His Callahan Destiny?

Tighe Callahan is wild and free as the wind, until he starts chasing the beautiful River Martin. After he catches her—in a midnight seduction he’ll never forget—Tighe learns he’s about to become a daddy…three times over! Not even an ornery bull can stop him from making River and their babies-to-be his.

Standing down isn’t in River’s vocabulary. Tighe can insist on doing the honorable thing all he wants—she isn’t tying the knot until the cowboy says he loves her. Only, now her wounded warrior’s on some dangerous, life-changing quest.

Tighe’s finally ready to heed the message of his ancestors: defend his land and claim his woman. Because it’s never too late to become the Callahan he was destined to be!

Tighe grinned at her from under the brim of his cowboy hat.

“It’s awesome that you’re pregnant with triplets, babe.”

“It is not awesome. I mean, it is, but you’re not, so don’t tweak me.”

He laughed. “In a week or two, you’ll be trying to drag me to the altar.”

“I don’t think so.”

His navy eyes practically danced with pride. He was really impressed with himself. River sighed and looked away.

“I’m so amazed by you,” Tighe said.

She turned to face him. “Why?”

“Because you’re such a fertile goddess. I would never have suspected you’d be the Callahan woman to turn up a three-in-a-row.”

He grinned, the handsomest man she’d ever seen, and River wanted to smack him ever so badly.

Dear Reader,

In this fourth book of the Callahan Cowboys miniseries, Tighe Callahan sets out to prove he’s a better man than his twin, Dante, and does so by attempting to ride Firefreak, a rank bounty bull. This is the beginning of Tighe’s path of discovery, which ultimately leads him to the strong and capable River Martin.

I invite you to join this tough and adventurous family as they strive to keep Rancho Diablo, the home of their hearts, safe from those who wish them ill, while trying to tame their own wild spirits. Is there anything more fun than watching two people struggle against their destiny as they fall in love? You know that at Rancho Diablo, there’s always a happy ending—and a magic wedding dress to seal the deal!

Best wishes always,

Tina

Callahan Cowboy Triplets

Tina Leonard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Leonard is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of more than fifty projects, including several popular miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. Known for bad-boy heroes and smart, adventurous heroines, her books have made the USA TODAY, Waldenbooks, Ingram and Nielsen BookScan bestseller lists. Born on a military base, Tina lived in many states before eventually marrying the boy who did her crayon printing for her in the first grade. You can visit her at www.tinaleonard.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

My heartfelt gratitude to all the loyal and supportive readers who believe in a Callahan way of life.

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter One

“You can drive yourself crazy trying to outfox a Callahan.

That goes double for the Callahan women.”

—Bode Jenkins, neighboring ranch owner bragging a bit about

his three Callahan granddaughters to a reporter

Tighe Callahan sized up the enormous spotted bull that eyed him warily. “Hello, Firefreak,” he said. “You may have bested my twin, Dante, but I aim to ride you until you’re soft as glove leather. Gonna retire you to the kiddie rides.”

The legendary badass rank bull snorted a heavy breath his way, daring him. Dark eyes glared attitude and a no-you-won’t warning.

“You’re crazy, Tighe,” his brother Jace said. “I’m telling you, that one wants to kill you.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” Tighe grinned and knocked on the wall of the pen. “If Dante stayed on him for five seconds, I ought to at least go ten.”

Jace looked at Tighe doubtfully. “Sure. You can do it. Whatever.” He glanced around. “I think I’ll go get some popcorn and find a pretty girl to share it with. You and Firefreak just go ahead and chat about life. May be a one-sided conversation, but those are your favorite, anyway.”

Jace wandered off. Tighe studied the bull, which never broke eye contact with him, his gaze wise from the scores of cowboys he’d mercilessly tossed, earning himself a legendary status.

“I’m a real believer in the power of positive thinking, old son,” Tighe told his horned adversary. “And I’m positive that tomorrow my name will live on as the first cowboy to ever pin a bull’s-eye on you and hit it dead center. See, I figure it was destiny that I finally drew you. And what you don’t know is that I’ve got a secret training regimen. You think you’re tough, but you don’t know tough until you’ve spent a couple years being ridden by Callahan tots. You only have to do your job for eight seconds, throw off a cowboy or two. Me? My job can go on for hours. I’m tough as nails, my spotted nemesis.”

Firefreak’s response was to throw a hoof his way, crashing into the wall of the pen, which thundered under the blow. Tighe tipped his hat and turned to go.

“Hi, Tighe,” a feisty little darling he knew too well said, and Tighe stopped dead in his tracks.

“Sawyer Cash, what are you doing here?” He glanced around. If Jace had seen Sawyer—the new nanny bodyguard at Rancho Diablo and daughter of Storm Cash, their neighbor and a man they weren’t too sure they trusted—he would have run up the red flag of danger. Jace had never mentioned it, but Tighe was pretty sure his brother had a thing for the petite redhead.

“Hi, Tighe,” River Martin said, coming to join Sawyer, and Tighe felt his heart start to palpitate. Now here was his dream, his unattainable brunette princess—even though he liked to tell his family he secretly had River in the bag—smiling at him, as sweet as cherry wine. “We heard you’re going to ride a bull tomorrow, so the girls and I decided to come out and watch. Your sister, Ash, is here, too, but she’s chatting up some cowboys. Said she wasn’t interested in watching you meet your doom.”

This wasn’t a good sign. A man didn’t need his concentration wrecked by a gorgeous female—and right now, Tighe had a twist in his gut even a few beers wouldn’t chase off. Nor did he want said gorgeous, unattainable female to see him get squashed by a few tons of angry luggage with horns. A man needed to seek his holy grail and stare death in the eyes in order to realize that he was but a speck on this earth, and if the woman he adored didn’t reciprocate his feelings, well, there were worse things. Like getting stomped into dust by a rank bull.

Dante’d had his five seconds on Firefreak without the woman he loved witnessing his ultimate crash into reality.

But River was smiling at him with her teasing eyes that sent him over the moon, so all Tighe could say was, “Nice of you ladies to come out.” To witness my humiliation. I was riding on guts and bravado, and somehow that particular cocktail of courage has suddenly left me stone-cold.

River said, “Good luck,” and Tighe shivered, because he did believe in magic and luck and everything spiritual. And any superstitious man knew it was taunting the devil himself to wish a cowboy good luck when the challenge he faced in the ring was nothing compared to the real challenge: forcing himself to look into a woman’s sexy eyes and not drown.

He was drowning, and he had been for oh, so long.

* * *

TEN MINUTES LATER, Tighe was sitting in his truck and considering spending the night there. He’d had an offer to bunk in with some rodeo buddies, but he was in the mood to be alone.

Actually, he was in the mood to hunt up River, but pride wouldn’t allow him to chase that little goddess down. He was woefully aware he’d gotten something of a reputation among his six siblings for being a love-starved schmuck, which was odd because he’d previously held a pretty impressive record for being catnip to the ladies. Galen, the eldest, was a medical doctor, but really enjoyed touting his skills as a diviner of the heart, never more than when he was ribbing Tighe about the state of his brunette heartburn. His twin, Dante, left him pretty much alone because he knew he’d been darn lucky to catch River’s best friend and fellow nanny bodyguard, Ana St. John. Jace thought he knew things but didn’t—though that didn’t stop him from snickering at Tighe’s unrequited longing. Sloan, married to Kendall and the proud father of adorable twin sons, cut him some slack because he knew how much it stank when a man couldn’t seem to reel in the woman of his every waking thought. Falcon was happily married now and enjoying life with his baby girl, so he considered himself fortunate and offered no decent advice. Their sister, Ashlyn, was full of witty ripostes about Tighe’s lackluster attempts to woo River, but she’d been chasing the prince of her pining, Xav Phillips, for a couple of years now, with all the luck of a sleep-struck princess.

“I’m on my own,” Tighe muttered, and then a voice said, “Hi, Tighe,” and he about jumped out of his boots.

“Hi, River,” he said, his throat suddenly thick like a tree trunk and about as useful for talking. “Where’s Sawyer?”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Torturing Jace.”

“It’s good for him. Pretty sure she’s up to the job.” He wished he could kiss her, but how would she react? “I need to head off and find a motel. Did you need something?”

She shrugged, and the gesture made her breasts move under her blue, short-sleeved dress. “You can stay with me,” River said, and he had to tighten his jaw so it didn’t crash to the parking lot.

“Stay with you?” he repeated.

“Mmm-hmm.” She smiled at him, and it was all he could do not to shout, hell yes! and jump into the canyon of lost sense. “I’ve got my own room at Sherby’s,” River said.

Sherby’s was a quaint B and B outside Santa Fe. He knew Sherby and his wife, Anne—they were great rodeo fans and had done a fair bit of horse trading in their day. Good, honest folk. “I’m not sure Anne would care for me lodging with you, River.”

“We won’t tell her I’ve got double occupancy.” She winked at him, cute as a doe, and Tighe’s blood began a pounding unlike anything he could ever remember feeling—not even when he was in Afghanistan with Dante and they were trying to keep from picking grit out of their teeth and bullets out of their appendages. He had the scar from one he hadn’t managed to avoid, which had lodged itself in his biceps, right under the lightning strike tattoo all the Chacon Callahan siblings wore: the sign of their bond.

“I’m not sure where there may be a vacancy,” Tighe murmured doubtfully, trying to hang on to whatever fragments of good sense he possessed.

“And you probably won’t find one now. Everything is full.”

Dante and he had never worried much about where they were going to stay. One or the other of them always made a reservation, or they slept in their trucks. Might have been an awkward lifestyle with anyone else, but he and Dante had been each other’s shadow all their lives, and especially on the rodeo circuit. No one knew Tighe like Dante did.

In fact, it had been a little lonely since Dante had gotten married. Not that he wasn’t extremely happy for his knuckleheaded twin—but Tighe did miss his shadow on occasion.

“Come on,” River said, “get your stuff. I promise not to lay a hand on you, big guy.” She turned and walked off, leading the way, hips swaying, the lure of the wild loudly calling to Tighe, and all he could think was Rats. Kinda wish she wasn’t so good at keeping promises.

Riding Firefreak for the full eight seconds was more likely than him catching that hot angel.

He grabbed his duffel and followed.

* * *

RIVER SNEAKED TIGHE in under cover of night, through a back door so none of the other guests—nor Anne Sherby—would notice she was keeping company. For one thing, everyone staying at Sherby’s was female, and River wasn’t sharing. For another, what good was it to have a secret crush if the whole world figured it out?

Catching a Callahan wasn’t easy, and tonight, she intended to catch this one in a snare that might interest him. She had a deck of cards and a bottle of something Ashlyn said the Callahan guys liked to sip on in their upstairs library meetings at Rancho Diablo—and a comfy bed. Oh, she had absolutely no plans to seduce this cowboy—that would be dirty pool—but it wouldn’t hurt a bit if they spent a little time together away from the Callahan clan of prying eyeballs and matchmaking roulette. Just to see what would happen...

“Put your duffel there,” she said, pointing to a spot under the window in the tiny room.

“Whoa,” Tighe said, observing the twin bed in Miss Sherby’s B and B. “Do you think maybe Ms. Anne’s got a futon or a sleeping bag we could discreetly inquire about?”

River smiled. “We’ll manage.”

“I’ve seen baby cribs bigger than that bed.”

“Dante says you guys have shared a truck many times. This bed is about the size of a cab, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but he’s my twin.”

She smiled and pulled out the deck of cards and the whiskey bottle. “I don’t drink, but Ash says this is your favorite.”

“Wait a minute, little lady,” Tighe said. “What’s going on here? I’ve known you for about two years, and we’ve rarely been in the same room, much less a bed. And you brought my drink of choice. Are you setting me up?”

Of course she was setting him up. She wasn’t certain it was the best idea, but she’d been asked to play this role by the Callahans. So here I am.

“You mean am I seducing you?” River considered him. “Do you want me to?”

His handsome face was puzzled, maybe even perplexed. He was such a gentleman—all the Callahans were—and all that chivalry kept him from wanting to make a mistake of the sexual variety.

“Don’t worry,” River said. “If you’re that concerned about it, I’ll flip you for the bed. Or beat you at twenty-one for it.”

He grinned. “You can’t beat me, lady. I was born playing cards, pool and hooky.”

She poured him a drink. “You’re going to need a shot of this for courage.”

“For Firefreak? I don’t need anything to give me courage for that oversize piece of shoe leather.” Still, he gulped down the whiskey.

“It’s getting late,” River said.

“True. I’ll let you have the bed, gorgeous, and I’ll take the floor. Use my duffel as my pillow.”

“All right. I’m going to change.” She slipped into the bathroom, took off her dress, put on a pair of sleep shorts and a T-shirt. Very modest, but still feminine. Why had she allowed the Callahans to talk her into this caper? Sawyer claimed that the only way to a man’s heart was making him see you, really notice you. So that you were unforgettable to him.

River was pretty certain she’d been forgettable to Tighe for the two years she’d been guarding Sloan and Kendall’s twins. Taking a deep breath, she thought about those dark navy eyes, the longish, almost black hair that begged her to run her fingers through it, the hard, strong muscles...and then she opened the door to do her job.

“Hey,” Jace said, and River nearly shrieked.

“He found me,” Tighe said. “He’s like a homing pigeon. An ugly one, but just the same, a pigeon.”

“Hi, Jace,” she said, not surprised at all to see him. The plan was proceeding as outlined, even if she didn’t feel all that good about the plot on Tighe.

“He’s got no place to stay, either. Mind if he bunks with us?” Tighe asked.

“I promise not to snore.” Jace poured himself a drink. “Ms. Sherby sure knows how to stock the stuff a guy likes.”

“Fine by me.” River wished Jace hadn’t shown up so soon. Secretly she’d been hoping for just a couple moments alone with her dream cowboy. She sat on the bed, waited for Jace’s signal.

“You’re the luckiest woman in town, spending the night with two Callahans,” he said as he dumped his duffel on the floor, not sounding anything like a man who was out to derail his brother.

“Good times, good times,” River said, but her insincerity was lost on the two men as they shuffled the deck, splayed the cards on the small table and began a spirited game.

“You’re just determined to ride that piece of ugly spotted steak tomorrow, aren’t you?” Jace asked.

“You better believe it. I’m going to ride him like a little girl’s pony.”

River rolled her eyes. “Sexist, much?”

“Not at all. But we give gentle rides to the ladies,” Jace said. “You wouldn’t want to give a woman a mount that might harm her in any way.”

River rolled her eyes at the typical Callahan nonsense she’d heard many times. “Jace, why aren’t you riding tomorrow?”

“Thought about it. Decided I’m too good-looking to risk injuring myself on a bull.” He laughed. “My brother here is on his own personal mission to separate his brain from his skull.”

“Why?” River looked at Tighe, and he glanced at her, his gaze catching on her lips, it seemed, and then lower. It was the first time she could ever remember him looking at her for more than a second. She decided to see if she could get his attention off his cards, let him slowly figure out what he was missing out on. “What do you have to prove?”

“Nothing.” Tighe tossed his cards onto the table, grinned at Jace. “You lose. Deal.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to take the bait. Jace poured his brother another shot. Tighe slurped it down, sighing with happiness. “This is fun. I’m finally starting to relax.” He glanced at her, his gaze hitting about chest level. “Anybody else think it’s hot in here?”

Jace glanced at River, surreptitiously winked. She shrugged, then got up and raised the window, which would only serve to heat the room a little more. “Maybe the breeze will help.”

Tighe seemed to find her legs quite interesting as she sat cross-legged on the bed.

“I win,” Jace said. “What do you know? I finally beat you.” He scooped the cards up, but Tighe didn’t take his gaze away from River.

“Let’s see what’s in this goody basket.” She rose, checked out the treats Ms. Sherby put in every room.

“I’m getting tired,” Tighe said. “Think I’ll call it a night. My ride’s at ten, and I want to be ready to rock.” He got down on the floor, shoved his duffel under his head. “This is great. Thanks, River, for letting us stay.”

“Have another toddy,” Jace said. “It’ll help you sleep.” He handed his brother another shot, which Tighe quickly downed.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you kids were trying to get me tipsy. Won’t work, you know. I’ve got a hollow leg.”

“Excuse me,” River said, “did you say you have a hollow head?”

“Ha. You sound like one of my brothers now. Actually, like my sister, Ash.”

Tighe didn’t say anything else, and a moment later, sonorous snoring rose from the floor.

“That’s it,” Jace said, “he’s out like a light. Never could hold his liquor.”

“Now what?” River stared at the example of her perfidy sleeping like a baby at the foot of her bed. “Seems so mean to try to keep him from riding. He says it’s his holy grail. Aren’t Callahans fairly wedded to their holy grails? Seems like bad juju to try to keep one from his goal.”

“Trust me, Tighe can’t ride worth a flip. He’s really only suited for the kiddie calf catch.” Jace shrugged, then grinned the famous Callahan grin. “Now you just head off to your room, and I’ll take care of Brother Bonehead.”

Certainly, no one could say the Callahans weren’t a different breed. A job was a job, and this caper had been part of hers. Even the beloved aunt of the Callahan clan, Fiona, had been in on this gig, sanctioning Jace to do whatever he could to keep Tighe off Firefreak. “If you’re sure. I’m next door, if you need anything.”

“One thing about you, River, we know we can always count on you to do whatever has to be done.”

She wasn’t sure she felt good about that compliment at the moment. With another glance at the handsome hunk on the floor, River grabbed her stuff and headed to her own room.

It might be the only time she ever had Tighe in a bedroom, and oh, how she hoped it wasn’t. But once he figured out her part in this escapade, there was no way he’d see her as anything but the woman who’d destroyed his dream, smashed his holy grail to pieces.

Which was no way to catch the man you’d been fantasizing about for the longest time.

She went into her room and closed the door. Got into bed, stared at the ceiling. As a bodyguard, she stuck to her assignment. Watching over the twins, Carlos and Isaiah, was her pride and joy.

Tonight had been a mission, no reason for regret. Tomorrow, she’d be back with Sloan and Kendall’s little boys, and that was all that mattered.

Wasn’t it? Not that sleeping cowboy she was helping to divert from his dream?

He was never going to forgive her for her role in his distraction.

* * *

RIVER HAD NEARLY fallen asleep, was drifting on a cloud of guilt and soft-focus sexy fantasies of Tighe, when she heard the door quietly open. She sat up, peering through the darkness. “Sawyer?”

“Not exactly, gorgeous,” Tighe said, sliding into bed, pulling her up against his rock-hard body. “You shouldn’t let Jace talk you into things, babe, he’s a newb.” Tighe kissed her neck, and hot, dizzying tingles shot all over her. “But since you’re just so darn sweet—and because I know Jace dragged you into his dumb scheme—I’m going to give you another chance to try to keep me off that bull.”

Chapter Two

The next afternoon, River sat in the bleachers at the rodeo, waiting for Tighe to get himself squished. Jace seemed certain his brother couldn’t ride very well. River had no reason to doubt Jace and Ash’s reasoning for trying to stop Tighe, or their aunt Fiona’s, for that matter, although Fiona’s motives could be suspect at times.

After Tighe made love to her last night, he’d kissed her, told her she was darling and cute as a button, and that he’d think about her every second today, except when he was on the back of Firefreak.

Tighe was, in a word, an ass.

Jace slid onto the bleacher next to her, handing her some popcorn.

“Hey,” he said. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah. You, too.” She overlooked the corny greeting, her gaze searching for Tighe among the cowboys in the arena.

“Funny thing. I lost sight of my brother last night.”

“Did you?” River didn’t dare glance his way. The Callahans might have hatched a plot to keep Tighe off his nemesis, but she’d been completely unable to resist his charming persuasion.

“I did. Tighe was nowhere to be found.” Jace shook his head. “I think I might have sipped a little too liberally from Tighe’s libation. My head’s killing me.” He handed her a soda off a cardboard tray he’d carried into the bleachers. “You didn’t see him?”

She shook her head. It wasn’t a total fib—she hadn’t seen Tighe in the darkness. But she’d felt him, and he’d made glorious love to her that she’d remember for days.

“Don’t know where he went. I looked for him near the pens, but no one’s seen him.” Jace shrugged. “He hasn’t scratched, either, which is a bad sign that our plan didn’t work.”

“Your plan,” River said. “I refuse to take further part in keeping Tighe from his...goal.”

Jace glanced at her. “I don’t blame you. He’s a rascal.”

“You’re all rascals. Including your sister, Ashlyn, and your aunt Fiona.”

Jace laughed. “No argument there. But we’re doing what’s best for him. Ever since Tighe was little, he thought he was a big shot.”

“How is he different from, say, you?”

“Because I can do what I brag about. Tighe isn’t Dante. He isn’t smart like Galen. He’s not tough like Ash. If it’s true what Grandfather Running Bear says about one of us being the hunted one, the one who’ll bring destruction to the family, it’d be Tighe. He’s always on a quest, but he never quite achieves it. You get what I’m saying?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” River said, “I’ve worked for the Callahans for quite a while. I know the drill.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d feel guilty, River. Your job is to be a bodyguard. Protecting Callahans is what you do, right?” Jace leaned back, a popcorn-eating philosopher. “Protecting Tighe from himself is no different from your normal job description.”

“Whatever.” River’s nerves were jangling. “I don’t feel guilty, just for the record.”

“You did the best you could.”

“Shush, Jace,” she said, “I can’t hear the announcer. I don’t want to miss Tighe ride.”

“True, if we blink we’ll miss him,” Jace said, laughing.

“You guys are mean. Tighe’s on a mission.” River felt compelled to stand up for him, even if she’d been part of the plot to keep him off the bounty bull. Secretly, she hoped Tighe met his desired goal, whatever it was that urged him on—because then...

Then he might want to settle down like his Callahan brothers, Sloan, Falcon and Dante.

That was treacherous thinking. One night of sexy lovemaking didn’t mean anything—at least, it probably hadn’t to Tighe.

But it had to her. If the opportunity presented itself again, she doubted she’d refuse another night in Tighe’s arms.

In fact, she knew she wouldn’t.

She might even instigate it.

* * *

IT WAS TIME: the moment of truth. Either he could take it or he couldn’t; it was time to find out if he could pin the tail on the donkey.

“Good luck,” said Galen, who’d come out to watch his fall from grace. But Tighe had told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to stay on Firefreak for the whole eight seconds, come hell or high water.

“Thanks.” He took a deep breath, approached the chute. “Is River watching?”

“I’m sure she has every intention of watching you win the buckle, bro,” Galen said, and Tighe swallowed hard.

“Great.” He had to make eight seconds. What price being a hero? Priceless, no matter how many bruised ribs. He got on the chute amid muttered encouragement from the other cowboys helping load up Firefreak’s slayer. He mounted the massive body, which had been relatively still until he seated himself, and began wrapping his hand—then crashes, curses and fear rang through his ears in a tunnel of mindless noise. He nodded, the chute jerked open and Firefreak burst into action.

Tighe stared up at the arena ceiling, shocked to find himself on his back. A bullfighter yelled, helped guide him in a headlong rush to the corral side as Tighe gasped from the pain flooding his leg. Firefreak danced a wild jig of triumph before being chased from the ring.

Tighe glanced at the time.

Three seconds. He’d made it three seconds.

And he was pretty certain he’d done something to his leg. Heat and white-hot pain shot up to his groin. Worse, he’d proved his family right—in front of River.

“Are you all right, Tighe?” River asked, suddenly at his side as Galen checked him over.

Tighe stumbled toward a bench and let his brothers help him out of his gear. “I’m fine. Nothing damaged but my pride.”

“And his leg,” Galen announced. “Brother, you’re going to be bed-bound for a while.”

“I’m fine.” Tighe was bothered that he hadn’t had the epiphany he’d been expecting while on Firefreak. True, Dante had been known to exaggerate—and maybe he’d even told a wee fib just to goad Tighe on. But Dante had sworn to his siblings that for the few seconds he’d been on that bull, he’d been absolutely, mindlessly free of his demons.

“You’re not fine.” Galen moved a practiced hand over his leg, divining what would take other doctors X-rays to learn. “You have a fracture, brother. And a groin tear. You’ll be out of commission a good six weeks.”

“And we were already shorthanded,” Ashlyn said, not sparing words as his other siblings grouped around him. “You’ll have to learn to take care of yourself from your bed. None of us can give up ranch duties to tend you, when we told you that riding Firefreak was practically a death wish for you.”

He wasn’t the big zero on the back of a bull they thought he was. “I’ll be fine.” He looked at River, saw the worry on her face, tried to smile reassuringly. “I am fine.”

“I’ll nurse him.” She looked at him, then around at his siblings. “Goodness knows he’s a pain, but I can bring the twins and watch all three of them.”

“Three children,” Ash said. “Somehow seems fitting.” She glared at her brother.

“You guys can be as annoyed as you want,” Tighe said. “As soon as I’m healed, I’m getting right back on that ornery son of a gun.”

“He hit his head.” Jace shook his own numskull, not understanding his brother’s determination. “You must have, or you wouldn’t say something so dumb.”

“I’m getting back on him,” Tighe repeated, “Firefreak is a pussycat.”

“Maybe you can talk some sense into my intelligence-challenged brother,” Ash whispered to River.

Tighe smiled. Dante said that riding Firefreak had brought him closer to Ana, and now River was going to take care of him while he was bed-bound.

Firefreak’s the best thing that ever happened to me. “Awesome,” Tighe said, swallowing back a slight moan as Galen and Jace began fitting a board to his leg so they could get him to a hospital. Tighe winked at River, the woman to whom he’d made love last night—sweet as an angel—the only woman worth pulling his groin over just to get her attention.

* * *

AFTER A TRIP to the hospital and then a visit to an orthopedist that didn’t do much for his mental state, which at the moment was black and aggrieved, Tighe sat in Jace’s truck, his leg up on the backseat, thrilled to be going home. The seven-chimney, Tudor-style mansion that Molly and Jeremiah Callahan had built long ago to house their young family of six sturdy Callahan boys—the Chacon Callahans’ cousins—rose like a beautiful postcard from its New Mexico grounds. Backed by panoramic spools of canyons and gorges, Rancho Diablo was an amazing sight. Tighe didn’t think he’d ever get over the breathtaking beauty of the ranch. He’d been born and raised in the Chacon tribe, then served in the military, where life was a whole lot different than here. He loved the ranch and the small town of Diablo, loved being with his family, enjoying a new closeness they hadn’t been able to share in many years. Even the constant threat of danger couldn’t always rub the shine off Rancho Diablo’s surroundings.

But the truck didn’t turn toward the main house, and Tighe’s radar went on alert. “Why are you taking me to Sloan and Kendall’s house?” Something was most certainly afoot.

“Since River has agreed to be your nurse—I can’t imagine why—” Ash said, “Kendall says it would be best for you to be here. This way River can keep an eye on all her charges. It’ll be better if the twins’ normal schedule isn’t interrupted.”

This didn’t sound good at all. “Much as I love my little nephews,” Tighe said, “I don’t want to stay at Sloan and Kendall’s. I’ll stay in my own room in the bunkhouse.” How could he ever be alone with River if he was sharing space with little Carlos and Isaiah? They were active, trying to pull themselves up on unsteady feet, eager to find their range and explore.

There would be no time for romancing the tall, delicious bodyguard with two busy rug rats taking up her every second. “Not to be selfish or anything,” he said, and Ash said, “Go ahead and admit it, you’re selfish. I can hear the wheels turning in your head. ‘How can I be alone with River if I’m laid up with my darling nephews?’” she added in a high voice, mimicking what she thought he was thinking, and in fact, what he had been thinking.

“I am selfish.” Tighe sighed. “Something’s happened to me. I used to be footloose and, well, footloose.”

“Now it’s just your head that’s loose. Come on, brother. Let me help you inside.” Ash hopped out, opened his door.

He glared at her. “No. Take me to the bunkhouse, or the main house. I would rather suffer in silence than be just another—”

“Helpless person River has to keep an eye on?” Ash prodded.

“The trouble is, you don’t suffer in silence. Come on.” Jace put his shoulder under Tighe’s to give him support as he unsteadily maneuvered himself out of the truck. “You’re lucky we don’t just leave you out in the peacock pens to heal, where we can’t hear you moan and groan.”

It was too humiliating. He wouldn’t look like a warrior, wouldn’t be a hero with badass courageous qualities if his woman tossed him in with the kiddies as an extra responsibility.

“Either you take me to the bunkhouse or I’m going to the canyons.” After making fierce love to that little lady practically all night long, he wasn’t about to appear anything less than a stud—and he couldn’t be that if he was laid out on a sofa. “The weather’s fine. The canyons suit me just as well as anywhere.”

“Be a sitting duck for Uncle Wolf and his cretinous crew,” Jace said. “Come on, be practical, bro.”

Jace didn’t understand practical. Practical was when you could think past the sirens that screamed in your head every time the woman you had a thing for got within ten feet. Tighe had lost his practicality a long time ago. “Canyons or bunkhouse. Take your pick. Can’t promise to stay either place.”

Ash sighed. “Flip a coin. Either decision is bad. Fiona will roost on the bunkhouse if you stay there, she’ll be so worried that you’re an easy mark. The canyons and you’re even more of a sitting duck.”

That sounded very much like conditions he’d lived under in Afghanistan. He could survive there by his wits, and wouldn’t be taking up any of the family’s time. Tighe brightened. “The canyons. Who’s riding canyon right now?”

“You were supposed to,” Jace said sourly. “It was your shift. Now Xav Phillips says he’ll come back and take over, which isn’t a good idea.” Jace glanced at Ash, who was talking on a cell phone to River, complaining that Tighe was a stubborn ass. “We don’t need Xav in the canyons, dude, as you well know, because Ash will find a thousand reasons and ways to get down there to haunt her favorite cowboy.”

“Who’s got a favorite cowboy?” Ash asked, returning. “Apparently, not River right now. She’s annoyed with you, Tighe.” Ash grinned. “She says you have to go to Sloan’s, because she can’t leave the twins to visit you in the bunkhouse.”

Even better. He didn’t want River around while he healed. A lightning flash of intuition told him he’d be better off returning when he was all better, a hero again—not the poor sap everyone was annoyed with. “Really, I’m such a pain in the ass, the only place I can be is the canyons.”

“I agree completely. Still, a bad idea,” Jace said.

“But—” Ash began, and Tighe waved her to silence.

“I’ve made up my mind.” What use was he as a man if he was on par with the twins? “I got myself into this mess and I’ll get myself out. As a matter of fact, just take me to the stone and fire ring. All I need is a bottle of whiskey and some girlie mags. I’ll be fine.”

Ash and Jace stared at him, their expressions dismayed.

“Okay, no girlie mags,” Tighe said, loving messing with his siblings. They thought he wasn’t big and bad right now. Well, he was; he was a monster pain in the butt, and that was just the way a man should be.

“You’ll be unprotected,” Ash said. “Much as you’re the only one among us with such disregard for yourself, you still do not want to put yourself out there with a bull’s-eye on you for Wolf and his gang. Listen to me,” she pleaded. “I’ll worry myself sick.”

“Sick about what?” River asked.

The three Callahans stared at the tall woman who’d just walked up, catching the last words of their conversation. Just the sight of that gorgeous creature made his blood pound. River gave him the wild, mad dreams of a man who’d tasted heaven once and was determined to do it again. Once he was healed, he was coming back for her.

“Nobody’s worried about a thing,” Tighe said.

“I’m worried.” Ash looked at River for help. “My jackass of a brother wants to camp out in the open instead of stay in the house with you and the twins. In the open,” she emphasized.

River didn’t miss Ash’s message. She met his gaze, didn’t look away. Peered deep inside him, until he felt her reaching into his soul.

The woman practically stole his very breath.

“I’ll drive you out there,” River said.

Chapter Three

After he’d packed up some gear and run the gauntlet of a protesting aunt Fiona and family, River hustled Tighe into the military jeep and steered it toward the canyons. He glanced over at the goddess next to him, trying to decipher the change in her mood. She certainly wasn’t the cooing, sexy tigress he’d had in his arms last night.

He’d have to call River’s mood elusive, which didn’t sit well with him at all. It almost felt as if she was abandoning him without a thought.

“Thanks for the ride. My siblings weren’t going to bring me.”

Glossy dark strands of hair blew around her face as she drove, rather speedily, he thought, given the uneven terrain. She could at least quit mashing the pedal.

“It’s not my worry if you’ve got a death wish. I have no desire to keep you from your fondest desires, Tighe.”

That didn’t sound right. She was his fondest desire. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“Don’t you?” She leveled him with brown eyes that held not a care in them. “First Firefreak. Now sleeping in the open, when you know that the ranch has been under siege for forever. For longer than either you or I have even been here.”

Aw, she was fretting about him, the cute little thing. He reached over and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

She batted away his hand. His brows rose. “Regretting last night?”

She turned to him, her forehead pinched in a frown. “Regretting what?”

He hardly knew what to say, since this darling angel seemed to have suddenly sprouted a ten-inch layer of cactus needles around herself. “You and me.”

“Hardly,” she shot back. “It didn’t mean a thing, cowboy.”

He tried not to let his jaw fall open. “Nothing?”

“Should it have?”

It certainly had to him. Hell, he’d gotten on Firefreak for her! Making love to her, plus facing his greatest challenge since coming to Diablo—well, it was the greatest cocktail of adrenaline and gut-punching life he’d ever experienced. “You know me. It’s just all about getting naked,” he bragged, trying to sound like his old self, the self he’d been before they’d made love. His whole world had changed—shouldn’t hers have, too?

“Where am I dropping you off?”

She sounded completely unworried. Tighe comforted himself that that was because everyone knew he could take care of himself. “At the stone ring, please.”

At that news, she did look a little alarmed. “You’ll be out in the open. I think your family assumes you’re at least taking shelter in one of the caves or overhangs.”

“Wouldn’t do any good. Wolf will find me if he wants to, and frankly, I don’t care if he does.”

“You’re injured, Tighe. I know you don’t like to admit to mortality, but you do recall that seven goons tied up your sister and Xav Phillips just last month?”

Tighe had no intention of hanging out in a cave like a cowering dog, away from the stars he loved and the fresh breezes that stirred his soul. “It’s just a little groin pull, darling. No worries. However,” he said, perking up, “maybe you’d like to hang around and nurse my groi—”

“And a hairline fracture,” River interrupted.

“I mend best in the open. I lived in the tribe. Was deployed to some hellish places. Don’t you worry about me, beautiful.”

“I’m not,” she snapped. “I think you’re an idiot.”

Well, that wasn’t how a man wanted the angel of his dreams to view him. “Harsh.”

“Honest.”

She pulled up to the stone ring. Large rocks, one set for each of the seven Chacon Callahans, encircled a small glowing fire. His grandfather, Chief Running Bear, tended the blaze. The chief said this place was their home now, while they protected Callahan land, and the mystical black Diablos, the spirit horses that lived in the canyons. They were the true wealth of Rancho Diablo.

“Home sweet home,” Tighe said.

“Then get out,” River said, “if this is where you want to be.”

He turned to look at her. “Gorgeous, I’m pretty sure I showed you a good time in bed. Is there a reason you’re all prickly suddenly?”

She met his gaze. “I told you. I’m pretty sure you’re the loose cannon I always believed you were.”

He winced internally. This was true. But it wasn’t necessary to rub in the fact that he’d clearly failed to change her mind. “All right, sweet face. Try not to miss me too much,” he said, getting out of the jeep and managing his crutches a bit more slowly and painfully than his jaunty tone implied.

“I won’t miss you at all.” She wheeled the jeep around and drove away, apparently not even curious as to where he planned to lay his bedroll.

“Guess that means we won’t be sharing the old pillow tonight. It’s a shame, because I’m pretty sure you’re kidding yourself, my hottie bodyguard.” He hobbled around, trying to find a place to settle, not altogether surprised when his grandfather appeared.

“Howdy, Chief.” Tighe tossed his bedroll down. “Haven’t seen you since Dante’s wedding.”

“I’ve seen you.” Running Bear picked up the bedroll. “Come.”

Tighe followed as fast as his crutches would allow. “Where are we headed?”

The chief disappeared behind some thick cacti. A threadlike stream encircled a wide stone dugout tucked back and hidden so well that Tighe would never have seen it even if he’d been looking for it. He had a feeling his brothers and Ash had no idea about Running Bear’s lair. Well, Ashlyn might; she seemed to know more than most. But he thought Galen, Jace, Falcon, his pinheaded twin, Dante, and Sloan were just as in the dark as he was. “Nice digs, Grandfather.”

Running Bear grunted. Tighe felt honored that his grandfather had brought him to his private sanctuary. They sat near the opening, staring out over the curling canyons below. “Wow, this is quite a view.”

“Yes.” Running Bear didn’t look at him as Tighe gingerly settled himself against the rock ledge so his leg could jut forward for support. “We need to discuss your time at Rancho Diablo.”

“My time?”

His grandfather gazed out into the distance. Sudden fear clenched Tighe’s gut. The old chief had warned the seven Chacon Callahans that one of them was the hunted one, the one who would bring harm to the family. Was it him? Was that why Running Bear had brought him here? Somehow Tighe had known this was where he belonged, almost from the moment he’d realized River had gone chilly on him.

“Tell me what I should do, Grandfather,” he said, and the old man closed his eyes, though Tighe knew he wasn’t dozing.

“Meditate on who you are,” Running Bear said. “You are not yet who you will be.”

Tighe didn’t know how to be anything other than what he was. Some—like River—claimed he was a bit wild. Maybe he was. Certainly he liked to live on the edge, but wasn’t that part of enjoying life to the max? His family teased him, calling him more taciturn than his talkative twin, but that had been when they were kids. The military had thought he was fairly accurate and single-minded when it came to sniper skills. Tighe had earned the moniker Takedown. He’d liked living almost alone at times, when he was on an assignment. Other times he’d appreciated the camaraderie and brotherhood of his platoon. It had been a close bond, reminiscent of his tribe. “Chief, I don’t know how to be anything different than what I am.”

His grandfather looked at him. “You will learn.”

Then he left the stone crevasse, disappearing without a sound. Tighe leaned back against the rough wall with a sigh. He looked out over the canyons from his grandfather’s aerie, and wondered if he would ever get River to kiss him again. She seemed to think he needed to change somehow, too.

He was pretty resistant to that. “Twenty-seven years of being the opposite of Dante wasn’t so bad,” he muttered. “I’d rather be me than him.”

He liked being wild and free. What exactly was wrong with that?

Even River wouldn’t want him to change that much. She had to have liked him the way he was or she wouldn’t have allowed him to make love to her.

Then again, he could consider changing just a little if she’d open her arms to him again. Problem was, he didn’t know what he was supposed to change. Tighe closed his eyes, willed himself to meditate.

“Every journey changes your soul. Each journey is a path to self-knowledge,” Running Bear said. “There is no life without this.”

“I know, Grandfather, I know. I remember your teachings.” Tighe opened his eyes, glanced around. Running Bear was nowhere to be seen. But his words remained in Tighe’s mind, delicate as air.

Closing his eyes again, he allowed the mysticism he knew so well to envelop him, something he hadn’t done in a long, long time.

* * *

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Ash asked River, who was looking out a window in the main house, toward the barn. River had specifically chosen this room for her project.

“I’m spying on your brothers. And Sawyer. There’s something strange about her. I don’t believe for a second that she’s had real training as a bodyguard. Not like Ana and I had.”

“The little twins seem to like her.”

“Isaiah and Carlos like her because they’re Callahan males. They’re predisposed to like pretty girls from the moment they’re conceived. That doesn’t make her a bodyguard. It makes her a decent nanny. Maybe.”

Ash flopped into a chair. “When I asked Kendall why she’d hired Storm Cash’s niece, she said Sawyer had the right training, and that she’d spent time in the desert honing her skills. Kendall said she checked her background, and Sawyer and Storm hadn’t been close during Sawyer’s childhood. So in Kendall’s maternal opinion, there was no reason to eliminate a perfectly good bodyguard just because of some stinky family relations. And Kendall said sometimes it was best to keep your enemies tucked tight to one’s bosom.”

“I like my bosom enemy-free. I’m not leaving until I know the twins are in capable hands,” River stated.

Ash watched Sawyer below, chatting up Jace, as little Isaiah and Carlos happily sat in their double stroller. “I didn’t know you were planning on leaving. And yet, I guess I did know. I was just hoping my hunch was wrong.” Ash sighed. “You’re going to find Tighe, aren’t you?”

“It’s time someone does.” It had been three weeks since she’d driven Tighe to the stone fire ring. She had no idea what he was eating or drinking, or if he was miserable from his leg injury. None of the Callahans, including the protective aunt Fiona, seemed all that worried. When River had mentioned to Fiona that maybe her husband, Burke, might need to go check on Tighe, she had shaken her head and said she didn’t have time for such monkeyshines.

“Oh, Tighe’s fine. Don’t worry about him. When he was a boy—”

River glanced at Ash, who seemed to suddenly have swallowed her words. “When he was a boy, what?”

“I was just going to say that once when we were young, Tighe went off for a while. I was six,” Ash said, “so I remember it well.” She smiled at River. “It’s all right. We’re used to him being independent.”

“If you were six, Tighe was eight when he went on this adventure. How long was he gone?” River was curious as to how he had fared in his childhood. “Five, six hours?”

“Two months,” Ash said softly. “He was gone two months, in the coldest part of the year. Most of us wanted to stay close to the fire at night. Tighe wanted to find out if he could build his own fire and survive on what he found and caught.”

River sucked in her breath. “No parent would allow that.”

“Oh.” Ash shook her head, got up. “No worries about that. Tighe was never really alone, though he doesn’t know that, so don’t tell him. It would totally crush him and blow his wild man conception of himself. But there were always scouts watching him. Not that the scouts would have interfered, unless there’d been severe danger. A test is a test, and Tighe wanted the chance to test himself.” Ash fluffed her silvery-blond, shoulder-length hair, not concerned in the least. “Grandfather said Tighe had the soul of a tiger, and that he would make many kills when he left the tribe. And he did. He was a pretty good sniper. Don’t worry about my pinheaded brother,” she said. “He’s more wolf than man. Tighe’s problem is that is he’s scared, maybe for the first time in his life.”

“Scared of what? Not rattlesnakes, or becoming a dried-out skeleton, with no food or water in the canyons.”

“My guess is,” Ash said, “he’s been a little scared ever since you came here.”

“Me?”

“Maybe. Tighe’s always seen himself as the uncatchable male. Also, I think it’s come to his mind that he might be the hunted one.”

“You know,” River said, looking back out the window, “it could be you, Ash.”

She shook her head. “Not me. But if it is, I hope someone shoots me and puts me out of my misery.”

“Shoots you?” River was horrified. “Who would do that?”

“I’m hoping you,” Ash said softly, looking at her. “You’ve always got your Beretta strapped to your thigh, don’t you?”

“I would never shoot you,” River snapped. “And how do you know about my gun?”

“I know everything,” Ash said, wandering out the door.

“I see,” River muttered, watching Sawyer stretch up to kiss Jace on the cheek on the ground below her second-story window. “Really nice to know I’ve fallen for some kind of hard-core survivalist wolf-man. And that woman is working an angle,” she said of Sawyer, watching her slink off, leaving a seemingly stunned Jace behind. “Don’t fall for it, handsome.”

Jace would probably fall like a ton of bricks. She watched Jace almost strut, all peacocklike, his gaze fastened on Sawyer’s backside. River sighed and got up from her perch. Ash’s wealth of information had unsettled her to some degree. Tighe wasn’t afraid of her—not in the least. That could be ruled out. He was stubborn and opinionated, but not afraid of a woman.

Now the other business...was he the hunted one? Ash was crazy if she thought River was going to shoot her, if it turned out to be her. “The only shooting I’m doing is at bad guys, and there may not be any of those,” River said, watching Jace rub his cheek where Sawyer had pecked him. “Just gullible ones.”

She went to hunt up Tighe, the resident wolf on the loose.

* * *

THE STONE CIRCLE showed few signs of anyone living there, though a small fire flickered, the embers glowing. There were no signs of foul play, but River felt uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. A man with a sore groin and a fractured leg should be right here where she’d left him.

“Hello, beautiful,” she heard someone say, and River turned.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Why are you standing up?”

Tighe smiled, feeling very much in control of the situation, obviously, by the devilish light in his eyes. “You were worried about me.”

“No, I wasn’t.” Why add to his already overburdened ego?

“You were.” He stumped forward, resting his weight on a crutch crudely fashioned from the forked limb of a tree. “I’m glad you were worried about me, but I could have told you there was no need.”

“Then I’ll be going.” She didn’t feel like putting up with his macho attitude when he’d worried her half to death for days. “I’ll let your family know you’re fine.”

“I may return with you for a bit. You got room in your ride?”

She’d driven the military jeep, which had plenty of space for cargo. “I suppose.”

He got in without needing assistance and grinned at her. “Unless you want a tour, I’m ready to head back.”

She looked at the cowboy, the man who invaded her dreams and kept her breathless whenever she thought about him. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“For the moment. That’s how I live—I’m totally in the moment.” He grinned, pleased with his lone-wolf persona.

She gazed at his rangy body, and his long hair, which hadn’t seen much of a brush in the three weeks he’d been gone. He looked as delectable as ever. It was annoying that a man could hunker in the wilderness and not suffer ill effects. “I have to admit I was afraid of what I’d find.”

“You don’t think I can live without Fiona’s cookies.” Tighe laughed. “I miss the comforts of home, but mostly the children, I have to admit.” He caught her hand as she put it on the shift. “Sometimes I even missed you.”

“Did you?” She shifted, moving his hand away. “I didn’t miss you a bit.”

It was a lie, of course, to save face.

“I think you did,” he said cheerfully. “But I understand you want to keep it to yourself. It was sweet of you to come find me. I’m surprised my family didn’t tell you there was nothing to worry about.”

He was so annoying she wanted to dump him out of the jeep. The thing was, everything he was teasing her about was true—she had missed him, and she had worried. Did anything ever get under his skin? “Hey, fun fact,” River said, “I’ve skipped my period.”

Oh, for a photo of Tighe’s expression. He looked...stunned. River kept driving, curious to see what he’d say, pretty pleased that she’d found the one thing that would shut him up for just a moment.

A loud whoop erupted from him. Tighe threw his straw Resistol into the air and laughed out loud, loudly enough to startle birds from trees, if there’d been any around.

Apparently he wasn’t so much the silent type as his siblings had claimed.

“That’s awesome! When will we know for certain? How long do these things take?”

“In a couple of weeks I’ll go to the doctor. I keep telling myself maybe I’m late because of worrying—”

“About me—”

“No. About things at the ranch,” River interrupted, “but I’ve always been completely regular.”

“You cute little thing,” Tighe said. “That night you and my brother and sister were plotting against me, you had your own little plot going.”

“Not hardly.” River was getting mad. “Perhaps you didn’t do a decent job wrapping up.”

“You helped, as I recall,” he said gleefully, “and I remember you seemed to be impressed.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” River parked the jeep at the house, jumped down. “You can just wait there until one of your siblings finds you. Or Wolf. Right now, I don’t care.”

She went inside, aggravated beyond belief.

“Did you find my brother?” Jace asked.

“I found a jackass. It might have been your brother. You can go out to the jeep and see for yourself.”

With that, she went to check on the twins.

Chapter Four

“Whew. What’d you say to River to get her in a knot?” Jace asked, as Tighe helped himself down from the jeep, still grinning from ear to ear.

“That amazing woman is highly annoyed because she’s caught herself a man.”

“Who?” Jace glanced around. “Why is that annoying? Don’t women want a man like a bee wants a flower?”

“Yes, they do. They just don’t want to admit it.” Tighe’s heart was singing. “There’s a good chance I’m going to be a father.” He laughed, pleased.

“How did that happen?” Jace frowned. “You mean you may have gotten River in a family way?”

“I think she got me in a family way. As I recall, the two of you plotted against me. I just fell willingly into the trap.” He went inside to hit the cookie tray and gloat.

“What are you going to do?” Jace sat down at the kitchen counter next to him. “I don’t envision you settling down.”

“I didn’t say a word about settling down.” Tighe munched on a sugar cookie. “She didn’t say anything about that, either.” He looked at his brother. “We’ll know for sure in a couple of weeks, but I know now what the spirits were trying to tell me. I’m definitely going to be a dad.” He let out a wolf howl, bringing Fiona into the kitchen.

“Mercy!” She glared at her nephew. “I thought a wild animal got into the house!”

“One did. My brother,” Jace said drily. “He thinks he’s going to be a father.”

Fiona’s jaw dropped. “A father? Weren’t you supposed to be on a wilderness sabbatical, resting and considering the stars?”

“It’s what he did before the sabbatical,” Jace explained, and Tighe reached out to hug his aunt.

“I have you to thank, Aunt Fiona. If you hadn’t been so determined to keep me from my destiny—”

“Your destiny?” She frowned.

“Firefreak,” Tighe said reverently. “You sent an angel to keep me from my destiny, and my destiny was the angel. What a wise aunt you are.”

“Yes, well,” Fiona said, her voice uncertain. “You sound like you have dehydration symptoms and perhaps starvation issues. I’ll put in a meat loaf.”

She crossed the kitchen and pulled out some pans, not proffering him the excited congratulations Tighe thought he’d earned. “Aren’t you excited that there will be another Callahan tot around, Aunt Fiona?”

She looked at him as she unwrapped some meat. “I’ll have to talk to River.”

“My baby mama is going to be beautiful when she’s in full bloom,” Tighe said, very satisfied. “I’m going to love being a dad.”

“You’re going to have to figure out a way to get her to the altar then,” Fiona said.

“Piece of cake.”

“That’s what you’d been saying for the past year, that you had River all wrapped up,” Jace pointed out. “But then we figured out she didn’t have a boyfriend in Tempest, that she was just trying to stay away from you. And just because she slept with you once doesn’t mean she’s inclined to do it again. Especially since you showed deficient skills at simple tasks, like wearing a—”

“I have plenty of skill, thanks.” Tighe got up. “I’m going to go find her. You doubters will see, the woman is crazy about me. She’s just a little shy, doesn’t want to seem too eager about catching her a Callahan cowboy. But I like her eager,” he said, remembering the night he’d made love to her. “In fact, if you don’t see me again tonight, don’t come looking for me.”

“Best of luck,” Jace said, and Fiona flapped a dish towel his way, shooing him off.

He didn’t need luck. He had what his little lady liked—and it had nothing to do with luck.

* * *

“GO AWAY,” RIVER told Tighe when he walked into Sloan and Kendall’s house. She was playing with the twins, about to start their baths. “If you’re here to talk to me, I’m not in the mood.”

“Don’t be prickly, beautiful. You and I have things to discuss. Hey, boys.” He ruffled the hair on Carlos and Isaiah’s heads, a fond uncle, even if he was still gimping around and not able to get down and play with them the way he liked.

River put away the toys. “I’ve thought long and hard about this, and if we’re going to be parents, you’re going to have to do this my way.”

“Meaning?”

“Separately. Just because Falcon and Sloan and Dante got together with their—”

“Baby mamas?” Tighe said helpfully.

“I really don’t like that expression. How about mother of your child?” River said.

“Kinda formal, don’t you think?”

She refused to look at the handsome cowboy who might be bound to her forever now. “Let’s not discuss it more until we know for certain. I don’t have any intention of tying you down.”

“That’s fine,” Tighe said, “I’ll do the tying down, sweetheart, if there’s tying to be done.”

Her body seemed to lighten and expand at his words. Her friend Ana had mentioned that Dante had been forthright in his pursuit of her, and that she didn’t expect Tighe to be any different.

River didn’t want to be pursued, and she wasn’t certain how to get that through his head—or hers. She’d felt the unmistakable surge of excitement at the thought of being romanced by him. When he’d made love to her, it had been like magic, pure magic, and she’d adored every minute of it.

“You know you want me,” Tighe said, his voice teasing, and River looked at him, and thought, Yes, I do. But it’s just not going to happen.

* * *

“THIS IS SO going to happen,” Tighe said, following River to her room. “We need to get to know each other much better since we’re going to be parents.”

“We don’t know for sure.”

“I know for sure. And I can’t wait. Pack up your stuff, doll face. I need a night nurse.”

“You need nothing and no one. I have this on good authority from your sister.”

River wouldn’t even look at him, the cute, shy little thing. “Don’t listen to Ash,” Tighe told her. “She thinks she’s the family font of all knowledge, but we humored her growing up. She was sheltered, babied. She doesn’t know a thing.” He settled on River’s bed. “I can’t sleep here with you. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the twins.”

“Yes, I know,” River said sweetly, but he wasn’t fooled in the least.

“You’ll have to be my night nurse at the bunkhouse.”

“If you need a nurse, ask Fiona. I have a job. In fact, my job is the exact reason why nothing further is going to happen between you and me.”

He frowned, not liking the sound of that.

“The thing is, it’s unprofessional. In fact, it was unprofessional, what I did with you,” River said, her cheeks turning a becoming pink Tighe thought was adorable. “I shouldn’t have allowed your aunt and family to talk me into that little adventure, and I should have...turned you away when you came to my room that night.”

He laughed. She was just such a sexy fireball. “Sweetcakes, you wouldn’t have turned me away. As I recall, you scooted over and made room for me in that tiny little bed.”

Her face went bright red. He grinned. “I liked it. Made me feel very welcome. And that’s what I’m going to do for you tonight, when you come to my bed.”

“I won’t be doing any such thing,” she said, a little snappishly, but he wasn’t afraid of a girl with spirit.

Tighe got to his feet. “See you later.”

“I don’t think so.”

He headed out the door to the bunkhouse. He’d be seeing River all right—the lady liked him.

But not as much as he liked her.

Give me time. I’ll change her mind.

* * *

TIGHE HEARD HIS door open about midnight, and smiled in the darkness. This was awesome. He’d known River would come. She couldn’t resist him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, they shared something special. He pretended to be asleep, so he wouldn’t ruin her surprise.

He’d act so surprised, and then make love to her until she admitted she was crazy about him.

The light flipped on, jarring his eyes open. River stood there, wearing a robe and high-heeled slippers. He grinned. “Well, hello, gorgeous. Come to nurse me back to a full-strength wild man?”

He watched her move his crutch away from his nightstand, a bit out of his reach. Of course, he wouldn’t need that tonight. River gave him a long gaze, then opened her robe, and he swallowed so hard he thought he might choke. Not a scrap was on her body.

“Holy smokes,” he said, “come to Daddy. And don’t take the long route. Jump right into my arms.”

River closed her robe.

He looked at her. “If you’re cold, I’ll be happy to warm you, darling.”

She gave him one last look, took his crutch and left the room.

“That little devil. What was that all about?” He hobbled out of his room, glanced around the bunkhouse. His nocturnal angel had gone, taking all the sexy joy away.

Now he was stiff in several places.

“That little lady and I have got to work some things out,” he muttered, and climbed back into bed, completely disgruntled.

And then he got it. She was trying to drive him mad. That was the plan, while he was in no shape to give proper chase. She was going to make him crazy, make him want her, until he begged her to be his woman.

* * *

“NO, YOU DOPE,” Jace said the next day when Tighe mentioned that he’d had the strangest dream in the night, wherein River had nearly killed him with a vision of divine beauty, then cruelly snatched it away. “She’s not softening toward you. I heard Ash and her discussing it. She was showing you how cruel it had been that you sandbagged her in her hotel room that night. Ash told her you had to realize that what happens in the night doesn’t necessarily translate to real life. Sort of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

“My sister put my girlfriend up to giving me a relationship lesson? Isn’t that the blind leading the blind?” Now that he understood what had happened, Tighe felt a whole lot better. It explained the wild look in her big eyes, as if she wasn’t totally committed to the caper, perhaps might have even been nervous.

“I wouldn’t put it so harshly. Ladies cook up these plans all the time. Guys do, too, but we’re more interested in getting into ladies’ drawers than staying out of them. River wants you to know that the two of you don’t have anything that translates to real life.” Jace kicked back in the bunkhouse, grinned at his brother. “This one’s gonna be tough, bro. And you’ve only got one leg to chase her on.”

“Won’t matter.” Tighe felt a bit deflated suddenly. Maybe River didn’t want him. Was that possible?

Nah. No way.

“Hey, give me a ride, will you?” he asked Jace.

“Heading back to the canyons?”

“No. Not yet.” He stumped toward the jeep. There was only one place to go when a woman was on the fence about a man, and if a man was smart, he got himself there and did the thing right. Big. Huge.

He could do impressive.

* * *

“THIS ISN’T A good idea,” Ash said, poking her nose into his business as she loved to do. “What message did you not receive during her midnight visit? What happens at night isn’t real life, bro.”

“Why did you come with me to Diablo, anyway?” Tighe muttered, wondering if his sister was right as he stared into the jewelry case at all the twinkling engagement rings. He was suddenly doubtful, and Ash wasn’t helping.

“You don’t even know if River’s having your child,” Jace pointed out. “This is premature. Maybe.”

“I want River to know that, baby or no baby, I want to marry her. Whatever happens, I’m the man she wants.”

“I don’t think so,” Ash said. “Not that I’m trying to knock your good leg out from underneath you, but I’m pretty sure she hasn’t changed her mind about you.”

Tighe shook his head. “She has a great poker face.” And a great body, but he forbore adding that.

“She’s not faking it,” Ash told him. “I believe in my heart that River thinks a real relationship isn’t built on nighttime shenanigans.”

“I’ll take that one,” he said to the jeweler, pointing to the biggest sparkler in the case. “Bigger is always better.”

Ash sighed. “Your head is bigger than most men’s, and that’s not better.”

“True,” Jace said. “Why don’t you wait another month, so you don’t crowd her? You know how sometimes if you try to rush an animal, it goes in the opposite direction?”

Tighe debated whether he was getting good advice from his siblings. If he was, it would be the first time.

“Since our family came here to Rancho Diablo,” he said softly, “we’ve changed. All of us have worked hard. We’ve done what Running Bear wanted us to do. The mission was understood, and we’ve kept to it. But River is outside of the mission. And she makes my heart whole. That’s the only way I know how to explain it.”

Ash nodded. “I know. But we were just trying to keep you off of Firefreak,” she said gently. “We didn’t expect that the plot would go as far as it appears it did.”

He swallowed hard. “River didn’t sleep with me to keep me off a bull. Nothing and nobody could have kept me from that ride.”

“I know.” Ash sighed. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

Tighe looked at the ring he’d selected with some regret. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Probably this once, she is,” Jace said. “You hate to jump the gun. Ladies can be so giddy.”

“Not really,” Ash said. “We’re just practical. We can see the forest for the trees. We can—”

“Come on,” Tighe said. “Drive me back, Sophocles.”

He felt a bit roughed up and heartbroken. No man wanted to think a woman wouldn’t be thrilled with his proposal and a beautiful ring. But Ash knew River better than he did. Feeling like a dog with a tucked tail, Tighe allowed his brother and sister to usher him out of the jewelry store.

By the jeep stood their uncle Wolf, grinning at them with his typical up-to-no-good grimace. Tighe wished he wasn’t using a crutch, hated to appear weak in front of the enemy. “Look what the summer wind blew in. Pollution.”

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite family members,” Wolf said.

“Spare us,” Ash said, getting into the jeep. “When are you going to give up? We’re not going anywhere. Rancho Diablo is our home.”

“Just wanted to warn you that we saw some strange things in the canyons, me and my men.” Wolf looked at them. “Might have been some birds of prey. Never can be sure at a distance.”

“What are you getting at?” Tighe demanded.

“Have you checked on Running Bear lately?”

Tighe settled into the back of the jeep, and Jace got in the passenger seat while Ash switched on the engine. “No one needs to check on the chief. He checks on everyone, including you. Even black sheep get watched by the shepherd.”

Wolf’s expression turned peeved, though he shrugged. “Just a thought.” He walked away, went inside the Books’n’Bingo Society bookshop and tearoom. Up the main street, Tighe saw a few of Wolf’s merry stragglers staring them down.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he said under his breath.

“So do I,” Ash murmured. “For one thing, Wolf’s gone into Fiona’s tearoom, which means he plans to stir up trouble. But that bit about Running Bear—”

“Is a trap,” Jace said.

“Agreed. Head for home.” Tighe shoved his hat low on his head, settled his leg more comfortably, trying to ignore the sudden yawing pit in his stomach. No one could get to Running Bear; their grandfather was part of the canyons and the wind and the sun.

They knew Running Bear wasn’t immortal. He just seemed like it.

Closing his eyes, Tighe tried to envision his grandfather as Ash sped toward Rancho Diablo. Searched his mind for the old chief’s spirit.

Something didn’t feel quite right. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

It felt as if change was coming.

* * *

THE RANCH WAS alive with women when Tighe returned with his siblings. Ladies of all shapes and sizes filed into the house, carrying bags and boxes and notebooks.

“Wow.” Ash parked the jeep, staring. “Has Aunt Fiona got one of her meetings today?”

Jace grunted. “Looks like every woman in Diablo is here. Maybe she forgot to tell everyone the meeting is at the Books’n’Bingo tearoom, as they always are.”

Tighe got down out of the vehicle, ignoring his brother’s help. “I’ve got a crutch,” he snapped. “Anyway, my leg is almost healed.”

“Not until Galen examines it and says so. No heroics. We’ve had enough of those.” Jace headed toward the house with Ash, leaving Tighe to stump along behind.

Inside, the ladies were an excited gaggle of happy faces and energetic voices. His aunt was in her element in the middle of the crowd Tighe estimated to be somewhere around thirty. He kissed her on the cheek. “Aunt Fiona, did you forget to send me an invitation to the party?”

River stood nearby, gorgeous but not pleased, if he gauged her mood correctly. She wasn’t smiling, though to be fair, she was beautiful even when she frowned. “I sure do have a thing for you,” he said to her, and she shook her head and drifted into another room.

“What’s going on, Aunt Fiona?”

“I think you better talk things over with River,” Fiona said.

His heart fell into his boots.

“You always were the unpredictable one,” his aunt said with a grin.

“Oh, no, Aunt Fiona, this baby shower isn’t for River, is it?” River already had a tiny touch of cold feet. This wouldn’t help. He strode out of the room to follow her.

“River?” She was putting some small, crustless sandwiches on a tray in the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

“Well,” River said, “apparently we’re definitely pregnant.”

His heart leaped for joy. Yet she wasn’t smiling, so he sensed a heartfelt “Hurray!” wasn’t appropriate. “And Aunt Fiona already planned a baby shower?”

She shook her head. “This isn’t for me, although the word is definitely out and plans are in full swing. I’m surprised you weren’t mobbed with congratulations when you walked into the house.”

He glanced over his shoulder to where the women were corralled in the den, chatting. “You could have called and let me know. I’d have liked to be first and not last.”

“Don’t worry. This is just a planning meeting for the upcoming Christmas ball.” River handed him the tray. “Six months is hardly enough time for Fiona to get everything done she wants, so the planning must begin now. Volunteers must be pressed into work, committees formed.”

“Yes, yes,” Tighe said, impatient, “but what did the doctor say?”

River shrugged. “That I’m healthy. The pregnancy is right where it should be, considering.”

He frowned. River really wasn’t happy about carrying his child. Somehow he was going to have to fix this. “That’s good. We’ll get you on some good prenatal vitamins, make sure you get lots of rest....” He glanced out at his aunt, who had called her committee to order. “It’s quite a coincidence that Fiona gathered all these ladies on the spur of the moment, just for an advance meeting about the Christmas ball.”

“They’re holding an emergency meeting because we’re expecting a baby. Which makes you ineligible for the Christmas ball raffle. If you recall, Dante was the grand prize last Christmas. Your aunt had already determined that you were this year’s sacrifice—I mean, prize. They’d planned advertising on barn roofs and everything, with slogans for you.” River smiled. “Too bad you’ll miss the fun.”

“Not at all.” Tighe was secretly relieved. “Who’s the backup sacrifice?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t ask.”

“It’s Galen’s turn, if you ask me.” He looked at Ash, who’d just walked into the kitchen. “You realize your turn at Fiona’s chicanery will arrive one day. The bachelors will swarm this county.”

His sister blanched. “I don’t want to be swarmed. Don’t talk about it.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be Galen or Jace on the griddle this year.” Tighe looked at River. “Good to hear about the baby. I’ll have Galen make you up a holistic protocol, if you’d like.”

“Oh, you told him!” Ashlyn grinned at River, then Tighe. “Congratulations!” She threw her arms around his neck, giving him an octopus-like squeeze.

“Ash—” River began, and he gazed at her over his sister’s shoulder.

“How does it feel to know you’re going to be the father of triplets?” Ash asked, and Tighe watched River close her eyes as if she was in pain.

“Triplets?” He put Ash away from him gently.

River nodded, distinctly uncomfortable.

Joy swept Tighe fast, and amazement, and maybe even a little light-headedness, so that laughter burst from him. He couldn’t stop laughing even if he’d tried.

“Whew,” Ash said, “he’s finally gone around the bend. One tap too many to the old brain stem.”

River looked concerned. “Is he going to be all right?”

He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her on the forehead. “This is great! I win!”

His sister shook her head as if he were mentally slow. “This isn’t Firefreak. You didn’t just win a buckle. I’m pretty sure you haven’t won anything—yet.”

“Three kids—that’s more than anybody else in the family. Just call me ‘straight shooter’ from now on.” He laughed with delight. “If I was playing the one-armed bandit, I just hit Jackpot!”

River pushed him away. “Tighe, I have to get back to the gathering.”

“We’re going to visit later,” he told her. “We have to talk this out, River.”

She disappeared into the den. Ash looked at him. “I remember the days when you claimed you had her in the bag.”

He did. Surely he did. He had to. “Are you part of Fiona’s whiz-bang planning committee?”

“To give away my brothers? I wouldn’t visit any of you on some poor unsuspecting female.”

He shrugged. “So let’s head out to find the chief.”

River walked back into the kitchen and put teacups on the counter. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not leaving me here with the gang of matchmakers. I’m going, too.”

Tighe blinked. “I don’t think the babies should ride over rough terrain, do you?”

Ash took his arm, led him toward the door. “I think it’s best if we head out before your feet get permanently stuck in your mouth, brother. Come on, River. We’ll put him in the back.”

* * *

RIVER WAS PLENTY annoyed with Tighe, but more than anything she was annoyed with herself. Triplets! She still hadn’t gotten over the shock. The physician said if she was very careful, she might last until February or even March. That meant giving up her bodyguard position soon. The doctor wanted to take every precaution.

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