The Texan's Baby Proposal

“The sooner the better. Oh, my. My head is spinning. I can’t believe all this. One thing. I’m enrolled in a night class this semester. The doctor said it’s fine. The class ends in December.”

“Lara, you said you don’t have any relatives. Who’s closest to you? Who will you tell about this?”

“There’s my friend Melanie, and Patsy from work, and some friends in my neighborhood, including an older couple next door who think they’re substitute grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Vickers.”

“We really don’t have long to pull a wedding together. I want you to think everything over tonight and give me an answer tomorrow. You’re saying yes now, but I want you to be sure,” he said.

“I am so sure, Marc,” she said. “I promise you, I’m ready to accept your offer. And I will get out of the marriage, just as surely as you want to.”

“You don’t want to sleep on it?”

Aware she was changing her future, her life, her baby’s life, she shook her head. “My answer to your proposal is yes.”

“Then I’ll have my lawyer draw up an agreement and a prenup. If you back out, you forfeit everything except one hundred dollars that will be a token.”

“Fine,” she said. They sat gazing at each other, and her heartbeat quickened as she looked into his eyes. His hand covered hers again.

“We’re getting married,” he whispered. “We’re not in love, but we can get to know each other a little better and let the friendship grow. We’ve always gotten along and worked well together as boss and secretary. And now we have decisions to make as a couple—wedding decisions, decisions about when you quit your job, when we announce our engagement, a lot of things. Can you go to dinner tomorrow night?” He smiled suddenly. “Maybe then I won’t send you into shock and you’ll get to eat your meal.”

“Yes, I can.”

He nodded at her plate. “Want your dinner now?”

She shook her head. “I can’t eat a bite. I’m too excited. Actually, I’d like to take a walk. By now the weather outside should have cooled some and I feel like I need to move around.”

“Let’s go. They’ll put dinner on my tab. We don’t need to wait.”

He stood and held her chair as she rose. When she turned, she faced him and they were only inches apart. Her pulse jumped and she felt riveted, unable to move at all.

Our boss-and-secretary relationship just went up in smoke.

She remembered her words from a moment ago and realized how true they really were. Going forward, their relationship would be different. Very different, she thought, barely able to catch her breath. She had always tried to keep her distance and squelch any physical reaction she had to him. She had always avoided physical contact. Now they would be husband and wife. Even though it was in name only, nothing would ever be the same.

Shocking her almost as much as his proposal was a sudden, intense awareness of him, far beyond anything she had ever felt before. His eyes narrowed the barest fraction, but she noticed, and she felt as if sparks flew between them. A sizzling attraction made her want to lean toward him, to touch him. Her lips tingled and her gaze lowered to his mouth as she wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

How could their coming change invoke this hot attraction so swiftly?

She needed to get back her detached business personality and keep a wall between them. That’s what both of them wanted. This would not be a marriage made in love and she needed to guard her heart all the time because he clearly would not fall in love and she didn’t want to fall in love—or fall into his bed, either.

With an effort she stepped away from him.

He took her arm and they left the club, turning on the sidewalk in downtown Dallas. How long would it be before she would get accustomed to him touching her? She had a prickly awareness of how close he was when he took her arm to cross the street. People were still out, but she was conscious of no one and nothing except him. His height as he walked beside her, his hand grazing hers as they strolled. Was she stepping into a situation where she would have a bigger heartbreak than ever? When she’d ended her engagement, she had been the one who wanted out of the relationship. This time, Marc would end the relationship, so she needed to be careful to protect her heart and stay out of his bed.

“I don’t know much about your private life,” she said. “If I’m going to marry you, I think you better tell me, at least briefly.”

“Sure. I was born in Downly, Texas.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to start that far back.”

With a flash of even, white teeth, he grinned. “My mom’s family all came from Mexico because of relatives in Downly. Are you familiar with Downly?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there.”

“Mom and her family got jobs there and their citizenship. My mom got a job as a maid for a wealthy family. Actually, it was Dirkson Callahan.”

Startled, she looked up at him. “Oh, my. You’re about to buy some of his wells in South Dakota. You told me at the office that it was routine business. I know you’re close friends with his son, Gabe Callahan, but will buying the wells be something more personal?”

“You’ve already moved into the fiancée mode. You wouldn’t have asked me that at the office,” he said, sounding amused again.

“Are you going to be one of those men who’s got everything bottled up and keeps a lot to yourself? Maybe I should learn the parameters here.”

He laughed and put his arm around her to squeeze her shoulder as they walked. “I’m teasing you. Gabe always thought Dirkson was an uncaring dad. He didn’t keep up with his boys or share in their lives. None of them were happy with him. I talked to Gabe about it before I did anything, and he said it wouldn’t mean anything to his dad or any of them if I bought those wells and to go ahead. So I am. And you can ask whatever you want.”

“Oh, really?” she said, stopping to put her hand on her hip, unable to resist flirting with him.

“Oh, yeah,” he answered in a husky voice, his eyes twinkling, and her pulse jumped. “What very private thing would you like to know?”

She caught her lower lip with her teeth as she thought for a few seconds. “Am I ever going to get breakfast in bed?”

“If you’re in our bed, you will,” he answered.

“You are quick. I’ll remember that.”

“So will I,” he said in a deeper voice. They looked at each other and both laughed.

When they did, he hugged her lightly again. “I’m liking this deal better by the minute.”

“Don’t get excited. You’re accustomed to me being your secretary and doing whatever you ask. That isn’t necessarily going to happen when I become your wife.”

He leaned closer, tilting her chin up with his forefinger and gazing at her. “Then I’ll just have to butter you up so I get my way.”

She smiled when he did and they turned to continue walking. “Does your mom still work for him?” Lara asked.

“No. She quit to open a small tamale stand and tiny café—I mean, really small. This was before I was born, so I know little about it. My mom met my dad and I think it must have been love at first sight. They were married three weeks after they met and they loved each other deeply. He was a good dad, too. He had immigrated to the US earlier, gotten his citizenship and had a job. He worked in construction. He really wasn’t a strong man and shouldn’t have been doing that.”

“You don’t take after him there,” she said without thinking about it.

“I didn’t know I’d exhibited any great stamina in the office,” Marc said, sounding amused and looking down at her.

“You carry things around sometimes. I’ve seen you do things. I’m observant,” she said, aware her cheeks were suddenly hot.

“Oh, yeah?” He touched her arm as he stepped in front of her again. “Maybe I should ask what else you know about me from observation.”

She thought a moment. “You send roses to women you’ve been out with, and if it’s someone a little more special, you send a big mixed bouquet. Right?”

“Damn. I must be as predictable as hell. How did you figure that out?” He stared at her.

“That’s a guess. The mixed bouquet has roses. The lady who gets the mixed bouquet gets roses plus other flowers.”

“Well, you’re right.” He nodded and they continued walking.

“Go on about your family,” she urged him. “I don’t know anything about them.”

“When my family moved to Texas, they didn’t have money, but they were successful. Mom’s little café grew and when my dad’s health began to fail, as long as he could, he helped in the café. By that time, my grandfather was doing better and he put some money into her café. Then my dad’s health got worse and he had heart problems. I had wonderful parents and wonderful grandparents and I’m sorry you lost your family so early in life. It hurt to lose my dad and it’s going to hurt like hell to lose Grandpa.”

She grasped Marc’s hand and squeezed lightly, releasing him swiftly and trying to ignore the inevitable tingles. “I know, Marc. I was so close to my mother.”

“When I lost my dad, I got closer to my grandfather on Mom’s side. He was the father figure in my life after Dad was gone.”

“You had a lot of family.”

“My mom’s dad worked for a successful rancher and moved up to become foreman. On that side of the family I come from people who are driven and work hard. My mom put work first in her life always. So did Grandpa. Sometimes I think they both worked too much. The man who owned the ranch didn’t have children. When the rancher’s wife died, he willed the ranch to my grandfather and four years later, when the rancher died, Grandpa inherited it. I was seven years old then and already loved to visit my grandparents. It’s a great ranch.”

She noticed his voice changed and she wondered how much he liked ranching versus working in Dallas in an office.

That question and others would have to wait. She was getting tired of walking and her feet were killing her in her heels. She looked at her surroundings. “I’m not familiar with where we are now and we’ve walked quite a way.”

He swung her around and they headed back as she laughed. “Oooh, I get what I want the minute I ask. I’m going to like my new role.”

He stopped and faced her. Surprised, she looked up at him as wind caught locks of his dark, curly hair.

“I’m beginning to look forward to our deal. And we better get on with it. So, we’re on for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Yes, thank you. We need to make wedding plans if you want to move so fast.”

He stepped beside her again and they continued walking. “Think of the secretaries in the office. Is there anyone who’d be a good replacement? If we can find someone who’s already working there, it’ll be easier for you to train them before you leave.”

“You have two who should be perfect. They’re quiet about their work and I don’t think most people realize how much they get done. Let me think about that tonight before I give you names. But you should know you’ve got good employees.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

By the time they walked back to his car and drove to her house, the sun was setting in the western sky. When they walked up onto her porch, Marc stepped between her and the door. Surprised, she looked up at him, suddenly feeling caught in the depths of his brown eyes.

“Definitely, I’ve made a good choice here,” he said in husky tones that gave her a tingle.

“And I know I made a good decision in accepting your offer. You’ve solved so many problems in my life. My world will change, thanks to you. The thing we need to remember is you have plans and I have plans. I’ve had my goals since the first six months of my mom’s illness. I don’t intend to give them up. I got engaged and we thought we could work it out, but we didn’t plan on a baby. This baby is part of me and my mom and my family, and I’m not giving it up. Now I’ll be free to get my education. I feel I owe that to my mom.”

“That’s one reason you were such a good choice. You have an agenda. You won’t want to stay married. Even if we get along great, you’ll want to go to med school and I won’t want a wife who is wrapped up in school and becoming a doctor. Besides,you know, Lara, that I still love my wife and I’m not over that loss.”

“I understand that. You know you have to let go, but part of you can’t ever let go when it’s someone you love,” she said solemnly.

He nodded. “How about seven tomorrow night?”

“Excellent. Tonight I’ll have my own little celebration all by myself. Tomorrow night we’ll make wedding plans.”

“Are you taking charge of my life?” he asked, looking amused.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re capable of taking care of yourself.”

“I’m glad to hear you think so,” he said, smiling at her.

“I’m going in and celebrate.”

“Save some celebration for tomorrow night. When I leave here, I’ll go see my mom. I want to tell her and my grandfather about you. My grandfather’s days are really limited. He’s a sick old man.”

Marc caught her lightly beneath her chin, making her heart flutter. “You’re absolutely sure, Lara? You can take tonight to think—”

She stifled his words with a finger to his lips. “I’m absolutely sure I want to marry you on a temporary basis.”

He smiled and she pulled her hand away. “Good. You’ve made me happy, and you’ve solved a big dilemma for me. I want to keep Grandpa happy in his last days. I don’t want him to worry about his family.”

“That’s good, Marc. You’re a good guy.”

“Maybe not quite so good,” he said as he shook his head. “I am going to inherit a lot if I do what he wants.”

“You could get along without all that. You love the ranch because of your grandfather.”

“You keep seeing that halo over my head,” he said.

“There are moments it’s there. Moments,” she said, smiling at him.

He laughed. “That’s what I thought from my very practical secretary. You don’t really see me as such a saint.”

“With what you’re going to do for me, oh, yes, I do see a halo. Now, I think you should let me say good-night and go inside.”

“Of course,” he said, stepping away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and tomorrow night I’ll take you to dinner and we’ll plan our wedding.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Start believing. I’m really happy, Lara, and I hope you are, too.”

She smiled as she watched him walk toward his car. Only when he pulled away did she go inside.

When she shut the door behind her, she finally let go. Shouting for joy, she spun around her entryway and stopped in front of a mirror that had belonged to her mother. She looked at herself. “Mrs. Marc Medina. Hello, Mrs. Marc Medina,” she said, feeling tingles each time she said her future name. She was going to marry him. She would have enough money for her future, for her education, for her baby. More than enough money. She’d even be able to pay some of her mother’s medical bills. Marc was being incredibly generous. He was a multi-millionaire, but he must be inheriting a lot to be so generous. She waved her arms in the air and spun around again.

“Mrs. Marc Medina,” she repeated, looking at herself again. This time, though, her exuberance was tempered. She told herself she needed to guard her heart well, because Marc would stick with his plan and end their marriage. She knew he was strong-willed and she would be deluding herself if she thought he would fall in love and want to stay married. That wasn’t what she wanted, anyway. She wanted to be a doctor and to pursue a career in medical research.

Meanwhile, Lara intended to enjoy Marc, have a good time with him and keep her heart absolutely locked away. She turned to face the mirror again. “Can you do that when he is handsome, fun, and oh, so sexy?”

Yes, she could keep from going to bed with him. She’d known him a year and hadn’t slept with him, hadn’t fallen in love with him. She didn’t want emotional hang-ups tangling up her life now that she could do so many things she’d planned on doing. She had to resist his appeal.

“After this marriage I have plans for my future and Marc Medina is no part of them. And Marc has plans for his future and I’m not part of his plans,” she told her reflection in the mirror. “Remember that. I have plans for my future and I can’t wait to start.”

She rushed to her closet to plan what she would wear to work.

It was past 2:00 a.m. when she fell asleep, and her dreams all included Marc Medina.

* * *

To her relief, the next day at work she was too busy to think about her new life or her dinner plans, and she barely saw Marc until after four when he postponed their talk and told her he would pick her up shortly before seven.

After work she rushed home to shower, change clothes and take down her hair, aware it was the first time that she’d have her hair down with him and be dressed in a flirty, flattering outfit. Was he even a fraction as excited as she? She suspected he merely viewed their dinner the same way he would one of his business dinners where he was about to close a deal.

She, on the other hand, could barely contain her excitement or stop thinking about the fantastic fortune he would give her. But along with her excitement came a constant nagging worry that she should guard her heart or risk getting badly hurt. She had to stay out of his bed, because sex would mean nothing to him except physical satisfaction. She had to be on constant guard against seduction that would be briefly satisfying and then could bring down all sorts of problems for her.

She needed to keep a wall between them, she reminded herself. Eventually, they would part and he would never look back. By then if she had her baby, she’d better have her life in order.

As she laid out clothes to wear, she looked at herself in the mirror, studying her stomach, which was still flat. She wasn’t far along in her pregnancy and she was tall and slender. Most people would think this baby was Marc’s and he was agreeable to that. Why was he being so generous with her? Was it because of the loss of his own baby and his wife? She knew he was relieved to find someone who would be happy to part when he ended their marriage—she could understand that one and how she was probably the only woman he knew who would walk away with a smile. And she’d better maintain that distance from him so she would be able to leave without any kind of hurt. She had worked for him for a year and she could say goodbye and be okay right now. She wanted to feel the same way when they ended their marriage.

When her doorbell rang, she took a deep breath, picked up her purse and went to answer. Her new husband-to-be and her new life stood waiting on the other side of her closed door.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.