Archer's Angels by Tina Leonard

to stroke out from his rising temper, “you are nottaking my children to a continent affectionately called Down Under.”
    “You’re suggesting that I take them to a ranch affectionately called Malfunction Junction? That sounds like it would be good for the children.”
    She was making him crazy with her defiance. Strangely, he couldn’t stop thinking about the pleasure her body had made him feel, and all the sassing he was receiving was giving him a fair-size urge to one-up her with some silencing kisses.
    “Anyway, it’s not like you were completely innocent in this,” she told him. “You told me I’d bent your baby-making delivery system. Ruined the pipes for good. Put the factory out of commission. How was I supposed to know you were better?”
    He frowned at the memory of her kicking him. Funny how the sexual pleasure they’d shared had wiped out his memories of the first time she’d had him flat on his back, gasping for breath. “Hey!” He sat up suddenly. “You hurt me. You really hurt me!”
    She blinked. “It’s in the past, Archer. I really think that, since you got me pregnant with triplets, the factory was only on a fifteen-minute shutdown.”
    “But I may have overlooked a really bad sign. What if the Curse of the Broken Body Parts hit me?”
    “No, I hit you.” Clove shook her head. “I may have been cursing you, but you did scare me and—”
    “You don’t understand.” He scratched his head, shoving his hat back. “You really kicked me hard. ”
    “Yes, and still you managed to send three healthysperm to do their job.” She glared at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a hypochondriac. That would be so unappealing.”
    She didn’t understand. The Curse of the Broken Body Parts had hit all of his brothers—right before they got married. Everything was moving too fast. “I find it somewhat ironic and downright hilarious that you nearly kicked in the holy grail of your quest. You should be gentler around the goods, specifically if you’ve come twenty-four hours and bought an expensive plane ticket to enjoy them.” He sighed. “I suppose you’re going to want money eventually. Support payments.”
    “A hypochondriac and a chauvinist. And I crossed a big ocean to be with you.” Clove sniffed disdainfully.
    “You’re a sperm-stealer wearing a Thanksgiving-dinner tablecloth,” he said. “Looks like we’re going to be the proud parents of triplets. Please put the cat on the floor. It’s making me nervous.”
    She sighed. “Tink, off you go. Big strong cowboy is afraid of you.”
    “No, I just need someplace to lay my pounding head.” Kicking off his boots and tossing his hat into the chair, he got up into the bed next to Clove. “We need to sleep on this and see if we still like each other in the morning.”
    “We don’t like each other right now!”
    He flipped off the bedside lamp. “I know. We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us. Right now, I’ve got to get over the migraine you’ve given me.”
    “You cannot sleep in my bed.”
    “I sure as hell am not leaving you, Miss Defiance. Assoon as I turn my back, you’d probably give me the slip. I am here to mess up your plan, Clove Penmire from Down Under. Consider us wearing golden handcuffs. Mmm,” he said thoughtfully, “that actually sounds fun. Consider us wearing golden balls and chains, which are connected forever at the ankle. Awkward,” he mused. “Make that one ball, two chains and three baby-size ankle weights.”
    “I get the picture,” Clove said, annoyed. “You’re not leaving.”
    “That’s right. You invited me into your life by being so devious. And believe me, I know just how to handle devious.”
    She sighed and inched her pillow down next to his. But he could feel her hanging on to the edge of the bed, in order to keep as much room as possible between them.
    “We’re going to have to get a bigger bed,” he said, “because I have a feeling you’re going to get as big as a house. That