The Bull Rider's Twins (12 page)

Darla would have liked to pretend that she surrendered, but when she stood at the altar the next evening after a whirlwind of last-minute preparations, she knew she was marrying Judah because she'd always dreamed of it. Whatever they were letting themselves in for, he was going to be her husband, and she was going to be Mrs. Judah Callahan, exactly what she'd always wanted.

She wasn't strong enough to resist her dreams another day. She couldn't imagine not marrying him. In that, Judah was egotistically right: she didn't want to return him to the dating pond for other women to catch. She wanted him all to herself.

Maybe he wasn't the marrying kind, but she had to take a chance that he was.

Everyone was happy, smiling at the wedding. The evening was lovely, the air sweetened with romance. Judah was breathtakingly handsome and sexy; she couldn't believe he was actually going to be hers.

“Are you ready?” Jackie asked, coming to her side.

Darla nodded. “Thanks for being my maid of honor.”

“I'm happy to have a sister.” Jackie hugged her. “Judah's out there pacing. If we don't get you down the aisle, he's going to come get you.”

Darla smiled. He'd been gone this morning when she'd
awakened, but he'd left a note on her pillow telling her that she was the luckiest woman in the world, and she'd always be the envy of every other woman in town.

Typical Judah.

“I'm ready,” Darla said.

“Just a small warning,” Jackie said, “so you won't be surprised. Bode's here.”

“I didn't invite him.” The news did nothing to calm her nerves.

“Bode is like the troll that no one ever invites, but he manages to hang around. I vote ignore him, and completely ruin his day. Fiona told him that if he did one thing to upset you, she'd have him tied to a cactus. And I won't tell you what Judah said about it.”

Darla felt better. “Let's hurry before something bad happens. I distinctly feel an urge to speed this along.”

Jackie waved to Diane, who was in charge of overseeing the music. Diane motioned for the harpist to begin, and serene music filtered through the air, joined by a traditional piano wedding march. Darla took a deep breath and headed down the aisle as Diane's little daughters scattered rose petals from white baskets along her path.

Judah was smiling at her, eating her up with his eyes as she walked to the beautiful altar. An excited tingle shot up her spine. This sexy man was about to tell the world that he was making her his wife. It was all her dreams come true.

A shot rang out, and in front of Darla's horrified eyes, Judah fell back against Sidney, who helped him to the ground. Guests cried out, scattering, and the wedding march ground to a halt. The little flower girls ran to Diane, and suddenly, Darla was grabbed by big strong Callahans and dragged away from the altar—and Judah. She protested, wanting to be at his side, but Sam held her back, keeping her out of danger.

Darla shrugged Sam off and ran to Judah's side. She could
hear Sidney calling for an ambulance as he worked to stop the bleeding in Judah's arm.

“Judah,” she said, kneeling down next to him, despite the hands trying to pull her back, “don't you
dare
die on me!”

He gave her a weak smile. “I've been shot before. This is just a flesh wound. Don't get my babies all upset over nothing.”

“How do you know it's a flesh wound? Sidney, is it a flesh wound?” She didn't wait for an answer. Her heart was painfully tight in her chest as she watched the blood oozing from him. “What do you mean, you've been shot before? You never told me that!”

“Hunting accident,” he said. “Anyway, it wasn't important. We had a lot more important things to talk about.”

“That's it,” Darla said. “As soon as you're patched up, you're moving in with me. I'll make sure you stay out of trouble.”

He closed his eyes, and Sheriff Cartwright's men surrounded the wedding party, moving everyone away in case the shooter was still out there. “Go,” Judah told her, “I don't want you getting shot. Do what the nice lawmen tell you. Isn't that right, Doc?”

“That's right,” Sidney said, and Darla said, “Shut up, both of you. I'm not going anywhere until I know you're not exaggerating about your flesh wound.”

Sidney waved to the Callahan men, who were standing around helplessly. “Get him inside,” he said, “not near windows, until the ambulance arrives.”

But that wasn't necessary. The ambulance pulled up, its sirens wailing, and two EMTs jumped out to take over from Sidney, who looked gravely concerned.

“I know we've had our differences, but I hope you know I didn't do this,” Sidney said.

“I know you didn't,” Judah said.

Sidney watched protectively as Judah was placed into the ambulance. “I'm going to ride with him.”

“I'm going, too.” Darla shoved her way into the vehicle behind Sidney.

“All this stress isn't good for the babies,” Sidney warned, and Judah said, “Stay here, Darla.”

She shook her head. “My children would never forgive me if I didn't stay with their father when he'd been shot.”

“More guilt,” Judah said, and Darla said, “That's right. Now just lie there.”

“I'm going to love being married,” Judah said, his face creased with a smile even though he closed his eyes wearily.

“I'm hoping this wasn't your way of getting out of marrying me,” Darla said, and Judah's eyes snapped open.

“Not a chance, sweetheart. Not a chance.”

Darla looked at the blood on her wedding dress and wondered if she should have worn the magic wedding gown, after all. She'd definitely seen Judah standing behind her in the mirror. He'd been smiling, handsome, tall and virile. Not shot by a sniper. Gooseflesh jumped onto her arms, and she rubbed them, not able to rub away the unease as the ambulance raced to the hospital.

“Y
OU SEE WHAT
I
MEAN
,” Sabrina whispered to her sister, Seton. “There's a dark cloud over Rancho Diablo.”

Seton nodded. “I've been keeping an eye on the Jenkins's place, but I have to be honest with you, I don't think the old man did it. He seemed shocked when Judah got hit. Not displeased, necessarily, just shocked.”

Sabrina blinked. “Who else would have done it?”

“Maybe the best man set it up. Weren't they romantic rivals?”

“You'd have to get to know Sidney to understand that he wouldn't hurt anyone,” Sabrina said. “The man is gentle. He's
a healer.” She could see that in his peaceful aura, in the kindness in his eyes. He'd never borne any ill will toward Judah, and she knew Judah liked the doc, too. “No, it wouldn't have been Sidney.”

“Any other ideas?”

Sabrina shook her head. “The Callahans are well-liked in the town, as you might have been able to tell by the number of guests who showed up to the wedding. And that was for a wedding no one thought would actually happen.”

“Well, it didn't.” Seton glanced around Darla's property, watching the guests help clean up the yard and put away chairs. “The thing that puzzles me is that whoever shot Judah either wasn't a practiced assassin or didn't mean to kill him.”

“Why? What are you thinking?”

Seton shrugged. “I think someone just wanted Judah—or the Callahans—to know he was out there. Scare them a little bit. Or, and the possibility is remote, it could have been a random misfire from a hunter. But I don't think so. It didn't sound like a large firearm.”

Sabrina sighed. “Hold that thought. Bode and Fiona are having a row, and since I've been employed by both, I'd better see if I can run interference.”

“I'm telling you,” Bode said angrily to Sheriff Cartwright as Sabrina walked up, “I didn't have anything to do with the shooting. And she hit me! That's assault. And I want to know what you're going to do about it, Sheriff.”

“Not much, Bode, and you're not, either.” The sheriff rocked back on his heels. “Do you have an invitation to be here?”

Bode's mouth flattened. “One doesn't need an invitation to attend a wedding of a local favorite. It was known by all that a wedding would take place here today.”

Fiona looked at him. “Bode, one day, things are going to turn out badly between you and me. I suggest you keep your
dealings with my family on the professional level, and quit being such a pest.”

Bode didn't reply and Fiona left, with Sabrina following her. “Fiona, let me drive you to the hospital. We'll check on Judah and Darla.”

Fiona nodded. “I'd appreciate that. They don't need me at the hospital, I'm sure, but if I stay here, I'm going to have more fighting words with that scoundrel.”

“We don't want that.” Sabrina steered Fiona toward the van, waved at Burke so he'd know they were leaving, in case he wanted to ride along. He did, and so did Seton, which made Sabrina feel better, having her sister around. Diane said, “I'll hold down the fort,” and Fiona shouted, “Thanks!” out the window, and off they went to see how Judah was surviving his big day that hadn't turned out the way anybody had hoped.

“I'
M FINE
,” Judah said for the hundredth time, thinking that having a nurse for a fiancée had its blessings and its curses. Darla hovered over the nurses, she hovered over the doctors, she hovered over Judah. No one escaped her watchful eye. He reminded himself that this was one of the things he'd known about her, that she was efficient and businesslike.

But he was a man, and he didn't want to be fussed over. Not about a gunshot wound, anyway. The truth was, dark thoughts kept running through his mind, torturing him, and he wanted to reflect on them.

What if the bullet had hit Darla?

What if his babies had been injured?

His blood ran cold, keeping him shivering, as the worries punctuated his blood loss.

“If you're cold, I'll get a heated blanket,” Darla said, and a small redheaded nurse said, “I'll get it,” anxious to stay out of Darla's path. She was as protective of him as a lioness, and
Judah closed his eyes, not wanting to think about how much he wanted to marry her.

He was glad now that he hadn't.

“Darla,” he said, as they began to wheel him toward an operating room, “today was not our day.”

Tears jumped into her eyes. He hated to see her cry. If he had his way, a tear would never form on his behalf in her eyes, ever again.

“We'll have another day,” Darla said. “We'll work something out.”

He gave her a small grimace of a smile before he was wheeled to the O.R. so the bullet could be removed. He didn't care about the bullet. He cared about what had been taken from them today, which was romance and innocence.

It made him angry. Worse, the shooting had given him crystal-clear perspective. Until today, he hadn't really thought through what he was doing to Darla by marrying her.

But now he remembered. And now he knew what he had to do.

Sam waited until Bode walked up the drive of the Jenkins place before he launched himself at him, landing on top of the elderly man. Bode cursed, trying to throw a punch, but Rafe caught his hand.

“Mind your manners, Jenkins.” Rafe held him down and Sam took a seat on the man's back.

“
My
manners?” Bode spit some dirt out of his mouth. “I'll have the law on you so fast it'll made your head spin if you don't get your ape of a brother off me. You Callahans have never been anything but trouble, you and your crazy aunt, too.”

“Crazy!” Sam said. “Brother, did you just hear him insult our aunt, who raised us when no one else would have?” He leaned over from his seated position on Bode's back to look him in his eyes. “Bode, we're curious just how far back your animosity goes.”

“It goes back years. Why the hell wouldn't it?” Bode demanded. “If you need a carbon dating, you could probably date it to the time your parents arrived here.”

“We wonder what really happened to our parents,” Rafe said as Jonas walked out of the neatly manicured bushes around Bode's property.

“There's no one here and Julie doesn't appear to be home,”
Jonas said to his brothers. “You're free to conduct yourselves as you see fit.”

“And you call yourself a lawyer,” Bode snarled in Sam's direction. “Get off of me, you hooligan. All of you are insane, like your silly aunt.”

“Ah,” Rafe said with a sigh, “I'm just dying to hit him.”

“But we won't,” Sam said, “because that would be against the law. We're just having a chat with our neighbor.” He bounced on Bode's back, drawing another snarl.

“I don't know what happened to your parents,” Bode said. “That I swear.”

“Your word's not really good with us,” Jonas said, “if you don't mind me pointing out the obvious.”

“What do you think I would have done with them? And if you really want to know, why don't you ask Fiona?” Bode tried to get up, but Sam was too heavy to be budged. He patted Bode on the head, comforting him like a child, and the old rancher cursed at him.

“Someone shot Judah tonight, and no one would do that but you. You're too clever to get caught,” Jonas said, “so you hired some punk to do it. Luckily for you, Judah isn't dead, or you'd be joining him in pushing up daisies.”

“Why would I want to kill your brother? Why don't you suspect the man he stole Darla from?” Bode demanded.

“That's too easy,” Sam said. “First of all, Doc wouldn't hurt anybody. Second, you want us gone, scared off. When the ballistics on the bullet come back, we're going to have Sheriff Cartwright search your house for a match, and any records for a weapon that's been sold to you, licensed to you, ever fired by you at a tin can.”

“I didn't do it. I really don't want any of you boys to come to harm. I swear it.”

Sam bounced on Bode's back a little harder, and the rancher
oofed
into the dirt. “You say that now, while we've
got you cornered. But we know you sneaked into our house and locked Pete in the basement. You threaten us constantly, and our aunt. So we know to come to you when we so much as find a piece of bread missing from the pantry.”

Bode shook his head. “I'm not talking any more until I have a lawyer and the sheriff here.”

“Why? We're not arresting you, Bode. We're just asking a few friendly questions. The truth is, we want to save you from yourself,” Rafe said.

“How so?”

“Because you really don't want to be the jackass that you are,” Jonas said. “We know deep inside you beats a heart that doesn't want to harm anyone. Isn't that right, Bode?”

“I want your land,” Bode said. “And that's it. But I can figure out a hundred ways to get it besides killing people. I'm too smart for that.”

Sam glanced around at his brothers, then got off Bode and rolled him with his boot so that he faced three angry Callahans.

“Bode,” Jonas said, “just so you know, we'll do whatever it takes to keep you from owning one inch of our land.”

“It's too late,” Bode said, the corners of his mouth lifting with glee. “Your aunt is broke. She has no money. She made bad investments, and it's only a matter of time before I put all of you out on the road with nothing but your belongings. And I look forward to that day, boys. Your aunt and Burke, too, and all those hobos you take in.”

Jonas sighed. “Pride goeth before a big-ass fall, Jenkins. Just remember I told you that.”

“Maybe,” Bode said, “but some of us don't fall.”

“We'll see,” Sam said, and the brothers walked away.

“T
HERE'S GOING TO BE WAR
on the ranch,” Fiona said to her friends as they sat in the back room of the Books'n'Bingo
shop. “It may not be quite full-blown war, but I'm really afraid it's coming.”

Mavis stared at her. “How can we help you?”

“I need help plotting more than anything else. There's got to be a way to think myself out of the box I'm in.” She sipped her tea, and glanced around at the faces of her three best friends. These women had been with her through thick and thin from the day she'd arrived in New Mexico. Their friendship had strengthened and sustained her over the years at Rancho Diablo. Now she needed it more than ever. “The worst part is that the wedding had to called off. I'm so sorry about Darla's big day,” she told Mavis.

“I'm confused,” Corinne Abernathy said. “First I ordered a tea set for a wedding gift to give Darla and Dr. Tunstall, and then I had to change the card to make it to Darla and Judah, and now I don't know what to do!” Corinne blinked. “I think I'll take it back to the store. It's not a lucky tea set, for certain.”

“I suppose you could give it to one of your nieces,” Nadine Waters suggested. “Seton or Sabrina might like it.”

“Don't worry,” Mavis said. “Darla might be my late-in-life child, but she's always quick to resolve her dilemmas. And that tea set is lucky, I'm certain, Corinne.” She patted her friend's hand.

Fiona sighed. “This is all my fault.”

“There is no fault.” Mavis shook her head. “It's just that Bode Jenkins can't leave well enough alone.”

“I beaned him pretty good with my purse at the wedding. And it had Burke's pocket watch in it, too, which as you know is no light thing. I heard it go thump on Bode's thick skull.”

“Why were you carrying Burke's watch?” Corinne asked.

“Sabrina had taken it somewhere to get it cleaned a couple months ago. She knew of a person who specializes in antique pocket watches. Burke does so love his timepiece,” Fiona
said with a sigh. “That watch has been running for over half a century now.”

“Like you,” Corinne said with a giggle.

“That's true,” Mavis said. “Hope you didn't mess up the watch by using it as a nunchuku.”

Fiona shook her head. “The watch has a gold case. It's like a rock, a lucky Irish rock.” She looked around the sitting room of the Books'n'Bingo shop, taking in all the volumes of beloved books, the various teapots lining the walls for decoration and for use, and sighed at the coziness of it all. “I just wish everything would settle down for just a little while. Mostly, I want Darla and Judah to get married. I want you to be my in-law,” she told Mavis. “Even though you're all my sisters, I was really looking forward to adding one of you to my family tree. And I do so love Darla. She's just always so nice to me. Everybody in our family likes her so much.”

Mavis blinked. “To be honest, as much as I think Sidney is a great doctor, I was really pulling for Judah. I think those two have been making secret cow eyes at each other for years.”

Corinne nodded. “At least you'll be getting more grandchildren, Fiona. That's more than I can say for myself. Goodness knows neither Seton nor Sabrina are interested in being altar-bound.”

Fiona contemplated that over a sugar cookie. “I was just positive it was a stroke of brilliance for me to hire Sabrina to light a fire under my boys, since they have no idea you have nieces, Corinne. The fortune teller bit was priceless. And it's a bonus that Seton is a private investigator, because now I can spy on Bode to my heart's content.”

“But none of it's working,” Nadine said. “Bode's still being ugly, and only two of your boys jumped at the chance to own the ranch. I mean, I think Judah will still make an excellent groom, Mavis,” she hurriedly said, “when he gets over being shot.”

“Being shot does slow a groom down.” Fiona threw out that last bit to comfort Mavis, but the truth was, she feared that a wedding postponed might be a wedding canceled for good. “I'm all for striking while the bride is hot, though.”

Mavis gasped. “Darla will always be hot! There are good genes in our family!”

“I meant iron,” Fiona soothed. “You know Darla is a silver-blond beauty, Mavis. Don't get in a twist. I'm just so nervous and rattled my mouth is running off like a rabbit.” She did feel completely rattled, and it wasn't fair. She didn't like not being in control. “I've always pushed my boys to do what I believed was best for them, and I want Judah right back at the altar before Bode figures out a way to…to—”

She couldn't bring herself to think about the fact that Bode had tried to kill her nephew. “You know, they said the bullet was small, not meant to do anything more than incapacitate, but I don't believe that. Even a .22 can kill.”

“Shoot, even a BB gun can kill a person,” Nadine said morosely. “My husband used to shoot varmints with BBs, and you'd be surprised the damage they can do.”

“I don't want to think about it,” Fiona said, swallowing against a rush of coldness seeping into her body. What would her brother, Jeremiah, and Molly say if she let something happen to one of their sons? She had to keep the family whole and together—and at Rancho Diablo. “Judah will go home from the hospital tomorrow, and then we'll see what he's planning.”

“I hope he's planning another wedding,” Nadine said, and Fiona nodded.

“Me, too. I've about run out of lures to convince these boys that marriage is the holy grail.” Fiona put down her teacup and pursed her lips for a moment. If Bode had gone to the trouble of harming Judah, basically scaring him away from Darla, then her plan of getting the boys married off was working.

She just didn't know why. “Why wouldn't Bode want Judah to marry Darla?”

“Because your family is growing and his is not, and he's a jealous old coot,” Corinne said with some heat. “You don't think he'll ever allow his daughter, Judge Julie, to leave his house, do you? So while you've got grandkids popping out all over, he has no hopes whatsoever of having any at all. Because he'll never allow Julie to leave his home to marry someone. And pity the poor man who ever does try to take her off Bode's hands.”

Fiona snapped her fingers. “That's what we need to do.”

“What?” Nadine asked, lost. “What are we doing?”

“If we find a beau to hang around Bode's, eager-beaver for Julie, Bode won't have time to be in my business!” Fiona said with delight. “I believe the shock would almost end his ability to do harm to anyone on the planet.”

“Except for the poor suitor,” Nadine said. “You couldn't pay a man to date poor Julie.”

Fiona blinked. “There's that.”

Corinne nodded. “For every plot, there's a twist.”

“But maybe the best way to declare war,” Fiona said, “is to take it right to his door.”

“We don't know a bachelor brave enough nor stupid enough to… Why are you looking like that?” Nadine asked. “Fiona, it appears as if someone turned a lightbulb on over your head.”

Fiona smiled. “I have three nephews left, and all of them are very brave, and not stupid in the least.”

Her friends stared at her.

“Can you imagine how upset Bode would be if one of my nephews started coming around his place? He wouldn't be able to focus on anything but Julie, and we could plan another wedding!” Fiona clapped her hands. “I just knew we'd come up with an answer if we brainstormed enough!”

“It could work,” Corinne said. “In fact, it's impressive. I do see one tiny problem, however.”

They all looked at her expectantly. Corinne shrugged. “Which one of your nephews would you sacrifice to the dragon, Fiona?” Just as she posed the question, the store bell tinkled and Darla walked in, locking the door behind her.

“Darla!” Mavis exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Darla accepted a cup of tea from Fiona and took a tufted chair in the circle. “This is the only place where I can come and have a good…I don't know. I don't want to cry, but I definitely want to talk to women who've been through everything.”

The four women looked at her carefully, and Darla felt comforted by their interested perusal. If anyone could give her solid advice, it was these four.

She hoped they had some advice.

“Are you feeling all right?” Corinne asked.

“The babies are okay?” Nadine inquired.

“Did you just come from the hospital?” Fiona demanded.

“Yes, yes and yes,” Darla said. “Judah is raising Cain with the doctors to release him, so he's in peak form.”

“As I expected.” Fiona nodded with satisfaction. “All the Callahans are tough nuts.”

Darla nodded in turn. “Tougher than you think. Judah broke off our engagement.”

“What?” The women exclaimed as one and began offering sympathy in huge doses, which Darla needed.

“That scoundrel,” Fiona said. “Honey, he didn't mean a word of it. You just give him a day or two to cool off, and he'll be throwing himself at your feet again, if I know my nephew.”

Darla's heart was heavy as she shook her head. “I don't think so this time. He said there are too many things that endanger me and the children for him to marry me. He said
there are too many family ghosts, and until they're laid to rest, he can't put me in jeopardy.”