Nora Roberts: Lawless

“No use taking chances. Lucky for you I was trying to shoot over your head.”

He only sighed and drew her away. “You owe me a hat, Duchess.” Still amazed, he drew it off to poke at the hole. “I guess I’d have to marry any woman who could handle a gun like that.”

“Is that a proposal?”

He shrugged and stuck his hat back on his head.

“Sounded like it.”

She lifted a brow. “And it’s the best you can do?” “I haven’t got any five-dollar words.” Disgusted, he started back to his horse. Then he stopped and turned back. She was waiting, her arms folded, a half smile on her face. So he swore at her. “There’s a preacher comes into town once every few weeks. He can marry us proper enough, with whatever kind of fuss you figure would satisfy you. I’ll build you a house, between the mine and the town, with a parlor if that’s what you want, and a wood floor, and a real bedroom.”

To her it was the most eloquent of proposals. She held out her hands. “We’ll need two.”

“Two what?”

“Two bedrooms,” she said when his hands closed over hers again.

“Listen, Duchess, I’ve heard they’ve got some odd ways of doing things back east, but I’m damned if my wife is going to sleep in another room.”

“Oh, no.” Her smile lit up her face. “I’m going to sleep in the same room, the same bed as you, every night for the rest of my life. But we’ll need two bedrooms. At least we will by spring.”

“I don’t see why-” Then he did, so abruptly, so stunningly, that he could only stare at her. If she had taken the rifle back out and driven it butt first into his gut he would have been less shaken. His fingers went slack on hers, then dropped away. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” She held her breath. “There’s going to be a child. Our child.”

He wasn’t sure he could move, and was less sure he could speak. Slowly, carefully, he framed her face with his hands and kissed her. Then, when emotions swamped him, he simply rested his forehead against hers. “Two bedrooms,” he murmured. “To start.”

Content, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Yes. To start.”