In His Will (22 page)

She tilted her head and kissed him, then slowly pulled away. “Mmm. Then stay crazy, because I love you.”

Dylan hastily buckled her seat belt and started the car. He pulled out onto the road and sped toward home.

“Dylan, what are you doing?”

“Speeding. I’d pay a million dollar ticket without batting an eye.”

“You would? Why?”

He gave her a long look, and his voice dropped to a rumble. “It’s time to go home, city-girl.”

❧

Half an hour later, Sondra sat on the edge of the bed and pleated the satin of her nightgown between nervous fingers. Dylan came into the bedroom, gave her a searching look, and said, “We have a problem.”

Her hand curled, smashing the satin into a ball. “We do?”

He surveyed the pillows, then lifted his chin. “Yup, we do.” He didn’t bat an eye or pause to take a breath. “You’re on my side of the bed.”

“I’m. . . .”

“On my side of the bed. I’ll try to be workable on lots of issues, but this is one time when I’m going to be stubborn.”

“Oh.” She hopped up, wound her arms around his waist, and laughed.

“Now this is the way things are supposed to be.”

Epilogue

Sondra’s laughter shivered in the morning air. “Hey, Dylan!” She came out of the henhouse holding a squirming, twenty-inch reptile. Extending it toward him, she grinned playfully. “Proud of me? I’m not petrified this time.”

Dylan felt everything inside of him lurch.

Completely oblivious to his reaction, she launched into a rendition of the speech he’d given her the last time she’d found a snake. “This is a common milk snake. They’ve been known to eat eggs. They certainly don’t eat people. Stop spluttering, Dylan! I learned my lesson from you that first day. If anything, the poor thing is terrified of me. Can’t say as I blame him, either. Talk about a bad hair day!”

Dylan made a strangled sound and reached for his sheath knife. “Sondra, heave that snake away!”

“Oh, stop getting crazy. I’m not afraid of him.” She turned her hands so she and the snake were facing one another. Playfully, she stuck out her tongue a few times. “He’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”

“Now, Sondra—toss him!”

“I’m going to take him over closer to the fence so I can grab a hoe. You said I’m supposed to chop off his head, but the thought makes me a little sick to my stomach. Do you mind doing the honors?”

“Gladly! Just heave him as far away as you can.”

“Boss—” Nickels’s voice cut in. “I’ll get him; you take care of her.”

“You know,” Sondra said as she twisted the snake to suit her will, “we talked about what to name the ranch. What do you think of—”

“Sondra!”

Sondra finally obeyed. She casually tossed the squirming reptile onto the ground just a few feet away. Dylan leapt and tackled her. They rolled over a few times and came to a stop with him lying fully on top of her.

“Wow, sweetheart,” she whispered. “You really know how to knock a girl off her feet.”

He forced a chuckle, then forked his fingers through her wild hair and kissed her until they were both breathless. “I’m never gonna get enough of you.”

“You both okay, boss?”

“More than okay,” Dylan said as he got to his feet and pulled Sondra upright. “Thanks for the coverage.”

Nickels shook his head and pushed his hat back a bit. “Reckon you ought to teach that little city-gal wife of yours to be careful of copperheads.”

“Oh, it wasn’t a copperhead, Nickels—it was just a plain, old milk snake.” Sondra’s smile froze, then melted as she saw the look the men exchanged. She could feel the blood draining from her face. Unwilling to let them witness her embarrassing cowardice, she vaguely murmured, “We all have chores to do.” Just a few more steps, and she could sit down on the bench Dylan put in her garden. . . .

“Whoa. Hey.” Dylan caught her and chuckled. He got her to the bench and promptly tucked her head between her watery knees.

When she finally sat up again, he asked, “Better?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Coulda fooled me. You know, the first time you saw a snake, you lost your breakfast. This time, you nigh unto fainted. Looks like I’ve saddled myself with a prissy little city-gal for a wife.”

“Almost right.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m definitely your wife, but I’m not prissy, and it wasn’t the snake.”

“Oh? And what was it?”

“Morning sickness.”

Dylan took a minute to digest that news. Once it sank in, he let out a loud whoop.

Nickels came running. “Boss?”

Dylan chortled and gave Sondra a big kiss. “Praise God! We’re gonna have another baby!”

About the Author

Cathy Marie Hake is a Southern California native who loves her work as a nurse and Lamaze teacher. She and her husband have a daughter, a son, and three dogs, so life is never dull or quiet. Cathy considers herself a sentimental packrat, collecting antiques and Hummel figurines. In spare moments, she reads, bargain hunts, and makes a huge mess with her new hobby of scrapbooking. [email protected]

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