Free Temporary Husband by Day Leclaire Page B

and bullets for between meal snacks.”
    “He hasn’t eaten a single bullet that I’m aware of,” Wynne retorted mildly. “Unless they were buried in the chocolate cake we had last night.”
    “They weren’t,” Jake reassured.
    “You know what I mean,” Laura snapped, glaring at him before returning her attention to Wynne. “He’ll make mincemeat out of you in no time. And what about the boys?”
    Wynne wrapped her arms around their shoulders, hugging them close. “What about them?”
    “What sort of influence will he be on Chick and Buster?”
    “A bad one,” Jake admitted.
    “Terrible,” Laura concurred. “I suggest an immediate annulment. We’ll find some other way to take care of Mrs. Marsh.”
    “Forget it.”
    “Not a chance.”
    Wynne smiled at her husband, pleased that they were in temporary accord. “There, you see?” she said. “He’s a man of his word. He promised to help me keep my inheritance and that’s what he’ll do. He’s just a little surprised at what it entailed.”
    “That’s the understatement of the century,” Jake said.
    “And how do you know that the minute Mrs. Marsh shows up, he won’t dump you like all the others?” Laura questioned sharply.
    “Because we made a deal.” Wynne’s voice reflected her absolute faith. “He has too much honor and integrity to leave me and the boys at the mercy of Mrs. Marsh. Right, Jake?”
    He shut his eyes and rubbed a spot between his brows with his thumb. “I knew I should have kept walkin’ the instant I saw her heading my way,” he muttered. “Why didn’t I?”
    Wynne smiled. “Because I needed you and you needed me.”
    “No.” Eyes as bright and golden as the midday sun seared her with unrelenting heat. “It’s because I let the wrong part of my anatomy do my thinking for me.”
    “Wynne…Get out of this marriage before it’s too late,” Laura pleaded.
    “I can’t.” Her gaze never left Jake’s. “If I leave him, he’ll lose his inheritance.”
    “So what? Let him. He’s strong. He’s tough. He can take care of himself.”
    “I’m sure he can,” Wynne admitted with a wry smile.
    “Then why go through with this?” Laura pressed. “Because you’re wrong, you know. He doesn’t need you. His sort doesn’t need anyone.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong. He may not know it, but I have something he lacks, something he wants.”
    Laura groaned in frustration. “Open your eyes. Look at all you stand to lose if you go through with this. Ifyou won’t do what’s best for yourself, then at least think about what’s best for the boys.”
    Wynne spared her friend a brief glance. “I am thinking of the boys,” she said gently. “In fact they’re my sole consideration. They need a man in their life, a role model, someone they can look up to and emulate. Someone who can protect them.” Her gaze swung back to Jake. “And that’s exactly what I’ve gotten.”
    He flinched as though she’d struck him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Don’t I?” She came to a decision. “Laura, please take the children back to our room,” she instructed. “Jake and I need to discuss this privately. I’ll join you there as soon as I can.”
    Laura planted her hands on her hips. “And leave you alone with this…this Texan ?” She shook her head. “Not a chance.”
    “There’s nothing he can do to me that hasn’t already been done.”
    “Don’t count on it,” Jake inserted.
    “What about us?” Buster asked, dropping into the conversation. “Is that man gonna be our uncle or what? Chick wants to know.”
    “And I’ll have an answer for Chick in a little while,” Wynne replied. “But first I need to talk to Jake.”
    Laura took a deep breath and slowly released it. “All right, Wynne. We’ll do it your way. The boys and I will go back to the room…on one condition.”
    “Which is?”
    “I want you to take a good, long look at Mr. Texan over there. You told me you were