Temporary Husband (16 page)

“Y
OU MUST HAVE BEEN
in quite a state when you saw that diamondback,” Judge Graydon said, shaking his head in amazement.

“About the same state I was in when Buster tried to ride Mad Dog,” Jake retorted dryly. “I think it’s called sheer unadulterated terror.”

The judge stirred his coffee, his gaze shrewd beneath heavy gray brows. “Having a family is quite a responsibility.”

“So I’ve discovered.”

“But worth it?”

Jake glanced at Wynne, the words torn from him. “Yes, it’s worth it.”

“Oh, please,” Randolph muttered in disgust. “What else is he going to say? He’ll do whatever it takes to inherit this place. Even lie.”

Wynne’s coffee cup clattered onto the saucer. “He doesn’t lie,” she informed him fiercely. “Nor do I. And just so you know, Jake and I did sleep together on our wedding night.” She hesitated, then grudgingly conceded, “Actually it was the next morning. But the point is, we’re a duly consummated couple. There. Now that we have that out of the way, how about cake?”

“Who told her?” Jake shot to his feet, his scorching gaze pinpointing each dinner guest in turn, before keying in on Peter. “You. This is your doing, isn’t it?”

“I—I came by earlier, sure,” the lawyer confessed. “But just to make certain everything was set for tonight.”

“You son of a—”

“Wait a minute,” Peter protested. “Why are you so upset? Didn’t
you
tell her what to expect tonight?”

“No, I didn’t,” Jake snapped.

“But, you said you would.”

“I lied!”

“See, he does lie,” Randolph said, adding his twocents’ worth.

“Why the hell didn’t you explain it to her?” Peter questioned in exasperation. “What did you expect to have happen tonight?”

Jake folded his arms across his chest. “I expected a few subtle questions from the judge. Subtle enough that she wouldn’t catch on to the real reason behind his queries.”

Judge Graydon frowned in concern. “Why would you keep such a thing from her, Jake?”

He remained silent a long moment, then reluctantly admitted, “I’d hoped to spare her feelings.”

“He wanted to protect me,” Wynne explained, giving her husband a dazzling smile. “He’s just being his usual noble self.”

Randolph leapt to his feet, leveling a finger at Jake. “That man hasn’t got a noble bone in his body. Nor does he care about anybody’s tender feelings. I’ll tell you why he kept quiet about that clause…He knew she’d leave him. Any normal woman would, rather than be forced to discuss such intimate details in public.”

“Leave him?” Wynne shoved back her chair, her eyes flashing like gemstones. “You think I’m embarrassed or humiliated to admit I’m Jake’s wife in the truest sense of the word? I’m proud of it. I’d announce it to the entire world, if he asked me.”

“He’s just using you,” Randolph retorted, resentment gathering in his voice. “You must be blind not to see it.”

“If that’s what you believe, you can’t know Jake very well,” she stated with absolute conviction.

“I’ve known him for years. Unfortunately.” He glared at her in frustration. “You seem to have the mistaken impression that he’s some sort of domesticated lap cat. Well, you’re wrong. The man is a vicious predator who wandered over from the wrong side of the tracks. And the minute you turn your back on him, he’s going to rip you to shreds.”

Jake returned to his seat, a lazy smile creeping across his face. “Please, Chesterfield. Don’t bother to pull your punches.” He tipped the chair back onto two legs. “You’ve been dying to tell me what you really think for years now. Well, here’s your chance.”

“You’re right. I have wanted to tell you what I think.” Randolph’s jaw clenched, his entire body tensing in anticipation. “And with the judge as a witness, you wouldn’t dare attack me for speaking the truth.”

“Your version of the truth.” Jake corrected him mildly.

“Mine and everyone else’s in this town.” Randolph planted his palms on the tabletop. “You’re a no-good louse, Hondo, with an eye on the main chance, just like your mother. The only difference between you two is she didn’t have your luck. If the old man hadn’t been so desperate for a grandson, he’d never have taken you in.”

Jake shrugged. “Old news, Chesterfield. My grandfather made that very clear when he came for me. If he’d had any legitimate grandchildren, I’d have been left in the gutter where he found me. So what? I never wanted to go with him in the first place. If the courts hadn’t enforced his request, I’d have stayed put. At least I knew where I stood on the streets.”

“But you did come back with him. And then you rode into town intent on getting even with anyone who’d known your mother—”

The front legs of Jake’s chair crashed to the wooden floor. “I didn’t ride in, I was driven. Or should I say hog-tied and dragged, fighting every damned inch of the way? It’d be more accurate.”

“You wanted to get even because we all stood by while Chesterfield threw your mother off his land.”

Jake laughed, the sound more chilling than a bitter arctic wind. “He didn’t throw her off. Hell, he didn’t have to. All it took was a few coins chucked into the dirt and she left of her own accord, grateful for that much.”

“Nonetheless, you came back to get even because no one lifted a finger to help her. You blackened every eye that looked at you sideways and forced yourself on every woman who wandered within reach.”

Evie stood and crossed to her husband’s side. “Randolph, stop. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying. And it’s time the sweet, faithful Mrs. Hondo knew, too.” He shot Wynne a mocking look. “How do you like the truth so far?”

“Which truth? That Jake’s illegitimate?” She shrugged. “He told me. Since that’s not his fault, I can hardly hold him responsible…though apparently you do.”

“I hold him responsible for his actions since coming to town. Or doesn’t it bother you that he speaks with his fists and can’t be trusted around any decent woman?”

“If you think I’m shocked that Jake has been in a few brawls, you’re sadly mistaken. Of course he gets into fights. All you have to do is look at the man to know that you provoke him at your own risk.” Wynne smiled proudly. “He’s a natural-born warrior. That’s one of the reasons I married him.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I’m quite serious. And as far as women are concerned…I assure you, he would never force himself on anyone. He wouldn’t have to.”

A harsh laugh burst from Randolph. “I know for a fact that he’s done just that.”

“Please, don’t say more,” Evie urged her husband. “It won’t change anything.”

Wynne refused to back down. Randolph was maligning
her
husband, and that was one challenge she couldn’t allow to pass uncontested. Slowly rising to her feet, she flung her linen napkin onto the table as though it were a gauntlet. “Women may claim they were forced,” she informed him in clear, precise tones. “But only because they didn’t have the nerve to admit the truth.”

“And what truth is that?”

“That they allowed themselves to be seduced by the town’s black sheep.”

She’d clearly struck a chord. Hot color washed into Randolph’s face. “That’s a lie!”

Jake didn’t say a word, simply raised his wineglass in salute, the tender expression in his eyes tearing at her heart. It was all the encouragement she needed.

“It’s not a lie, but a shameful truth,” she retorted. “How many women, I wonder, who wouldn’t give my husband the time of day in public, slipped eagerly into his bed in the dead of night? Five, ten…” She glanced at Jake and lifted an eyebrow. “More?”

“It was before I knew you, elf,” he said without apology. “I hope you’re not offended.”

“I’m not the least offended. It was their loss, not mine. They only knew half the man. I intend to know the whole.”

“When’s the next Cinderella Ball?” Peter demanded. “I want a wife like her.”

“She’s lying I tell you!” The words burst from Randolph, laden with helpless fury. “She’s so hot for Hondo she’ll make up any story to protect him.” He scowled at
her. “You may have been an easy tumble for him, but my wife never was!”

“
Randolph
!” Evie cried.

Wynne didn’t waste her breath trying to stop the fight brewing. She could tell Jake was blind to everything but the overwhelming urge to get at his cousin. Instead, she darted around the table, throwing herself at Jake to physically restrain him. His muscles bunched beneath her hands and he caught her shoulders as though he intended to force her from his path. But it was Evie’s plea that ultimately checked his threatening move toward Randolph.

“Jake, I beg you. Don’t touch him,” she whispered. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

The breath shuddered through his body as he fought to bring his anger under control. “Get out of my house, Chesterfield. Quick,” Jake warned in a low, grating voice. “And don’t come near me again for a long, long time. Otherwise you’ll pay a hard price for that crack.”

Randolph didn’t need any further encouragement. Wrapping an arm around Evie, he fled the room.

“Make sure he leaves without causing any more trouble,” Jake said to Peter. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“No problem. Time I was getting home, anyway.”

Jake turned on Judge Graydon next. “Have you heard what you came for?” he demanded. “Because as far as I’m concerned, you can all go to hell. I’m not answering any more questions, and neither is my wife.”

“Easy, son,” the judge said, holding up his hands. “You and Wynne have satisfied the terms of the will. The property is legally yours.” His gray brows pulled together. “I hope for your sake, however, that Randolph is wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

He nodded toward Wynne. “This wife of yours is good for you, Jake. You won’t find better. It’s none of my business, but I sincerely hope that this marriage is more than just a sham.”

The muscles in Jake’s jaw tightened. “You’re right. It’s none of your business. My grandfather had no call putting such an unreasonable condition in his will. You can safely assume that any loopholes I find are fair game.”

“He put that marital clause in there for your sake, my boy.”

“Bull! He did it to ensure the continuation of his line. He was obsessed with siring a dynasty.”

“Knowing Weston, that probably played a part in his decision,” Graydon conceded. “But that wasn’t the real purpose. There was another, more important reason.”

Jake’s expression turned derisive. “Yeah, right. Why don’t you tell me what his ‘real’ reason was? It ought to be good for a laugh, if nothing else.”

Graydon sighed. “He wanted to give you the one thing you’ve never had.”

That gave him pause. “And what was that?”

“Sorry, Jake. I’m not going to make it easy for you.” The judge glanced at Wynne. “Besides, if you don’t figure out the answer soon, then Weston failed and it won’t matter anyway.”

“He wanted to give me a wife?” Jake demanded in frustration. It didn’t make sense. “Legitimate children? I could have taken care of that myself. It wouldn’t have been difficult to arrange.”

“Oh, Jake,” Wynne whispered. “You don’t just buy those things.”

“No?” He gave a cynical laugh. “My grandfather spent a lifetime demonstrating just the opposite. He took great pleasure in proving you can buy anyone and everything.”

“No, not everything. And that’s what your grandfather finally did learn,” she responded quietly. Arguing with him would be fruitless, she realized then. Judging by the set of his jaw, she didn’t have a hope of altering his stance on the subject. She turned to the judge and offered her hand. “Thank you for coming. I apologize that the evening got a little heated.”

“Only to be expected.” He gathered her hand in his. “It’s been a real pleasure meeting you, my dear. I hope to see a lot more of you in future.”

“Time will tell,” she replied obliquely.

With that, the judge left. Jake shut the door behind him with pointed finality. “Quite some party you throw, Mrs. Hondo.”

“It was…interesting,” she agreed. “I suspect it will be the topic of discussion for a long time to come.”

“Around here that kind of discussion is called gossip. And I’m afraid you’re right. If we weren’t the talk of the town before, we will be now.” He thrust a hand through his hair and glanced at her speculatively. “Care for a drink? I don’t know about you, but I could sure use one.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He led the way into a very masculine library. Steelgray carpet covered the floor. At one end of the room was a sturdy rolltop desk and a massive captain’s chair, flanked on three sides by built-in bookcases. Opposite the desk, a huge stone fireplace took up the whole of one wall.

“Do you use that often?” she asked, nodding toward the hearth.

“From Christmas on, Grandfather always kept it lit.” He handed her a snifter of brandy and swept aside the wire mesh screen protecting the grate. “Care for a fire tonight?” he asked, poking at the wood staked inside.
“It hasn’t gotten very cold out, yet, but I’m in the mood for one anyway.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Crossing to the switch by the door, she flipped off the overhead light so the small blaze he’d started provided the sole illumination. “Better?”

“Yeah, much.” He settled on the carpet in front of the hearth and took a healthy swallow of brandy. “Jeez, I’m glad that damn dinner is over.”

“So am I,” she said, joining him. “I’m also glad the boys weren’t here. I shudder to think what they’d have done to Randolph if they had been.”

“No worse than what I’d have done if he’d said one more word to you.”

A topic best avoided, she decided. “It’s going to seem strange tonight…having the boys gone, I mean.”

“You usually tuck them in at bedtime, don’t you?”

She nodded, confessing, “I like to sit and watch them sleep.”

“Do they remind you of your sister? What was her name? Tracy?”

“Yes.” Wynne bowed her head. “I feel closer to both her and Rob when I’m with the boys. I can…” She shrugged. “I can feel them nearby.”

“They must have thought a lot of you to leave their kids in your care.”

“They knew I loved Buster and Chick,” she answered simply. “That I’d do anything for them.”