Archer's Angels (5 page)

“Anyway, it’s not like you were completely innocent in this,” she told him. “You told me I’d bent your baby-making delivery system. Ruined the pipes for good. Put the factory out of commission. How was I supposed to know you were better?”

He frowned at the memory of her kicking him. Funny how the sexual pleasure they’d shared had wiped out his memories of the first time she’d had him flat on his back, gasping for breath. “Hey!” He sat up suddenly. “You hurt me. You really hurt me!”

She blinked. “It’s in the past, Archer. I really think that, since you got me pregnant with triplets, the factory was only on a fifteen-minute shutdown.”

“But I may have overlooked a really bad sign. What if the Curse of the Broken Body Parts hit me?”

“No, I hit you.” Clove shook her head. “I may have been cursing you, but you did scare me and—”

“You don’t understand.” He scratched his head, shoving his hat back. “You really kicked me
hard.
”

“Yes, and still you managed to send three healthy
sperm to do their job.” She glared at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a hypochondriac. That would be so unappealing.”

She didn’t understand. The Curse of the Broken Body Parts had hit all of his brothers—right before they got married. Everything was moving too fast. “I find it somewhat ironic and downright hilarious that you nearly kicked in the holy grail of your quest. You should be gentler around the goods, specifically if you’ve come twenty-four hours and bought an expensive plane ticket to enjoy them.” He sighed. “I suppose you’re going to want money eventually. Support payments.”

“A hypochondriac and a chauvinist. And I crossed a big ocean to be with you.” Clove sniffed disdainfully.

“You’re a sperm-stealer wearing a Thanksgiving-dinner tablecloth,” he said. “Looks like we’re going to be the proud parents of triplets. Please put the cat on the floor. It’s making me nervous.”

She sighed. “Tink, off you go. Big strong cowboy is afraid of you.”

“No, I just need someplace to lay my pounding head.” Kicking off his boots and tossing his hat into the chair, he got up into the bed next to Clove. “We need to sleep on this and see if we still like each other in the morning.”

“We don’t like each other right now!”

He flipped off the bedside lamp. “I know. We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us. Right now, I’ve got to get over the migraine you’ve given me.”

“You cannot sleep in my bed.”

“I sure as hell am not leaving you, Miss Defiance. As
soon as I turn my back, you’d probably give me the slip. I am here to mess up your plan, Clove Penmire from Down Under. Consider us wearing golden handcuffs. Mmm,” he said thoughtfully, “that actually sounds fun. Consider us wearing golden balls and chains, which are connected forever at the ankle. Awkward,” he mused. “Make that one ball, two chains and three baby-size ankle weights.”

“I get the picture,” Clove said, annoyed. “You’re not leaving.”

“That’s right. You invited me into your life by being so devious. And believe me, I know just how to handle devious.”

She sighed and inched her pillow down next to his. But he could feel her hanging on to the edge of the bed, in order to keep as much room as possible between them.

“We’re going to have to get a bigger bed,” he said, “because I have a feeling you’re going to get as big as a house. That voluminous nightgown is only a precursor of more awkward things to come.”

“Archer!”

He closed his eyes. Black spots of tiredness danced behind his lids, reminding him of Tonk and the low-down, scurvy hoof she liked to throw every once in a while to keep him honest.

He’d be watching out for Clove’s attempts to kick him when he wasn’t looking—because the first kick she’d thrown had been breathtaking.

Clove awakened early the next morning, shifted Archer off her back where he’d settled comfortably and took his hand out from underneath her gown, where, to her dismay, it had come to rest quite proprietorially on her stomach.

He slept like the dead, his face buried in her hair.

Having never had a man in her bed before, this presented a dilemma. She liked having him sleep with her. Too much. He was loud and ornery and thought he knew everything, but when he wasn’t expounding opinions and his eyes were shut, he was quite pleasant. Warm. Strong. Sexy.

How could she be strict of will when she really admired his possessiveness toward his children?

She was just going to have to stick to the original plan, for Lucy’s sake. In fact, she needed to call Lucy—right now. It was just about the right time in Australia to drop a major bombshell.

She left the sleeping cowboy, closing the door softly. Tink slept in Archer’s upturned hat where he’d tossed
it in the chair; the feline was curled up just as contentedly as Archer in Clove’s bed.

Someone’s fur was going to fly when Archer awakened to find his hat taken over—Clove didn’t want to be around when he discovered Tink’s newfound bed. Quietly moving down the hall, Clove went downstairs into the kitchen. Luckily there was no one there yet, as only Clove rose this early to begin baking.

She picked up the kitchen phone, placed the call, and the next sound she heard was Lucy’s voice accepting the charges.

“Clove!” Lucy exclaimed. “I thought we’d hear from you sooner!”

“I’m sorry,” Clove said. “I miss you. So much!”

“We miss you! How is your trip?”

“I’m enjoying it. Ready to come home, though. How are you?”

“Good, darling. Good.”

“And Robert?”

There was silence for a moment. Then Lucy said, “Good as well. Everything is just fine.”

Clove closed her eyes, hearing what Lucy didn’t want her to know. “And the farm?”

“Well, the horses are good—miss you, of course—but we’re still looking for the right situation to fix all.”

Clove nodded. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I have a bit of news, actually.”

“Do tell! I hope it’s wonderful.”

“It is. I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant!” Lucy gasped. “Clove! No wonder you haven’t called. You met a man!”

“Well, he isn’t the reason I haven’t called. I should have called sooner, but—”

“But you’ve been having too much fun. I’m so happy for you.”

“Well, truthfully, this isn’t about fun. I’m not in love or anything.” Strong like, maybe. Overwhelming attraction, admittedly. But love? Neither she nor Archer would claim that. “Neither one of us are in love.”

“I guess your…the father knows?”

“Yes.” Clove closed her eyes.

“And what does he say?”

He says a lot,
Clove thought.
He says too much.
“He’s still a bit shocked. I’m having triplets.”

“Triplets!” Lucy gasped again, then started laughing with excitement. “Triplets! Please come home at once so I can shower you with love and affection and presents. I’ll be an aunt!”

“Maybe more a mother,” Clove said.

“Mother?” Lucy stopped laughing.
“Mother?”

“I could use the help,” Clove said. “It would be really hard for me to do stunt work and take care of three babies.”

“You should stay home and take care of them,” Lucy said.

“And pay bills with what?” Clove asked.

“Of course, we would help you—” Lucy began.

“Lucy, I do not want to be supported by my older sister. I don’t want to be supported by anyone. And just
think how much you’d enjoy having three little ones in the house.”

“I would,” Lucy said, her voice filled with longing. “It’s a dream for me.”

“And you really can’t imagine me being as good a mother as you,” Clove said. “The truth is, you’re suited to be a mother, and I’m not. Oh, maybe for one, but three? It would be a disaster.”

“I—I’ll have to talk to Robert, naturally. He did mention adoption at one point, then sort of lost interest in that idea…and they are your children. Your angels. You would forever be the true mum. And I don’t know about Robert, dear. He sort of…sort of loses interest in things these days.”

Sort of losing interest in Lucy. Clove didn’t have to hear the words to know them to be the worry on Lucy’s mind. “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ll be home soon.”

“I’ll start decorating the nursery!” Lucy began sobbing. “Clove, this is wonderful, a dream come true. I mean, I hope you’re happy. You’re quite sure this man doesn’t love you? I will be quite happy to come over there and exert sisterly pressure on him if you would like me to. He should know that you are not some alone-in-the-world girl he can take advantage of.”

“He does not love me, and I do not love him,” Clove said with authority. “Trust me on this. We both understand that it was a one-night thing.” It wasn’t worth mentioning that Archer was asleep in her bed right now, determined to throw a wrench into The Plan. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. Lucy and Clove
had been there for each other when there was no one else. The sisterly bond between them was stronger than everything. She wasn’t about to let Lucy down. “I love you,” she told her older sister.

“You can never love me as much as I love you,” Lucy replied, just as she always did. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be right there.”

“I will.”

They said their goodbyes and then Clove hung up, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. She closed her eyes and put a hand on her stomach. “You are the luckiest children in the world,” she whispered. “You angels are going to have a beautiful mother, a physician father, a lovely home, and me devoted to your every smile, your every tear.”

“Those angels will also have me,” Archer interrupted.

Clove’s eyes flew open. Archer walked into the kitchen, crossing his arms as he stared down at her. “Let’s review the roll call. I think I heard some errors in the lineup.”

Clove stared at him, her heart pounding.

“Let’s see,” he said, holding up a finger, “first there’s the beautiful mother, which naturally is you.”

She blinked.

“Then there’s the physician father. I’m not a physician. I’m a cowboy, third generation, Texas-born. So one of us is confused. You never mentioned that those were not my children, so that leaves us with a gap in the family history. When did I become a doctor? And what’s my specialty?”

Her throat closed. She couldn’t speak.

“What is my little Aussie stuntwoman up to now?” He pulled her into his arms, giving her a deep kiss. “Just as good as I remembered the first time,” he said when he pulled away.

“Don’t,” she said sharply, whirling away from him.

“We should kiss more often,” he said, “since we’re getting to know each other for the sake of the children.”

“No, we shouldn’t,” she said, going to open a bag of flour.

“Clove.” He turned her toward him, trying to take the flour from her. “If I understood what you were saying on the phone, the answer is no. You are not giving my children to your sister.”

She tugged the flour proprietorially and it dropped to the floor, sending a great white pouf into the air. For a reason she would never understand, Clove burst into tears.

“Yegods,” Archer said, “it’s only flour, baby.”

Wiping her eyes, she managed to get flour everywhere. “You don’t understand.”

“I understand you have flour on your face, and that you’ve got three buns in the oven. My recommendation is that you give this job up and come home to the ranch with me where you belong.”

Hands on hips, she said, “Archer, I do not need to be rescued. Stop trying to ride in here and toss me over your saddle.”

He sighed. “You’re very confused. But we’ll soon fix that.” Gently, he wiped the flour from her face. To her surprise, Clove liked the feel of his fingers stroking her.
She stood very still, letting him touch her skin, telling herself it was just the flour he was after, but secretly impressed by his steadfastness despite her tears.

“Let’s get back to whatever you’re baking. Then you need to turn in your resignation to Delilah.”

There was a vast difference between steadfast and stubborn. Clove turned away. “Grab the recipe for the snickerdoodles out of the recipe box. That’s what Delilah wants for her guests. She has a family of three from Wichita coming in, and she says that their e-mail reservation indicated that the little boy has never had a snickerdoodle. Delilah has a questionnaire for her guests as to what their favorite foods and desserts are, which I think is awesome for customer service.” She turned to face him. “And I’m not turning in my resignation, thank you. I’m more than happy here.”

“Here,” he said. “The recipe for snickerdoodles, whatever they may be.”

Handing her the card, their fingers touched, startling her because she hadn’t expected it. Her thoughts suddenly were elsewhere. “I wonder what they’ll be,” she murmured, looking up at Archer in wonder.

“What?”

She blushed. “The babies.”

He smiled at her. “Boys, of course. Boys who will always have the benefits of eating snickerdoodles.”

Her eyebrows raised. “You think so? That they’ll be boys?”

“Sure. And boys need to grow up around their uncles. Excellent role models.”

She turned away.

“Not that your sister wouldn’t be a good role model,” he said softly, turning her back toward him. “Clove, I remember the e-mail you sent me mentioning that your sister couldn’t have children. I could feel your pain and worry.”

Her gaze lowered, hiding her thoughts from him.

“I reread those e-mails while I was home,” he told her.

“You kept them?”

“Every one. And it’s clear to me what happened. You practically mapped it out in your notes to me. I was always talking about myself, and you talked a lot about your stunt work, but throughout our correspondence, there were hints about your concern for your sister. It was a pretty common theme. Are you sure there’s not more wrong in her life than not being able to have children?”

She frowned at him, not liking his thought process. “They’ve tried for years to conceive. With her husband, Robert, being a doctor, they’ve had access to advanced knowledge and opportunities. It should have happened.”

“Maybe some things don’t happen for a reason.”

“I refuse to accept that.”

“Obviously.” He looked at her. “Part of me is flattered that you spent the money on a plane ticket, gave up your virginity and thought I could get the job done for you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And the other part?”

“The other part of me is ticked that you’ve changed my life without me having a say in it.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out, and—”

“But I did.” He took her chin in his fingers. “And
that means that Lucy, as much as I feel for her plight, is now going to have to figure out a different way to have children.”

Clove jerked away from his hand. “No.”

“Yes. Those children are mine, and they are staying in America.” He smiled at her gently, running a hand down her arm. “We may even have to figure out a way to like each other. It would be in the children’s best interests.”

“You didn’t want me, Archer,” Clover said defiantly. “Not the first day, when I asked you to dinner. You weren’t interested. The only way I got you into bed was through the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls total makeover. But you didn’t want
me.
”

“True,” he said cheerfully, “and blast those Never Lonely Gurls. I told you they were trouble, warned you to stay away from them. But you didn’t listen, and now look at the pickle you’re in.”

She gave him a sour look and began scooping flour into a dustpan. “I don’t want you to like me just because I’m pregnant with your children.”

He got down to help her. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want you. I was busy with Tonk when you asked me out. And I sort of sensed you were the kind of unsophisticated girl who would require a lot of time and effort. A needy type, if you will.”

She gasped.

“And my intuition was proven correct,” he continued, ignoring her outrage. “You have turned out to be quite needy, a veritable time sink.”

Standing, she washed her hands. “You are despica
ble, and full of yourself. I never saw that in your e-mails. I always wondered why a man who supposedly had so much going for him was content to chat with a woman for two years without ever seeing her face. It seemed odd.”

“I like my freedom,” he said happily. “All us Jeffersons do. But you have now snared me, and you will have to deal with the consequences of marrying a cowboy.”

All her breath went right out of Clove’s chest. “You’re crazy.”

“Then we’ll get along, my sweet stuntwoman. By the way, you have let your stunt-work employers know you won’t be coming back to work? Far too dangerous a job for a new mother.”

“I am not marrying you. I am not listening to you. I think you are insane. You owe me nothing, and I owe you nothing, and that’s the way we’re going to leave it. Now get out, before I return to Marvella’s.” She gave him a pointed stare. “Where I know I’ll be safe from
you.
”

“I don’t think so,” Archer said, “for a thousand reasons I could share with you, but for right now, it’s enough to say that you’ve invited me into your life, AussieClove, and this father will be sticking very close to his offspring.”