Navarro or Not

Crockett laughed. “She wants gentle. He comes from a long line of men who know how to kiss women off their feet and enslave them with passion.” Reaching over, he patted Valentine’s tummy. “I can’t wait to be an uncle. We’re going to name him Eustus.”

“No we’re not,” Valentine said. “We’re going to name her Mary. No more Valentines and Eugenias, though those are very fine names.”

Nina gasped. “No family names?”

“No.” Valentine shook her head decisively. “I’m going alone on this one.”

“I still don’t understand why you called off the lawsuit you filed against Last,” Nina said. “I came down here to help save you from the bad guys.”

“Turns out they’re kind of sweet,” Valentine said. “Look, Nina. I’m not like you. I’m not a card-carrying feminist. I’m not looking to be the woman who has it all. I just want a man and a baby. I don’t have the man, but I have the baby, and Crockett says the Jeffersons will make me part of the family. That’s all I want. It replaces what you and I lost when our parents died.”

“And you believe him?” Nina didn’t think she could part with her trust that easily.

“Yeah. I do. Besides, the lawsuit was Marvella’s idea.”

The three of them stared at Valentine.

“How’s that?” Navarro asked. “You mean, you girls weren’t looking to freeload off some wealthy cowboys?”

Nina gave him the evil eye. “Tell me again how these men are the most gentlemanly men you’ll ever meet?”

“You have a bit o’ the pit in you, my peach,” Navarro said. “Were you not involved in the lawsuit idea?”

“I was not,” Nina said between gritted teeth. “I came down here to help my sister with her pregnancy. And to assist her in any other way possible. You know, since I’ve met you this afternoon,” she said to Navarro, “it seems like an awful lot has changed very fast.”

“We aim to please,” Crockett said.

“But hold on a minute here,” Nina said. “You’ve charmed your way into Marvella’s good graces. You’ve talked my sister out of a lawsuit to protect her child, with nothing more than promises on your part, and—”

“And I’ve kissed you,” Navarro said cheerfully. “All in all, a very profitable afternoon.”

“You’ve seduced us,” Nina said with a flash of understanding.

“Not yet.” Navarro looked at her. “Could we count it as something you’d consider?”

Crockett grinned. “Back to that twin fantasy—”

“No!” Nina glared at both of them, completely aware they were yanking her chain. “Let’s just get the bed fixed. Then we’ll figure out everything else.”

THREE HOURS LATER, the bed was good as new, maybe better. Valentine was completely worn out, so she lay on it, just for a test, she said, and went out like a light.

Nina said she’d better make certain the bed would hold two bodies, and she got on the bed, next to her sister. With the twilight-fresh breeze blowing warmly through the room, Nina fell asleep next to her sister.

Really annoying, especially when Navarro thought Nina should be so entranced by him that she would stay awake.

The other problem, Navarro thought as he looked at the newly refurbished bed, was that Nina was so darn upright. She really needed to loosen that librarian corset of hers. It was so tight she didn’t have any fun! And he couldn’t figure out how to make her take another walk on the wild side. There was every possibility he might not ever get another kiss out of her.

He needed to shake something up between them.

Maybe that’s what Last had been doing when he’d jumped on the bed. Shaking things up a bit.

Then there was Crockett, who’d made himself right at home between the two napping sisters.

The dawg.

“Hey,” he said, poking Crockett, who looked about as happy as any man in a nonconjugal, reclined position could be. “Wake up.”

“Don’ wanna,” Crockett said. “I’m between two women. Life is good.”

“They’re just sleeping,” Navarro said. “And you’re barely touching them.”

“The future holds the key,” Crockett said sleepily. “One hates to second-guess surprise and random good luck. Besides, they counterbalance the bed perfectly. Go away.”

Navarro decided the handiwork they’d put into sawing and remounting the slats must have worked if it held three bodies comfortably. Three and a half.

“When are we leaving?” he asked. “I’m getting twitchy.” Super-twitchy, watching his brother snooze so happily next to Nina. Though for the life of him, he wasn’t sure why he should care.

Because when she kissed me, she lit my fire.

“I’m in no hurry,” Crockett said. “Go on before you wake up my girls.”

“Whatever. Call the cell when we decide on the next course of action.”

He started to leave the room. Nina popped up. “I’ll go with you,” she said. “I’m hungry.”

“That’s better,” he said happily.

“Not for me,” Crockett complained. “Get out before you wake the other one. She needs her rest.”

Nina hesitated, wondering if she should leave her sister alone in bed with a stranger. A Jefferson. Her reputation might suffer.

“Crap,” Crockett said, easing up from the bed. “I knew it was too good to be true. I’ll sit over here by the window. Leave the door open so we can air out and keep our reputations unscathed.”

“Thanks, Crockett,” Nina said gratefully.

“No prob. I’m gonna grab a quick beer out of the fridge before I take up duty. Marvella said to help myself.”

“That’s sort of scary,” Navarro said. “But we won’t think about that right now. Just one beer, okay? And I’ll bring you and Sleeping Beauty a snack. Or call if she wakes up soon, and we’ll come by and pick you up. We need to make plans for the future.”

Crockett touched Valentine’s toes on his way past the bed. She didn’t move. “Out like a light,” he said. “Can’t get into any mischief when you’re lying in bed.”

“You can in that bed,” Navarro said. “Don’t even get me started on that.”

“You’re just mad ’cause you didn’t get a turn at snuggling.”

Navarro watched Nina’s roundly plump posterior move down the hall in front of him. “They say that twins can read each other’s minds. Do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Shut the hell up?”