The Buckhorn Brothers Box Set: Sawyer\Morgan\Gabe\Jordan (47 page)

“I have to be at work soon.”

“Tough. Don’t rush me.” She wisely didn’t push him on that score. Morgan drew a deep breath, then admitted, “Sawyer isn’t Casey’s natural father.”

Misty’s eyes widened and her mouth opened twice before she sputtered, “That’s ridiculous!”

“No, it’s true. If you want all the details, you can ask Honey. I’m sure Sawyer told her the whole story.”

“But…” She searched his face, then looked away. “She’s never said a word.”

“Likely because it doesn’t matter. Not to Sawyer, and sure as hell not to the rest of us. No one could love that boy more than we do. Sawyer knew all along that Casey wasn’t his. But he’d been married to Casey’s mother, and she didn’t want him. So he brought Case home, a squalling little red-faced rodent, and we all went head over heels. Hell, a baby is a baby. It doesn’t matter who planted the seed. All that matters is who loves him and cares for him and shelters him. I want to do that with you, Misty.” He swallowed hard, his hands gripping her shoulders. “Marry me.”

He could feel her shaking beneath him, saw the tears gathering in her eyes. She bit her lip and sniffed.

“Malone?”

“I…I can’t.”

Never in his life, Morgan thought, had anything hurt so much. He’d been in brawls, he’d been injured by cars and animals. He’d had broken limbs and a broken nose and more bruises than he could count. But nothing had ever hurt like this.

He stared at Misty, not wanting to believe that she’d refused him. She’d told him all along that she didn’t want commitment, that she was through with involvement. But he hadn’t believed her, not really. He hadn’t
wanted
to believe her.

His head throbbed and his blood boiled. He wanted to rage, he wanted to shout. But he’d made a big enough fool of himself already.

He rolled to the side of the bed and stared at the ceiling. He started to ask her why, but wasn’t at all sure he wanted to know the answer. Misty scampered off the bed, and her bare feet made no sound on the carpet. His door closed very quietly.

By the time he followed her, she’d already left for work.

Gabe gave him a questioning look, but Morgan didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. He left for work and didn’t come home until late that night. He didn’t see Misty at all.

* * *

M
ISTY WAS SITTING
by the lake when Honey found her. She glanced at her sister, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Hey. What’s up?”

“That was my question.” Honey lowered herself onto the edge of the dock beside Misty. She pulled off her sandals and dangled her feet in the water. “Morgan has looked like a thundercloud all day, growling at everyone, ready to spit nails. We’re all avoiding him. The only one not afraid is the puppy.”

Misty looked at the dark lake water and promised herself she wouldn’t cry. “The dog has really taken to him, then?”

“Amazing, isn’t it? Do you know what he named that little wad of fur? Godzilla. And the dog seems to like it.”

Misty summoned up a smile, when in truth, it was all she could do not to bawl like a baby.

Honey made an exasperated sound. “So Morgan is more feral than ever and you’re so morose the sun won’t even shine on you. What’s going on?”

Misty turned her face away, resting it on her bent knees. Hoping Honey couldn’t hear the strain in her voice, she said, “Nothing. I just wanted some peace and quiet.”

“Funny. That’s just what Morgan said.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He sent Gabe and Jordan running, and Sawyer was ready to hit him in the head, but I insisted he talk to me. He won’t growl at me, you know. I think he’s afraid it’ll break me or something.”

Funny. Morgan had never hesitated to shower her with his bad moods, not that she’d minded. He hadn’t scared her at all, because she’d seen through him.

Honey cleared her throat. “He told me he just wants to finish up the house so he can get moved out. He’s been spending every spare minute up there.” Honey hesitated, then said with a dramatic flair, “Tomorrow he’s moving in.”

Her stomach cramped, because she knew she’d chased him away, but what else could she do? Marry a man who didn’t love her?

“I hate to see him go,” Honey admitted softly. “The house won’t seem the same without him.”

Misty didn’t reply to that. What could she say? She’d barely seen Morgan in two days. Even today, at the station, he’d not taken much notice of her. When he had looked at her, his expression had been flat. There’d been no teasing, no lust, no tenderness, none of the things she was used to and that she had begun to expect. Oh, he’d still been courteous, telling her to go to lunch, to take her time, to make sure she ate right. It was as if what had been between them was no longer there.

Misty couldn’t bear to think about that, so she decided to do something she should have done already. “I have a confession.”

Honey’s arm slipped around her shoulders. “I’m still a good listener, you know.”

“You’re going to be angry,” Misty warned her.

“I doubt it.”

But when Misty explained all about the theft, how she’d been found guilty, Honey was absolutely livid. Not at Misty, so much, but that her boss had dared to accuse her and that the judge hadn’t believed her.

It took some fast talking on Misty’s part to make Honey understand that all was well now, or at least on the way to being well, thanks to Morgan, and to explain why she hadn’t told her sooner.

“So Morgan is the one that got it all straightened out?”

Misty nodded, once again confounded by his generosity. “He’s pretty wonderful, isn’t he?”

“
I’ve
certainly always thought so.”

She’d always thought so, too, but what she felt wasn’t enough to make a marriage work. Misty heaved a sigh. “I have to leave tomorrow morning. I might be gone overnight. I’m not sure.”

Honey stiffened. “Leave where?”

“My lawyer needs to see me. There’re some things that have to be done to set up the new trial. Everything should go well, so I’m not worried about that. I already told Ceily, and I told Nate. I know I should have told Morgan that I wouldn’t be in, but I just couldn’t. Things aren’t great between us right now.”

Very gently, Honey asked, “Why not?”

Misty squeezed her hands into fists. “He asked me to marry him.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, then Honey gasped theatrically. “Well, that bastard! How dare he?”

Shaking her head at her sister’s mocking outrage, Misty said, “You don’t understand.”

“I understand that you love him, sis. Isn’t that what’s most important?”

“No.” Misty dropped her feet into the water with a splash, then watched the ripples fan out until they disappeared. “What’s important is that two people love each other. But Morgan doesn’t love me. He likes to take care of people, and he thinks I need a husband because I’m pregnant. You’ve said yourself how old-fashioned he is. But that’s not good enough anymore. I’ve learned a lot through all this, most importantly that you can’t cut corners. If there isn’t love, then there’s nothing.”

“And you think Morgan doesn’t love you?”

Misty lifted one shoulder, not sure what to say. “I asked him why he wanted to marry me. He gave me a lot of good reasons, but not once did he say he loved me.”

“So ask him outright.”

Misty stared at her, appalled. “I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Honey kicked her feet, too, splashing them both. “Morgan is a hard-headed man. Actually, he’s just hard, period. All over.”

“I know, I know.” Misty hadn’t been able to sleep at night, remembering how wonderfully hard Morgan was. She loved everything about him, but she was crazy nuts about his big, solid body. And after only making love with him twice, she was addicted. She didn’t think she could have ever gotten enough of him.

“Hard men are usually sensitive men.”

Misty snorted over that bit of nonsense. “Morgan is about as blunt as they come. He always tells me what he’s thinking or feeling, even if it embarrasses me to death.”

Honey looked at the sky and pondered that. “Well, then, don’t you think you owe him the same courtesy?”

She shuddered at just the thought. “I’m a horrible coward. Morgan’s made it clear from the first that he’s attracted to me. But that’s all.”

“How can you say that?” Honey frowned at her. “Morgan’s done everything he could to keep you close by. He even made up that ridiculous story about the two of you having an agreement.”

“You knew that wasn’t real?”

Honey smiled. “It was plain on your face.”

Bemused for a moment, Misty wondered if all his brothers had known he was just making up their involvement. Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He kept me here because he was trying to take care of me—whether I wanted him to or not. He does that for everyone, Honey.” She turned to face her sister, wanting her to understand. “Morgan is about the most giving, caring man I’ve ever met. That’s why being a sheriff is so perfect for him. He loves taking care of other people’s problems. He’s a natural caregiver—though he’d choke if he heard me say that, and probably frown something fierce. He tries to hide his gentleness behind a big tough exterior.”

Honey waved that away. “I know. But still—”

“No. If he loved me, surely he would have said so.”

“Will you at least think about it? Maybe he’s not quite as tough or as confident as you think he is.”

The idea of Morgan being insecure would take some getting used to, but to appease her sister, she agreed to think it over. What would Morgan say if she blurted out that she loved him? Would he be embarrassed? Would he lie and say he loved her, too, just to keep her from embarrassment? She closed her eyes, not sure at all what his reaction would be.

“I was looking for you for another reason, too.”

Honey’s serious tone pulled Misty out of her contemplation. “What’s wrong?”

After a deep breath, Honey said, “Father wants to visit us. He called a few minutes ago.”

That was the very last thing Misty had expected to hear. Incredulous, she stared at her sister. “You must be kidding.”

“Unfortunately…no.”

Misty narrowed her eyes. “He wants to come here? To Kentucky?”

“Yes. That’s what he said. I’m supposed to call him back and tell him when it’d be convenient.”

A summons from her father wouldn’t have thrown her so badly. But a visit? It didn’t make any sense. Unless…“What are we being accused of now? Is he mad about something?” Then a horrid thought intruded. “Oh, God. He found out I’d been arrested, didn’t he?”

“I don’t think so. Actually, he told me he wants to meet my husband. Sawyer is afraid he’s going to bring up his will again, and you can just imagine how that’d go over.”

Misty nodded. All her life, her father had claimed to want a son to carry on the family name. Since their mother had died without giving him one, he’d decided that Honey, as the oldest child, would have to supply a husband to fill the role of masculine heir.

Sawyer had flatly refused to accept anything from him. And their father had been peeved ever since. He hadn’t even attended the wedding.

“Father said he was intrigued by the notion of men who would blindly turn down money and power. When I mentioned to him that he should have come to the wedding, he actually said he regretted missing it. Can you believe that?”

“Uh…no.”

Honey softened her tone. “He also said he was worried about you.”

“Since when?” Misty couldn’t help but feel bitter over her last conversation with her father. He’d been very disappointed that she’d gotten pregnant, and he hadn’t bothered to try to hide that disappointment.

“Here’s what I think.” Honey pulled her feet from the water and stood, then looked at Misty. “I think I’m so happy that I don’t mind hearing him out, seeing what he has to say. Sawyer told me that not everyone is as capable of expressing love as we are. He asked me about Father’s upbringing, our grandparents, and you know, I think he might be onto something there. Father was always a cold, detached man, just as his parents were and as they expected him to be. After Mom died, he was all alone. That couldn’t have been easy for him, Misty. I’m not saying we have to be all loving and hugging.” She shuddered, then laughed. “That would be too weird after all this time. But I’d at least like to make my peace with him. And you’re going to be giving him a grandchild. Maybe he’ll look at things differently, but either way, I want to know that I gave our relationship every chance.”

Honey walked away, leaving Misty to think things over. True, her father had never been the type to hug or even give a quick compliment. But he’d made certain they were always well dressed and well fed, and they’d never wanted for anything material. Just the fact that he wanted to meet Sawyer and the brothers showed a bending on his part, a sort of olive branch. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to listen to him.

As she walked up to the house, dodging stones on the ground and the occasional bee feasting on clover, she smiled. She couldn’t begin to imagine her father’s reaction to the brothers. They were overwhelming and dominating and they spoke their minds without hesitation.

Her father would be in for a surprise.

* * *

E
ARLY
the next morning, Morgan stared at his bedroom ceiling, a habit that had replaced sleeping in the past few days. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how he exhausted himself, he couldn’t sleep. He was so damn tired he could barely see straight, but when he closed his eyes, all he could think of was Misty.

Hell, even with his eyes open, she was all he could think of. He alternated between fantasies of making love to her until she begged him to marry her and throttling her for turning down his proposal in the first place. Not that he would ever really hurt her, he thought with disgust. Hell, no.

There was one bright side to all his recent labors; his house was done. He could now move in and live in comfort—and solitude. But he didn’t want to. He’d come to think of the house with Misty in it. Without her, it didn’t seem complete no matter what he did to it.

Sawyer was right, he was a miserable bastard. He never should have given in to his needs. He should have avoided her instead of finding out for a fact how sweet she was, how right it felt to be inside her, holding her, talking with her, loving her. Now she was still here, a damn relative, and he had to look at her and know she was close, but she didn’t want him.