gaze narrowed, but Rick wasn’t intimidated. He’d been through firefights, walked down dark streets in enemy territory. He’d had friends die in his arms and been convinced that he wouldn’t live to see another sunrise. Nothing Brad Price could show him was going to throw Rick.
“I want to know what you’re going to do about my sister and her daughters.”
“Brad, honest to God, if you don’t get out of here …”
“I’m not going anywhere until he tells me he’s going to marry you.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve already asked her. Twice. You walked in on the second time.”
Brad nodded. “Good. When’s the wedding?”
“Ask your sister.”
Brad looked at her. “Well?”
Sadie stood to one side, arms crossed over her chest, the toe of her shoe tapping frantically against the wooden floor. “There’s not going to be a wedding.”
“Are you kidding me?” Brad looked at his sister as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and Rick was glad to see that someone else was as frustrated with her as he was. “He’s finally home and wants to do the right thing by you and his kids and you tell him no? What are you thinking?”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “I’m thinking, Bradford Price, that this is a private argument and none of your business.”
“None of my business?” he shouted. “You’re my sister, how is this not my business?”
“Don’t shout at her,” Rick said, his own voice loud enough to command attention.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Brad demanded, crowding in on Rick.
“I’m the man who’s going to marry your sister and you’ll watch how you talk to her from here on out.”
“Is that right?”
“Damn straight,” Rick told him, bristling for a fight. He hadn’t come here looking for trouble, but he wouldn’t walk away from it, either.
“I don’t need you to defend me,” Sadie said, turning on Rick with the same vehemence she’d shown to her brother only a moment ago.
“What you need is somebody to talk some sense into you,” Brad snapped.
“Amen to that,” Rick acknowledged, hating to agree with Brad on anything.
Miss prim-and-proper Sadie Price reached up, and tugged at her own hair in sheer frustration. Letting her hands fall to her sides again a moment later, she shot a glare first at her brother then at Rick. “I’ve had enough. I’m done talking. That’s it. Both of you get out.”
Rick dug in his heels. “He can go. I’m not finished.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Why should I go?” Brad demanded. “This is my house, too.”
“Not anymore. Go away,” Sadie repeated. “Both of you.”
“Sadie, you’re not being reasonable,” Rick said stubbornly. “We’re not finished talking.”
“Thank God one of you is making sense,” Brad muttered.
“I’m with Sadie on this one, Price,” Rick said tightly. “Butt out.”
“Both of you butt out,” Sadie snapped.
“I swear the women in this town are ruining men’s lives.” Clearly disgusted with his sister, Brad shook his head. “Abby Langley’s driving me around the bend and here you are doing the same thing to this poor bastard.”
Sadie poked him in the chest with her index finger. “Don’t you swear at me.” When Rick grinned, she turned on him in a flash. “And I don’t want to hear one more word from you, either. Both of you … just get out of my house.”
A soft cry sounded and Sadie turned instantly toward the baby monitor on a nearby table. Another halfhearted sniffle and cry came through loudly. At least one of the girls was awake.
“I have to go check on the twins,” she said, heading for the doorway.
Rick was right behind her. Hearing that tiny cry had sent an arrow of something sharp and sweet shooting through him. “Are they all right?”
She stopped, looked up at him and put one hand in the middle of his chest to keep him from coming any closer. “They’re fine.” Then she shot her brother an irritated look. “They probably just heard their daddy and their uncle acting like jackasses.”
When she left the room, she never looked back, only called out as she went, “You two can see yourselves out.”
Rick looked over to Brad. “Well, that went well, thanks to you.”
“Don’t blame me if you’re fool enough to try to talk sense to a woman,” Brad shot right back.
Frustrated beyond belief, Rick grabbed his hat and tugged it on. He shot Brad another hard look and said, “This isn’t over between me and your sister.”
“I wish you luck with that,” Brad muttered. “But I warn you. Sadie’s changed since the twins came. Used to be you could predict how she’d react to something. Now …” He shook his head helplessly.
He had already noticed the changes in Sadie, Rick thought, and hadn’t needed her brother to clue him in. There was a time when Sadie Price never would have lost her temper. It wouldn’t have been ladylike. Her icy coolness had always attracted him for some reason. But Rick had to admit that the wild heat of her now was even more appealing.
A few minutes later, Rick was in his truck, looking up at the facade of the Price mansion. Everything in him urged him to stay. To batter away at Sadie’s arguments until they evaporated like shallow creeks in high summer.
But, he thought, as he turned the key and fired up the engine, he was already learning something about Sadie. She was a woman a man would have to sneak up on. She had already dug her heels in, refusing to marry him and she wasn’t likely to back down from that.
So, he’d have to seduce her. Charm her. Get her into bed and make love to her until she couldn’t think straight.
Then he’d get her to marry him.
The fireworks booth was doing a booming business.
Nothing like a small-town Fourth of July, Sadie thought with a tired smile. She’d missed this when she was living in Houston and now that she was home, she wanted to be a part of it all.
Which was why she was standing behind the counter explaining the finer points of whistling rockets and multicolored fountains to excited kids and their
