The Ransomes: Matt, Nick and Katherine

“Sorry about checking up on you, but I had to be certain.”

The waiter brought their lobster dinners. After the first bite, she looked up to find him waiting and watching her.

“It’s delicious. You want me to like eating lobster. You want me to cultivate a taste for exotic food.”

“I don’t know that lobster is exotic. Every grocery store carries them, but I’m glad you like it,” Matt answered.

“It’s another sales pitch,” she said, touching her diamond pendant and knowing that he was doing all in his power to get her to accept his offer and forget her proposal.

“Ma’am, I’m a plain ole cowboy,” he drawled, and she had to laugh.

He gave her a wicked look. “Olivia, you’re doing your own share of bribery with your smile that seduces and befuddles. You want me to succumb and accept your proposal and you’re stooping to as much bribery as I am,” he said softly.

“My smile seducing and befuddling?” she asked in mock disbelief, for a moment letting go worries and enjoying his company, bubbling inside because he was flirting.

“You know what you’re doing,” he said, inhaling deeply and she flashed him another merry smile, wishing she could befuddle him enough to get him to agree to what she wanted.

“Yes! So may the best man—or woman—win!” she exclaimed, holding her water glass up in a toast to him.

Eyes twinkling, he touched her glass with his. “You’re on. But then this battle is already under way.”

“And you’re flirting shamelessly,” she said. “Besides the gifts and dinner and clothes and the evening out.”

“All my weaponry pales beside yours—your face, your body, your smile, that dress, your legs. You have the edge and you know it.”

“Whoo!” She fanned herself. “I didn’t know you’d noticed,” she purred, enjoying flirting with him. “You have armor that protects you totally. You are shielded and immune.”

“Forget dinner. Let’s dance,” he said, coming around the table to take her hand to lead her to the dance floor. After a few minutes he looked down at her. “You’ve gotten the hang of it. You’re very good at this.”

She laughed. “Your flattery overwhelms me! Wait until I step on your toe again.”

“I mean it. You’re doing fine. Don’t you like this?” he asked in a silky voice.

She slanted him a look. “You’re flirting again.”

“So what’s wrong with that? No harm done. You’re a beautiful woman and a sexy one. Why shouldn’t I flirt?”

“Don’t expect it to lead you anywhere.”

“Where did you think I want to go?” he asked.

She shook her head and laughed again. “Don’t tell me you don’t want me in your bed.”

“I’ll tell you one thing I don’t want in my life—any emotional complication. Judging by your demands, I don’t think you want any in your life.”

“I definitely don’t. Not with a Ransome, thank you.”

“I take it you and I will never have a handshake deal, even if we finally do come to a mutual agreement?”

“I keep my word.”

“I’ll damn well keep mine,” he said. “Stop mixing me up with Jeff.”

The next number was a fast one and when she turned to leave, he caught her hand.

“I really can’t do this—” she protested.

“You’re a quick study. Watch my feet and then follow me,” he said, pulling her with him.

She did what he said and soon she was dancing with him. He spun her around, caught her and then returned to the quick steps. She studied his feet for a few more minutes and then looked up to find him watching her intently. Her heartbeat skipped and she drew her breath, tossing her head and feeling her hair swing.

“Perfect,” he said softly.

“Not really. I’ve stepped on you twice.”

“Never felt it. Accept my offer, Olivia, and have a better life and an easier one,” he urged. “We’re a mere technicality away from what you want.”

She shook her head. “That isn’t quite the same.”

He spun her around and yanked her up against him, his arm banding her waist instantly and holding her close while he looked down at her. She felt his hard length pressed against her and she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. At the same time, she looked into his eyes and felt the clash with him over their futures. She knew the light moments were gone and the flirting was over.

He spun her away from him and then the music stopped. Gasping for breath, she let him take her hand and she felt the calluses on his palm that indicated he really did do ranch work.

“Let’s go back to the hotel and talk things over,” he suggested.

Knowing they might as well get back to business, she nodded. At the door she glanced back over her shoulder. In the past couple of hours, she had had the time of her life, the best she could remember.

She was surprised by her own reaction and wondered if she had really been in love with Jeff at all.

In the limo she was as silent as Matt, aware they were each locked in separate worlds. At the hotel as they reached their adjoining suites, Matt shed his coat and tie and unfastened the collar of his shirt. “Let me come in for a while. I’ll order tea or lemonade or whatever you’d like,” he suggested.

She nodded and opened her door, moving inside. He followed and tossed his coat on a chair. “What would you like to drink?” he asked.

“Hot cocoa,” she said, wondering if she could drink anything. Her nervousness had returned, but she didn’t want it to show. All evening she had felt as if what she wanted was slipping through her fingers. She could feel his resistance to her offer. When he said no, was she ready to make her decision and stick by it?

He ordered a pot of hot chocolate and a cold beer. Only one lamp burned in the fancy suite and in the soft light, his appeal heightened. It would have been easier to deal with him if she hadn’t had this fiery sexual reaction to him. And why the chemistry she couldn’t imagine because they fought for opposing goals. She suspected he truly did not like her at all. Facing him, she knew part of his attraction was his rugged good looks and a sexiness that probably drew most females he encountered.

He moved around the room, turning on soft music, dimming the light, rolling back his cuffs, seductive moves, yet she knew seduction wasn’t his goal. He wanted her to agree to his offer. His control was admirable because she guessed it was an effort for him. She suspected he usually got his way.

At a knock on the door, she watched Matt cross the room in long strides to let the bellman wheel in a cart with a silver pot, china cups and two cold beers on ice. Olivia sat on a wingback chair and crossed her legs. In minutes, Matt handed her a cup of steaming chocolate.

“It’s too hot to drink right now,” she said, placing it on a coffee table and then leaning back.

When he sat nearby and gave her a long look, she drew a deep breath. “I feel like the proverbial bug under a microscope,” she said.

“An absolutely stunning butterfly, maybe. A bug—no,” he answered quietly, his gaze drifting lazily over her while she couldn’t avoid being pleased by his compliment. “Are you ready to discuss the terms of my offer?”

She shrugged. “It’s not essential because I really do not intend to accept it. I prefer that you accept my proposal.”

“Let’s just say, ‘What if?’ and talk about my offer for a while. All right?”

“I suppose, as long as you don’t abandon me here in Houston if we don’t come to an agreement. I do want to return to Rincon.”

“I promise to get you home and I don’t intend to reach a decision tonight. I only want to talk things over. When I first approached you, we were complete strangers.”

“And the brief time we’ve been together has made a difference?” she asked in surprise because it hadn’t changed her opinions.

He set the bottle on a table. “We’ll live in my house, but what happens if you want to go out with someone or start seeing someone regularly?”

She shook her head. “You’re assuming we will go with your offer.”

“Let’s discuss it.”

“It’s pointless to, but if it makes you happy, all right,” she said. “For now, I don’t want any man in my life. Not at all. You’re still going on the assumption that I’ll accept your offer and we won’t marry. Or do you intend the same agreement if we marry?”

His eyes narrowed and her heart began to thump faster at the determined expression on his face. “No. If we marry, I don’t want sordid gossip floating around Cedar County about this baby’s mother or stepfather.”

“So what do you propose? A celibate life?” she asked, unable to imagine that he would agree.

“Hardly. If I agree to your marriage proposal, I want sex.”

Heat blazed in her, and she could feel the perspiration break out on her forehead. While her emotions boiled, they stared at each other. “That isn’t what I intended.”

“That’s what it would have to be.”

“How often?” she shot back, trying to catch her breath and wondering if she could handle sex with Matt Ransome without falling head over heels in love with him—a love that she was certain he would never return. Could there be great sex and no love with a handsome man who was helping her raise her child? Hardly.

Fear curled in her, thick and as palpable as smoke from a fire. Jeff had broken her trust and trampled her feelings. Could she expect anything better from his older brother?

“Let’s say after your pregnancy is over, twice a week and then we can go from there.”

“And until my pregnancy is over?”

“I don’t see any need to be definite except if I marry you, then I want a wedding night with sex.”

She was certain he could hear her heart thudding. His demands were making both propositions, his and hers, real to her.

“You know what you want, don’t you?” Agitated, she stood and moved to the floor-to-ceiling window to gaze down below at the lights on a sparkling pool. Was she ready for sex with him? Her body was more than ready. His words had set her ablaze, but sex was a fast track to heartbreak. Remembering his spectacular, sizzling kisses that had stormed her senses and had been the beginning of seduction, she knew he would be a fabulous lover. And that was what worried her because Matt Ransome seemed as hardhearted as they came.

“There’s always my offer,” he said quietly, standing close behind her. She hadn’t heard him get up or move across the room. She turned to face him. He stood only a foot away. He had rolled back his sleeves and unfastened one more button on his shirt. All she could think of was sex with him—a wedding night.

“If I increased the amount of money, would you accept my offer? If I changed the hundred thousand dollars to a hundred and fifty thousand, how’s that?”

Again, he shocked her and she stared at him while the amount spun in her thoughts. “If you’re that willing to raise what you’ll pay me, then marriage must be binding enough that you want to avoid it at all costs,” she whispered.

Matt stood waiting quietly, letting her think about the money. He could afford what he had offered and he did not want marriage, yet standing so close to her, gazing into her wide green eyes, his pulse raced and he was hot with desire. She was stunning with her new hairdo and clothes. She had been a looker before, but now she was breathtaking. Men had watched her all evening in a restaurant where people would be far more restrained than the honky-tonk at home.

No matter how enticing she was, he didn’t want a permanent entanglement. Even with the increase in his offer, he felt to his soul that she was going to hold out for marriage.

He inhaled deeply, his gaze sweeping over her slender bare shoulders and long, graceful throat, the soft curves that the dress hugged and her tiny waist. Her long legs were spectacular. He already knew that from seeing her in the towel and cutoffs. Could he take her to bed, live under the same roof, share a baby with her and still keep his heart locked away?

He had no doubt that once she got her law degree, she would be gone. He hoped by that time, she would feel that her child was part of the Ransome family. In the meantime he better worry about the present. What would he do if she turned down his offer?

“I’ve made you a damned handsome offer,” he said aloud, half to her and half to himself.

“I know you have. It was generous before you raised the amount. It’s the long-term commitment I want.”

“I’ll never love again,” he said. “You better believe me because I do what I say.”

“I imagine you do,” she replied, looking up at him. “Jeff told me about how your father got lost one time when his small plane crashed in the Rocky Mountains and after the searchers gave up hunting for him, you flew up there, trekked into the mountains on your own and found him and brought him out of there on a stretcher you improvised. Jeff said you do what you say and you don’t give up. Actually, he said you’re stubborn as a mule.”

“As if he wasn’t. I knew my dad was there and I wasn’t going to leave him. He had broken one leg and he couldn’t get out on his own and no one else survived the crash. My dad is a tough old codger.”

“I suspect you’re rather tough yourself.”

“If so, I’ve had to be sometimes,” he replied, fighting an urge to reach out and touch her. In spite of the conflict between them and his anger, he wanted her. Desire was a throbbing, hot flame tormenting him. She was beautiful and he couldn’t stop wanting to hold and kiss her.

“And stubborn?”

“I suppose. If it’s stubborn of me to avoid falling in love again, then so be it. I believe you have a streak of that trait yourself,” he said, and she smiled at him. “So you still plan to move on someday?” he asked.

“We both know marriage will give the baby more,” she said, ignoring his question.

Every minute with her he had been torn between anger and attraction and that was still true. They were at an impasse, and his desire was escalating. He knew he needed to get distance between them.

“I’ll sleep on it,” he said. He strode out the door into the hall, closing her door quietly behind him and going to his room.

Shedding his clothes he moved around his room. Sleep wasn’t going to be part of his night. Would she walk away from all he offered simply to hold out for marriage?

He absolutely didn’t want to marry again. Not even if the woman was fabulously beautiful and sexy? The question taunted him because he couldn’t extinguish memories of holding her in his arms, of her scalding kisses, or how stunning she had looked tonight. How badly he had wanted to peel her out of that scrap of a dress! Marriage would mean sex with her. She had already agreed to it.

He groaned, knowing sleep was impossible. He glared at the door that led to her room. She would give up most of the cash if he would marry her, but that didn’t matter because cash was no problem for him.

Coming from the background of poverty, she had a far smaller regard for money than he would have expected.

Feeling hemmed in and wishing they had flown home tonight, he paced his room and then moved to the window to stare outside. It was late and traffic had thinned. He wasn’t giving up the baby. Deep down, he still felt that she would disappear if he rejected her proposal. “Dammit!” he swore, knotting his fists, wishing he could walk away. She knew she had what he wanted.

By morning, after a shave and shower, he continued to toss the choices back and forth in his mind. He went around to knock on her door and stood waiting, wondering how she had slept.

She opened the door and gazed up at him. Dressed in a white suit and red blouse, once again, she looked stunning. Her hair was looped and pinned on one side of her head, giving her a more sophisticated appearance. No amount of fancy clothes or cosmopolitan hairdos could extinguish her sultry, sexy aura and there was no stopping his body’s immediate response to the sight of her.

Matt drew a deep breath. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she replied and stepped back. “Won’t you come in?”

As he entered the room, he inhaled the seductive scent she wore. He wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair and pull it down. At the same time he wanted to send her packing. Never since childhood had he had to battle someone and lose as he was with her. Even when Margo left him, at the end he had been angry, but ready for her to get out of his life. He couldn’t handle Olivia. It was the first time in his life he had been in this position and he didn’t like it.

Staring at Olivia, he was tempted to tell her to pack and go if she wouldn’t accept his terms, but when he thought about losing the baby, he clamped his jaw closed more tightly.

This morning she was gorgeous and looked as self-confident as if she already had her law degree. How much easier all this would have been if she had been as plain as a guinea hen. “You’re ready to fly home?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

“I’m not in a rush. I’ll take you to breakfast.” They faced each other in a tense silence. “Have you come to a decision on my offer?” he asked and held his breath.

“I still want more than money,” she replied nonchalantly as if they were discussing what to order for breakfast, and his insides clenched.

“Dammit, I don’t think you know what you’re doing!” he snapped, trying to hold back his fury and hating to meet her terms.

“Indeed, I do,” she replied with the coolness of a card shark. “So do you have an answer for my proposal?”

He jammed his fist into his pocket. In the night he had made his decision what he would do if she turned down his offer.

“How can you reject the fortune I’m extending to you? You’re not thinking about your baby.”

“Oh, yes, I am. I can decline your offer because I think you want my baby in your family to such an extent that sooner or later, you’ll agree to my proposal. If you do, you’ll make a greater commitment than what you’re now suggesting I take.”

“You’re damn sure of yourself,” he grumbled, thinking he had misjudged her by a country mile when he first saw her. She was smart, self-possessed and quickly shedding any rough edges she had from her poverty-stricken upbringing.

She merely shrugged. “I’m more sure of you,” she replied softly.

He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to hand it to you. I usually get my way in deals. I’ve bought land, horses, cattle, took over a drilling company for my dad, etc., etc. and you’re the only one who’s held my feet to the fire and given me something I couldn’t cope with.”

“Do tell,” she said blithely, and he wanted to grind his teeth. At the same time, he had to hand it to her for holding out for the big deal.

“At least, it’s a relief to know this baby’s going to inherit some brains.”

“Thank you, I think. Unless you’re referring solely to your brother.”

“You know I’m not talking about him.”

They stared at each other while silence once again filled the passing time. She smiled at him and began to move around the room, placing her bag and a sack together in a chair so her things would be ready to go. Finally, she turned to face him. “Still debating? We can go to breakfast while you think it over.”

Knowing she wasn’t going to change, he shook his head. There was no need in prolonging the moment of decision because he was the only one vacillating about her proposition.

Her eyebrows arched and she slanted her head. “No? That must mean you’ve come to a conclusion? What are you going to do? Are you going to marry me?”

Five

Olivia’s pulse jumped because the fury that burned in his gaze made her think there was a possibility he would acquiesce and do what she wanted. While she waited, she held her breath and watched the battle in his tense expression. His blue eyes flashed with pinpoints of fire.

The tension ripped at her nerves and finally she blurted, “What’s your decision?”

“You win. I’ll marry you,” he snapped in clipped words.

Joy and relief flooded her. Her baby’s future had just been sealed. It held a promise for the best possible chance for a family, a caring father-figure and education for her baby. And herself. She fought the urge to throw her arms around Matt and shout her gratitude. Instead, she merely nodded and tried to bottle her bubbling response.

“I have some stipulations.” He ground out the words, and she nodded.

Like a wave pounding into shore and then receding, her relief swept away and was replaced by worry over what she had gotten herself into. What was he going to require of her in exchange? One condition he had already told her was sex with him! And soon.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, feeling his anger that was almost tangible enough to spark the air around them.

He inhaled deeply and gave her another long look that burned like a streak of fire. “We’ll have to work out the prenup agreement,” he said.

She nodded while her heart thudded. She tried to bank her excitement and keep a lid on all her expectations of what she would gain when she married into the Ransome family.

“Let’s get breakfast and make plans,” he suggested. “We don’t have to check out of the hotel until after lunch, so while we’re here in the city, if you want to shop for a wedding dress, I’ll give you a list of the stores where I have accounts and you can charge it to me, or if you prefer, I’ll go along and write a check or give you a card.”

“It’s bad luck for the groom to see the wedding dress before the wedding.”

He gave her a withering look. “I don’t think that old superstition applies in this case. Business arrangements have little connection to superstition.”

“I prefer to shop by myself,” she answered with what she hoped was as cold a voice as his.

He nodded. “I’ve already made an appointment for a meeting with my attorney at three o’clock this afternoon. Right now, let’s go to breakfast and negotiate the details.”

She nodded. “Fine. Give me one minute here,” she said, going into the bedroom. She returned shortly and smiled at him. “There. I quit my job.”

“That’s one good thing,” he said.

Picking up her purse, she walked beside him, trying to keep quiet and let him talk. His face was still flushed and a muscle still worked in his jaw. His voice was tight and she could only guess the depth of his anger. She suspected that except for his divorce, he had rarely had to give in to something he didn’t like.

Breakfast was in a solarium in the hotel. She doubted if Matt appreciated or even noticed their sunny glass-covered surroundings and tall potted palms. He drank coffee, but otherwise barely touched his breakfast.

While Matt sipped his coffee and studied notes, she remained silent.

“The first stipulation I have, is if you have an abortion or a miscarriage, the deal’s off on everything. We get divorced immediately and you get nothing.”

“That’s fine,” she agreed quickly and was surprised at quirk of his lips in a crooked smile. “What’s there to smile about?” she asked.

“You won the war. Now you’ll let me win the battles,” he observed dryly.

She flashed a smile at him. “I can be agreeable and yes, you’re right. I got what I wanted on the big issue. Now I can be cooperative on other things.”

His expression softened and he studied her, his gaze roaming slowly over her features as if he were trying to memorize her looks. “I intend to get what I want, too,” he drawled, and a tingle spiraled in her because she knew he was no longer referring to the prenup agreement.

“So what do you want?” she asked with a jump in her pulse.

“Forbidden fruit,” he answered in a sexy tone that fanned flames of desire. “Seduction,” he said, drawing out the word until it became personal and enticing.

In response, her throat went dry. “You want sex and you feel lust, but there won’t be any love between us or even the illusion of it.”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t be great sex,” he replied, looking at her with blatant desire in his gaze. “Are you getting cold feet and wanting out of this marriage proposal?”