Hannah Gets A Husband

Amazing. Hannah could see her father almost believed his convenient fantasy. “You did, huh?”

“Yes, I—”

“Papa?” Jamie said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “My tummy hurts.”

“I’m here, tiger.” Ross sat next to the boy and patted his back. His expression told her everything—fierce, protective and totally lost. He didn’t have a clue what to do next. “Hannah, what’s wrong? Should we call the doctor?”

Oh, dear.

How could she resist a man like that? Strong and capable…yet totally inexperienced when it came to children. Without even trying, he was enticing her into his marriage scheme. She sighed and squared her shoulders. “Kids get a lot of tummy aches, Ross. Especially after a party.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Don’t worry, you’re overreacting,” Hannah said, limping across the room and kneeling next to Jamie. “Hey, kiddo. I’m sorry you don’t feel so good. Do you want to come back to my house for a while?”

Jamie nodded and crawled down from the chair and into her arms. His compact body snuggled close…and right into her heart, she feared. She stroked the hair back from his forehead. It was warm, but nothing to worry about; boys being boys, she suspected he’d charmed his way into a lot more cake and ice cream than he should have eaten.

“Okay, let’s go. It’s not far. We can walk.”

“What about your ankle?” Ross murmured.

Honestly. Her ankle was barely sprained. Walking wouldn’t hurt it any, but she was tired of arguing with the man.

“Dad?” Hannah called over her shoulder. “We need to borrow the truck. I think Ross and Jamie will have to spend the night with us. They can sleep in Deke’s old bedroom.”

A loud harumph came from behind them. “I don’t think that’s such a fine idea,” said her father.

“Why?” she asked dryly. “You thought it was a fine idea to arrange a marriage behind my back. What difference can it make if Ross sleeps at the house?”

“That’s different.”

“It always is. To think I told Ross you weren’t the protective sort.”

“Why…how could you think that?” Edgar said, obviously shocked. “You’re my little girl. And I didn’t arrange any marriage,” he asserted as he handed the keys to Ross. “Nobody does that any more.”

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Except in Alaska,” she muttered. Yet she was touched that he’d worry about her virtue. Until now there hadn’t been much cause for him to worry, so no wonder it was a surprise to find he had the same huffy puffy bluster of every other father on the planet.

“I’ll put Jamie in the truck, then come back for you,” Ross murmured, lifting his son.

“Huh.” She made a face at his back. “You don’t need to pretend any more, your audience is gone. I’m capable of walking under my own steam.”

Turning at the door, he winked. “Just staying in practice, darling.”

She rubbed the back of her neck and shook her head. Jamie must have gotten his charm from his father, because that man could charm a wolverine from its den.

“Dad, are you keeping the bar open tonight?” Hannah asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. All at once it was too much—the wedding reception, Ross’s appearance…his marriage proposal. A woman liked to think about these things; only, Ross didn’t seem willing to wait a single day.

Reno.

She made another face, though it made the most sense; Ross wanted to get married before his ex-wife could file for custody again. Hannah didn’t know a lot about custody battles, but she could see it might look better to a judge. And it would be a lot easier getting married in Reno, than doing it in Quicksilver and trying to pretend they were in love. If they got married, that is. She still wasn’t sure it was such a good idea.

“Dad, the bar,” Hannah repeated.

“They’ll be wanting a sip or two after the chivaree,” Edgar murmured. “Best to keep it open.”

“I should stay and clean up.”

“Go on, Hannah. You’ve done enough here.” Her father angrily swiped the ancient bar with a rag, and he seemed to be talking about more than the restaurant.

“You spent eighteen years taking care of your brothers.”

“Dad…”

“It was wrong to keep you, but your mama was gone, leaving me with a new baby and more to raise. I know it all fell on your shoulders.”

“I didn’t mind.”

“I minded…more now than ever. You had a right to your life, and it’s time you got something for yourself. Ross McCoy would make you a good husband.”

“We don’t love each other,” Hannah said quietly.

“Love can come after. And if it doesn’t…well, you were always good friends.” Edgar put his hands down and stared at them. “Hannah, he’s a fine man. He’d never hurt you.”

She nodded thoughtfully. Ross wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, at least not deliberately. And their friendship was nothing to sneeze at; despite a three-year age difference, they’d spent a lot of time together.

The bell over the door jangled and Edgar straightened, once more scrubbing the bar with furious intent.

“Ready?” asked Ross.

She stood, silently daring her “fiancéé” to pick her up again. “I’ll see you later, Dad.”

“Think about what I said.”

Hannah drew a shaky breath. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

The night wind rustled through the trees surrounding the house, the whispering sound as familiar to Hannah as the dancing northern lights in the midnight sky.

She turned in the bed, listening to the voices of nature and her own heart, trying to make a decision. Over and over she replayed the day’s events through her head, torn by emotions she hadn’t felt for a long while.

Did a woman ever really give up dreams of white lace and forever-after love? Ten Penny hadn’t. After all was said and done, Ten Penny had married for love. True, she’d spent ninety odd years finding that love and worked in a bawdy house in the meantime, but she’d married for the right reason.

“Blast,” Hannah mumbled, kicking the blankets aside. She looked at herself in the old, yellowed mirror and grimaced. Her hair was neither blond nor brown, and she was reasonably well endowed, but that was all. Nothing spectacular. Just the basics. She certainly didn’t inspire any overwhelming romantic urges in the opposite sex.

It had been years since she’d indulged in romantic daydreams; the local men weren’t the type to inspire fantasies. And even if she’d felt something for one of them, they’d never looked at her twice, not with the commitment she felt to her family. By now, the ones her age were either married or had moved away.

Hannah wandered into the kitchen and set a pot of milk on the stove—might as well make hot chocolate and enjoy being sleepless.

“Make extra for me,” said a quiet voice from the shadows.

Ross.

He stepped from the screened porch surrounding the rear of the house and leaned on the doorjamb. His unsnapped jeans rode low on his hips, and the rest of him was magnificently bare—feet, arms, shoulders. Hannah swallowed and looked back at the stove.

Don’t think about it.

Right.

Good advice.

Now she just had to follow that advice, and she’d be fine. If she married Ross, she’d have to remember exactly why she was doing it: to become Jamie’s mother. Nothing more. And since Jamie was such a darling little thing, that wouldn’t be so hard, would it?

“Couldn’t sleep, either?” he asked.

“It was a busy day. How is Jamie doing?”

Ross’s shoulders lifted and fell, and a look of chagrin crossed his face. “You were right. He’s fine—sound asleep, all curled up in the middle of the bed.”

“Taking his half out of the middle?”

“Something like that.”

“You get used to that with kids and cats. They have their own way of doing things.” Hannah stirred the ingredients into the steaming pot, then poured the chocolate into two cups. She handed one to Ross and backed away quickly.

“Hey, I’m not going to bite,” he murmured.

“That’s reassuring.”

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, then his smile faded. “Is it so terrible, asking you to be Jamie’s mother? He’s a terrific kid.”

Hannah traced the smooth edge of her cup, then shook her head. “I know you’re just trying to do the best for him. If he was mine, I’d do the same thing. I’m flattered you think marrying me is ‘doing the best’ for him.”

Sighing, Ross put his cup on the table and sat next to Hannah. He’d messed up badly, but there wasn’t any going backward; he might as well round out the day with another unfair maneuver.

“Say, do you remember the last time we had hot chocolate together?”

She didn’t look up, but he detected a small smile curving her lips. “In the clearing. You built a fire and made the worst cocoa I’ve ever drunk—from water, malted milk balls and a chocolate bar.”

“At the time you said it was wonderful.”

“I lied.”

Ross laughed; he couldn’t help himself. How could he have forgotten the way Hannah made him laugh? She’d always loved pulling his leg. Even at the worst of times she’d managed to drag a laugh from him with her teasing.

She looked at him from under her lashes with another slow smile. “Actually, I was right the first time—it was wonderful. You were so sweet to me that day, anything would have tasted good. I think our best and worst moments together have happened in that clearing.”

Whoa.

Ross felt his blood go up a few degrees from the smile—and from the worn, oversize T-shirt she wore for sleeping. The soft cotton molded her breasts with loving faithfulness, something she didn’t seem to realize. Nor did she seem to realize there were worn places in the fabric that made it nearly transparent.

Don’t stare, Ross reminded himself.

A gentleman should keep his eyes directed elsewhere. But more importantly, he didn’t want to find Hannah attractive, not in that way. When it got right down to brass tacks, he didn’t trust his judgment when love and sex were involved.

A marriage based on friendship was a much safer bet than the alternative. Hannah might not be his type romantically, but she was definitely a friend. They could be good together, just like when they were kids.

“So…” he said slowly. “How about marrying me? Have you made up your mind yet?”

Chapter Three

Hannah held her breath, arguments both for and against saying “yes” racing through her mind.

“Yes” to the wonderful possibilities of becoming a mother.

“No” to marrying a man she didn’t love.

If she held out for love, she could end up like Ten Penny, spending most of her life without a family. Maybe all her life. But it didn’t have to be like that; Ross was offering her a chance to become a mother, even if he hadn’t done it in a tactful way.

She focused on Ross’s intent face, hoping to find an answer.

Things had changed since they were children. Marriage to Ross McCoy meant leaving her home for good. It meant making all new friends and starting a completely different life. Talk about a girl from the sticks—she’d never been more than fifty miles from home.

None of it would matter if he was in love with her, but she didn’t have that luxury. And it hurt to admit, but Ross was right about something else: this was her chance to leave Quicksilver.

Maybe her last chance.

Hannah set her cup on the table. Okay, so they weren’t in love. Big deal. If she married Ross, she’d be Jamie’s mother, and eighteen years of on-the-job training did give her an edge in the maternal skills department.

“About this afternoon…what I said about giving you a good life? I wasn’t implying you were mercenary,” Ross said, as if searching for the right words. “But you’re honestly entitled to wonder what this arrangement would mean to you.”

Actually, Hannah thought it was all very simple. She’d get to be Jamie’s mother, and Ross would get a wife to show the judge in case of a custody battle.

“I’m not wealthy, but I can afford to hire housekeepers and nannies and do anything necessary to take care of my son,” Ross continued, a serious expression growing on his face. “So don’t think I just want an inexpensive baby-sitter. I proposed because I want my son to have a mother who is sweet and loving and decent. And I swear I’d be a good husband and do everything possible to make you happy.”

“As Jamie’s mother,” she added, wondering why it made her so sad. One by one her dreams had vanished over the years, and now Ross was offering one of the most precious of those dreams back to her. Why was she hesitating?

Ross lifted her hand and squeezed it, his fingers hard against her softer skin. “Jamie is part of this, but I want you to be happy because you’re my friend. We can be partners.”

Friends.

Partners.

Not husband and wife in a real sense. Not a marriage, but an “arrangement.” Ross would keep her clothed and sheltered, and she’d be his son’s mother. Hannah swallowed, knowing she had to ask if he expected anything else, even if it embarrassed them both.

“There’s one thing we haven’t talked about,” she said slowly. “That is, we haven’t discussed what our…uh, our personal relationship would be.”

“I don’t know what…oh.” To Hannah’s surprise, a dull red color crept into his face. “You’re asking if I expect…er, want all the marital comforts.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, though the situation wasn’t funny. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Ross shifted uncomfortably. “To be honest, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I guess I assumed we’d have to get reacquainted, then make some sort of decision down the road.”

“I see.” It was a nice, noncommittal response that didn’t mean anything, and Hannah kept her face neutral. She must not have been successful at hiding her feelings, because Ross leaned forward with a worried frown.

“It has nothing to do with you, Hannah. I just haven’t considered that aspect of things. Hell, I was blinded by lust in my first marriage and it was a disaster. We didn’t even last six months.”

“I see,” she repeated, understanding all too well. She was the perfect wife because he didn’t find her desirable.

Well, fine. She wouldn’t find him desirable, either.

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