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opinion known.
In truth, Maggie's nerves had less to do with seeing Jacob again than with the
way Luke had been holding her hand firmly. Almost possessively, making her
foolish heart entertain all sorts of silly ideas. Maybe he was jealous. At least a little
bit.
Of course, there wasn't much for him to be jealous of. Occasionally Jacob
needed a date for a business-type party, and she'd been happy to oblige. Being
seen on Jacob West's arm was a boost in the ego for any woman. Other than that,
they hadn't dated seriously a play, a couple of movies, a couple of dinners. Their
relationship had never gone beyond friendly. She'd enjoyed his company,
especially since he hadn't pressured her for sex the way some men did.
And seeing him had been a connection of sorts with Luke&
"So," Luke said, swinging the cat carrier over the side of the truck. "Did you go
to bed with him?"
She sucked in a breath so suddenly that she choked and started coughing. "I
don't I why in the world did you ask me that?"
"I thought I'd try Sarita's approach if you want to know, ask. Never mind. It's
none of my business." He held out his keys. "You get the door while I lug this
monster up to the porch.
"No," she blurted.
He paused, hand still extended "No, you won't get the door?"
"No, we, uh, didn't. You know." She couldn't tell a thing from his expression. It
was as closed as his brother's so often was.
Finally his eyebrows lifted. "You dated Jacob for over two months and never
made it into his bed?"
"I wasn't aiming for his bed."
"Come on, Maggie. I know my brother. Women may not line up next to his bed
every night, but he's never had to look hard to find one ready to trip and fall into
it, either."
"Oh, well I guess I was lying, then. Either that or I've got a terrible memory.
Let's see, did I go to bed with Jacob, or not?" She tapped her finger on her chin
and hummed a few bars of the Jeopardy music. "Gee, maybe I did and it slipped
my mind. With all the hundreds of men I've been with, it's easy to lose track."
He laughed. "All right, all right. I shouldn't have doubted you. Here." He gave
her the keys and started for the front door. "I hope you're ready to be cross-
examined."
He was whistling, cheerful. Was he relieved that she'd never been intimate
with his brother? Give it up, she told herself sternly. Luke was as incapable of
jealousy as he was of of other emotions. And that was a good thing, under the
circumstances. Wasn't it?
"I don't think Jacob will cross-examine us," she said as she came up beside him
at the door.
"Not Jacob. Ada. I e-mailed Jacob about our little trip to Las Vegas, and I
imagine he told Ada."
"Luke." She stared at him. "You e-mailed your brother the news of our
marriage?"
"Sure. I didn't want him to find out from the lawyers. They were likely to
contact him sooner or later, once I'd sent them our marriage license." He patted
her shoulder with his free hand. "Don't worry. I'll rescue you from Ada as soon as
possible."
Ada commandeered Maggie the minute they stepped in the door. She would have
dragged Luke off to her lair in the kitchen, too, but he had to deliver the cat. Or so
he pointed out.
He would rather have carried Maggie off to his own lair, upstairs. He wanted
her with a dull ache that had nearly exploded the moment he knew she'd never
been with his brother. He wanted to celebrate, to claim her and maybe he
wouldn't have minded putting off the confrontation he was headed for now.
Luke had known all along he had no right to be jealous. The whole time Jacob
had been dating Maggie, he'd known that and it had eaten at him anyway. Luke
wasn't used to jealousy. He hadn't had a clue how to deal with it. He'd avoided his
brother hell, he'd avoided everyone, holing up at the ranch and working himself
into exhaustion. He hadn't wanted to hear some friendly acquaintance pair
Maggie's name with his brother's. And still the acid had eaten at him.
There was a huge difference between having no right to jealousy and having no
reason for it.
He was whistling the theme to Star Wars as he headed down the hall to his
brother's office. He'd taken the first hurdle, and it had gone better than he'd had
any reason to hope. There was another tough one coming up.
One quick knock on Jacob's door. Then he pushed it open.
Maggie sat at the big, square table in a kitchen that smelled deliciously of
cinnamon and yeast and watched the woman Luke loved. Ada was pouring them
both a cup of coffee.
She hadn't offered Maggie any of the coffee cake that was cooling on the
counter.
The little housekeeper made Maggie think of a dandelion tough and scrawny.
Her hair was an unlikely yellow, and it frizzed around her leathery face like a
dandelion puff. She wore faded jeans, a purple sweatshirt that warned, I'm Out Of
Estrogen, And I've Got A Gun, and diamond earrings. The stones were big enough
to blind a person if the light caught them right.
It was hard to imagine anyone less like the very proper Marilyn who opened
doors and waxed floors at her parents' house than this woman. Maggie smiled. "I
like your sweatshirt."
"Me, too." Ada set the mugs down and took a seat. Her eyes were as sharp as
her words. "Why did you marry Luke after stringing Jacob along?"
"I didn't!" she sputtered. "String Jacob along, I mean. He didn't really want to
marry me."
"Then why did he ask you?"
Tricky question. Maggie picked her mug up in both hands and sipped to give
herself time to think. Luke had warned her several days ago that Ada didn't know
what he and his brothers were doing for her. Privately Maggie thought that was
foolish. Ada was bound to find it odd when they all got married, bam-bam-bam.
But she wouldn't be the one to spill the beans. "I guess he thought it was time to
marry. You know Jacob. He plans everything out logically."
Ada nodded slowly. "I can see him doing something like that. But how did you
jump from one brother to the other so quick?"
"It wasn't that quick. I mean it was, but & Jacob and I were just friends. And
Luke& " Inspiration struck. "We were involved last year, but it didn't work out."
True. Misleading, but true. "When Luke heard I'd turned Jacob down, he realized,
ah, how he felt and asked me to marry him." It sounded so good she almost
believed it herself.
"Does that mean you were in love with Luke while you were seeing Jacob?"
Maggie flushed. "That makes me sound like either a slut or an idiot."
"So which are you?"
"An idiot," she said promptly. "I must be, or I wouldn't answer your nosy
questions."
Ada gave a single, loud hoot of laughter. She stood and patted Maggie on the
shoulder. "I'll get you a piece of coffee cake."
The cat had been released into the rooms that adjoined Jacob's office, which had
been converted to a combination office/living area for Sonia, and were currently
occupied by Claire McGuire. Jacob's assistant was still asleep after a long night at
the hospital; her cousin was out of danger, but, from what Jacob had said, she
wasn't.
Luke moved restlessly around the room. Jacob stood beside his desk, scowling.
"I suppose I should wish you luck. I'd rather knock you across the room."
Last week, Luke would have jumped at the chance to punch his brother out
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