was some way she could have helped Billy. But she knew Zach Whitelaw too well to believe he would allow his daughter to move in with a single man—even if she was his housekeeper. Not that Zach could have stopped her if she wanted to do it. But knowing Zach, he would find a way to make sure Billy changed his mind about needing her. And she didn’t want to cause that kind of trouble for anybody.
“Having you come to work for me wouldn’t really solve my biggest problem, anyway,” Billy said, picking up the beer can again.
Cherry took it out of his hand, set it down, and asked, “What problem is that?”
He hesitated so long she wasn’t sure he was going to speak. At last he said, “My former mother-in-law is taking me to court to try and get custody of my daughters. Penelope says I’m not a fit parent. She’s determined to take Raejean and Annie away from me.”
“Oh, no!” It was Cherry’s worst nightmare come to life. She had suffered terribly when she had been taken from her father as a child. “You can’t let her do that! Kids belong with their parents.”
Cherry was passionate about the subject. She had often wondered where her birth mother was and why she had walked away and left Cherry and Big Mike behind. Cherry had died inside when the social worker came to take her away, and she realized she was never going to see Big Mike again. It was outrageous to think someone could go to court and wrench two little girls away from their natural father.
“You’ve got to stop Mrs. Trask!” Cherry said. “You can’t let her take your kids!”
“I’m not letting her do anything!” Billy cried in frustration. His hands clenched into fists. “But I’m not sure I can stop her. Over the past year I haven’t exactly been a model citizen. And I haven’t been able to keep a steady housekeeper. Especially once Penelope fills their ears with wild stories about me.”
Billy made an angry sound in his throat. “If Laura hadn’t died… Having a wife would certainly make my case as a responsible parent stronger in court.”
“Isn’t there somebody you could marry?”
“What woman would want a half-breed, with a ready-made family of half-breed kids?” Billy said bitterly.
Cherry gasped. “You talk like there’s something wrong with you because you’re part Comanche. I’m sure you have lots of redeeming qualities.”
Billy eyed her sideways. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure there must be some.” She paused and asked, “Aren’t there?”
Billy snorted. “I’ve been in jail for fighting three times over the past year.”
Cherry met his gaze evenly and said, “Nobody says you have to fight.”
“True,” Billy conceded. “But sometimes…”
“Sometimes you feel like if you don’t hit something you’ll explode?”
Billy nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ve felt that way sometimes myself.”
“You’re a girl,” Billy protested. “Girls don’t—”
“What makes you think girls don’t get angry?” Cherry interrupted.
“I guess I never really thought much about it. What do you do when you feel like that?”
“Cause mischief,” Cherry admitted with a grin. Her grin faded as she said, “Think, Billy. Isn’t there some woman you could ask to marry you?”
Billy shook his head. “I haven’t gone out much since Laura died. When I haven’t been working on the ranch, I’ve spent my time with Raejean and Annie. Besides, I don’t know too many women around here who’d think I was much of a catch.”
Cherry sat silently beside Billy. Her heart went out to his two daughters. She knew what was coming for them. She felt genuinely sorry for them. For the first time in a long time she regretted her past behavior, because it meant she couldn’t be a help to them.
“I wish we’d met sooner. And that I had less of a reputation for being a troublemaker,” Cherry said. “If things were different, I might volunteer to help you out. But I’m not the kind of person you’d want as a mother for your kids.”
Billy’s head jerked around, and he stared intently at her.
Cherry was a little frightened by the fierce look on his face. “Billy? What are you thinking?”
“Why not?” he muttered. “Why the hell not?”
“Why not what?”
“Why can’t you marry me?” Billy said.
Cherry clutched at her torn bodice as she surged to her feet. “You can’t be serious!”
Billy rose and grabbed her by the shoulders, which was all that kept her from running. “More serious than I’ve ever been in my life. My kids’ lives depend on me making the right choices now.”
“And you think marriage to me is the right choice?” Cherry asked incredulously. “We’re practically strangers! I barely know you. You don’t know me at all.”
“I know plenty about you. You understand what it feels like to be different. What it feels like to lose your parents. What it feels like to need a parent’s love. You’d be good for my kids. And you could really help me out.”
“Why me?”
“I’m desperate,” Billy said. “I thought you were, too.”
Cherry grimaced. Why else would a man choose her except because he was desperate? And why else would a woman accept such a proposal, unless she were desperate, too?
“Are you ready to go home and face your parents and tell them you got expelled and that you aren’t going to graduate?” Billy demanded.
“When you put it that way, I… No. But marriage? That seems like such a big step. Make that a huge step.”
“It doesn’t have to be a real marriage. It can be strictly a business arrangement. We can stay married long enough for you to finish the high school credits you need and maybe take some courses at the junior college. When you figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life, we could go our separate ways.”
“Couldn’t I just be your housekeeper?”
Billy shook his head. “You’ve said yourself why that wouldn’t work.”
“But marriage is so…permanent.”
“It would be if it were for real. Ours wouldn’t be.”
“Are you suggesting we tell people we’re married but not really go through with it?”
He considered a moment. “No, we’d have to get married, and as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
Cherry’s heart bounced
