Page 66 of Bridles and Bribery

“I’m on my honeymoon,” he reminded in a grumbly voice.

“Which doesn’t change the fact that you’re a big, honking criminal lawyer that a lot of people depend on.” It was impossible to say that with a straight face, though she came close to pulling it off.

He shook his head in amused disbelief at her as he lifted his phone from his pocket, took note of the caller ID, and mashed the speakerphone button. “Gil Remington, you’re a dead man.”

Gil’s voice was hoarse with suppressed excitement as he announced, “I’m also about to be the father of twins!”

Jillian reached out to clutch Dave’s hand and drag the phone closer to her. “Bliss is in labor?”

“Yep.” Gil sounded close to weeping.

Dave met Jillian’s gaze, silently asking.

She silently answered.

“We’re on our way.” He disconnected the line.

They were soon speeding in his brand spanking new silver Rezvani Tank toward the Heart Lake Medical Center.

Jillian chuckled as she stared down at her ivory lace kimono. “We’re still in our swimsuits.”

An answering chuckle rumbled out of her husband. “We’re technically still on our honeymoon, babe.”

In less than an hour, they were running across the medical center’s parking lot, hand in hand. Eloise held a finger to her lips as they flew into the waiting room. Bo was snoozing against her shoulder, sweetly sucking on two fingers.

Edward was lounged, half asleep, in the vinyl seat beside her. He straightened when Dave and Jillian reached them.

“Gimme!” At the risk of breaking her own never-wake-a-sleeping-baby rule, Jillian scooped their infant son into her arms. To her wonder and delight, he snuggled right in against her neck and shoulder like he always did.

While her mother-in-law pretended to pout, Edward lightly pinched her chin and tipped her face up for a kiss. “Finally! She’s been neglecting me the whole time you two have been away.”

Eloise gave him a raspberry instead of a kiss. “Neglected, my hide! I eloped with this cranky farmer an entire month before you left for your honeymoon.” She gave his flat midsection an affectionate pat. “The extra banana nut bread pounds he’s wearing are proof of just how neglected he’snot.”

While he was formulating a retort to zing her way, she turned her attention to Dave. “Question, son. Do you really think flaunting your bride in a swimsuit is the best way to bury the rumors about that illicit affair you never had?”

“It can’t hurt.” He snorted. “By now, you should know how little I care about what others think.” He pointed upward. “I care about His opinion.” He slid an arm around Jillian’s waist. “And hers.” He tenderly nuzzled her cheek. “And this little fella’s.” He nudged a finger into his son’s tiny hand. Though Bo was sleeping, his natural reflex was to fist his fingers around it.

Jillian watched her husband’s expression melt with adoration as he drank in the sight of her cuddling Bo. Her heart swelled with an answering joy that felt like a river gushing over its banks.

Gage Hefner skiddedinto the waiting room of the maternity ward and instantly felt like he was intruding.

The latest partner of the Lonestar Security tetrad was standing in the center of the room, practically drooling over his baby son and wife, who — for some reason — was wearing a long, lacy swimsuit coverup. Come to think of it, weren’t the two of them supposed to still be on their honeymoon?

According to local gossip, the guy’s outspoken hoyden of a mother was shamelessly on her sixth husband, which Gage presumed was the tall, white-headed cowboy with an arm draped possessively around her slender shoulders.

And somewhere deeper within the bowels of the mother-baby ward, Gil Remington was Lamaze breathing with his wife to bring a set of twins into the world.

While a very lonely coworker — their junior by at least fifteen years — doesn’t have so much as a date lined up!

Gage swallowed a lump of jealousy big enough to choke a weaker man as he stepped farther into the waiting room.Fortunately, he had twenty years of Army Ranger experience under his belt to help him cope.

Before all the dewy-eyed sweethearts in the room noticed his presence, the door from the mother-baby ward swung open, and Gil Remington joined them. The fact that the tall, retired sheriff was wearing a long blue hospital gown over his jeans did nothing to tame the ever-watchfulness of his lawman gaze or the awareness men like him had of everything going on around them.

For this reason, he was the first person to notice Gage’s presence. “Hefner!” He raised a hand joyously in his direction. “You made it!”

Jillian and her mother-in-law went squealing in Gil’s direction for a group hug. “How’s Bliss?” Jillian asked him anxiously.

Gil hugged the two women back and gave each of them a peck on the cheek before breaking into a two-step. “Bliss is rocking her new-mom look almost as well as I’m nailing my new-dad look.”

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