His Virgin Wife: The Wedding in White / Caught in the Crossfire / The Virgin's Secret Marriage

She said goodbye and hung up, rushing to get her bag packed so that she could get over to the ranch.

She walked into Viv’s bedroom with a bag of medicine, a cold soft drink that she knew her friend liked and some cough drops.

Viv looked washed out and sick, but she managed a wan smile as Natalie approached the bed. Whit was sprawled in an armchair by the bed, looking out of sorts until he saw Natalie. His eyes ran over her trim figure in jeans and a button-up gray knit sweater with a jaunty gray and green scarf.

“Don’t you look cute,” he said with a smile.

Viv glared at him. So did Natalie.

“Why don’t you make some coffee, Whit?” Viv asked angrily. “I could do with a cup.”

He got out of the chair. “My pleasure. What do you take in yours, Nat?” he asked smoothly.

She turned and looked him right in the eye. “Nobody calls me Nat except Mack,” she pointed out. “It isn’t a nickname I tolerate from anyone else.”

His cheekbones colored briefly. “Sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I’ll just make that coffee. Be back as soon as I can.”

Viv watched him go and then turned cold eyes on her friend. “You don’t have to snap at him,” she said curtly. “He was only being polite.”

Natalie’s eyebrows went up. “Was he?”

“Mack shouldn’t have called you,” she said tersely. “I’d have been just fine here with Whit.”

Natalie felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. “He thought you needed nursing.”

“He thought I needed a chaperone, you mean,” she said angrily. “And I don’t! Whit would manage just fine.”

“All right, then,” Natalie said with a forced smile. “I’ll go home. There’s your medicine and some cough drops. I guess Whit can pick up anything else you need. Sorry I bothered you.”

She turned and walked to the door, almost in tears.

“Oh, Nat, don’t go,” Viv said miserably. “I’m sorry. You came all this way and even brought my medicine and I’m being horrible. Please come back.”

Natalie had the door open. “You’ve got Whit…”

“Come back,” Viv pleaded.

Natalie closed the door and went to the armchair by the bed, but her eyes were wounded and faintly accusing as she sat.

“Listen, Whit doesn’t like me,” Natalie told Viv. “He’s only flirting with me to make you jealous. Why can’t you see that? What in the world could he see in me? I’m not pretty and I don’t have any money.”

“In other words, he wouldn’t like me if I didn’t have a wealthy background?” Viv asked pointedly.

“I said you were pretty, too,” she replied. “I know you feel bad, Viv, but you’re being unreasonable. We’ve been friends for a long time. I don’t know you lately, you’re so different.”

Viv shifted against her pillows. “He talks about you, too, even when you aren’t here.”

“It isn’t what you think,” Natalie said, exasperated. “He’s never said or done a thing out of line.”

“He’s very good-looking,” Viv persisted.

“So are you,” Natalie said. “But right now you’re sick and you don’t need to upset yourself like this. Mack asked me to take care of you, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Viv studied her through fever-bright eyes. “Did you know that Glenna was going with him to Dallas?” she asked with undeniable venom.

Natalie forced herself not to react. “Why?” she asked carelessly.

“Beats me. I suppose she had something to do there, too. Anyway, I don’t think he’ll come back tonight. Do you?”

Natalie glared at her. “You really are a horror,” she said through her teeth.

Viv flushed. “Yes, I guess I am,” she agreed after a minute. “Mack said he wouldn’t wish the boys and me on a wife. He said it wouldn’t be fair to expect anyone to have to take us on, as well as him. I know Glenna wouldn’t. She hates me.”

“Your brother loves all three of you very much,” Natalie said, disquieted by what Viv had said.

“Well, he’s not my father. Bob and Charles are in their last two years of high school and then Bob wants to go into the Army. Charles wants to study law at Harvard. That will get them out of the way, and if I marry Whit, which I want to do, Mack will have the house to himself.” Her voice was terse and cool. She didn’t quite meet Natalie’s eyes. “Would you marry him, if he asked you?”

“That won’t happen,” Natalie said quietly.

“Are you sure of that?”

“Yes,” came the soft reply. “I’m sure. Mack’s self-sufficient and he doesn’t want to be tied down. He’s said often enough that marriage wasn’t for him. Probably he and Glenna will go on together for years,” she added, aching inside but not letting it show, “since they both like being uncommitted.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Viv studied her friend curiously. “But he’s very protective of you.”

Natalie averted her eyes. “Why shouldn’t he be? I’m like a second sister to him.”

Vivian frowned. She didn’t say anything. After a few seconds, she started coughing violently. Natalie handed her some tissues and helped her sit up with a pillow held to her chest to keep the pain at bay.

“Does that help?” Natalie asked gently when the spasm passed.

“Yes. Where did you learn that?” she asked.

“At the orphanage. One of the matrons had pneumonia frequently. She taught me.”

Viv dropped her eyes. Occasionally in her jealousy, she forgot how deprived Natalie’s life had been until the Killains had come along. She knew how Nat felt about Mack, and she didn’t understand her sudden need to hurt a woman who’d been nothing but kind to her ever since their friendship began. She was fiercely jealous that Whit seemed to prefer Natalie, which didn’t help her burgeoning resentment toward her best friend. She was confused and envious and so miserable that she could hardly stand herself. She didn’t know what she was going to do if Whit made a serious pass at Natalie. She was sure that she’d do something desperate, and that it would be the end of her long friendship with the other woman.

The hours dragged after that tense exchange. Natalie kept out of Vivian’s bedroom as much as she could, busying herself with tidying up around the living room. Whit paused to flirt with her from time to time, but she managed to keep him away by reminding him of Viv’s condition. He was getting on her nerves, and Viv was getting more unbearable by the minute.

When eight o’clock rolled around, it was all Natalie could do to keep from running for her life. Whit was still around, and for the past fifteen minutes, he’d been coming on to Natalie. She was on the verge of assault when Mack walked in unexpectedly.

He gave Natalie and Whit a speaking glance. They were standing close together and Whit was leaning over her. It looked as if he’d just broken up something, and his eye flashed angrily.

“Why don’t you make another pot of coffee, Whit?” she asked quickly.

“As soon as I get back,” he promised. “I need to run to the convenience store and get some cigarettes. I’m dying for a smoke.”

“Okay,” Natalie said.