Willow answered, in all honesty.
“Well, just tell him no, for God’s sake!”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Willow turned her head, only to have her chin caught in Gideon’s hand and drawn back. Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her face. “Because Norville knows how to find Steven,” she said.
Gideon’s hands rested on her cheeks now, his thumbs wiping her tears away. “Pickering blackmailed you by threatening your brother? That was why you were getting married?”
Miserably, Willow nodded.
Gideon sighed and shoved a hand through his rumpled hair. “What’s to keep Pickering from telling what he knows, Willow? His price was marriage and you haven’t met it.”
“I think I can stall him.”
Suspicion played in Gideon’s features. “How?” he demanded.
Willow shrugged. “By making Norville think that I still want him, even though I’m married to you.”
“That’s insane.”
“I’ll tell him that you’ve never actually touched me in an untoward fashion and—”
“And he’ll want to know why you don’t have your father the judge arrange an annulment!”
“If-if I have to, I’ll let Norville kiss me . . .”
She paused and shivered slightly.
Gideon’s hands suddenly grasped her shoulders. “Oh, no, you won’t ,” he said.
And then he looked surprised by the assertion.
Willow felt a wisp of triumph. “No?”
“That’s right, no. Damnit, you are my wife and you will not—”
“Will not what?” Willow wanted to know.
Gideon made an exasperated sound and got to his feet, turning away, folding his arms. “You will not go around throwing yourself at other men, just to save your brother’s hide.”
“And you, of course, will not go to other women,” Willow said reasonably, standing up. “Because that would be equally wrong, wouldn’t it?”
“You forget that I am engaged to Daphne Roberts!” Gideon threw out.
“You’re the one who forgot , Gideon. And you aren’t faithful to her anyway, are you?”
His back stiffened and his head was tilted back, as though he might be challenging the sky itself. His silence was answer enough.
3
Dove Triskadden settled herself on the sofa and took a sip from her brandy snifter. There were times when it was wise to speak first and times when it was best to hold her tongue, and this was one of the latter.
Devlin stood facing the mirror over the fireplace, adjusting his string tie. Though everyone in Virginia City knew that he kept a mistress, and that that mistress was Dove Triskadden, he couldn’t very well go home looking as though he’d just crawled out of her bed—which was exactly what he’d done.
Finally, he turned and assessed Dove’s voluptuous body with appreciative eyes. Worry was etched in his handsome face, and Dove felt regret that her lovemaking had not smoothed it away. She sighed.
“Smile,” he urged gruffly, as he always did when he was about to go back to Evadne.
Obediently, Dove summoned up the requested smile, for she loved Judge Devlin Gallagher as no other woman, including Chastity, ever had. Loved him for who and what he was, the good with the bad, and never wished to change him.
Devlin was perceptive, and he read much from Dove’s wide green eyes. “You know I would live here with you always, if only I could,” he said gently. “I love you, Triskadden.”
Dove’s smile was real this time, requiring no effort on her part. “Wouldn’t that be a scandal, though, if you moved out of Evadne’s house and into mine, bold as brass?”
Devlin sighed. “It would be, indeed. Between Steven and Willow, there’s been enough of that sort of thing already.”
“Do you think Steven’s heard about the wedding yet?”
He grinned and shook his head. There was gray in his wheat-colored hair, and Dove felt a tug in her heart at the notice of it. “No—definitely not. There would have been some kind of incident if he had.”
Dove looked away as Devlin reached for his suit coat and
“Well, just tell him no, for God’s sake!”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Willow turned her head, only to have her chin caught in Gideon’s hand and drawn back. Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her face. “Because Norville knows how to find Steven,” she said.
Gideon’s hands rested on her cheeks now, his thumbs wiping her tears away. “Pickering blackmailed you by threatening your brother? That was why you were getting married?”
Miserably, Willow nodded.
Gideon sighed and shoved a hand through his rumpled hair. “What’s to keep Pickering from telling what he knows, Willow? His price was marriage and you haven’t met it.”
“I think I can stall him.”
Suspicion played in Gideon’s features. “How?” he demanded.
Willow shrugged. “By making Norville think that I still want him, even though I’m married to you.”
“That’s insane.”
“I’ll tell him that you’ve never actually touched me in an untoward fashion and—”
“And he’ll want to know why you don’t have your father the judge arrange an annulment!”
“If-if I have to, I’ll let Norville kiss me . . .”
She paused and shivered slightly.
Gideon’s hands suddenly grasped her shoulders. “Oh, no, you won’t ,” he said.
And then he looked surprised by the assertion.
Willow felt a wisp of triumph. “No?”
“That’s right, no. Damnit, you are my wife and you will not—”
“Will not what?” Willow wanted to know.
Gideon made an exasperated sound and got to his feet, turning away, folding his arms. “You will not go around throwing yourself at other men, just to save your brother’s hide.”
“And you, of course, will not go to other women,” Willow said reasonably, standing up. “Because that would be equally wrong, wouldn’t it?”
“You forget that I am engaged to Daphne Roberts!” Gideon threw out.
“You’re the one who forgot , Gideon. And you aren’t faithful to her anyway, are you?”
His back stiffened and his head was tilted back, as though he might be challenging the sky itself. His silence was answer enough.
3
Dove Triskadden settled herself on the sofa and took a sip from her brandy snifter. There were times when it was wise to speak first and times when it was best to hold her tongue, and this was one of the latter.
Devlin stood facing the mirror over the fireplace, adjusting his string tie. Though everyone in Virginia City knew that he kept a mistress, and that that mistress was Dove Triskadden, he couldn’t very well go home looking as though he’d just crawled out of her bed—which was exactly what he’d done.
Finally, he turned and assessed Dove’s voluptuous body with appreciative eyes. Worry was etched in his handsome face, and Dove felt regret that her lovemaking had not smoothed it away. She sighed.
“Smile,” he urged gruffly, as he always did when he was about to go back to Evadne.
Obediently, Dove summoned up the requested smile, for she loved Judge Devlin Gallagher as no other woman, including Chastity, ever had. Loved him for who and what he was, the good with the bad, and never wished to change him.
Devlin was perceptive, and he read much from Dove’s wide green eyes. “You know I would live here with you always, if only I could,” he said gently. “I love you, Triskadden.”
Dove’s smile was real this time, requiring no effort on her part. “Wouldn’t that be a scandal, though, if you moved out of Evadne’s house and into mine, bold as brass?”
Devlin sighed. “It would be, indeed. Between Steven and Willow, there’s been enough of that sort of thing already.”
“Do you think Steven’s heard about the wedding yet?”
He grinned and shook his head. There was gray in his wheat-colored hair, and Dove felt a tug in her heart at the notice of it. “No—definitely not. There would have been some kind of incident if he had.”
Dove looked away as Devlin reached for his suit coat and
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