Bittner, Rosanne by Texas Embrace

Author:Texas Embrace [Embrace, Texas]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-03-31T05:30:45+00:00

"John Hawkins!"

John turned to see Jenny standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Quit your bragging and get up here before you're so drunk you can't think straight."

"Don't you mean before he's so drunk he can't do somethin' else?" Ken shouted. Most of the men in the room laughed at the insinuation.

"Better get up there, Hawk. The lady looks mighty anxious," someone teased.

John joined the others in more laughter, slugging down a quick shot of whiskey before turning to go upstairs amid whistles and lewd suggestions about what it was Jenny wanted. John put an arm around Jenny and walked her into her room, promptly closing the door and grabbing her close. He planted a long, groaning kiss on her mouth, surprised she did not seem to be returning it as warmly as usual. She gave him a gentle shove.

"I didn't ask you here for that," she told him.

John grinned. "Since when?"

Jenny planted her hands on her hips. "Since Tess Carey told me she wants to marry you."

John straightened, his grin quickly fading. Jenny smiled at the look of sudden shock on his face, and his dark eyes showed his disbelief. Flickers of indecision moved across his face.

"What the hell kind of joke are you trying to pull?" he finally asked.

Jenny folded her arms. "It's no joke. Tess just left this room a few minutes ago. She had come here to ask me what to do about the fact that she is carrying a child— Chino's child!"

John blinked, and now it was anger that showed in his eyes. "That sonofabitch got her pregnant?"

Jenny nodded. "You know she's been trying to convince people she wasn't raped. She thinks if she hurries up and gets married, people will think the baby belongs to her new husband. And since the baby is very likely to be dark and look Indian or Mexican..."

John waved her off, turning away, a barrage of emotions tumbling inside. Should he hate Tess for the spot she was putting him in? Or should he be glad for the chance to claim her for his own? "She wants a husband who would fit a baby like Chino's," he finished for Jenny. "She doesn't give a damn about me personally. She just wants me to help her retain her honor."

"Something like that."

He shook his head, walking farther away. "Jesus," he said softly.

"What the hell? You do love her, don't you?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "So what? That doesn't erase the fact that she couldn't care less if I dropped dead, as long as she can claim it's my baby. And what will marrying me help? People in this town don't consider me any more honorable than a man like Chino. I'm half Indian, and that's all they need to know."

"You're a Texas Ranger. And you aren't Comanche or Apache. Those are a couple of things in your favor."

He laughed, more a sarcastic grunt than true laughter. "Well, I guess that makes me a first-class citizen, huh?"

Jenny shook her head. "In Tess's estimation, you carry enough respect to call you the father of her child.

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