Kings of California: Bargaining for King's Baby. Maureen Child

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СКАЧАТЬ my wife, Travis?” Adam’s voice boomed as he walked out of the barn.

      “Well, she’s just so damn huggable, isn’t she?” Travis sounded amused as he gave her another squeeze. He winked down at her before letting her go.

      Adam’s features were tight and his eyes were narrowed. Gina wished she could pretend he was actually a little jealous, but she had the feeling it was more about Travis showing up unannounced than about a hug.

      Adam looked at her, then shifted his gaze back to his brother. “What’re you doing here?”

      “And hello to you, too, big brother,” Travis answered.

      Gina looked at her husband and tried to rein in her instant physical response. But it was way too late. No matter how she tried to control it, her body lit up the moment she saw Adam. Where she could look at Travis or Jackson, for that matter, and see a handsome man with a great body and lots of charm, that’s as far as it went. When she looked at Adam, though, her stomach fluttered with the nervous clip of butterfly wings and her heartbeat quickened into a fast gallop.

      Even with his crabby nature and tendency to shut out anyone who threatened to get close, she loved him. Somewhere inside that perpetual crab, there was still the guy who at sixteen had helped her home after she’d fallen off her horse. Inside Adam, there was still the young hero who’d come to her rescue at a school dance when her date had gotten too grabby.

      She looked at him and saw not only the past, but their possible future and the love for him she’d carried around inside her for years was alive and well. God help her. She took a deep breath, waited for him to look at her and then said with a forced brightness, “My horses are here.”

      “I see that,” he said, shooting a glare at the trailer as it parked close to the corral. “Why?”

      That she hadn’t expected. “What do you mean, why?”

      “Simple question, Gina,” he said, folding his arms over his chest, planting his booted feet wide apart as if readying for battle. “Why are they here? Why didn’t you just keep them at your folks’ place?”

      Gina stared at him. He was mad about her horses being shuttled to the ranch? “Because I live here now.”

      “Temporarily,” Adam said.

      Direct hit, she thought and inwardly winced.

      “For God’s sake, Adam.” Travis straightened up and walked to Gina’s side, clearly aligning himself with her.

      “This is none of your business, Travis.”

      Gina appreciated Adam’s brother’s attempts at help, but she needed to take care of this herself. “He’s right, Travis. This is between Adam and me.”

      She walked over to her husband, whose scowl looked fierce enough to strip paint and tipped her head back to look up at him. “Adam, we’re married. I live here. I work with the Gypsies every day. It’s not exactly convenient to drive over to my parents ranch every morning to do that work.”

      Adam did a quiet seethe. She could see it in his narrowed eyes and the tense lock of his jaw. Then she watched him flick a glance at Travis before turning his gaze back to her. Clearly there was more he wanted to say, but Travis being a witness wasn’t something he was interested in.

      Taking her upper arm in a firm grip, he steered her farther away from his brother and didn’t stop until they were standing in the shade of the open barn doors. “You don’t have to put on a front, Gina. We both know that this marriage isn’t real.”

      Another barb that hit home with deadly accuracy. But damned if she’d let him know it. If she was going to make Adam see her, really see her, then she had to stand up to him. Let him know right up front that she wasn’t going to be ignored or placated or pushed around.

      “You’re wrong,” she said shortly. “This marriage is very real.” She held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger at him. “Whatever you’d like to think, Adam, we’re legally married, for however long it lasts.”

      He released his grip on her arm, but her skin kept buzzing as if his touch had branded her. “I know it’s legal, but it’s not your ordinary marriage, now is it?”

      “What marriage is ordinary, Adam?”

      He blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re purposely misunderstanding me.”

      “Oh, I understand just fine,” she said and tapped the tip of her index finger against his chest. “You want to pretend that I’m not really here. The only place you want to see me is our bedroom. Well, get over it. I am here. And I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

      “I know that.” He shot a look at Travis, lowered his voice and said, “I’m just saying it doesn’t make much sense to uproot your horses. Besides, there’s no room for them here. Not to mention the fact that you could have talked to me about this before arranging for their arrival.”

      Okay. Love him or not, Gina wasn’t going to be walked on. “There’s plenty of room on this ranch for the horses, Adam. You don’t even use the front corral and the barn’s half empty.”

      “That’s not the point—”

      “You just made it the point. Plus,” she said, rushing on before he could get started again, “you knew going in that I work with those horses.”

      “I didn’t think—”

      “What?” Her eyes widened and she waved both hands in the air. “You didn’t think I’d work with them here? Where I live?” She lowered her voice a little and leaned in. “What did you think, Adam? That I’d just stay tucked up in the bedroom waiting for you to service me? I said I wanted a baby, but I also have a life. One I’m not interested in giving up.”

      “You could have told me—”

      “Maybe I should have. But I didn’t realize I would have to discuss every one of my decisions with you to get your approval.”

      “I didn’t say that—”

      “What did you say then?” She was almost enjoying this, Gina thought. Adam looked confused and off balance. But it was better than disinterested. At least he was looking at her. Talking to her. Actually, she thought, keeping him off balance might be just the answer.

      He scrubbed one hand across his face in an impatient gesture. “Fine. I’m not going to argue about this.”

      “Too late.”

      “You want the damn horses here, then fine.”

      “Oh,” she said, laying one hand on her chest. “Thanks so much.”

      His mouth worked, he pulled in a long breath and then said, “You’re really starting to irritate me, Gina.”

      “Good,” she said and gave him a smile. Irritated meant she was getting to him. Keeping him confused could only help her. “I like knowing that I can make you feel something.”

      When she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm again, spun her around and before she could ask what else he wanted to complain about, СКАЧАТЬ