Archer's Angels (11 page)

She hesitated a second too long for Clove not to know she’d hit the truth. “Well, he may have been a bit hurt. I mean, it’s probably hard on a man’s self-esteem to know that his sister-in-law can have children but he can’t give them to his—”

“So instead of helping your marriage, I ended it,” Clove said frankly.

“Now, Clove,” Lucy said, “we were already having troubles—”

“But that’s when he finally left. I called you and told you about the babies and you were excited for me, and you told him, and he left.”

“It doesn’t matter, Clove. I really think he would have left eventually. The strains were tearing us apart.”

“It matters to me, Lucy,” Clove said, her heart breaking. “It matters more than anything to me.”

Two hours later, Archer let himself into the little bungalow. “Clove?” he called.

She came out from the bedroom wearing a pretty dress and a frown. “Yes?”

“Oh.” He glanced around. “Where’s Lucy?”

“Right here.” Lucy walked to join her sister. “Hey, Archer.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked, wondering why they looked so serious.

“Did you need something?” Clove asked, glancing around. “Did you leave your hat here?”

“No. I’ve got my hat.” He was perplexed by her sad expression. Clearly, the sisters had an issue on their minds. “And I don’t need anything. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “We’ve been chatting. That’s all.”

Well, woman talk probably made women frown sometimes. “Well,” he said, “can this little monster chat with y’all?” He pulled his hat from behind his back, and the little kitten Clove had adopted in Lonely Hearts Station popped her head up from inside, meowing.

“Tink!” Clove gasped, running to take the kitten from his hat. “Look, Lucy. This is my little kitty!” She rubbed Tink against her chin. “You’re still so soft, Tink!”

Lucy gave Archer a droll look. “Nice, cowboy. Very nice.”

He grinned. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Clove said. “I thought you didn’t like cats!”

The grin slipped from his face, turning his expression uncomfortable. “I’m going to make a huge effort to like Tink. And she’s going to make a huge effort not to be so fond of my hat. Aren’t you, Tink?”

Tink cared about nothing except batting at Clove’s earrings. She laughed. “I love this little ball of fur.”

Lucy was still looking at Archer, he finally realized. “What?” he said to her.

“Just watching you do your thing, cowboy,” she said.

“And it’s a very good thing, too,” he replied. “You two keep bonding. I’m off to haul in some feed.”

“Bye, Archer,” Clove said.

“How are you feeling, by the way?” he asked as he turned in the doorway. “Do you feel like eating at the big house tonight? I can drive you up and we can make it a quick evening. The boys would understand you couldn’t make an all-nighter of it.”

“I’d like that,” Clove said. “Lucy?”

“It should be interesting,” Lucy said, her eyebrow lifting.

Archer laughed. “Wait till you meet my brothers. They’re even more interesting than me.”

Clove smiled, waving Tink’s paw at him. “Can you bring me an extra hat to transport Tink tonight? I think she feels at home in your hat, but I assume you don’t always want to share such a conveyance with her.”

“Sure.” Archer settled a long look on her, taking in her dress and her hair, and last, her lips. “I’ll be back around six,” he said. “Call if you need anything.”

He closed the door behind him.

“Whew,” Lucy said. “He warmed the room twenty degrees with the way he looked at you!”

Clove blushed, thinking about the kiss they’d shared last night. He’d warmed her without trying to, in ways she didn’t even know a woman could be warmed. “He’s just sexy,” Clove said. “It’s not that he’s doing anything extra for me.”

Lucy was still staring at the door. “Clove, you’ve got to get down off your fence.”

“What do you mean?”

“Either you want that sexy beast or you don’t.”

Clove sank onto the sofa and looked at her sister. “Lucy, it’s not that simple. I didn’t come to America to find a man. I could have found a man in Australia.”

“But that hunk is here,” Lucy said, “and it’s time for you to figure out you’ve got one devilishly manly fellow trying his best to pay attention to you.” She looked at the kitten sitting in Clove’s lap, swatting at the buttons on her dress. “Men do not fetch kittens for women they’re not interested in.”

“It was nice of him.”

“It was extraordinary. Makes me wonder what else
he has up his sleeve.” Lucy smiled. “Kind of fun finding out, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I got the distinct impression that he intends to woo you until you go over to his side.”

Clove’s female pride flowered a little. “Did he say that?”

“In so many words, and then a few more. He seemed to think that anything standing in his way was only a flimsy challenge to his right and might. I like that in a man. I really do.”

Clove sighed. “Lucy, if you had seen him when he first met me, there was no spark. No ember to burst into flame. It just wasn’t there. And I wear baggy nightwear and dresses to hide the fact that I am beginning to lose my waist, and now he finds me attractive? I just don’t buy it.”

“Well, there are two things at work here that you probably don’t understand. Men love babies. They may not tell you this, but they love the look of a woman carrying a baby, specifically when it’s his baby. It’s a proclamation to the whole world of his manhood. You’re carrying three of his, and you can get as big as his barn, and he’s just going to find you more attractive. This is how the men who are really worth loving act. There are the losers out there who don’t get it. But real men love to see their woman blossoming.”

“Eh,” Clove said with distaste. “And the second thing at work?”

“Oh. Well, you may not want to let the mirror tell you
this, but you are more attractive now. You’re filled out, you look happy, rested…content. It just shows. And it makes you more alluring to him. So don’t think about what happened when you first met him. Goodness, Clove, not every love is destined to happen in the first instant two people meet. Sometimes it’s the ones that take a long time that are the most tested and meaningful.”

Lucy looked sad and Clove changed the subject. “So, do we go eat with the boys?”

“Sure!” Lucy’s eyes widened. “I’m nearly divorced. I deserve an evening with attractive cowboys!”

“Lucy!”

Her sister laughed. “Oh, my goodness, quit being such a silly. A girl can look and not touch, can’t she? What’s the harm in that? Besides, I’m not a cowboy sort of girl. I married a doctor who hated our farm. Doesn’t that tell you everything?”

Clove shook her head. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Don’t be upset, Clove. There’s so much good in your life that I want you to enjoy it. Be happy.”

“I’m trying,” Clove said. “But right now, I’m just looking forward to eating dessert tonight.”

Lucy laughed. “That’s my girl.”

A
RCHER WAS NERVOUS
as he went to pick up Clove and Lucy. He figured it had to do with the fact that tonight felt oddly like a date; Lucy was somewhat parental about Clove, and he and Clove had never truly had a date. The picking-up and eating-with-the-family phase was one they hadn’t done before, so this had special
meaning. He straightened his bolo, hoping his brothers would behave in this first sit-down meal with his lady.

Just thinking about it made him more nervous. He worried about moving Clove from the bungalow for an hour, but surely eating a delicious meal Helga had prepared constituted resting. Then he wondered if he should take flowers for Clove. He fumbled with his hat and picked up a bucket for Tink that he’d spread a towel in for easy, clean, comfortable transport.

No, flowers would be seen as a sign of wooing on his part, and that would spook Clove. Delivering Tink had been enough. Dinner with his family would be a hurdle they should successfully cross before more was done.

Looking at his teeth, he slicked his hair once more.

“Nervous?” Last said, coming into his room.

Archer grunted.

Last leaned up against the wall. “You like this girl.”

“What gives you that impression?” He checked his teeth. White, with maybe a small uneven crook on the side. He was shaven, except that his face always seemed a bit dark with stubble around his chin.

“You and I are the new dads in the family. Unexpected fatherhood is a bit of a jolt, isn’t it?”

“I’ve had bigger jolts.” Archer checked his fingernails to make certain no dirt resided beneath. “Should I wear cologne, or is that overdoing it?”

“Overdoing what?”

Archer met his brother’s gaze.
“It.”

Last laughed. “Ah, you must mean the eager-swain routine.”

“No, I don’t mean that,” Archer retorted. “I just don’t want to be a dope.”

Last shook his head. “You’re a dope no matter what, as far as Mason’s concerned. You didn’t use a condom. Get over it. You cost the ranch money. Blah, blah, blah. You know the routine.”

“I don’t care,” Archer said. “I like her. For the first time in my life, I really like someone.”

Last nodded. “I know.”

Archer stared at himself in the mirror. “It’s as good as it’s gonna get.”

“I think she likes you fine, bro. By the way, Mimi accepted Mason’s offer.”

“Offer to what?” Archer frowned, still fiddling with his bolo.

“To buy her house and property.”

Archer stopped fiddling and stared at his brother. “Just like that?”

“I guess so. I made the offer, and she said yes.”

Archer thought about that. “Mason’s letting her leave. Just like that.”

“Archer, nothing is just like that. Especially not with Mason.”

“Why did you make the offer and not him? I don’t understand that.”

“Because it’s Mimi. Because he can’t face her with any big decisions. You know him.”

Archer chewed on that. “Something’s fishy here. Mason didn’t even blink when he learned Mimi was going to sell her place.”

“He did. He threw his napkin down and left. But he knew it wouldn’t do any good to steam over it. You know Mimi. When her mind’s made up, it’s all hell’s-bustin’-loose. Mason figured we needed the land now that we’re filling out as a family.”

“Well, I’m not letting Clove go,” Archer said with determination. “Mason may be a wimp, but I’m not. I know how to handle my destination.”

“Destiny, Archer,” Last said with a sigh.

“Same thing to me. I’m outta here.” Archer left, sweeping all thoughts of his family from his mind. As far as he was concerned, he was going to convince Clove that she and the babies belonged right here. With him.

T
HE LAST THING
Clove expected was how handsome Archer was when he came to pick her up. He’d always been attractive, but all dressed up in his best jeans and boots and combed hair, he was downright hot. She glanced at Lucy for confirmation.

Her sister’s eyes were huge as she took in Archer’s appearance. “Mind the fence,” she said to Clove. “I’d be getting down off it if I were you.”

“What fence?” Archer asked.

“No fence at all.” Clove sent Lucy a warning glance. “Thank you for coming to get us.”

“Thank you for joining my family for dinner. This will be a simple, quiet meal. Just what the doctor ordered.”

Lucy followed them silently as Archer led the way to his truck. He helped Clove into the cab, then opened the door for Lucy. “Seat belts, ladies,” he said.

Clove sat quietly, enjoying seeing the ranch as it went by. “It’s very peaceful here.”

“Yes. I’m sure Australia is, too. I’ve always wanted to go to Australia.”

“You told me that once,” she murmured.

Lucy cleared her throat in the back seat.

“Maybe you’d like to come see my house sometime,” Clove said hurriedly.

“I’d like that.”

Clove could almost hear her sister exhale with relief. She frowned, thinking it wasn’t right to invite Archer to her home just yet. They had too much to figure out, and proffering an invitation gave off meaning she wasn’t ready for.

“Here we are,” Archer said. “The humble abode.”

Clove got out of the truck, and Archer ran around to help her walk up the steps.

“I can do it,” she said.

“I know. But you’re not supposed to stress or strain anything.”

She sighed. “I’m not a doll, Archer.”

“That’s debatable, Miss Penmire,” he said. “Hope you like roast beef and mashed potatoes, because Helga’s cooked that and a Yorkshire pudding.”

“I’m dying and going to heaven,” Lucy murmured behind them. “Real Texas cooking.”

They went into the dining room, which was aglow with candelabra. “My,” Clove said. “This is very pretty.”

“It looks fancy,” Archer said, “but don’t get the impression we eat like this every night. This is the holiday
tablecloth, and these are the special-event candles.” He wrinkled his forehead as his brothers filed into the room, taking seats at the table. “If Mimi and the sheriff are moving to town, who gets Helga? Us or them?”

Bandera stared at him. “We don’t know.”

Mason shrugged. “Haven’t thought about it. Miss Clove, Miss Lucy, forgive my brother’s manners and allow me to reintroduce ourselves to you. Bandera, Last, Crockett, and me, Mason.” He lifted a wineglass to Clove. “Congratulations on your pregnancy, and more importantly, welcome to the family.”

All the brothers raised a glass to her. Clove blinked, not sure how to take their welcome. “Thank you,” she finally murmured, picking up her water glass.

Lucy patted her back. Clove felt so guilty. The Jeffersons seemed so sincere, even though she had enticed one of the brothers under false pretenses.

Helga served her plate, heaped high with aromatic food. She nearly sighed with anticipation. “This looks wonderful.”

Helga nodded, filling Lucy’s plate. “Heaven,” Lucy said.

Clove glanced at Archer. She found his gaze on her, watching her every move. “What?” she whispered.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered across the table.

Everyone heard him. Clove felt herself blush, so she looked down at the napkin in her lap. As Mason began to eat, she followed suit, though she’d lost her appetite.

“How are you feeling?” Bandera asked.

“Wonderful, actually. Thank you,” Clove replied.

“Good,” Mason said. “Because we’d like to discuss some living arrangements with you.”

Clove lowered her fork. “Living arrangements?”

“Yes. Now that you’re here and expecting children, we’d like to make your life a bit easier. Less complicated.”

He paused to look at her.

“Thank you,” Clove said, wondering if she should be grateful or worried.

“Next door to us is a house you may have seen on your way up here,” Mason continued. “It’s the sheriff’s house, but he and his daughter and her baby are moving to town.”

“I see,” Clove murmured.