by Sara Orwig
“Family, the heart—these are what’s important in life. Keep each other happy when you’re together. That’s what I tell Marc.”
“Thank you,” Lara said, smiling at his mother. “He has such a nice family.”
“Lara, I’m sorry your mother isn’t here to see you today,” Pilar said.
“Thank you. I wish she was here,” Lara said, thinking it was nice of Marc’s mother to make such a comment.
Minutes later, when the minister arrived, Marc quietly got the group into their places in his grandfather’s room. He took Lara to his grandfather’s bedside. “Grandpa, this is my bride, Lara Seymour. I’ve told you about her.”
“I’m happy to meet you,” she said, as she looked at the small, frail, white-haired man whose bony hands lay on his chest. When he gazed at her, she felt as if he was alert and very aware of what was happening.
“Grandpa,” Marc said, leaning down. “Do you want us to get married here in your room or would you rather sleep and have us go to the visitor’s lounge?”
“You marry here where I can see you,” he whispered hoarsely.
With Marc directing, everyone lined up and someone started music playing softly on a phone. The wedding was as surreal to her as everything else about Marc’s proposal had been.
Lara glanced up at Marc and saw a muscle flex in his jaw. He seemed highly fond of his grandfather, so this might be a tough event, because it made it painfully obvious how frail the old man was.
Everything was in hushed tones, yet she was aware of Marc’s grandmother holding her husband’s hand and his eyes focused on Marc as Marc repeated his vows. Marc slipped a gorgeous diamond band on Lara’s finger and then, finally, she heard the minister say, “You may kiss the bride.”
Marc turned her to face him and she looked into his inscrutable brown eyes. She had no idea what he thought, except this was what he wanted.
He brushed her lips lightly with a fleeting, tender kiss, the faintest caress of his warm lips on hers, a feathery touch, yet she tingled to her toes. For a moment she thought this marriage might not be as easy to manage as they’d both anticipated. She had a definite physical reaction to him. Now that they’d be living together, it might be far more difficult to avoid a physical relationship than she had thought.
As soon as the ceremony was over, Marc walked up to his grandfather, who smiled and took Marc’s hand in his shaky grip. “The ranch is yours. Take good care of Grandma. You’re a good boy. Be happy, Marc, and may you and Lara have a long and joyous union,” he whispered, closing his eyes.
Marc leaned down to kiss his grandfather’s cheek, and when he turned to Lara, she saw that he battled tears. She thought of her own loss and could understand. She stepped close to take Marc’s other hand and squeeze lightly to reassure him. He smiled at her, and for a moment she felt a closeness with him she hadn’t ever felt before. To anyone watching, the gesture would seem a natural one between husband and wife. To her, it was a reminder that she needed to keep her distance. That this marriage would be brief and never hold love.
In the lounge, the others congratulated them and Marc’s mother hugged her.
“Welcome to our family,” she said, and Lara felt a mixed rush of gratitude for Pilar’s easy acceptance while she knew it was only temporary. For an instant she felt a stabbing pang, a fleeting wish that this ceremony was real and she was becoming part of this family that seemed so filled with love for one another.
Would she ever find that for herself? She and her mother had been each other’s only family for so long, and now Lara didn’t even have her. She thought of the tiny baby she carried and looked at Marc as someone said something to him that made him laugh. She wished this baby was his. Another silly wish that couldn’t possibly be.
Marc’s mother hugged her again. “Be kind to Marc,” she whispered for Lara’s ears only. “He’s a good man.”
“I will be,” Lara said. She couldn’t help but find the comment odd, because from what she could see, Marc didn’t need anything from anyone. He seemed as self-sufficient and self-confident as a human could be.
She looked over at him as he talked to Gabe Callahan. The two men were almost the same height, and they shared the same dark hair, though Marc’s was far curlier.
He turned and their gazes met, and she felt as if sparks danced between them. Once again she heard that voice inside her head telling her to guard her heart with all her being. In spite of all this and how nice he had been to her, she knew absolutely, when the time came, he would dissolve this marriage and walk away without ever looking back. She knew his iron will, and there was no way Marc was going to fall in love so she’d better not, either, unless she wanted another big hurt and loss.
He walked up to her, interrupting her thoughts. “Hey, Mrs. Medina, let’s move this party to the country club where we can cut loose and have a blast.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said and hurried out with him as he waved his hand in the air for the others to follow.
To her surprise, Marc had hired someone to plan the reception. She’d figured he would turn that over to her, but she had to admit it was fun to walk into the big ballroom and be surprised by the flowers and the food.
Before long they was seated at a round table with the Callahan brothers. Marc sat on her right and Gabe’s wife Meg was on her left. The woman’s dark brown eyes sparkled as she gushed, “I love weddings, and you make a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you,” Lara answered. “Your husband is Marc’s best friend, so I’m glad we’ll be friends.”
“Me too,” Meg replied. “Those two guys know how to have fun. I’ve known both of them all my life, it seems. The Callahans are a great bunch except for their dad, but he’s out of the picture most of the time.”
Blake Callahan and his wife Sierra were also at the table. Meg pointed them out. “Sometime you’ll get to meet the kids. There’s Sierra and Blake’s little girl, Emily, and of course Cade has adopted their niece, Amelia.”
Lara had heard the story. The brother between Gabe and Cade—Nate, Amelia’s daddy—was killed in a car crash along with Lydia, his wife. Because Cade had agreed to be guardian if anything happened, he had taken in Amelia. Since then he and Erin had adopted the child.
Meg laughed. “Come to think of it, we all seem to have girls in this family of men.”
As if on cue, Cade Callahan joined them, along with his wife. Erin greeted Lara warmly. “Now you get to be friends with the entire Callahan clan. And we’re glad to have you. We needed another woman in this group,” she said, smiling at Lara.
“Everyone has made me feel so welcome,” Lara said, aware of Marc’s arm still across her shoulders.
“To a beautiful bride and a lucky groom,” Blake said, his blue eyes twinkling. He held up his glass of champagne in a toast. “May you have a long and happy marriage.” They all touched glasses and everyone sipped their champagne except Lara, who only smiled as she set her glass on the table.
As the Callahans talked to each other, she looked around the table. “You have nice friends,” she said to Marc.
“I think so.” He reached out and took her hand. “And now I think I should dance with my wife.”
Three hours later people were still dancing and singing. She had to admit she’d had fun with Marc, who had shed his suit coat to dance all night. He caught her hand when the number ended.
“We’ve had pictures, cut the cake, danced with those we should. I’d say let’s slip out and head to the ranch.”
“I’m ready when you are,” she said, her pulse jumping at the idea of leaving with him and starting life as Mrs. Marc Medina, even though love wasn’t part of the deal. Now they would be living together in the ranch house and she would have to be on alert constantly. She hoped she could get back that very business-like atmosphere she’d had with him at the office, b
ecause she could not end up in his bed.
“You go one direction around the room and I’ll go the other,” Marc whispered to her. “Otherwise we’ll just draw a crowd. I’ll meet you outside that last door. Go down the hall and turn right.”
“Got it. See you soon,” she said.
As she spoke to others and drifted toward a door, she glanced over the room one more time. She’d had a fun, touching, beautiful wedding with loads of friends, yet it really was a meaningless event. She wondered why Marc had had the big blowout for a marriage of convenience that would end after twelve months. Maybe it made the event seem more real for his family. His mother certainly seemed happy.
Lara finally stepped out of the ballroom into the quiet hall. At the moment it was empty, and she hurried to the end where Marc had told her to turn right. Before she could, a hand stretched out and snagged hers, and Marc pulled her around the corner.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, taking her hand and hurrying to the stairs. In minutes they slid into his waiting car.
“There’s a big decorated limo waiting out front and a few people already hanging around it, I suppose to see us come out and leave. Sorry to disappoint them, but this is easier.”
He pulled out onto the street. “Well, so far, so good. We did it. We got married in front of my grandparents and my mother. Thanks again, Lara. You’re the perfect choice and it all went well. My grandfather was a happy man.”
“Marc, he’s so frail. I’m sorry because I know how much you love him.”
“I do, but I’ve made him happy in his last days and he’s made me happy, and we’ll manage living on the ranch this year.”
They drove to a private airport where Marc had a plane waiting and shortly they were airborne, buckled into seats in a luxurious lounge. “I stocked champagne for me and lemonade for you. We can sit back and relax. The rest of the day will be peace and quiet, which I’m ready for.”
“So now I get to see this ranch I’ve been hearing about,” she said, thinking more about being there with Marc. He stretched out his long legs. Locks of black hair curled on his forehead.
“Know much about ranching?”
“Absolutely zero. I’m a city person. I don’t even know anything about small towns like Downly.”
“Since you’re pregnant and you’ve never ridden, you’ll have to stay away from the horses and the barns.”
“Believe me, you don’t have to tell me twice,” she said, and they both smiled.
How was she going to resist him? This wasn’t like the office, which was so businesslike and fast paced. Outside of work, Marc was far more laid-back and relaxed. As she thought about it, he reached up to remove his tie and unbutton his collar.
“That feels better. Got anything you want to undo or take off?” he asked.
“No, I don’t.” She laughed, but her insides jumped at his innuendo. She scrambled to change the subject. “Once we’re on the ranch, am I going to be isolated unless I get back to Dallas?”
“Not at all. You’ll have me there,” he said, leaning close to touch her hand, a casual touch like he’d done several times today. But as with the ones that came before it, the contact caused a sizzling response up her spine. The prospect of guarding her heart seemed more difficult each time she was with him. But she had to resist him, because they each had plans for their futures and none of those plans included the other. If she told him to stop being so friendly, she thought he would laugh it off and pay no attention. Those slight contacts with him didn’t have the same effect on him. She was sure of it.
“At the ranch we can think of some way to pass the time,” he told her.
“I’ve already enrolled in some online courses to keep up with my chemistry,” she said. “I’m going for a doctorate in chemistry in case I don’t get into medical school.”
“Chemistry.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on the arms of her chair. “I can show you some chemistry we can study right now in this plane,” he said in a husky voice.
“You’re flirting with me,” she said. “We weren’t going to do that. I thought this was going to be mostly a business arrangement.”
“Relax a little. We might as well have some fun. Sure, I’m flirting with you. You’re a beautiful woman and you’re my wife now.” His eyes were filled with devilment that made her laugh in spite of knowing that the more she encouraged him, the deeper she might sink into flirting and kissing and seduction—all of which she wanted to avoid as long as possible.
“Don’t get too appealing and fun,” she warned. “You don’t want me falling in love with you and vice versa. We agreed about that.”
“Once I get to working and go back to Dallas to take care of business along the way, you’ll hardly see me,” he said. “For now, this is our wedding day and we might as well party a little.” He leaned closer, hemming her in.
“That was a really chaste kiss in the wedding ceremony,” he said in a low voice. “We might try again and have a little more excitement today.”
Sitting like this, she was skirting trouble and breaking her own rules before they even got to the ranch. She put up a hand between them.
“You know full well that we agreed to avoid a sexual relationship. Kissing might lead there,” she said. “I don’t want to fall in love with you—or even in bed with you. We agreed on that one.”
“But you’ll hurt my feelings,” he said, smiling at her.
“No, I won’t,” she answered. Before she could utter another word he closed the last bit of distance and covered her mouth with his. His hands slipped off the arms of her seat to wrap around her and pull her closer.
The minute his mouth covered hers, her heart thudded and she couldn’t resist his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. When their tongues met, a flame of passion sparked deep within her.
Desire—white hot, too long banked—ignited, and she kissed him in return. His hand slipped down over her breast and even though he caressed her through her clothing, his touches were fiery and made her want to be pressed against him even as she knew she shouldn’t. Holding him, kissing him, letting him stroke her was taking them straight to disaster. Common sense cautioned her to stop, but her desire was stronger. Marc was incredibly sexy, more than any other man she had known—a discovery she wished she hadn’t made—and she couldn’t stop kissing him.
She moaned softly and wound her fingers in the short hair at the back of his neck.
She felt his fingers twist loose the buttons on her dress and then drift lightly across her bare breast, and she gasped with pleasure. In minutes he had the front of her dress open, and his fingers pushed away her lacy bra, caressing her lightly. She closed her eyes as she kissed him while sensations rocked her. She was unaware of what he was doing until he lifted her to his lap.
She opened her eyes. “You’ve put me in danger. We’re flying and I should stay buckled into my seat.”
“I’m holding you and I won’t let go.”
“You can’t hold me as tightly as a seatbelt,” she whispered between kisses.
“Yes, I can, and this is a smooth, safe ride and you’re safe in my arms.”
“I’m not safe from falling in love with you,” she whispered.
She gasped with pleasure as he caressed her breasts with feathery strokes that made her tingle. With an effort she opened her eyes and wiggled out of his arms.
He looked at her intently. “I want you, Lara.”
“That wasn’t necessarily going to be part of the deal.”
“Whatever we both want and whatever works out is part of the deal. I don’t have to be in a rush, but Lara, you can’t tell me you didn’t like that just now or that you didn’t like it when we kissed.”
“You know I did,” she said, feeling a blush heat her face. “But that doesn’t make it the
smart thing to do.”
He smiled and moved his hands so she could go back to her own seat and buckle up again. She looked up to find him watching her intently. “What?”
“You’re a beautiful woman. This has been a good plan and a good day. I did the best I could for my grandparents. My grandfather was happy and that makes me happy. He’s been good to me all my life and I want to be good to him. You’re perfect for this and I’m thankful you accepted the deal.”
“Marc, I’ve benefitted maybe more than anyone. But I think we need to try to keep to our original agreement and avoid sex.”
“I’m sure that’s the smart thing to do.” He nodded, then added, “Relax, Lara. A few kisses are fun and it’s not like we’ll fall in love because of them. You know I haven’t really desired any woman since my wife. You’re pretty safe from a heavy relationship.”
She didn’t want seduction and she wasn’t flying to the ranch to go to bed with him. He had been clear that was not part of the deal and for a minute she wondered if he had changed his mind, but evidently not. She took his advice and relaxed.
“Did you tell your mother I’m pregnant?”
“Yes. You told me I could. Believe me, it will end with her. She doesn’t gossip.”
“It won’t be a secret much longer, anyway. Hopefully long enough that a lot of people think this is your baby. That is the nicest thing of all that you offered.”
“We’re coming in over the ranch. Come here, I want you to see this. I’ll buckle you in with me.” She laughed as she sat on his lap and he buckled them both in. He slipped his arm around her waist. “This is beautiful country. Look down there at that river.”
She looked at lush greenery with the silvery ribbon of sparkling, splashing clear water running through it, spilling over rocks and tumbling between banks.
“This is a beautiful cattle ranch and I love every inch of it,” he said, his voice deepening.
“You may not want to go back to Dallas and the corporate world after a year here.”
