about custody in the courts, isn’t it?”

“Now hold on—”

“Anyway, you said yourself, Last wouldn’t care if the whole problem disappeared. I want a child. If Valentine decides to return home to Dannon with me, I’d at least get to raise my sister’s baby. I’m even prepared to get married so a court of law would look upon me as a model of stability. Which shouldn’t be a problem because librarians are not exactly known to be wacky.” She pulled peach lip gloss from her purse and applied it with a brush—all, he was certain, to make his blood boil.

“Although there may be some wacky librarians. I’m not saying there aren’t,” Nina continued. “But you know?” She pulled her blond hair up onto her head in a sweet rubber-banded ponytail, then put on black cat’s-eye glasses that should have been awful but that looked funky and sexy as hell on her heart-shaped face. “It’s just not the profession women go into for a good time. ‘How’s your Dewey decimal system today?’ isn’t a line men use.”

“Oh, boy,” Navarro said. “You are trouble with a capital T.”

“And you can spell.” She gave him a droll look and lightly tapped his arm. “I wear these to read to the children for story time. They also like the pointy black boots I wear and the red-and-white-striped socks. I dress like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, not that I expect you to know who that is. I suppose I should dress more like a muggle or a hobbit to keep current with the times, but I find that the younger children particularly enjoy the comfort and familiarity of a grandmotherly type reading them books.”

“And do you read from an upside-down house?” Navarro murmured.

“Oh, you have read the books!”

“Well,” Navarro said uncomfortably, not wanting to dim the excitement in her voice because he liked it. “I haven’t read them personally. Dad used to read to us as kids, at night, to give Mom a break from taking care of us. It wasn’t easy raising twelve boys, and her joy was a bubble bath at night while Dad read. But then, he tired out when…” He hesitated, thinking about the past. He and his brothers had enjoyed their childhoods, he couldn’t deny that. But after their mother died, the reading—and a lot more—had stopped. “I haven’t read a book in a while.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.