Page 96 of Wyoming Heart

“I’ll lock you in a closet,” he threatened.

She laughed. “I’ll pick the lock and get out. This master thief I know taught me how to break into any house...uh...oh.”

“You know a master thief?” Sandra exclaimed. “Can you introduce me!”

Cort shared a resigned smile with his father over Mina’s head. “Oh God, what have we let ourselves in for?” he groaned.

Vic chuckled. “Some exciting times, I’d venture.” He paused. “Hey, it’s not so bad. If we have any more incursions on the south border, we know who to call, right?”

Cort sighed. “Right.”

Mina lifted her head and looked up at him with sheer delight. “They’re going to teach the baby how to do stealth missions,” she said deliberately.

“I will—” he began.

She kissed him, stopping the words. He hesitated only for a few seconds before he kissed her back. He lifted his head. “Not until they’re in high school,” he said firmly.

“They?” she asked.

He shrugged and grinned. “I have three brothers. Large families are nice.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, I guess a handful, assorted, wouldn’t be so bad. And I can knit, you know. They’ll have unique sweaters, if I can ever learn to read a pattern, that is.”

“I can read patterns, and knit,” Sandra said surprisingly. “I’ll teach you!”

“That’s a deal,” Mina laughed.

CORTMOVEDMINAinto his room, suitcase and all. She was worn-out from the violence of the night. He undressed her gently and slid one of her pretty new gowns over her head.

“I like this,” he mused, fingering the pale yellow silk-and-lace garment.

“That’s why I bought it,” she teased, smiling up at him. “I thought you might.”

He sighed. “My wife the commando writer.” He shook his head. “Well, it does explain a few things. Although I’m going to thump Bart for not telling me.”

“I asked him not to,” she confessed. “At first it was because I didn’t like you, and I thought it would be fun to tell you somewhere down the road. But then I fell in love with you, and I didn’t know how to tell you.”

He twirled a long strand of her hair around his fingers. “I didn’t know how to tell you that I owned the biggest ranch in West Texas, while we’re making confessions. I was afraid that you’d back off if you knew I had money.”

“I might have,” she conceded.

“And I might have backed off if I’d known who you really were,” he confessed.

“I’m number four on theNew York Timeslist,” she said. “I’m going to be very rich, at the rate my books are selling.” She made a face. “That’s another thing, I’m obligated to go on tour week after next. I didn’t know how to tell you that, either.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said easily, and he smiled down into her surprised face. “I can work on the laptop while you’re signing. We won’t have to be apart.”

“I’d love that,” she said with genuine feeling.

He smiled slowly. “I would, too.” He slid his lean hand over her stomach. “I love this,” he said very quietly. “I never thought of myself as a family man,” he added. “I played the field because I didn’t really want to settle down. But when you came along, my whole attitude changed.”

“What about Ida?” she asked suddenly.

He sighed. “Her first husband was gay and she didn’t know. He killed himself and left her a fortune. Her second husband abused her in terrible ways. She didn’t want to take a chance on a third, so she developed this wicked reputation that puts men off. She pleaded with me not to give her away and I haven’t.”

She relaxed. “I did wonder,” she said. “She’s so beautiful. I never thought I could compete with a woman who looked like that.”

“You’re beautiful to me, Mina,” he said quietly. “It’s what’s inside you that makes you beautiful. I can’t even describe what it is. But I’m damned glad that you found something in me to love.”

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