The Sheriff's Mail-Order Bride (The Watson Brothers #2)(29)

“I can’t believe the little punk could be so damned rude.” Rory rubbed at his knuckles, frowning at the back of his brother.

“Don’t let it worry you. Nothing I wouldn’t have heard before, I’m sure.” She sighed, the pleasure of the day gone with one tense moment. “I think we should give the cottage a miss today, don’t you?” I need to regroup my thoughts and calm down before I say something I might regret.

Rory looked at her, concern in his eyes. “No, I don’t. Don’t worry about him; his mouth is always running off. We’re used to it but that’s just Tyson, he’ll come around.”

She tried to smile and couldn’t quite make it happen. “I’m taking Fisher inside. It’s getting cool out here.” Her heart grew heavy as she walked over to the toy basket under the dining room window and placed her son down on the ground. He turned and wailed looking for Rory. Gina saw him striding down to the barn, no doubt to give his brother another lesson in manners.

Trying to distract her son, she crouched down on the floor beside him and started taking out some of his favorite toys. They were immersed in a game of trains when the door opened and Callie strolled in.

“Hey, you okay?” She walked over and ruffled the curls on Fisher’s head.

“Yeah.” Doubt still chipped at her back and she couldn’t make up her mind which direction to take.

“Don’t lie to me. I can see from the look on your face his words hit you hard.” Callie dropped down onto her butt on the floor beside them and grabbed a little red car from the toy box. “You have to stand up to people like Tyson. It’s the only way he backs down, you know. I learned that pretty quick. He was ready to ship me back to Australia until I gave him a mouthful of my own. Settled down after that and now I never let him get in the last word.”

“That’s all well and good for those of us that don’t have anything to be ashamed of. Unfortunately for me, I’m not one of them, so what he says hits home whether or not I like it and that in turn reflects on Rory. Not a good idea when he’s the local deputy.”

“Pfft. As if he cares anyway.” She spun the wheels of the little car up the legs of her jeans and down around the little boy making all the appropriate sounds.

“I care. I care that my son will grow up seeing that kind of behavior as normal or that people might see me as a gold digger, someone only interested in Rory because of what he can give me.”

“And are you?” She ran the truck up Fisher’s arm.

Gina lifted her chin and looked at the woman she thought was her new friend. “No. Perhaps initially I would have said yes but he was after something, too. Since I’ve been here something has changed between us.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t see him so much as a meal ticket now. It sounds horrible but that was what I imagined him as when we first started talking.” She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and gave a self-conscious smile. “He’s special. I know that now. I couldn’t want for anything else in a partner, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, it’s those Watson brother genes. I was the same when I met Chance. Prepared to do the right thing because we had a deal and he got me out of a tight spot but once that charm started to melt down my defenses, I was useless against him.”

Gina smiled, knowing Callie had it so right. “But you have it right though. They both wanted something from us too, so no foul as far as I’m concerned.”

“That’s exactly how I feel. And if anyone points the finger at me, I can say, hey, Rory placed the ad, not me. It’s like we were meant to be together. I’ll have to grow a thick skin. I get that there will always be someone who’ll think the worst about me.” She swallowed. “I really hope Tyson doesn’t try to talk him out of our marriage. I wouldn’t blame him if he did.”

Callie looked at her, the way her eyebrows were raised showing just how much she believed Gina. So much for the day getting better like she’d planned. Now Rory was probably thinking over what his brother said. Could he be having second thoughts about marrying her when she had been sitting here thinking the same thing?

Eventually, Callie offered to give Fisher his bath while Gina started on dinner. She heard the roar of the truck as Tyson left but didn’t look up, preferring to ignore him. Dinner was almost ready when Rory and Chance came inside. She glanced at her man and noticed a graze on his cheek. The knowledge that he had been he had been fighting over her made her cringe. Chance grinned from ear to ear.

When Callie came down with the baby all snuggled up in his pajamas, she whistled at the mark. “Gave as good as you got, I’m hoping.” She put Fisher in his high chair and reached for the plate his mother had prepared for him, letting the little boy eat his chopped vegetables with his fingers.

“Yeah, he did too.” Chance laughed and slapped Rory on the back. “Damned if Tyson doesn’t get it. Thought by now he’d know to keep his mouth shut and mind his own business.”

“It’s all my fault.” Gina plated up the beef stew and mashed potatoes, pooling the gravy in the middle of the white fluffy mound.

“No, it’s not and you need to learn to deal with it. Tyson has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Always has.” Rory took the plates out of her hand and placed them on the table before walking back and resting his hands on her shoulders. She glanced up into his face. “He’s always been the same and over some of the stupidest things too. It’s the way his brain is wired, I reckon. From day one the little pest has been a gossip and if there’s nothing there, he’ll make it up, blow everything out of proportion for god knows what reason.”