Page 104 of Texas Honor

CHAPTER NINE

MAGGIEDIDN’THAVEtime to get cold feet before the wedding. The Durangos showed up early that morning with their toddlers in tow, and she became so involved with company and wedding preparations that it was impossible to brood.

John Durango was huge—a tall, broad-shouldered man with a mustache and thick black hair. His eyes were slate gray, and Madeline was his exact opposite. She was slender and had reddish-gold hair, which she wore long, and pale green dancing eyes. The boys took after their father but they had Madeline’s green eyes, and their parents obviously doted on them.

“This is Edward Donald,” Madeline told Maggie, nodding toward a plump little boy in a sailor suit, “and this is Cameron Miles,” she added, indicating another son in shorts and a striped shirt. “I guess technically you could say they’re twins, but they aren’t identical, thank God.”

“When do you find time to write?” Maggie asked.

Madeline grinned. “At one in the morning, usually. John and Josito try to spare me by looking after them in the evenings when I’m on deadline, and we have a nanny who comes in when we need her. It works out. I still manage to spend enough time with them. I’ve cut back on the number of books I write, and that’s helped, too.”

“Writing must be fascinating work,” Maggie mused.

“Motherhood is even more fascinating.” She glanced out into the hall, where Gabe was introducing Becky to a charmed John Durango.

“We were shocked and delighted to find out that Gabe was getting married,” Madeline remarked, watching the tableau. “John was just his age when we married,” she added. “He’s forty-three now, and I’m thirty-one. Time does fly, doesn’t it?”

“All too fast,” Maggie agreed. “Becky loves him.”

“Yes. It shows.” She turned, searching the younger woman’s eyes. “So do you.”

Maggie blushed, dropping her eyes. “He doesn’t know,” she said softly. “He thinks it’s for Becky.”

Madeline frowned. “Shouldn’t you tell him? He might feel the same way.”

Maggie shook her head. “He’s already said that love isn’t something he wants. We’re friends. That suits him.”

“I thought it suited John and me, too,” came the dry reply. “Until one night in a storm I lost my head and said yes instead of no. And just look what happened.” She sighed delightfully at her sons. “What a simply beautiful reminder they are.” She glanced up. “Sort of like human love tokens, don’t you think?”

Maggie laughed. “Yes.”

The older woman watched her curiously. “Gabe doesn’t say a lot about you, but I gather that you’re having a bad time with your ex-husband.”

“Really bad,” Maggie replied. “He wants my daughter—only because she has a trust.”

“Rat,” she muttered. “Well, don’t you worry. Gabe will take care of him!”

Probably he would, Maggie thought later as she stood beside Gabe in the small church, repeating her wedding vows. She tried not to betray herself by crying, but it was hard. Becky was the flower girl and John Durango, towering over everyone, was best man. Janet served as matron of honor. And a few local people had turned up for the brief ceremony.

Afterward, there was a reception at the ranch and Maggie felt her nerves going raw from all the excitement.

“Calm down, now,” John Durango told her as she filled a plate beside him. “All these party animals will go home soon, and you’ll have him all to yourself—Edward, stop shoving cake down your brother’s shirt!” he called to one of his sons.

“Boys look a bit harder to manage than girls,” Maggie commented playfully.

He glanced at her with a charming smile. “Think so? Look what your daughter’s doing.”

She turned around, and was horrified to find Becky sitting in the middle of the floor with a big green frog in the lap of her taffeta dress. “Becky!” she gasped, her hands going to her mouth.

“Where did she get a frog, for God’s sake?” Gabe asked from behind her, staring.

“Oh, I gave it to her,” John Durango said nonchalantly. “It was sitting on the porch eating flies, and it looked pretty lonely to me. I thought it needed a friend.”

Gabe glared at him. “Wait until your sons get to be her age. I know your own fatal weakness,son,so look out.”

“You wouldn’t,” John said.

“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Gabe grinned at him.

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