Authors: Joan Johnston
The Texan (39 page)
Owen saw Bay’s mother flinch and watched his father’s jaw tighten at Sam’s indictment.
“I told you I was coming here to say good-bye to Jackson,” Bay’s mother told her son. “And that’s what I meant. We won’t be the cause of anyone’s unhappiness.”
Except their own
, Owen thought, as he looked from one miserable pair of eyes to the other.
“Can you drive us to the hospital?” Owen asked Sam.
He nodded. “I’ve got my van. There’s plenty of room for anybody who wants to come.”
“I’ll stay here with Paul,” Clay said. “Until the cavalry arrives to take charge of him.”
“I can drive Luke to the hospital with me,” Bay’s mother said. “We’ll meet you there.”
That left his father alone. “How about you, Dad?”
“I’ll drive myself to the hospital.” He put a hand on Owen’s shoulder and said, “You handled yourself well, son. I’m proud of you.”
Owen felt his throat swell with emotion. It was the first time his father had ever said those words. “Thank you, Dad. I hope you’re going to come to the wedding.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” his father said. He turned and walked away, his broad shoulders squared, his head high.
Owen shook his head as he realized that despite everything that had been said here today, the battle between the Blackthornes and the Creeds wasn’t over by a long shot. His father wasn’t going to give up that Creed woman any more than Owen was going to give up her daughter.
But maybe hostilities would cease for a while. Long enough for him to marry Bay. Long enough for them to start their life together.
He lifted Bay into his arms and headed for Sam’s van. “We have a chance now, Red,” he whispered.
Her eyes were closed, and he wasn’t sure she’d heard him until she murmured, “Pretty good job of peacemaking for a lawman, Owe.”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was.”
“I love you, Owe.”
“I know, Red. I love you, too.”
THE BRIDE WAS PREGNANT
.
It wasn’t apparent, unless you looked at the glow of joy on her face. The weather was cool for September, and Bay wore a long white dress with fitted sleeves that buttoned all the way to her wrists.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Bay said as her mother rearranged her veil one last time.
“I’m so happy for you, darling,” her mother said.
Bay saw the sadness in her mother’s eyes that belied the smile on her face. She kissed her mother’s cheek and said, “Someday.”
Her mother laughed. “What does that mean?”
“You know what it means. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
The church was full of friends and neighbors, Blackthornes on one side of the aisle, Creeds on the other. Callie and Trace had come all the way from Australia with their three children and sat on the bride’s side, since there were so many fewer people there.
As the eldest Creed male, Sam was leading Bay down the aisle. He showed up in the vestibule and said, “Are you ready?”
Bay smiled once more at her mother. “Ready.”
“Luke’s waiting for you,” Sam said to their mother. “He’ll walk you to your seat.”
“Be happy,” her mother said as she squeezed her hands.
“I will,” Bay promised.
Bay leaned down and kissed Sam on the cheek. “Thank you, Sam.”
“Just be happy,” he said gruffly.
“I will,” she promised for the second time.
Bay put her hand on her brother’s shoulder as he turned his wheelchair and headed for the aisle of the church. The wedding march began, and the guests stood and turned expectantly to watch.
Bay couldn’t take her eyes off Owen, who stood in a morning coat at the altar of the First Baptist Church waiting for her to join him. He looked so tall and strong and handsome. And in love. Oh, he looked at her with such love.
When she reached the front of the church, Bay noticed her mother appeared pale. She realized why when she saw that Eve Blackthorne was sitting beside her husband. Next to them sat Summer Blackthorne, with her arm looped through the arm of a handsome young man Owen had told her was visiting the family from Houston.
“Who gives this woman…” the preacher intoned.
Sam looked somber as he handed her over to Owen’s care and then turned and wheeled himself to the first pew alongside the rest of her family.
Bay laid her hand trustingly in Owen’s and met his gaze as he began to recite the vows that would join them forever. Bay’s throat had swollen closed, so her voice was whispery soft as she said, “I, Bayleigh, take you, Owen, to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
To love and to cherish, in sickness and health. Until death do us part
.
They were powerful words, made more potent by Bay’s knowledge that it wasn’t going to be just the two of them, that they would be sharing their joy with a child. Bay hadn’t told Owen yet. She’d been holding this special gift close to her heart, waiting for just the right moment to tell him.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher said with a beaming smile. “You may kiss the bride.”
“And the mother of your child,” Bay murmured as their lips met.
Owen jerked upright. “What did you say?”
Bay grinned. “I’m pregnant!”
There was both laughter and applause from the guests.
“I’d say this is a timely ceremony,” the preacher said. “God bless you and your blessed event.”
Owen was clasping her hands and staring at her. “Are you sure? When did this happen?”
Bay laughed at the look of astonishment in his eyes. “Twelve weeks ago. And we’re going to have—”
He put his fingertips across her lips and grinned broadly. “I don’t want to know if it’s a boy or a girl. Not until he—or she—arrives.”
Bay grinned back. “All right, Owe. Whatever you say. If you don’t want to know now, I can keep a secret.”
She was sure that whenever
the twins
arrived, he would be delightfully, deliriously happy to welcome his new family.
Everything I know about VX nerve agent, I found on the Internet—including the formula for how to make it. Seven cities in the United States have storage and disposal facilities for the vast stockpiles of chemical warfare agents—including mustard gas left from WWI, and Sarin, Tabun and VX nerve agents—contained in bombs, mines, mortar rounds, rockets, spray tanks, and artillery projectiles. These weapons are stored in earth-covered igloos, with and without their explosive components. All chemical weapons in the United States are scheduled to be destroyed by 2007.
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed
The Texan!
Summer Blackthorne and Bad Billy Coburn will be back soon—and the feud between the Blackthornes and the Creeds will be resumed—in
The Loner
, the next book in the Bitter Creek series.
If you missed Trace and Callie’s story,
The Cowboy
, you should be able to order it on the Internet or find it in your local bookstore.
If you’d like to read more about the Blackthorne family, look for my Captive Hearts series set in Regency England, including
Captive, After the Kiss, The Bodyguard
, and
The Bridegroom
. For those of you intrigued by the Creeds and the Coburns, check out the Sisters of the Lone Star trilogy,
Frontier Woman, Comanche Woman
, and
Texas Woman.
I love hearing your comments and suggestions. You can e-mail me through my Web site at
www.joanjohnston.com
. I answer e-mail as soon as I receive it.
Happy trails,
Joan Johnston
Published by
Bantam Dell Publishing Group
a division of
Random House, Inc.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2001 by Joan Mertens Johnston, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publishers, except where permitted by law. For information address: Bantam Dell Publishing Group, New York, N.Y.
The trademark Dell® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
eISBN: 978-0-307-57074-1
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