Roman smiled. “What weTexas gunmendo to entertain ourselves is kill people, Hamm.” For effect, he slid one of his Colts from his belt and couldn’t resist spinning it in his fingers. He performed the feat so quickly that the shape of the weapon vanished, and it appeared as though he held nothing more than a flashing gleam.
And then, in less than a second, the gun stilled completely in his hand, its barrel pointed straight at Hammond. “I think I’ll go along with you and Theodosia. Maybe I’ll entertain myself by killing a few people while we stroll along.”
A moment passed before Hammond recovered from his astonishment and apprehension. “Theodosia,” he said with all the authority he believed was afforded to a man of his aristocratic status, “one need not know cheap gun tricks to shoot straight, my dear. Such sleight-of-hand foolishness can be found in any circus. You do not need your bodyguard tonight. I am wearing a pistol, and I assure you that I am an expert marksman.”
“I’m certain you are, Hammond,” she replied tightly. “But Roman is—”
“Oh, very well,” Hammond snipped, loath to hear her praise Roman further. “Shall we stroll now? I am ever so impatient to escape the sound of this homespun Texas music and discuss the proposition you mentioned earlier.” Without so much as a glance at Roman, he led Theodosia away from the revelry.
Not bothering to keep a discreet distance, Roman followed them to a creek that bubbled beside a cluster of oak trees. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, moonlight washed over the swaying grass, and the air smelled of the roses that grew in the well-kept garden near the edge of town.
What a perfect setting for romance, Roman decided, moving to stand directly behind Theodosia.
“If you do not mind, Mr. Montana,” Hammond said, “Theodosia and I would prefer to speak alone. Your standing behind her like some sort of guardian angel inhibits our privacy.”
“Iamher guardian, Hamm, but I assure you that I’m no angel.”
Hammond snorted delicately. “All right, but I must ask that you step far enough away so as to be unable to eavesdrop upon our conversation.”
“I don’t have to eavesdrop,” Roman retorted. “I know exactly what she’s going to say to you.” He laid his hand on Theodosia’s back and urged her closer to Hammond. “Well, Theodosia? This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Get on with it.”
She parted her lips to speak but could not find her voice. Roman was right. Thiswasthe moment she’d been waiting for. Aside from his physical looks, Hammond Llewellyn possessed degrees in Greek and Latin literature and had graduated with honors from Oxford University. He fit her requirements as smoothly as her glove fit her hand.
“What’s the matter?” Roman murmured into her ear. “Have you changed your mind?” He spoke the words with a caustic edge to his voice, but every part of him hoped they were true.
Theodosia trembled when Roman’s long thick hair brushed her cheek and his warmth drifted into her. She caught his scent of fresh air, leather, and earth and remembered the security and tender contentment she gained by his nearness.
God help her, she yearned to turn and feel him take her into his arms.
“Theodosia?” Hammond took her hand, lifted it to his mouth, and kissed it. “Do not keep me in such suspense, my dear. If indeed there is something with which I may assist you, you’ve but to ask.”
“Yes,” she said softly, struggling to tame the wild emotions Roman evoked. “You—there is something with which you may assist me. I…”
She paused. To find the courage she needed, she concentrated on the memory of Lillian lying in bed the morning she lost her fourth child. She recalled her sister’s tears and the look of utter defeat in her eyes.
And she remembered her own profound desire to give Upton and Lillian the one thing no one else could give them.
“Hammond, I have resolved to give my childless sister a baby,” she blurted, then continued quickly. “I shall bear the child for her, but until this afternoon I met with no success in finding the man who met the requirements I set concerning the paternity of the babe. I sought a man who resembled my sister’s husband both physically and intellectually. You, Hammond, exceed my expectations, and I—” She closed her eyes. “I would like you to impregnate me. Should you agree to my proposal, all fatherly obligations toward the child will be waived, and I shall pay you in gold for your services.”
When she finished, Hammond took off his coat and held it close to his stomach so as to allow it to drape the front of his lower torso.
But his efforts were for naught. Roman had already seen the distinct bulge between Hammond’s legs. He turned, walked away, and peered into shadows as black as his mood.
“What an unusual gift for your sister,” Hammond said, his voice quaking with amazement and desire. “She is extremely fortunate to have a sister who is as generous as you are, Theodosia. Does she resemble you?”
Theodosia opened her eyes but kept her gaze cast to the leaf-strewn ground. “Very much so.”
“Ah, then I gather you are endeavoring to give her a child who will be most like a child she and her husband might have created together.”
“Yes.” To keep her hands from shaking, Theodosia clasped them together. “I would have your answer now, Hammond.”
He smiled at her. “Theodosia, I am honored to have qualified to sire such a special child, and I accept your proposition.”
It was done, she thought. The father would be Hammond Llewellyn. She would lie with the British aristocrat and conceive his child.
Her mind spun with so many thoughts that she became suddenly dizzy. Taking a step backward, she sought to encounter Roman’s hard warm body, and lean against him.
She met with empty air. After a glance over shoulder, she saw Roman standing well away from her, and felt his distance keenly.
