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  “I just thought I’d wait to see what happened.” Jade pulled her fingers from his, got up to get coffee. “And then I was pregnant. The last thing on my mind was the box, and I kind of forgot about it. I went over to your house once a week, but I’d put the stair back together, and taped it off so Betty would know which one to avoid.”

  “Your mother’s been going to my house, too? And you didn’t tell her about the box?”

  “Nope.” Jade poured them each a cup, set one in front of him. “I told her you had mentioned the stair came loose, and that we were supposed to be careful. I don’t think Mom paid any attention. When I was put on bed rest in the sixth month, she went over there all the time in my place.”

  “I’ll thank her later,” he said gruffly. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble for your whole family. I was trying to take care of you in case something happened to me.” He scowled. “You didn’t touch a dime of the money in the account, but you had my daughters! You should have taken some of the money to help raise my children. Why else does a man bother to draw up a will except to take care of his responsibilities?”

  Ty wasn’t satisfied with her clear-eyed gaze, which stubbornly reminded him that she could take care of herself. “Anyway, you should have written to tell me,” he grumbled, knowing very well why she hadn’t. “Were you going to tell me when they were walking down the aisle with their husbands?”

  “I was going to tell you when I knew it was safe to do so,” Jade said. “Now drink your tea and get warmed up before I kick you out. It’s almost time for me to nurse. The girls will be awake any second.”

  “I want to meet them. I barely glanced at them earlier. I think I was in shock.” He shook his head, remembering the punch in his gut at seeing the babies. “I know I was in shock.”

  “You’ll meet them. Soon.”

  “I will today,” he said stubbornly, walking around the table to take the seat next to her. He held her close against him, putting his face against her neck, sighing with happiness. “I thought constantly about the way you smell. I dreamed of your red, springy hair and your sweet lips that kiss me like I’m the only guy in the world.”

  She tried to wriggle away, but he was having none of it. “You just sit still, beautiful. I came a long way to hold you, and I plan to do it often. Now that the whole town knows you’ve had my children, I figure there’s no need to hide my feelings for you.”

  Jade turned to gaze into his eyes. “You’re not angry?”

  He kissed her neck, taking his time. “Oh, I’m a little peeved. I underestimated your desire and ability to keep secrets. I wish you’d told me about the babies. It would have given me something to occupy my mind with.”

  “I didn’t want you occupying your mind with anything but staying alive.” Jade got up, moved to the counter to refill her cup, but he knew she was just creating distance. A little squeak came over the monitor, and a serenely happy look settled over Jade’s face, hitting Ty like an arrow shot into his heart.

  He’d never seen anyone appear so joyful, so peaceful.

  She was thrilled to be a mother.

  “You get to meet your daughters now, although I’m going to warn you, it’s not a romantic thing. It’s dirty diapers and spit-up—”

  “Lots of things in the navy make me think I can handle a little baby hurl. Lead on,” he said drily.

  She went down the hall and he followed her into a nursery where a night-light glowed softly and the scent of baby powder hung in the air. He could see two small heads barely moving, and a tiny hand flailing.

  “Girls, this is your daddy,” Jade said, picking a baby up from the crib where Eve was scrolled in delicate letters. “Eve, meet SEAL Ty Spurlock, your father and one of the finest men I’ve ever known.”

  He took the baby, memorizing everything in that first touch. Eve was warm from sleeping, her tiny body a little taut from the wail she wanted to let fly, until he held her to his chest. Then she went still, surprised by the new arms cuddling her.

  “And this is Marie.” Jade held the other baby and unbuttoned her blouse as she sat in a rocker. “If you walk around with Eve, she’ll stay calm until I’ve got Marie fed.”

  “Second fiddle, are you?” he murmured to the baby, and Jade laughed.

  “No, she just has my patience. Marie has your impatience.”

  “I don’t think I’m impatient.” Of course he was. Nothing ever moved fast enough or smoothly enough to suit him. “Okay, I’m impatient.”

  Jade smiled. “I’m glad you came home.”

  He cleared his throat, still kind of lost in the soft, sweet scent of his daughter and the warmth of her tiny body against his chest. He was lost in the beauty of Jade nursing his other daughter, and the love sweeping over him as he realized that this was the most amazing moment of his life.

  He was a father. A real father. He had two daughters, and the three females in this room had just become his entire world.

  “We’re going about this all wrong. You’re going to have to marry me,” Ty said, his tone tight with emotion. “I know you’ve got a thousand bugs in your brain because of the way that everything happened, and the secrets that you had to keep for so long, but babe, if you don’t marry me, these little girls are going to grow up thinking their father is a lightweight in the dad department.” He kissed Eve, loving the tiny, downy hairs that sparsely adorned her head. Then he stared his stubborn lady down. “I did my part, angel face. Now it’s time for you to do yours.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The wedding was a fast, beautiful affair that took place right before Christmas. Jade couldn’t believe how quickly everything was happening. After lots of soul searching, she and Ty had agreed that marriage was the right thing for the children.

  They’d never talked about love. But she did love Ty, with all her heart and soul. She understood why he hadn’t mentioned it, though it pained her a little. Until Ty came to terms with who he was—the new him he’d just discovered—she didn’t figure he could love anyone.

  Except the babies. Oh, how he loved Eve and Marie. Jade smiled as she took off the cream-colored gown she’d worn to the courthouse. Ty had insisted the girls be at the wedding. He’d held Eve and she’d held Marie, and thankfully, the ceremony had been swift, because Jade had been nervous the girls would get cranky and her breasts would start leaking.

  Funny thing to worry about on one’s wedding day. But she had bigger things on her mind now, the biggest of which was the fact that she knew good and well that Ty hadn’t completely forgiven her for not telling him he was a father.

  He hadn’t said much about it, but she sensed it was in the back of his mind. Trust was a huge factor in a relationship, and when he’d just learned he was related to people with whom the word trust was never associated, he needed to be able to count on someone, absolutely.

  She’d have to build that up in their marriage.

  “Hurry up!” Betty called from the bottom of the stairs. “It’s time to cut the cake. The natives are restless!”

  Jade sent one last appraising glance over the red velvet dress she’d bought months ago at the maternity store, glad it covered the full curves she was working on diminishing just a bit, and hurried down the stairs.

  “My goodness, is all of BC here?” she asked Ty, who looked quite pleased with himself as he held his daughters in his arms.

  “Wedding cake at Christmastime. Nobody in town is ever going to pass that up.”

  “As the best man, I’ll pass the cake,” Frog said. “That way I make sure I get the biggest piece.”

  Everyone booed him playfully, and Betty gave her a slight nudge toward the cake. Jade picked up the knife and glanced at her husband. “I think the way this works is that I’m supposed to cram some of this into your mouth.”

  He grinned. “Do your worst, Mrs. Spurlock.”

>   She jumped at hearing her new name on his lips, and everyone gathered in the dining room crowed with delight.

  “I’ll pass the plates around,” Suz said, coming forward. “Here, you take a baby,” she told Mackenzie, handing her Eve. “And you take the other munchkin, Daisy. It might just stir something warm in your heart.”

  Jade froze, and beside her, she felt Ty do the same. They watched as Daisy took little Marie, cooing to her. It was astonishing to watch Daisy act as if she actually didn’t mind holding an infant, even was happy to be included. Jade looked at Ty uncomfortably, and after a moment, he shrugged.

  There was no point in being ugly in front of everyone in BC. People were standing six deep in the dining room and were spilled out on the lawn. Jade put a smile on her face. “I’m going to cut as fast as I can, and you guys make an assembly line of sorts. Grab your cake and then head into the den area, where the Christmas tree is, so everyone can make it in out of the cold.”

  That seemed to be a plan the crowd liked—as long as they got cake—and Jade cut the first slice. “Here goes,” she told Ty, and carefully put a piece into her husband’s mouth.

  “Excellent cake, Betty and Jane,” he said, “but I know one thing that’s sweeter.” He gave Jade a big smooch on the lips that had everyone laughing.

  “Help me with this,” she said, wiping a little frosting from his face.

  She and Ty sliced the cake swiftly, and Mackenzie and Betty passed it along to grateful wedding guests, all of whom had congratulatory words to say to their hometown son and daughter. Jade couldn’t stop smiling. Why had she worried? This was turning out to be one of the most magical days of her life. It was so hard to believe that this big, strong, handsome man was now her husband. How many years had she dreamed of this very moment?

  “You got off easy, you know, old son,” Squint said as he passed by. “The folks are grousing that you got set up with a bride and didn’t even have to swim the creek.”

  Ty grinned. “That’s right. No Bridesmaids Creek swim for me to find a bride. I got mine without magic.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said, “you didn’t have to navigate Best Man’s Fork, either. The folks feel a bit cheated.”

  “That’s just fine.” Ty laughed, and Jade loved the sound of it. Just hearing him so relaxed and happy gave her hope for their marriage, as strange as it had started out. “I’ve run the fork and swum that creek so many times training for BUD/S that the magic already did its thing.” He gave Jade another smooch, and people laughed. She had just turned to finish cutting the last several slices of the lovely three-tiered confection trimmed with gold roses and latticework when the room went totally silent.

  So silent it felt as if everyone quit breathing.

  Robert Donovan walked in, a plate of cake in his hand, a big grin on his face. Jade froze. Beside her, she felt Ty go totally tense, protective in his stance near her.

  “Donovan,” Ty said. “You didn’t have an invite.”

  “Don’t need one.” He glanced at the guests, his gaze falling on each person’s face, which somehow felt threatening. Jade was glad the babies had been taken into the den by Cosette and Phillipe.

  Daisy came into the room. “Dad, what are you doing here? Weddings aren’t your thing.”

  “Everyone likes a wedding.” He grinned hugely, sort of nastily, and Jade wondered if that was just Robert Donovan’s normal expression. Looking at him, knowing his history, made her sick to her stomach.

  “That’s it,” Betty said, bustling into the kitchen. “Out you go, Donovan. This is my house, and you aren’t invited. And there are still laws we follow in this town about trespassers.”

  “That’s interesting, Betty. You’re just the person I came here to see.” He glanced around. “Now that your only chick’s going to move out, you won’t need a place this big. Ten acres is far too much for you to handle.”

  “Don’t see that’s any of your business,” Jade’s mother snapped.

  “It’s connected to the Hanging H. Only divided by a fence,” Robert said. “Makes it very valuable, Betty. I could make you a nice offer. In fact, I’m making you a very nice offer. A property like this could easily go for a million dollars.”

  The guests who had filed back into the dining room to see what was going on gasped. Betty put her hands on her hips, frowning. “Donovan, if that’s all you came to say on the day of my daughter’s wedding, then get the hell out.”

  He looked at her like a cat about to pounce on a bird. “Betty, you don’t want to be out here all by yourself.”

  “Your chick hasn’t flown the coop,” Betty snapped. “Anyway, even when mine does, I’ll be just fine.”

  “A lot can happen to an elderly woman in a place this big,” Robert said, and everyone gasped again.

  “That’s enough,” Ty said. “You’ve had your say. Betty’s asked you to leave, so I suggest you do so before we help you.”

  Sam, Squint, Justin and Frog came to stand at Ty’s side for backup, a scrum of dangerous-looking men. Jade breathed an internal sigh of relief.

  Robert glanced around the room. “A fall, a broken hip. You’d be much better off in a smaller place, Betty. Now where are those tiny newcomers to Bridesmaids Creek I’ve heard so much about? No bigger than Christmas stockings, apparently, since they were born a few weeks early. Not too healthy, are they? A million dollars could make a lot of difference in their lives.”

  Jade caught Ty’s arm to keep him from jumping across the table and punching Donovan. Her husband was not going to jail on their wedding day.

  “Robert Donovan, let me ask you something,” Betty said, getting right up close to him so she could poke his chest with her finger. “What’s all the empire building about, anyway? You can’t take any of this with you when you go.”

  “I don’t have to. I have my daughter.” He glanced at Daisy, but strangely, she didn’t smile back at him. In fact, Jade thought she looked mortified by her father’s behavior. “She’ll inherit everything.”

  “Really,” Betty said. “Well, maybe she won’t. Maybe all your empire building is for nothing.”

  The whole room went silent.

  “What do you mean, Betty Harper?” Donovan growled.

  “I just mean that you might find your empire being split up one day.” She poked him again. “So if was you, I’d mind myself.”

  “I don’t have any other heirs,” Donovan said.

  “I’m tired of you, Robert,” Betty said. “I’m tired of you scaring folks half to death in this town because they’re afraid you’re going to buy up the debt on their ranches and their homes, and call the loans on them. I’m tired of you running roughshod over everyone, and hurting people, and ruining every damn thing this town’s tried to build. So here’s a little news flash for you. You do have other heirs, and they happen to be my granddaughters. How does it feel to know that kingdom you’re building isn’t exactly the one you thought it was?”

  Jade stiffened. “Mother!”

  “He deserved it,” Betty said. “I’m sorry, I—”

  Ty leaped on Robert Donovan, throwing a right hard enough to knock the older man down. The entire room had gone deathly silent as Daisy stared at Jade and asked the question everyone wanted answered.

  “Is it true?” Daisy demanded.

  * * *

  THE GUESTS HAD left in a hurry after Donovan was helped to his feet. He’d been carted off to the hospital, and Jade didn’t care even if he did need to have his jaw reattached to his face. He deserved it for the many miseries he’d caused everyone in BC for so many years.

  But her mother—oh, God, what was she going to do about her mother? Ty hadn’t spoken a word to Jade since Betty’s big reveal—in fact, he’d been the one to take Donovan to the hospital.

  Ty had barely looked at Jade or Betty when he’d left, wi
th Squint, Frog and Justin following him for backup. Probably to keep him from murdering Donovan on the way to the hospital.

  “Mom!” Jade exclaimed when Betty bustled into the room. “Mom, what were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t.” Betty took off her apron. “The girls are asleep in the nursery, completely worn out from their big day.” She looked at her daughter as Suz and Mackenzie came into the room to help carry dishes to the kitchen. “Well, yes, I was thinking. I was thinking just how badly I’d like to see Donovan get his just deserts.”

  “You had no right, Mom!” Ty was never going to speak to Jade again; she just knew it. He’d been adamant that the girls’ true parentage remain a secret forever.

  But even he had noted that secrets didn’t stay buried in BC.

  “How did you even find out about that, anyway?” Jade demanded.

  “I heard you two talking over the baby monitor,” Betty said, looking shamefaced. “You didn’t know I’d come in the front door. I went down to check on the girls in the nursery, and I heard. I switched the monitor off as soon as I could, but it was too late. I am sorry for eavesdropping.” Her shoulders drooped. “In fact, I’m sorry for spoiling your big day.” She shook her head, collapsing onto a sofa with a sigh. “I guess I’m not as good as folks always try to paint me to be. But Lord, he got my nerves up, and I just wanted to pop that fat head off his fat neck!”

  Jade sighed, sank onto the sofa next to her mother. “It was a beautiful cake and a lovely wedding day. I know you worked hard to pull all this together for me.”

  Betty put her head on her daughter’s shoulder. “You know, I think it was all Robert’s horrible talk about me getting old, and falling, and being helpless, and my daughter leaving my roost. And my grandbabies.” She wiped at her eyes. “I think the old goat hit me on so many of my worst fears that I just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. Let him know he wasn’t the big dog he thinks he is, and that this is one town he can’t rule like some kind of king. We’ve got spirit here that he can’t crush!” She gave a dramatic sigh. “I am so sorry, Jade. This town will be talking about your wedding day until the end of time.”