Hawk's Way: Callen & Zach Read Online Free

to improve his appearance, an emergency on the ranch or some other disaster.
    “Was there some trouble on the ranch this morning?” she asked.
    “No.”
    “No cattle stampede? Brush fire? Pack of howling wolves at the door?” she teased.
    “No.”
    She pursed her lips ruefully. “You overslept?”
    “No.”
    She couldn’t think of another reason that would explain Sam’s careless appearance…and he wasn’t offering one. She looked up into his green eyes, which softened slightly as he stared down at her, and waited for an explanation.
    “I went to visit my father’s grave,” he said at last.
    “Oh.” Her shoulders relaxed. Of course. He was still grieving. He must have stayed at the small, fenced plot too long, and then not had time to remedy his appearance. Now that she examined Sam’s face more closely, she saw red-rimmed eyes, a clenched jaw. Yes, he was definitely still grieving. It must be awful to know his father hadn’t lived to see his only son marry, hadn’t lived to know his grandchildren.
    The thought of producing grandchildren brought a rosy glow to Callen’s cheeks. She had thought a lot about what it would be like to lie with Sam, to grow large with his child, to hold a baby in her arms and have Sam smile at her, as they admired their child together.
    Callen reminded herself of everything she had learned about Sam over the past three months. He was kind. He was considerate. He was charming. He was even handsome in a rugged sort of way. And his eyes made her feel cherished and loved. Or at least they had. Perhaps it was the memory of his father, the grief and the sadness, that had stolen the warmth from his eyes and made him look so harsh and hard when she had first seen him today.
    She loved Sam for who he was, not for the outer trappings of the man, not for his wealth—or lack of it—but for the way he made her feel. She squeezed Sam’s hands, raised her eyes to meet his and offered him a tremulous smile. “Come on, Sam. The judge is waiting.”
    “Your family?”
    She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “They’re not coming.”
    “Then it’s just us?”
    Callen nodded. Sam’s lips pressed flat and his eyes narrowed. For an instant she wanted to flee, to save herself from Sam, from the possibility of a failed marriage. But it would be devastating to break a third engagement. She wouldn’t be able to look her father in the eye. It was too late to back out now.
    Callen took comfort in the thought that she knew Sam better than her father did. Sam would never hurt her. And if he did, her father would never hear of it from her. She would do whatever was necessary to make themarriage a good one. As one of the Three Whitelaw Brats, and with a lifetime of outmaneuvering and outsmarting two older brothers to her credit, she had developed the ability to rescue herself from the toughest situations. She loved Sam. Somehow, this was all going to work out.
    She looked up at Sam, her heart in her eyes. There was a flash of some strong emotion on his face before he kissed her with a combination of tenderness and fierceness that left her breathless. The thought came to her, powerful and overwhelming. I want to spend my life with this man .
    “Come on,” Sam grated in a husky voice. “Let’s go.”
     
    S AM FELT LIKE SOBBING WITH RELIEF —and disgust. He had done what he could to keep Callen Whitelaw from walking into disaster, but she hadn’t backed away in time to save either of them. He led her toward the judge’s chambers. It was time to take the next step on his trail of vengeance.
    His eyes were red-rimmed because he hadn’t slept. His conscience had smote him the day before the wedding, demanding that he free Callen from the devil’s bargain he was about to make with her. He had tried desperately to think of a way to take his vengeance on Garth Whitelaw directly, without involving his daughter. But he couldn’t think of anything that was as likely to cause Garth the same pain