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to scrub like hell to get all the paint off. His left arm ached from overuse. It just wasn t natural to him,
but he d had to keep up the act down to the last detail, just in case. He blew out a frustrated breath
and dropped his hands to his sides. The whole week had been like this. Everything he did, everything
he said, came out wrong. He d never felt so clumsy in his whole life. It just didn t make sense.
Sure it did, a little voice told him. It made perfect sense. He was in lust with Leanne Watley.
Dammit.
I m gonna tell, a little voice singsonged from the open bedroom doorway. Uncle Ty said a bad
word.
Dex glared down at Angelica. Go away.
She hugged her doll and swished back and forth, apparently enjoying the sound of lace against the stiff
fabric of her dress. If you don t take me for nother ride on your horse, I ll tell, she warned, making a
little song out of the threat.
The child had been blackmailing him all week. He d been forced to submit to her every whim. But he d
had enough. He leaned down nose-to-nose with her. So tell, he challenged. See if I care.
Angelica harrumphed, then whirled in a flurry of white lace and taffeta. Mommy! she shouted as she
ran down the hall. Uncle Ty s been gotted by aliens!
Dex heaved a disgusted sigh. Great, he muttered. He and Angelica needed to have a talk.
The kid was entirely too much like him. She didn t quit until she got what she wanted.
A scream rent the air. Dex bolted in the direction of the sound. Surely a simple swear word didn t
warrant that kind of reaction. He skidded to a halt outside the open bathroom door. Jenny, Chad s wife
and Angelica s mother, stood in the middle of the room, something he couldn t identify in her hand,
Angelica standing next to her, staring upward in confusion.
Oh, God, Ty, Jenny cried, her eyes bright. It turned blue!
Dex frowned. What turned blue? he asked cautiously.
She waved the thing in her hand. The stick! She waved it again. This! I m pregnant! She stared
down at her little girl then. We re going to have a baby! She tossed the stick into the sink and
grabbed Angelica in a big hug. You ll have a little brother or sister.
Dex s frown slowly slipped upright into a smile. She was going to have a baby. You re pregnant! he
said lamely.
Jenny nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. We ve tried for so long. She let go of her daughter and
rushed to hug him. I m so happy.
He hugged her back. That s great. Something like pride or maybe happiness bloomed in his chest.
That s so great. He patted her awkwardly.
She drew back. I have to find Chad!
She rushed down the hall, leaving a stunned Dex and an equally stunned Angelica. When Jenny had
disappeared down the staircase, he glanced down at the princess.
Her doll forgotten on the bathroom floor, she planted her little fists on her hips. Well, what if I don t
wanna baby brother or sister? She made a face. Got too many babies around here now.
Oh, this was good. The little princess was jealous. Get used to it, kid. Once the stick turns blue there s
no stopping it.
Dex pivoted and strode back to his room. He d loved to hang around and see how the princess handled
her dilemma, but he had other things to do.
Like picking up the prettiest girl in the whole state of Montana. He fiddled with his tie, finally
accomplishing his goal of tying it this time. Working with Leanne for the last three days had done
nothing to lessen his hunger for another taste of her. But she d kept her distance. He hadn t missed the
flicker of desire in her eyes once or twice, but she didn t get too close. That was a good thing, he
decided.
He couldn t understand what precisely it was about that sweet little country girl that drove him to
distraction, but whatever it was, he couldn t get enough.
Dex stared at his reflection. The image of Ty Cooper stared back. The bottom dropped out of his
stomach. No matter how much he wanted Leanne he couldn t allow their relationship to go beyond the
kissing stage. Her desire was for Ty, not him. He had to remember that. The truth would soon come
out. He didn t want to hurt Leanne.
He didn t want to hurt any of them.
He pulled his wallet from his jeans and slipped the photograph of his mother and father out of it. This
family had opened their arms to his father, had loved his mother desperately. Whatever their reasons
for allowing him and Ty to be separated, he couldn t permit his own actions to hurt them in any way.
Make them regret, maybe, but that was the extent of the retribution he required from the Coopers. He
still didn t know how he felt about his Grandfather Montgomery s deception. He would deal with that
soon enough. But not tonight. Tonight he was going to relax and enjoy being a Cooper.
Who knew? His stay here could end at any time. If Ty was discovered or if he was, the gig would be up.
He glanced at the bureau drawer where he d hidden the letters. A yearning welled inside him. Maybe
they held the answers he sought. Soon. Very soon, he promised himself. He intended to open them
and see. He d struggled with the idea of breaching his father s privacy, but he had to know the truth.
A few minutes later Dex shook his Grandfather Cooper s hand and kissed his grandmother s cheek
before leaving to pick up Leanne. The whole family would be at the dance, but he felt like showing
them some affection. He almost laughed at the idea that maybe the Cooper way was rubbing off on
him already.
But, he considered as he drove toward Leanne s, he couldn t quite dispel the hint of bitterness he felt
over the choices they had made. He would clear the air on that score soon enough. Dex parked near
the Watley house and dismissed that line of thinking. Tonight he was going to have some fun, Montana
style. He forced away thoughts of his Grandfather Montgomery s constant warnings about money-
hungry women. Leanne was about as far from that as a woman could get.
Leanne was out the door by the time he reached the top step. He d known the blue dress would
complement her angelic features and those big blue eyes, but he hadn t expected this. She was
beautiful. Truly, extraordinarily beautiful.
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