Joan Johnston - Hawk's Way - Rebels

When he pulled her into his arms and hugged her, she felt safe and secure. She knew that was an illusion. Her father had made her feel safe, too. But they had been torn from each other. It was better not to try and make more of this relationship than it was.

Before she could edge herself away from Billy, the screen door was flung open. Billy threw her aside to confront whatever danger threatened them.

Zach Whitelaw stood in the doorway.

“DADDY, DON’T!” Cherry cried as Zach took a step toward Billy, his hands tightened into angry knots.

Zach froze, his eyes wide with shock.

It took Cherry a second to realize she had called him “Daddy” instead of “Zach,” something she had never done before. She felt confused, unsure why she had blurted it out like that, especially now, when she wasn’t going to be his daughter anymore, but someone else’s wife.

“Please don’t fight,” she said.

“Stay out of this, Cherry,” Billy said, his hands curling into fists as menacing as Zach’s.

“How did you get here so quickly?” Cherry said to her father. “I just got off the phone with Jewel.”

“The police called me when they picked up Billy. A phony marriage license isn’t going to save you from me,” he snarled at Billy.

“We really are married,” Cherry said, taking a step to put herself between the two men. Temporarily, it kept them from throwing punches.

Zach snorted. “In a Las Vegas ceremony? That’s no kind of wedding.”

“It’s legal,” Billy said coldly.

There was nothing Zach could say to counter that except, “Come home, Cherry. I know the situation last night must have upset you, but Rebecca and I want you to know we’re on your side. We believe there must be some reasonable explanation for what happened. We can fix this problem.”

“It’s too late for that. Billy and I are married. I’m staying with him.”

Zach glared at Billy. “You should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of a vulnerable child to—”

“She’s no child,” Billy said quietly. “She’s a woman. And my wife.” His hands slid around Cherry’s waist from behind, and he pulled her back against the length of his body.

Cherry saw the inference Zach drew from Billy’s words and actions that the two of them had done what husbands and wives do on their wedding night. By the time her father’s gaze skipped to her face, she bore a flush high on her cheekbones that seemed to confirm what he was thinking. There was no way she was going to admit the truth.

She saw the wounded look in Zach’s eyes before he hid it behind lowered lids.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you or Rebecca,” she forced past the lump in her throat.

“Why, Cherry?” he asked. “Why couldn’t you trust us to be on your side? I thought…”

They were good parents. They had done everything they could to make her feel loved and appreciated, safe and secure. But they expected her to believe parents could protect their children from the evils of the world. She knew from experience that simply wasn’t true. She could never trust them completely. She would never trust anybody that much again.

“I’m sorry, Zach.” She saw his gaze flicker at her reversion to the less familiar, less personal title. “Please tell Rebecca—”

Zach cut her off. “You explain this to your mother. I couldn’t find the words.” He turned and left as abruptly as he had come.

Cherry felt her nose burning, felt the tears threaten and fought them back. She had chosen to travel this road. She had no one to blame but herself for her predicament. Crying over spilled milk wasn’t going to accomplish anything.

“Thanks for sticking by me,” Billy said against her ear.

“I’m your wife.”

“Sometimes that doesn’t mean much when parents enter the picture,” Billy said bitterly.

Cherry turned in his embrace and put her arms around him to hug him, laying her cheek against his shoulder. “I’ll try to be a good wife, Billy.” She raised her face to his, only to find herself unexpectedly kissed.

There was as much desperation as there was hunger in Billy’s kiss. Something inside Cherry responded to both emotions, and she found herself kissing Billy back.

“Hey! What are you doing to my dad?”

Cherry pulled free of Billy’s grasp and turned to the child who had spoken. Behind her stood the other twin, her face less belligerent, more perplexed.

“Uh…” Cherry began. She had no idea where to go from there. She expected Billy to make some sort of explanation, but he gave her a helpless one-shouldered shrug. Cherry turned back to the twins and said to the one who had spoken, “Your dad and I were kissing, Raejean. That’s what married people do.”

“I’m Annie,” Raejean said.

“I’m Raejean,” Annie dutifully added.

“Hey, you two,” Billy said. “What’s the big idea trying to fool Cherry?”

Raejean’s chin jutted. “I don’t know why you’re so mad, Daddy. She isn’t fooled at all.” She turned to Cherry, her brow furrowed. “How do you do that, anyway? No one but Mommy and Daddy has ever been able to tell us apart.”

Cherry said, “There’s nothing magic about it. You’re as different from your sister as night from day.”

“We’re twins,” Raejean protested. “We’re exactly alike.”

“You look alike on the outside,” Cherry conceded, “but inside here—” Cherry touched her head. “And here—” She touched her heart. “You’re very different.”

“I’m glad you can tell us apart,” Annie said. “I don’t like fooling people.”

“I don’t care if you can tell us apart,” Raejean said. “I’m not going to like you.”

“Isn’t it a little soon to make up your mind about that?” Cherry asked. “You hardly know me.”

“I know you want to be my mother. I don’t want another mother. My mother’s in heaven!” Raejean turned and headed for the stairs. She hadn’t gone very far before she realized Annie hadn’t automatically followed her. She turned and said, “Come on, Annie.”

Annie hesitated briefly before she turned and followed her sister.

Cherry whirled on Billy the instant they were gone. “I can’t do this all by myself, Billy. You’re going to have to help.”

“You can’t blame them for being confused, Cherry. After all, the only woman they’ve ever seen me kissing is their mother.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t let the girls see us kissing. Maybe you should keep your distance when they’re around.”

Billy thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t want to do that for two reasons. Penelope would be sure to notice if we never touched each other. It would be a dead giveaway that there’s something fishy about our marriage.”

“And the second reason?”

“I don’t want my daughters to see me ignoring the woman they believe is my wife. It would give them the wrong impression of what marriage is all about.”

“I see.” What she saw was that Billy had all sorts of reasons for kissing and hugging her that had nothing whatsoever to do with actually loving her. But loving hadn’t been a part of their bargain. She had to remind herself of the rules of this game. Help each other out. Don’t get involved. Don’t start to care. That way lay heartache.

“All right, Billy,” Cherry said. “I’ll play along with you where the kissing and touching is concerned. So long as we both know it’s only an act, I suppose neither of us can be hurt. Now that we have that settled, I believe you need to get to town for those supplies, and I’d better get some lunch started.”

Cherry turned her back on Billy, but she hadn’t taken two steps toward the sink before his arms slid around her from behind again, circling her waist. Her treacherous body melted against him. She forced herself to stiffen in his embrace. “Don’t, Billy,” she said in a quiet voice.