* *
“GO AWAY,” RIVER told Tighe when he walked into Sloan and Kendall’s house. She was playing with the twins, about to start their baths. “If you’re here to talk to me, I’m not in the mood.”
“Don’t be prickly, beautiful. You and I have things to discuss. Hey, boys.” He ruffled the hair on Carlos and Isaiah’s heads, a fond uncle, even if he was still gimping around and not able to get down and play with them the way he liked.
River put away the toys. “I’ve thought long and hard about this, and if we’re going to be parents, you’re going to have to do this my way.”
“Meaning?”
“Separately. Just because Falcon and Sloan and Dante got together with their—”
“Baby mamas?” Tighe said helpfully.
“I really don’t like that expression. How about mother of your child?” River said.
“Kinda formal, don’t you think?”
She refused to look at the handsome cowboy who might be bound to her forever now. “Let’s not discuss it more until we know for certain. I don’t have any intention of tying you down.”
“That’s fine,” Tighe said, “I’ll do the tying down, sweetheart, if there’s tying to be done.”
Her body seemed to lighten and expand at his words. Her friend Ana had mentioned that Dante had been forthright in his pursuit of her, and that she didn’t expect Tighe to be any different.
River didn’t want to be pursued, and she wasn’t certain how to get that through his head—or hers. She’d felt the unmistakable surge of excitement at the thought of being romanced by him. When he’d made love to her, it had been like magic, pure magic, and she’d adored every minute of it.
“You know you want me,” Tighe said, his voice teasing, and River looked at him, and thought, Yes, I do. But it’s just not going to happen.
* * *
“THIS IS SO going to happen,” Tighe said, following River to her room. “We need to get to know each other much better since we’re going to be parents.”
“We don’t know for sure.”
“I know for sure. And I can’t wait. Pack up your stuff, doll face. I need a night nurse.”
“You need nothing and no one. I have this on good authority from your sister.”
River wouldn’t even look at him, the cute, shy little thing. “Don’t listen to Ash,” Tighe told her. “She thinks she’s the family font of all knowledge, but we humored her growing up. She was sheltered, babied. She doesn’t know a thing.” He settled on River’s bed. “I can’t sleep here with you. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the twins.”
“Yes, I know,” River said sweetly, but he wasn’t fooled in the least.
“You’ll have to be my night nurse at the bunkhouse.”
“If you need a nurse, ask Fiona. I have a job. In fact, my job is the exact reason why nothing further is going to happen between you and me.”
He frowned, not liking the sound of that.
“The thing is, it’s unprofessional. In fact, it was unprofessional, what I did with you,” River said, her cheeks turning a becoming pink Tighe thought was adorable. “I shouldn’t have allowed your aunt and family to talk me into that little adventure, and I should have...turned you away when you came to my room that night.”
He laughed. She was just such a sexy fireball. “Sweetcakes, you wouldn’t have turned me away. As I recall, you scooted over and made room for me in that tiny little bed.”
Her face went bright red. He grinned. “I liked it. Made me feel very welcome. And that’s what I’m going to do for you tonight, when you come to my bed.”
“I won’t be doing any such thing,” she said, a little snappishly, but he wasn’t afraid of a girl with spirit.
Tighe got to his feet. “See you later.”
“I don’t think so.”
He headed out the door to the bunkhouse. He’d be seeing River all right—the lady liked him.
But not as much as he liked her.
Give me time. I’ll change her mind.
* * *
TIGHE HEARD HIS door open about midnight, and smiled in the darkness. This was awesome. He’d known River would come. She couldn’t resist him. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, they shared something special. He pretended to be asleep, so he wouldn’t ruin her surprise.
He’d act so surprised, and then make love to her until she admitted she was crazy about him.
The light flipped on, jarring his eyes open. River stood there, wearing a robe and high-heeled slippers. He grinned. “Well, hello, gorgeous. Come to nurse me back to a full-strength wild man?”
He watched her move his crutch away from his nightstand, a bit out of his reach. Of course, he wouldn’t need that tonight. River gave him a long gaze, then opened her robe, and he swallowed so hard he thought he might choke. Not a scrap was on her body.
“Holy smokes,” he said, “come to Daddy. And don’t take the long route. Jump right into my arms.”
River closed her robe.
He looked at her. “If you’re cold, I’ll be happy to warm you, darling.”
She gave him one last look, took his crutch and left the room.
“That little devil. What was that all about?” He hobbled out of his room, glanced around the bunkhouse. His nocturnal angel had gone, taking all the sexy joy away.
Now he was stiff in several places.
“That little lady and I have got to work some things out,” he muttered, and climbed back into bed, completely disgruntled.
And then he got it. She was trying to drive him mad. That was the plan, while he was in no shape to give proper chase. She was going to make him crazy, make him want her, until he begged her to be his woman.
* * *
“NO, YOU DOPE,” Jace said the next day when Tighe mentioned that he’d had the strangest dream in the night, wherein River had nearly killed him with a vision of divine beauty, then cruelly snatched it away. “She’s not softening toward you. I heard Ash and her discussing it. She was showing you how cruel it had been that you sandbagged her in her hotel room that night. Ash told her you had to realize that what happens in the night doesn’t necessarily translate to real life. Sort of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
“My sister put my girlfriend up to giving me a relationship lesson? Isn’t that the blind leading the blind?” Now that he understood what had happened, Tighe felt a whole lot better. It explained the wild look in her big eyes, as if she wasn’t totally committed to the caper, perhaps might have even been nervous.
“I wouldn’t put it so harshly. Ladies cook up these plans all the time. Guys do, too, but we’re more interested in getting into ladies’ drawers than staying out of them. River wants you to know that the two of you don’t have anything that translates to real life.” Jace kicked back in the bunkhouse, grinned at his brother. “This one’s gonna be tough, bro. And you’ve only got one leg to chase her on.”
“Won’t matter.” Tighe felt a bit deflated suddenly. Maybe River didn’t want him. Was that possible?
Nah. No way.
“Hey, give me a ride, will you?” he asked Jace.
“Heading back to the canyons?”
“No. Not yet.” He stumped toward the jeep. There was only