Fannin's Flame (14 page)

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m gonna go program your remote,” he said. “I can tell I’m going to be here awhile. At least until we get matters resolved to my satisfaction.”

“
My
satisfaction.”

“I think it is your turn.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll not program to any hunting shows.”

“Thank you,” Kelly said. “I don’t like those at all.”

He grinned. “And no daytime talk shows. I despise those.”

“Deal.”

“Good. I think that when people reach a point in their relationship that they can give and take over programming the remote, there’s a real chance for success in the relationship.”

Light, delicate breathing met his words.

Fannin grinned. “You don’t know it, but you’re mine.”

She didn’t move.

“Out like a light,” he said with a grin.

When Kelly awakened, she remembered tossing her crackers…and that Fannin had seen everything. “Ugh,” she said. “That’s not the way I meant to set parameters,” she told Joy—only to discover that Joy wasn’t lying on the bed in her usual spot. “And I bet I know where you are, little lady.”

She combed her hair, brushed her teeth and checked to make certain she was ready to argue with Fannin again. That seemed to be their main mode of communication.

He was asleep in the big easy chair, her dog in his lap and both of them looking fairly mild-mannered.

Until he opened his eyes. Then his gaze lit with fire.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Fannin said.

“Hey.” She sat down across from him. “You stole my dog.”

“I think she’s stolen me.”

Kelly smiled. “She’s tricky like that. You gotta watch her.”

“And her mom.” He ran a hand across Joy’s back. “Sorry about earlier. I’ve got a big mouth. I’m used to Mimi, that’s for sure. We didn’t have to be delicate around her.” He frowned. “Or maybe we should have, and none of us knew how.”

“It’s fine.” She really didn’t want to talk about that anymore. “Motherhood’s a big step.”

“It’s huge,” he agreed.

“I’ll never be the mother mine is, no matter how hard I try. And that scares me.”

He looked at her. “So be half. It’s more than most people ever get. Anyway, don’t sell yourself short, and don’t get all worried by looking into the future.”

“I have to,” she said softly. “Fannin, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I don’t want to get married.”

“We can live in sin for a while. Until the neighbors want to run me out of town on a rail. Then you’ll have to make an honest man of me.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t told Mama yet.”

He blinked. “Helga doesn’t know she’s going to be a grandmother?”

“No.”

“Any reason you’re keeping this a secret?”

Kelly sighed. “I’m unmarried and pregnant by a Jefferson male, which, although she would get over that, I’m not sure I would. I don’t want to live on a ranch. I don’t want to live with your brothers.”

“That’s where my job is,” he said stiffly.

“Yes, I know. I’m not suggesting you move. I’m simply saying that there are too many reasons I’m not
the right woman for you. We’re not the kind of people who would have moved naturally past the fling stage.”

“Hmm,” he said. “You sound pretty convinced of that.”

She looked at him sadly. “As selfish and immature as this may sound, I don’t think I want to move from thongs to maternity panties with you. I’d like to have one fantasy in my life, Fannin. You had me figured out pretty well.”

“I’ll have to think of the appropriate solution for that,” Fannin mused. “I guess I’d have to convince you that not only was I your fling, I’m your family man, too.”

Kelly wrinkled her nose. “Let’s not get hasty.”

“I could live in Union Junction and you could live here. People have commuter marriages all the time. In fact, Mimi and Brian have one…no, that’s not what I want.”

“Me, neither,” she said swiftly. “I’ll be living in Ireland.”

“I hate it when you say that. It reminds me that you’re planning a life without me, and you’re just not supposed to be that stubborn.”

She reached over and thumped him lightly on the hand.

“Okay,” he said. “See, I’m from a small town. I do not dream of moving to Ireland.”

“I know,” she said on a giggle. “Which is what makes our dilemma such a dilemma.”

“When I think of Ireland, I think of leprechauns and beer.”

That earned him a shrug. “I think of the house my father left me. It’s a ring house,” she said, already itching to see it. “I cannot wait to see it.”

He looked down at Joy. “Are you taking Tiny Red Hot here?”

“I can’t. I’m going to leave her with Mama. I’ll miss her dreadfully, but I’d have to have her quarantined and she wouldn’t like that.”

“I can’t believe you’re leaving your baby behind.” He looked at the dog sadly. “If she’s abandoning you, I don’t stand a prayer.”

Kelly sighed.

“When you tell your mother that you’re pregnant with twins and you’re going to Ireland, she will disown you and come over to the dark side for good,” he told her. “She’ll adopt us.”

“You don’t say that with fear anymore.”

“I’m dealing. Coping best I can for a man who was pretty set in his ways. You’re changing me, Kelly, and I think that’s a good thing. Right now, it feels like a stomachache, but I remember when it felt like an ache in another part of my body.”

“Maybe you were more ready to settle down than I was. I was one fling away, and you were already flung.”

“Probably.” He gave her a total once-over. “Hey, are you taking vitamins and stuff? Eating right?”

“I don’t eat much yet. And I’m seeing a doctor.”

“Good, because Mimi was rather private about her pregnancy. None of us knew what was going on.”

“Obviously, if you thought PMS stood for Preliminary whatever.”

“What does it stand for?”

“Nothing we need to discuss for another seven or so months.”

He sighed. “Kelly, I’ll admit I’m slow, but I’m a good man. I’d make you a good husband.”

“I know you would.” She couldn’t help the sadness welling up inside her. “Fannin, believe me, not marrying you is a gift. It’s like setting you free to roam wild. You would not like to be married to a woman like me.”

“What woman would I want?”

“The one you ordered. I can’t stop thinking about that. You’d marry me, and someday resent me because I wasn’t your mother’s image.”

“Well, you’re more like my mother than you know. She was so…gentle. However,” he said brightly, “I really am not looking for a mother. I don’t even want you to cook for me.”

“Really? Mr. I-want-everything-Poppin’-Fresh?”

“That’s right. I’ve reformed. I will do the cooking.”

She laughed at him. “What’s the catch?”

“Kelly Stone, I have a catch for you, but you have to agree to listen to it with an open mind.”

Her brows rose.

Fannin held up a hand, certain he was on to some
thing. He had to convince this woman that he was the route to her dreams coming true.

But he had to be very cagey about it.

“I propose that you marry me right now, in three days—time to get the blood tests done—secretly.”

“Secretly?”

“Yes. Just me and you and a drive-by wedding.”

She blinked with surprise. He thought piquing her wild side was definitely key.

“Then what?”

“We don’t tell a soul. Not your mother, not my brothers. We keep everybody out of the equation except the four of us.”

“How does that solve anything, Fannin? You’ll have a wife and two kids. And I’ll be married to my fling and not my Mr. Right. And we’ll be living apart.”

He patted the chair. “For the short term, I’ll be here.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I see where you’re going with this.”

“I’m sure you do, as the manager of the Honey-Do Agency. I’ll be the husband you try out for a month. You can order me just like I ordered you.”

Kelly stared at him. “I don’t think I can fire a husband.”

“This husband you can. I’ve never had to beg a woman to keep me. We’ll do it with prenups and everything. In fact, I bet Brian could draw this up for
us. I have the funny feeling something’s not all what it should be with Brian and Mimi’s marriage.”

“I have a feeling you’re right,” Kelly murmured.

“We draw up papers. We can draw a line down the middle of this house if you want to. But you try me out. Give me a chance. Just me and you. No Mama, no Jefferson boys.”

Joy glanced up at him. “You can stay,” he told her. She put her head back down and snuggled deeper in his lap.

“You know, we need to tell her about the children,” he said. “Have you told her yet? I’m sure she’ll be delighted.”

Kelly eyed him. “Have I told my
dog
I’m having children? Is that what you’re asking me?”

“I think it’s important she knows. In fact, I’m going to ask her for your paw in marriage.”

Kelly tossed a jelly bean at him from the bowl on the coffee table in front of her. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious.”

“You don’t want to be serious. If you were a serious kind of girl, you would have jumped on my proposal. You would have said, ‘Yes, Fannin, I would adore to be the mother of your children, to live on your beautiful ranch, cook your meals, clean your clothes and have sex with you at least five days a week.”’

Kelly started laughing.

Fannin grinned. “As it is, I see I’m going to have to say, ‘I would adore to be the father of your chil
dren, to live in your beautiful dollhouse, cook your meals, clean you up when you hurl and have sex when you’re not moody.”’

“And you’re signing on for this.”

“You’re the mother of my twins. I’m a pretty proud papa right now.”

She squinted at him. “And when the month is over? Truly no hard feelings?”

Fannin rolled his head on his neck. “I can’t talk about the future.”

“You’re lying like a rug. Fannin, don’t think I don’t know that you’re trying to have your own way here.”

“No, I’m really not. I fully understand that you plan to move to Ireland and live in your father’s house. I would, too.”

“You would.”

“Don’t squint your eyes at me. I don’t even know where my father ended up, but if I did, I damn sure would be there hanging around, checking it out for a while.”

“So you do understand,” she said softly.

“Yes. Now let’s talk about you trying me out for a month.”

“I don’t think I like it. I’m kinda squeamish. It feels like a marriage of convenience. And I definitely don’t want that.”

He came and sat next to her on the sofa. “You’ve heard of trial separations? We’re not going to have one of those. This is a trial marriage.”

“Trial sets up expectations to fail.”

“I think of it more as a taste test. I just really think if you try me, you’ll like me. Possibly even love me.” He tweaked her nose. “I also know you’ll try very, very hard not to. And that will make me crazy. We’ll probably argue a little because you’ll be so stubborn.”

“You think you’ve got this all worked out, don’t you? Beginning, middle and end?”

He kissed her on the lips softly. “Beginning, middle and no end. Right now we’re in the middle.”

Her resistance was fading, he could tell. “I don’t have a wedding ring for you, but I do have your thong and two presents that Lily picked out for you.”

“Who’s Lily?”

“Jealous already, my sweet?” he whispered in her ear.

“No.” She laughed and pushed him away.

“Yes, you are.”

“Curiosity is not jealousy.”

“Ah, but curiosity shows you care.” He grinned at her. “Lily is the manager of the Union Junction Salon. She played Miss Santa Claus for me this Christmas.”

Kelly frowned. “And where was I?”

“Probably wrapping packages. Or maybe you’d already left. And then her sleigh arrived.”

“Fannin,” she said, laughing, “do not try to make me jealous. It’s not fair when I’m pregnant.”

“I’m not. Let me run to the truck. Hang on.”

He came back a second later and handed her three presents. “Merry Christmas, very late.”

“Did you ever open Mama’s?”

“I wore it until I got a hole in it.”

“Fannin. Why are you so hard on sweaters?”

“I don’t know.” He frowned. “You’ll have to have your mom teach you how to repair sweaters.”

She sighed.

“I only know what’s in this box. Open it first.”

“This is an envelope.”

“It’s a Christmas card, actually.” He grinned.

“My thong’s in here, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I was going to mail it to you in case you wanted it back. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again to give it to you in person.”

“And I can’t wear it now,” Kelly said, putting the envelope aside.

“I’m not wearing it for you. I’ll do everything else, but not that.” He winked at her. “Now, this elongated box is kinda pretty, don’t you think?”

She shook it and it rattled. “Bones. Or a chain.”

“I’ll have to tell Lily not to shop in the house of horrors next time I tell her to go shopping for my ladyfriend.”

“Have you ever considered doing your own shopping?”

He grinned. “Do we write that into the contract?”

She opened the gift, gasping when she pulled out a collar for Joy. “Oh, my gosh, how darling! It’s got little hanging charms on it, almost like the bracelet
Mama gave me.” She looked at it more closely. “Fannin, this dog collar came from a jewelry store.”

“Well, Lily must have known that Joy was a dog among dogs. Let’s slip it on her.”

“Wait. These are fourteen-carat gold charms. And the collar is, too. Fannin, this is too expensive.”

“Nothing’s too good for my girls. Although next year, I may do my own shopping.”

“I guess you should. It’s beautiful!” She put it around Joy’s neck and removed the other collar. “Thank you. That’s more than you should have done.”

“I’m just glad we opened the box. That could have sat in my closet forever.”

“Do you know what’s in this box?” Kelly held it up to her ear, shaking it. “I hear nothing.”

“Well, it’s a small box, about the size of a jeweler’s box. I’m guessing it’s earrings or something.”

“Let’s see if you’re right. No peeking.” Kelly opened the box, holding it away from Fannin’s gaze. “Oh, my gosh,” she said. “Oh, my gosh.” Then she clipped the box shut. “You
did
know what was in here.”

“I didn’t! I promise. What is it?”

“Have you seen a credit card bill yet? Or did Miss Lily Claus give you an accounting?”

“Well, she gave me something, and I just wrote her a check. I had her buy gifts for everyone, so I knew what the grand total was. But she knew she had carte blanche. What is it?” he demanded.

Slowly, she turned the box to show it to him.

“Wow,” he said. “Lily done good.”

It was a lovely, oval-cut sapphire, which matched her eyes completely, set inside a gold filigreed pin.

“I like it,” he said. “Do you?”

“I love it,” she said. “But I can’t accept it.”