“Me either,” sings Cam, Tucker’s new bride. She is also pregnant—heavily so. I eye her with concern that she’s going to go into labor on the dirty floor of the January George mansion. “And while I’d love to help you, there’s this whole thing.” She makes a circle around her protruding stomach.
“Don’t look at me. I can barely tell colors apart.” Astor holds up her hands. She’s pregnant, too. I wonder if there’s something in the Justice water. An image of Reese plump with my child skitters across my brain. It doesn’t scare me like I thought it would. Rather than meaning the end of freedom, it feels…fulfilling. I give my head a shake. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I am not like this.
“Sterling and I are going to Italy next week,” Princess Maria adds softly. She’s still shy around us Justices. I give her a small smile of reassurance.
“That’s fine. Cam or Birdie can hook me up with a Dallas decorator, right?”
The two women nod. “We can,” Birdie assures me. “This place is so gorgeous. Look at the wood carvings here on the crown molding. You need to preserve as much of this as possible.”
“I hope to do so.”
“And the courtyard in the front of the house should be kept along with the water fountain,” Cam says. “If I remember correctly, January imported it from some castle in France that was being destroyed.”
“I’ll put it on my list.”
“Goddammit, Justice, what the hell are you doing?” bellows a loud male voice. We all turn to see a red-faced Novak at the entrance. The heavy iron door creaks closed behind him. I step in front of my sisters-in-law and fold my arms over my chest.
“Watch your language, Novak.”
He strides toward me and unloads a punch. I duck. The women scream. He stumbles into a pile of plaster on the floor, rights himself, and charges at me again. This time, I meet his face with my fist. He staggers back, but like a mad bull who is caught up in a red rage, he surges forward.
“Blake!” A new voice catches my attention at the last minute, distracting me just enough that Novak’s shoulder strikes the side of my gut. I grunt at the pain. He pushes me backward, but I’m strong enough to wrench free of his grip. He’s an architect, and I’m a rancher. Even though I do mostly development work, Justice Ranch is a working one. We all ride the fences, handle the calves during branding season, train the horses. Trying to fight with one of my cousins or me is about as dumb as walking with a lightning rod during a thunderstorm. You’re gonna get hurt and probably not remember why. I bring my knee up into Novak’s face. He lurches back, but I catch him with a fist on his jaw. The blow sends him to his knees. I kick him in the shoulder with the steel toe of my boot, and when he’s lying prone on the ground, I place the heel in the same tender hollow above his clavicle. “Best stay down,” I advise. To the woman at the front door whose hand is over her mouth, I say, “Reese, what are you doing here?”
Her arms drop limply to the side, and she sways a little on her feet. Princess Maria rushes over and helps her over to the walnut bench built into the foyer’s alcove. “Are you all right?”
“Birdie, do you have any water in that luggage carrier you call a purse?” Cam asks, waving over the other woman.
“I got him. You go attend to your woman,” Astor tells me. She’s holding a long rod with a sharp beaked gold eagle on the end. The curtain pole looks like an effective weapon, but Astor’s pregnant, so no matter how much I want to go to Reese’s side, it’s best I stay watching over the crazy fool below my boot.
I bend over and look a dazed Novak in the eye. “I think he’s leaving, aren’t you?”
“I’m so sorry for him,” Reese calls from her seat. “I don’t know why he is acting like this.”
“My woman sounds real distressed.” I press my boot heel a little harder. Novak winces with pain. “I know you’re itching to apologize like a gentleman should. I’m gonna let you do that, and then you’re going to get gone. Reese won’t be coming back to work for you either.” I remove my boot and watch as Novak pushes to his feet.
Silently, he makes his way to the door. I follow close behind, making sure there’s a barrier between him and the women. I motion for the girls to step to the side. When we reach Reese, he stops.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” he stutters out.
“That’s good enough,” I guide him out the door with a hand on his shoulder.