He was a cattleman. He knew a lot about female functions. He pursed his lips. His black eyes twinkled. He smiled.

She laughed. “I guess you read minds, too, huh?” she asked.

He caught her by the waist and pulled her close. “We can get something to use, if you want to.”

“Do you want to?” she asked.

“I love Tad. I think it would be nice if he had company growing up.”

She beamed. “Me, too!”

He laughed. He bent and kissed her softly. “Then let’s leave it to fate. I haven’t been around kids much, but I’m crazy about Tad. I think I’ll love having babies in the house.”

“I know I will,” she said with a sigh. “I took care of Tad from the time he was born.”

“And you were worried that nobody would want you with your so-called baggage,” he chided.

“That’s what I thought,” she agreed. “Then I got sick.”

He smiled. “You’ll never know how much I enjoyed taking care of you.” He grimaced. “Or how jealous I was of Cal Hollister,” he added.

“Cal’s like my brother,” she said lazily. “You know that now.”

“Of course I know it now. But I didn’t know it then,” he emphasized. “He’s a good cop. I like him a lot.”

“He likes you, too.”

“Nice of the lieutenant to give us those two days off,” he said, changing the subject. “I wish it was warm weather. You could wear a bathing suit and I could just lie on the beach and look at you and fend off other men.”

“Flatterer,” she teased.

He bent and kissed her. “Don’t you even know that you’re beautiful, Clancey?” he whispered. “Because you are. Inside and out.”

“I’m not. But I’m glad you think so. I think you’re the most gorgeous man I ever saw in my whole life. And I still can’t believe I’m married to you.”

He chuckled. “I can.” He pursed his lips. “I’ve got scratches on my butt to remind me...”

She hit him. “Oh, you!” she exclaimed.

He just grinned. “Let’s go. It’s a long drive to Galveston.”

“Not so long, if you have good company on the ride,” she replied.

“Just what I was thinking,” he said, and he went to get the suitcases.

They had a great honeymoon. They walked on the beach, hand in hand, and visited all the touristy places. Mostly, they stayed in their hotel room and explored each other.

By the time they got home, they were closer than they’d ever been, like two halves of a whole.