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“That’s the second time you’ve thrown me in a pool.”
He looked devastated. “You were getting ready to walk away for good, and it was the only thing I could think of to do.”
“Throw me in the pool?”
He nodded, his expression an endearing combination of anxiety and stubbornness. “I had to.”
Only Kenny Traveler, the terror of Wynette, Texas, could try to convince a woman that he loved her by throwing her, fully dressed, into a swimming pool. “Yes, well, you’ve managed to ruin my very favorite pair of sandals.”
He grew still, then said softly, “I’ll buy you a hundred more.”
Oh, no, he wasn’t going to get around her that easily! Not after what he’d put her through. “That’s not the point. The point is, I liked those sandals. They were Italian. And you’re sinking.”
His eyes were still wary. “You got something to say?”
“I certainly do. But I prefer to say it on dry land.”
He thought for a moment, then shook his head unhappily. “I’ll do anything for you, but I can’t let you out of the water until we get this settled. You’re still too mad at me, and you might decide to run away again.”
“You’re sinking,” she pointed out again. “It’s your shoes,” she added.
“Don’t you worry about it.”
She was getting tired, but she continued to tread. “Very well. In the first place, you will not be selling the ranch. The very idea. And in the second place—”
“What about St. Gert’s?”
Even though his gaze hadn’t lost any of its seriousness, she thought she detected a spark of hope there. “I have to put St. Gert’s behind me.”
“You love that old school, sweetheart. Maybe I can find another way to come up with the money. The season’s just heating up, and there are some fat purses out there. If I get lucky, I might be able to pull off a couple of big wins.”
She could feel herself succumbing to his sweetness, but she wouldn’t surrender yet, not until she’d finished stating her position. “I have no intention of letting you buy St. Gert’s for me, although I appreciate the offer. I know if I think hard enough I’ll come up with another plan.”
He immediately looked wary.
“I finally understand that I can’t dedicate my entire life to an institution, although I still have to think about the girls.” She pushed the wet hair from her eyes. “Moving on to my next point . . . point number two. You’ll need to put aside any aversion you might have to a working wife because I love teaching, and I won’t give up my profession.”
He studied her closely. “Will you give it up long enough to have my babies?”
She could barely resist throwing herself in his arms. “Certainly.”
r /> “Then I don’t have any objection.”
She knew she was making this too easy for him, but the vision of little violet-eyed children so thoroughly entranced her that she could barely pull herself back together. “Point number three . . .” She cleared her throat. “This one’s important, so pay attention, please. If at any time—any time!—I feel the need to publicly defend you, I will do so, do you understand?”
He blinked. “Just please don’t kill anybody.”
She needed something difficult. Something that would be nearly impossible for him to agree to. Just one small something to repay this rogue of a husband for all the upheaval he’d put her through.
And then she knew exactly what it would be.
“Come along, Kenny. We have somewhere to go.” As she set out for the side of the pool, she was delighted with how officious she’d made herself sound, but when he caught her ankle and turned her back around, she was disappointed to see that he was smiling instead of gritting his teeth.
“You’re determined to have your pound of flesh, aren’t you?”
She could no longer repress her own smile. “They were my very favorite sandals.”
His grin spread until it seemed to envelop her, too. And his eyes were so full of love that she felt as if she were floating. Then he sobered. “I love you, my sweet Lady E. You know that now, don’t you? Please tell me you know it.” She heard the urgency behind his words, and she nodded. “And please tell me you still love me.”
