The Ransomes: Matt, Nick and Katherine

“We’ll have a decorator help you with the nursery.” Matt’s words jolted her back into awareness of the moment.

“I won’t be here forever.” Olivia gave him a startled, wide-eyed look.

“That’s all right. You’ll return to visit and bring the baby.”

“You’re so certain!” she exclaimed, yet now she realized part of the source of his arrogance and assurance. Growing up in a home like this, how could he be anything except confident?

“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked, looking blandly at her.

Olivia stopped to face him, a frown creasing her brow. “Our lives are so different.”

“It doesn’t matter, Olivia,” he replied easily. “We’ll be related to the baby and we’ll want to see him or her through the years. It’ll save you money to live here until you finish your education.”

She merely nodded and returned to thinking about her future while she looked at more rooms in a house that dazzled her.

“How’s this for you?” he asked later, leading the way into a bedroom that took her breath and she could not imagine living in it.

She stood in the room large enough to contain the house she rented. The room was plush beyond her wildest dreams. It was ample for a king-size bed with a bronze headboard, a massive mahogany chest, bookshelves, a wide-screen television, a maroon sofa, a rocking chair and assorted tables. The decor was maroon with accents of white and beige and an oriental rug partially covering the gleaming plank floor.

She knew she wasn’t hiding her amazement. She reminded herself that it was premature to celebrate her newfound fortune, her future prospects or this house that could possibly become her home. In the next few minutes, she knew, it could all disappear from her life as swiftly as it had entered.

The time had come to present her conditions.

“This is beyond anything I had imagined,” she said softly, turning to face him. Her pulse drummed. She wanted to learn how earnest he really was about this whole proposition. “Shall we discuss our future and terms of a contract?” she asked, the words our future causing her insides to clench.

“Sure,” he replied, giving her a long, speculative look that made her feel he knew her every thought. “Let’s get a drink and sit in the family room.”

They walked in silence back to the kitchen and she watched, barely aware of what he was doing while her pulse beat faster and her nervousness increased. At the last minute she vacillated between an overwhelming desire to accept his offer unconditionally and reap the fortune, or risk her demands that would either cause him to send her packing or solidify her prospects and fortune.

Finally, they were seated in the family room at a polished oak game table with tall, frosted glasses of ice and lemonade and a plate of cookies in front of them. She couldn’t eat or drink anything. Aware that her entire prospects hung in the balance, she inhaled deeply to calm down.

“You’ve had time to think it over. You’re here on the ranch. Does this mean you’ll accept my offer?” he asked.

His blue eyes cut into her like shards of a glacier. He was formidable and determined, but she clung to her course. It was time to see how much he would commit to what he wanted. She took a deep breath and raised her chin while she locked her hands together.

“You’re being very generous,” she said, still awed by his offer and filled with trepidation over what she was about to demand from him for her part. “I have a counteroffer to make to you.”

Fire flashed in the depths of his eyes and a muscle worked in his jaw. She suspected he was bracing for her to ask for more money.

“All right. Name your conditions and price,” he said, grinding out the words. “How much Ransome money do you want?”

“You’ve made an overwhelmingly generous offer, but if you’re truly committed to protecting this baby and raising it as a Ransome, then I want you to give my baby the Ransome name. I want a paper marriage, an in-name-only marriage that we can later dissolve.” Her heart thundered so loudly that she could barely hear herself speak. “In other words, will you marry me?”

Three

Stunned, Matt stared at her. “You want me to marry you?” he repeated in amazement.

“Yes, if you’re so determined to make my baby a part of your family. It’ll be the same conditions you’ve already given me, plus marriage. This way, you’re more committed. My child will legitimately be a Ransome as it should have been all along. You’ll do the honorable thing that your brother would not do.”

Matt stared at her. Anger and shock rocked him that she would put one more demand on him when he had given her an offer that was magnanimous beyond anything she had ever known in her life. Then he noticed her white knuckles and her hands doubled into fists. Perspiration dotted her brow and worry glazed her green eyes.

Suddenly he could see her viewpoint and why she wanted legitimacy. In the future marriage would truly tie Jeff’s child into the family.

Yet it would bind Matt to Olivia in a manner he never intended. For an instant heat flashed in him at the thought of marriage to her. On a purely physical level he speculated about her shapely, naked body in his arms. With lightning speed the image aroused him.

He forced his thoughts back to business and a contract with her and a paper marriage. A marriage in name only.

“We can dissolve it as soon as I get my law degree,” she added.

Could he stay under the same roof with her and keep his hands to himself? He had planned to do just that before she had come up with the proposal.

“You want it all,” he said quietly, and she flushed, her cheeks turning a bright pink.

“No. I don’t want sex with you,” she answered bluntly. “You know it wouldn’t be a true marriage. Not in any manner. But you can see that if you really want what you’ve been telling me, it would give my baby more protection and give me a better deal.”

“Hell, yes,” he snapped. “You could sue me for divorce and half of everything I own.”

“You said we’d have a contract. We’ll have a prenuptial agreement that will list terms as both of us want them. You can have your lawyer draw it up.”

Matt was impressed. She was taking charge of part of their bargain, making some shrewd demands and she once again surprised him. He rubbed the back of his head. She had him in a corner and she knew it. He didn’t want to marry her, not even a fake, paper marriage of convenience because that would be legally binding.

But if he backed out on marriage, she might refuse his deal and the baby would go out of the Ransome family.

“And you still want all the rest I’ve offered—the education, the cash, the trust fund for the baby?”

“I want the education and the trust fund. I’d like some cash so I can go to school full time, but if I live at the Ransome ranch, I think you could cut the amount of money in half or even less if you want. As soon as I finish my education, we can dissolve the union. I don’t intend for it to be permanent.”

“I’ve got to think about it. I hadn’t planned on marriage,” he said and watched her let out her breath and unclench her hands. She raised her chin.

“I didn’t think you’d do it.” She stood and sighed. “You were better than your brother, but it’s not good enough. Since you’re not interested in my terms, I’ll keep my independence and move on.”

“You’ll be walking out on a fabulous future that’s a whole hell of a lot better than you’re doing now or can do. You’re selling your baby short by turning down my offer.”

“Perhaps, but I’m not the one who wants something here,” she said. “If you’re willing to commit to this baby, I want the whole deal—I want support and legitimacy and some of the things your brother should have given me.” She shrugged. “I’m accustomed to tough times. You can take it or leave it.”

He gazed into green eyes that were fiery and unyielding and he was certain she wasn’t bluffing about turning down his offer. He believed every word she said and it increased his anger that she was being so foolish, yet at the same time, he couldn’t keep from appreciating her determination to get more for her child. And deep down, Matt knew she was right. He might have done the same thing himself, had he been in her place.

“Sit down,” he ordered quietly, his anger growing. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I simply want to think about it like you wanted to consider my offer last night.”

She sat and he stared hard at her. She stared right back at him and he felt tension coil.

“I’ll talk to my attorney about it,” Matt finally replied, buying some time before he made any kind of commitment. “In the meantime, call and quit your job and settle in. I’ll introduce you to people who live and work on the ranch.”

“Until you come to a decision, I’m not leaving a job that pays better than most around here. I’m going to my room to get ready to go to work.”

Matt stood and watched her walk away. He wanted to grab her and shake her and he had never felt that way with a woman before. Not even Margo before she walked out on him. Olivia Brennan got to him as no one ever had.

What was worse, was that steady, fiery sexual awareness of her, a hot attraction that kept his nerves on edge. Marry her!

His whole being wanted to yell never, but then he thought about what he would be tossing aside. He was certain she would walk right out of his life and at any point in time, she could move far from Texas. She had no roots, no ties except going to college and right now she was between semesters. Right now, she could move away without much disruption in her life. Her college credits would transfer.

“Dammit!” He pushed back his chair with a scrape and crossed the room to call the family attorney.

He presented the problem swiftly, asking questions about a prenuptial agreement, keeping his eye on the clock. While part of him listened to the lawyer speaking, part of Matt’s attention was focused on hearing Olivia return.

Matt finally replaced the receiver and stared at the phone. As he suspected, marriage, even a paper-only union, would be far more binding than the bargain Matt had intended to strike with Olivia. But it could be dissolved, and he could put stipulations to try to protect himself from later demands. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t sue or take him to court and he would have to fight her later. On the other hand, the baby would legally be a Ransome.

Matt rubbed the back of his neck and swore under his breath. He didn’t want to get bound to her. Not Olivia or any other woman.

He heard her in the hall and he crossed the family room in quick long strides. In the kitchen he caught up with her and she glanced at him as he strode into the room.

“Wait a minute!” he snapped.

Her brows lifted in question as he crossed the room to stand with only inches separating them. “I called our attorney and talked to him,” Matt declared. “Marriage is a hell of a lot more commitment than you’re asking me to make.”

“You are the one who wants my baby in your family, remember?”

“I’m considering what you want. Call in sick tonight. You can miss one night and still keep your job.”

“I can, but I don’t see any reason to. I’m going to work. I need every dollar I can earn.”

“I’ve offered you a damn good deal.”

“Indeed, you have, but I told you that I want it all,” she said softly. She had on her tight red T-shirt and short cutoffs.

“Hell, I’ll pay your salary for tonight, but you take sick leave,” he ordered, annoyed that she was uncooperative. He was as angered by her demands and stubborn will as he was by his own heated response to her.

She stared at him a moment and he thought she was going to still refuse. Instead, she nodded and crossed the room to the phone, hanging her red vinyl purse on a hook by the door.

She asked for another woman and spoke softly, turning her back to Matt, but he heard her tell her friend that something had come up and she wouldn’t be there tonight.

“You could have told her you were sick,” Matt said as soon as she replaced the receiver and turned around.

“I’m not sick. Kira will think of some excuse for me, no doubt. I don’t think you have a very high opinion of me,” she remarked. “I’m sure you think I’m cheap and easy and not too bright.”

“I’ll admit that I might have thought that at one time, but the P.I.’s report changed my opinion. You don’t have any men in your life now. Your grades are top-notch. My opinion of you changes almost hourly. You constantly surprise me.”

“The same as you astound me. So did your brother. To my misfortune, I misjudged him in too many ways. I’ll never trust a Ransome again like I did Jeff.”

“You want to marry a Ransome,” Matt reminded her.

“That is purely a business arrangement for both of us.” She took her purse off the hook. “I’m going to unpack my things, shower and change before you show me around. I’d just as soon not meet people dressed like this.”

He nodded and watched her start out of the room. At the door she turned back to look at him. “Unlike Jeff Ransome, you can trust me. If I give you my word, I’ll keep it.” She left, and he heard the soft slap of her sneakers in the hall.

“I’ll be in my office,” he called after her and headed down the hall, wanting to talk to his attorney again.

Olivia closed the door to her new bedroom, walking around the room and touching the furniture lightly. She shook from pent-up nerves and her proposal to Matt Ransome. To demand that the man who owned this mansion marry her—it took her breath with its presumptuousness. How could she be that brash and calculating? Yet it would give the world to her baby.

Her proposal of marriage had jarred Matt. It wasn’t what he had expected or wanted, yet he was considering it. She could detect a grudging respect growing in him.

She paused in front of an elegant rosewood-framed mirror and looked at herself. Her riot of red hair always gave the impression of a wanton woman. Her breasts were full, adding to the attraction to males. She ought to cut her hair and buy fake glasses. With the money—if she made a deal with Matt—she would be able to afford to get her hair fixed and buy new clothes.

She frowned at her image. She shouldn’t think about where or how she would spend one nickel of his money. She didn’t have a deal yet with Matt, and they might not ever have one.

With her proposal, had she opened it up for Matt to take control of her child? That question nagged at her. If they married, he would legally have rights and she was certain he would have all sorts of opinions on how Jeff’s baby should be raised and what schools it should attend. Never would she be able to pack, divorce Matt and walk away as easily as she would if she simply accepted Matt’s money offer.

At the thought of relinquishing control of all decisions concerning her child, her stomach knotted. On the other hand, giving her baby the Ransome name and making him or her an heir would offset letting Matt into their lives. And from what she could see, Matt seemed to truly want what was best for her child.

She had never had a decent home life. She glanced around the splendid bedroom and knew she would be giving her offspring the best.

And Matt? How long could they resist the sizzling physical attraction? She didn’t want to ever love another Ransome, another untrustworthy male and in this case, an arrogant, controlling one. Yet even now when Matt was away from her, she was hot and breathless merely thinking about him. It was a volatile chemistry she didn’t have with other men and it might make living under the same roof with him a challenge. Seduction was unwanted, but would she be strong enough to resist the attraction, she wondered.

Could she be uncompromising and walk away if he rejected her proposal?

She couldn’t answer her own question. She thought of the money he offered, the chance for her to get through school quickly, then care for herself and the baby. How could she walk away from all that? Would it be horribly unfair to her child to turn her back on Matt’s offer?

Yet she suspected if she didn’t walk away, he would never come back with acceptance of her proposal. And she wanted the Ransome name and all that went with it.

Her gaze drifted around the room again and the thought of her baby being part of the fortune of this family took her breath! She strolled to the window and looked out at grounds that were well tended. Beyond them acres of range land stretched to the horizon. The wealth of the place was so foreign to her, she might as well have been in another country. Would Matt consider running the risk of letting her lay claim to some of what he owned?

Matt wrote out a hasty prenuptial agreement, trying to think of all the things he wanted to put into the document so he would be prepared when he saw his attorney.

His mind kept jumping to Olivia, remembering watching her and touching her. He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. He had known her less than twenty-four hours and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

Disgusted with himself that he couldn’t stop thinking about her, Matt went to look in the desk in his bedroom for a copy of the prenuptial agreement he’d had with Margo. They had married young and both had come from wealthy families so they had drawn up a prenup agreement, but when they parted, there had been no hassle over money. With her tremendous salary and her family’s money, she cared nothing about demands on Matt. She simply wanted out of the marriage to pursue her career.

In the hall Matt passed Olivia’s closed door and thought about her in the shower, water pouring over that lush body and down her long legs. He groaned and walked faster, suspecting he should go work out and burn some energy. A whole evening with Olivia was going to be hellish temptation.

“Matt—”

He turned as she opened her door and stepped into the hall. Her shirt was pulled out of her cutoffs and partially unbuttoned, the open V giving a tantalizing glimpse of heart-stopping curves and cleavage.

“I can’t get the hot water faucet to turn,” she said. “Is it broken or am I doing something wrong? I can’t imagine the plumbing breaking in this castle.”

“Oh, hell. Sorry, I forgot. I’ve intended to get that fixed. And the plumbing does break on occasion,” he added with amusement. “I’ll get a wrench. It won’t take more than a minute to repair it. Or you can move to any of the other occupied bedrooms.”

“I’ll wait if you don’t mind repairing it.”

He left to get pliers, a washer and a wrench and returned to her room, taking a deep breath before he went inside. She stood by the window, and he hoped she stayed out of the bathroom.

The scent of her perfume hung in the air and he tried to ignore it and think about water and pipes. As he leaned over the tub, working on the faucet, he swore because he hadn’t taken care of the plumbing before she arrived or remembered it and put her in a different bedroom.

In minutes the faucet functioned again, and he picked up his wrench and pliers. As he started out, she entered the room and they almost collided. Taking her arm, he steadied her. “Sorry, Olivia,” he said.

She looked up at him and again, he was ensnared in wide, thickly lashed green eyes. Desire rocked him and her eyes half-closed in a sultry expression that took his breath. He placed one hand on the doorjamb beside her and leaned closer. When she inhaled deeply, his gaze lowered and then returned to her full lips. Hemming her in, he could feel the heat from her voluptuous body, detect the come-hither fragrance she wore.

“We can find out now and get this out of the way between us,” he said softly, leaning closer.

Her eyelids drooped a fraction as she slanted him a sensual look that set his pulse pounding. He slipped his arm around her waist and heard her gasp. She was soft, warm, all curves. He took his time, giving her a chance to pull away or protest or whatever she wanted.

Instead, when she placed her hand on his forearm and gazed up at him with a hot look, his body responded. If he was damned for it, he was going to kiss her.

With a seductive look from her, he was hard, wanting her, wanting to plunder her swollen lips, to taste and explore and see what a storm he could stir in her. Never had he seen a woman who looked more ready for sex.

Somewhere in the depths of his being, he knew he was crossing a line, going against what he had sworn he would avoid. With the temptation of a Pandora’s box, he couldn’t resist even if he knew in his heart that he was opening himself up for unending trouble.

As he leaned closer, she tilted her head up. Her breath was sweet and she was soft in the curve of his arm. His mouth came down on hers, opening her lips, his tongue sliding inside her mouth. Hot and wet, his kiss demanded more. He wanted to discover her sexually and his kiss and his body pressing hers was the fiery beginning.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned into him, molding her soft curves against him as she kissed him in return. Her tongue played over his, stroking and stirring his blinding need.

His rational thought had been lost back there when she first pressed against him. He tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer into his embrace, leaning over her and taking her searing kisses, letting go the pent-up longing he had controlled until now.

His pulse roared, drowning out other sounds, and he thought she would melt him with her scalding kisses. Why was she so different? he wondered. His heart thudded and he was in flames while below his belt he was rock-hard. He pulled her up tightly against him as his hand slid down her back and then trailed over the enticing curve of her bottom.

Her softness fanned the fire that consumed him. He ached to drown in her softness and unleash all her promised passion.

Grabbing a silky handful of her hair, he held her. When her hips twisted against him, he groaned.

Their kiss had escalated and spun out of control, seconds becoming minutes, time lost in need. She was too hot to handle, yet too desirable to release. Danger, danger ran through his thoughts, but he paid no heed. He never wanted to stop kissing her, kisses that were etched in his memory. Kisses that bound him to her in spite of all his reluctance.

Dimly, he became aware of her hands pressed on his chest, lightly pushing against him.

With an effort he opened his eyes, looking down at her to see her watching him. He released her and she stepped away, her gaze raking over him. “That was pure lust,” she whispered.

“There was nothing pure about the past few minutes,” he retorted, breathing heavily, seeing her gasp for breath as much as he did.

“I wasn’t going to do that,” she said, shooting him a torrid glance and then snapping her mouth closed.

“It’s not going to happen again,” he said, grinding out his words, hating his loss of control. His insides churned because emotionally, he hadn’t wanted to kiss her. Physically, he lusted to have her in his bed with her naked body against him. “I don’t think either one of us intended that kiss to happen, but it did and it seemed inevitable. Now it’s over and done and we can forget about it,” he said, wondering if he was trying to convince himself. In a lifetime, could he forget her kisses?

“That wasn’t what I intended,” she repeated in a low voice.

“There’s some chemistry that we both gave in to, but it doesn’t need to happen again.”

She gave him a level, direct look. “So you’re sorry you kissed me.”

“You know I’m not, but we’ll go back like we were.”

When she nodded and closed the door, he let out his breath and shook his head. Why had he kissed her? Every shred of common sense told him to keep his hands to himself.

Burning with desire, he stormed down the hall. The fire in her kisses had been even more than he had expected. And his thoughts seethed about her marriage proposal and the prenuptial agreement, because now he felt differently about her demands and expectations.