brides for brothers 15 - a randall hero (20 page)
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Authors: judy christenberry
“Wh-what are you doing here?”
“I heard you were leaving.”
Lucy turned around to stare at Russ, who was standing at the door to his office.
“I had to, Lucy. You can’t take that baby on the road. That wouldn’t be right.”
“Lucy, we need to talk.”
If John had expected her to agree, he was in for a surprise.
“No. I have to leave.”
“No, I won’t let you leave.”
“You can’t stop me, John.”
“Yes, I can.”
“Wait a minute,” Tori said. “Maybe Lucy will talk to me.”
“No, I need to talk to her and I don’t need you two.”
“Well, we certainly can’t be thrown out of our own office,” Russ said.
Before anyone could say anything, the door opened and Griff and Camille came into the office.
“Lucy!” Camille called.
All four people responded but it was difficult to define what anyone said.
“Wait!” John shouted. “I need time to talk to Lucy. I’ll take her upstairs. You stay here with Emma.”
“No! I’m not going upstairs with you.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t answer him, but he realized why. She wasn’t going anywhere if there was a bed.
He tried again. “We’ll go into Tori’s office. Is that all right?”
“I—I can go in there if I have to.”
“You do!” John took her arm and tugged her in that direction.
“Don’t touch me!”
He removed his hold on her and stood back for her to precede him.
“Son, be careful,” Griff called softly.
“D
O YOU THINK
he’ll be able to convince her to stay?” Camille asked.
“I suppose that depends on why she’s leaving,” Griff said. He looked at Tori. “What did she say about why she was leaving?”
“She just said she had to leave, that she had an emergency. I asked her what had happened, but she didn’t tell me anything.”
“Russ? Did she tell you why?”
“No, except that she had an emergency. When I asked her where she was going, she didn’t have an answer.”
“We thank you for letting John know. I would hate to think about Lucy and Emma running away when her husband isn’t there to frighten her.” Griff paced back and forth.
“I know. We don’t want her to go any more than you do.”
J
OHN WASTED NO TIME.
As soon as the office door closed, he asked, “Lucy, did I hurt you?”
“No.”
“Did you hate it?”
She couldn’t lie to him, as much as she believed she should. Shaking her head, she dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Did you—did you like it?”
“John, I’m not right for you. You think you’re in love with me, but you’re not really.”
“I’m not?”
“No. It’s just—I think it’s because you love Emma.”
“Of course I love Emma. But I love her mama more.”
“John, I don’t think you should—You can’t—I don’t know how to be a family.”
“Yes, you do, sweetheart. Don’t you remember the six weeks after Emma’s birth? You seemed happy then.”
“But we weren’t a family.”
“We could be.”
“No, John, I don’t think—”
“In fact, we may have to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t use a condom last night. You could be pregnant.”
“No!”
“I’m sorry, honey. I was too swept away with loving you. I shouldn’t have done it, I know, but you were so lovely and warm, so receptive.”
“I couldn’t be pregnant!”
“Would it be so bad? You and me and Emma, making a family?”
“But, John, you deserve so much more.”
“Oh, Lucy, I hope I deserve you. Only you.”
“Oh, John,” she said with a sigh, moving toward him.
“I think you showed good sense refusing to go upstairs with me.”
“Why?” she asked, pressed against his chest.
“Because I can’t make love to you until we go out and face our audience.”
She blushed.
“Can I tell them we’re getting married?” John asked, nodding toward the door.
“Don’t you think we should wait to see if you change your mind?”
“That’s not going to happen, sweetheart.”
“But you might—”
Before she could continue, he bent down and cut her off with a kiss. She responded as she had last night.
“I think we need to get married at once,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah.” He wrapped his arm about her and swept her to the door. “Follow my lead.”
As he pulled her through the door, everyone turned to them. “Lucy has decided to stay and marry me. Right away.”
“Really?” Camille asked him.
“Lucy?” John prompted.
“Do you mind, Camille? I promise I’ll make him as happy as I can.”
Griff grinned at the two of them. “Lucy, he’s supposed to keep you happy, not the other way around.”
“I know he can make me happy, Griff, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, Lucy, Griff and I are so pleased and happy to have you become a part of our family. And Emma will really be my grandchild!” Camille said, clasping her hands in ecstasy.
“Okay, Grandma,” John said. “Why don’t you and Granddad take Emma home for a while and Lucy and I will be out there later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, John. If you’re going to get married quickly, we don’t have time to mess around. You and Lucy need to go get your license in Buffalo. As soon as you do that, bring her back to the ranch. I’ll have organized some things and I’ll need Lucy’s opinion.”
“Mom, surely you can wait one day.”
“Son, I think you’d better grab this little beauty while you can. And, of course, we’ll keep Emma while you manage a honeymoon.”
John gave Lucy a grin. “A honeymoon? Hmm, I think they’re right. Okay, take Emma to the ranch and we’ll go to Buffalo.”
“Right now?” Lucy asked.
He picked Lucy up in his arms. “Yep. The sooner we get to that wedding, the happier I’ll be.”
He swept a laughing Lucy out the door.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1163-0
A RANDALL HERO
Copyright © 2008 by Judy Christenberry.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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