by Sara Orwig
“No, I’ll want to go back. I like business and making money. I like both worlds, but now, while I’m young, I want the corporate life and the competition. Later, I can take the peace and quiet out here, the hard, physical work that has a whole different set of rewards.”
She moved back to her seat and buckled up again. “I can see that same view out my window,” she remarked.
“Yeah, I know. It was more fun to have you sit in my lap and show it to you and know exactly what you were seeing at the time. We’ll be landing at the ranch in a few minutes.”
“I’m excited.” Then a crazy thought hit her out of the blue. “I didn’t bring my recipe books.”
“That’s good, because I have a cook. You won’t have to cook or clean. Someone else will do that. For the first week, while we settle in, the cook won’t be there, but there’ll be enough frozen and ready meals that we’ll just have to heat up. And I can grill burgers and steaks, whatever we want.”
“In that case, I may enroll in one more course,” she said, sitting back for the rest of the flight.
As soon as they landed, they were picked up in a limo, and in a short time she saw a sprawling, one-story house with a porch running the length of the front. “Marc, it’s a beautiful house.”
“I agree. It was built by the man who owned the ranch before Grandpa, but Grandpa added to it and changed it, so it’s his house now. Actually, with this wedding, I’ll inherit the house and it’ll be mine. That’s hard to realize in some ways. In other ways, I’ve always felt as if this was my family home.”
She felt a bubbling excitement as she climbed the porch steps and started to go inside. Marc caught her wrist. “Hey, wait. Let’s do this right,” he said and dropped the suitcases he carried. He scooped her up into his arms and unlocked the door, carrying her over the threshold.
With her arms wrapped around his neck, she laughed. “This isn’t a real marriage.”
“It’s all you and I have today, and today it is real. For you it’s the first, so let’s make it as good as we can.”
“I told you you’re a nice guy,” she said, looking into his eyes. She saw the flicker in the depth of his brown eyes and knew when the moment changed. She felt the hot flash of desire and wanted to be pressed against his hard strength. She wanted to be kissed.
His arms tightened to pull her closer and he bent his head. When his mouth covered hers, she tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him back, spinning off into one of his hot, passionate kisses that set her ablaze. The world narrowed down to Marc and she forgot everything else. His kiss deepened, and her insides knotted. Desire made her hot and aching for him. She clung tightly to him, barely aware when he let her slide down against him and then pulled her up tightly. Her heart pounded and desire shook her while she continued to kiss him. Without noticing what she was doing, she wound her fingers in his hair at the back of his head. Her moan of pleasure was a soft sound barely heard above the pounding of her heart.
This kiss was sexy, demanding her response. She didn’t want it to ever end and she clung to him, kissing him in return, wanting more, losing all sense of time and place. Finally, he raised his head slightly and she gazed up into his dark eyes that seemed to consume her. Stunned, she was on fire with wanting him. She ran her hands across his shoulders while she fought the temptation to kiss him again. She gasped for breath as she looked at his mouth only inches from hers.
“That got out of hand,” she whispered. “We were not going to do this. We can’t start out this way, Marc. This isn’t going to work if we kiss.”
He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I think you’re right,” he said, and his voice sounded gruff. He still had that penetrating stare that made her wonder what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to ask.
“We can forget that ever happened.”
“Not in my lifetime,” he said gruffly, and she was startled by the harsh note in his voice.
“Just try,” she said. “This is a beautiful house.” She looked around, groping for something to get both their thoughts off kisses.
She walked away from him, gazing at her surroundings and trying to focus on anything besides Marc. Her heart still pounded and she had to fight to keep from turning around and walking back into his arms.
“Marc, this is like a set in a movie.” She stood in the entryway of what looked like a luxurious mansion. Dark wood paneling covered the walls of the wide hallway that divided and ran in three directions. Overhead a huge crystal chandelier sparkled in the light from the front windows and open door. Gilt-framed oils of Western scenes hung on the walls, while potted palms and other massive greenery lined the walls between settees and groupings of tables and wing chairs.
“I never thought about where you live or what it’s like,” she said aloud without thinking as she stared at the opulence surrounding her. “For the ranch I pictured something like an ordinary house or a large, rustic cabin. This is a palace.”
“It’s Grandpa’s ranch home. At least, it was for a while. When they got older, he and Grandma moved into the guest house. They had it enlarged and renovated first, and they’ve built on to it through the years. Remember, this home belonged to a rancher before my grandfather, and that man never had children. They said he entertained a lot.”
“This looks as if it belongs in the city and not out on a ranch.”
“This part is a bit formal, I admit, but the great room where we do most of the living, plus the kitchen and informal dining area are casual and comfy. You’ll get a full tour later, but right now let’s get you to a bedroom. Most of the staff is off this week, but—”
Her laugh cut him off. “The staff? What am I going to be doing here for a year, other than my own plans of studying and going to my classes?”
“Enjoy life. Enjoy the ranch. My grandmother sewed a lot,” he said, grinning. “I had a lot of pajamas as a kid because I was the only grandchild. C’mon. I’ll show you my bedroom. Bedrooms are off to the left.”
“Well, I don’t sew. Thank goodness I’m enrolled in courses and can get some things done.” Carrying her purse and laptop, she walked beside him and still was more aware of Marc close beside her than of her surroundings. This was her home as long as she was married to Marc. It was palatial, and she couldn’t imagine anyone coming inside in muddy boots and walking through the place.
She thought about being here alone when he was out on the ranch or back in Dallas.
“When you’re gone, this will be like being alone in an empty hotel.”
He smiled. “No, it won’t, but you can go into Dallas with me when I go, if you want. You don’t have to stay out here every minute. We’re married, Lara. You’re not working for me and required to remain on the ranch,” he said with amusement.
“I’ll remember that,” she said.
“I’ll show you where I told them to put your things. If you don’t like it, you can move. We have plenty of rooms. Today is a lazy day, hanging out here, because my grandfather will get a report about our arrival. After that, he probably won’t even inquire because he’s gotten what he wanted.”
“Suppose I went back to Dallas and stayed. Would he know?”
“Yes, he would, but he wouldn’t ask. I think he expects things to work out the way he wants. Mainly, I’m sure he thinks when I get back to work on the ranch, I won’t want to leave. I will want to leave, though. This isn’t the life I want right now. It’ll be quiet for you to study, so you should get a lot done, and when you need to get to Dallas for your doctor visits, I’ll get you there. One of our cowboys, Randall, is also a driver for my grandparents. If you want to have a chauffeur to Dallas, he’ll be available.”
“I’ll remember,” she replied as they headed down the hall.
He paused in front of the door to a sitting room. “This is your suite. But first I want to show you mine.” He poin
ted to an open door at the end of the hall. “If you like your room you’ll be next to mine.” He led her from the hall into a big, comfortable sitting room with a large flat-screen TV mounted on a wall, a desk, shelves with books and pictures, and a big fireplace.
He took her hand and walked through the sitting room into a huge bedroom with a king-size bed, another desk and more walls of bookshelves. Another flat-screen television filled one wall. The moment his hand closed over hers, he drew her attention away from her surroundings. Her pulse began to race at his nearness and touch. She kept telling herself that after the first few days, they would probably go their separate ways and life would be easier. Now she prayed that was true.
Marc turned to her. “You were great today, Lara. My mom really liked you and, of course, my grandparents did.” He reached around her and picked up a small, shiny red sack from his desk. “This is for you. Something from me to you that isn’t part of a bargain.”
Five
Surprised, she looked up at him. “You’ve given me the world. You don’t need to do another thing.”
“It’s a token of my thanks for not only accepting this deal and marrying me in what is really a marriage of convenience, but also for being nice to my family. That made today better for my grandparents. It made them happy and it made my mom happy. I know she hopes we’ll stay together. Mom wants me married.” He paused a second. “Anyway,” he said, “this is just a thank-you.” He handed her the sack.
“Marc, I stand to gain so much from this. You didn’t need to get anything for me. I’m thrilled that you asked me and thrilled to do this.”
“Open your present.”
She smiled at him and opened the sack, taking out a long, black box. She opened it and gasped at the round diamond pendant on a gold filigree necklace with tiny diamonds scattered on the gold. “This is beautiful. It’s lovely,” she said, touched that he would get it for her. “I’ll treasure it all my life.”
“Turn around and I’ll put it on you,” he said. He removed it from the box and she held up her hair as he fastened the necklace.
She was aware of his warm fingers brushing her nape. She turned to look at him and felt his eyes pulling her in. She could feel her resistance wavering. Being here alone with him was dangerous. “Don’t make me fall in love with you, Marc.”
“You won’t fall in love with me because I gave you a necklace. And don’t worry. You won’t see me for days at a time here.”
She nodded, wondering whether it would work out that way or not. But she had meant what she said, when she asked him to avoid making her fall in love with him. He was doing too many considerate things. Making too many sexy moves. Instigating too many fun moments. It would be good when he was out on the ranch working and she was studying. She needed to keep as busy as possible and stay away from him.
“Thank you, Lara, for marrying me,” he said quietly, and she nodded. Once again she felt a pang that this wasn’t a real marriage. Then she told herself that was ridiculous. They weren’t in love and this was nothing more than a business arrangement.
“I hope we both find happiness, Marc,” she said solemnly, and he nodded.
“Now let’s look where you’ll be living while you’re here,” he said. He led her back to her suite. It was elegant, luxurious and comfortable, like his, but here the decor was done in burgundy, pink and white.
“This is beautiful,” she said, thinking her entire house would fit into her suite.
“We’ll stroll through the place and I’ll give you a tour unless you get tired.”
“No, I want to know where things are,” she said.
He draped his arm across her shoulders and they left to walk down the hall and look at other suites. “There’s an entertainment center on this floor,” he said, pointing to an open door. “There’s another entertainment center in the wing with the gym.”
She wondered if he was even aware of his arm around her. She was, but he talked about his friends and about the ranch and didn’t seem to notice. Except he had never done anything like that at the office, so she was certain he was aware of what he was doing.
She thought of the gorgeous diamond necklace she wore, something he hadn’t needed to do at all. If he kept up gestures like that, she would fall in love with him, for sure. She shook her head as if to banish the thought and then realized he was prattling on about cattle.
Two wings led off the central part of the house. They walked down the central hall and she saw a huge dining room with a table that would easily seat twenty. Too bad they wouldn’t be doing much entertaining in the next year. Not when he viewed their marriage as purely a business arrangement.
She reminded herself to do the same. But Marc was too sexy, too appealing, and now that they had kissed, his appeal had compounded and was far stronger than at the office. She needed to stay so busy she couldn’t think about him. If she hardly saw him, he wouldn’t care at all. She was a means to an end for him and nothing more. He’d have no struggle in trying to resist falling in love. He knew what he wanted and he had that goal in sight and the rest didn’t matter.
Now she just needed to do the same. As if it was that easy.
She followed him into the adjoining room. The kitchen was big, with state-of-the-art equipment. It opened onto a great room that ran across the entire back of the house. A huge stone fireplace dominated the room that also held comfortable furniture placed around a large flat-screen television, and a large desk with two computers and four screens. A pool table stood on one side of the room and a gaming table on the other.
“You have everything in here,” she said as she walked around. The back wall was all glass and gave a panoramic view of the landscaped backyard, the patio and the swimming pool with a fountain and a waterfall. “It’s impossible for me to imagine your frail grandparents living in this big house.”
“Well, they did, and they seemed to fill it. I was here a lot. They’ve gotten frail now, but they weren’t when I was growing up. I visited them at the ranch a lot. Grandpa inherited it when I was seven and I spent lots of time with them all the years I was growing up. Still want to see the rest of the place?”
“Yes, it’s fascinating.”
“Shucks, I thought maybe you liked my company.”
“I wasn’t going to tell you,” she said and they both laughed.
“Bedroom, great room, kitchen—you’re good to go, but I’ll show you the other wing of the house. It has a big office for me and I do have it set up so I can work from here and keep in touch with the office while we’re living here.”
“So, you’re not completely letting go during this time.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not. I don’t want to turn everything over to someone else and let them run my business. I’ll manage it from here. If it works out, I’ll go to Dallas for a couple of days every other week. That way I won’t lose touch. If you want to go with me, you’re welcome to join me or you can go in the limo.”
“Thanks. I probably will go to Dallas,” she said, jumping at the chance to be back in the city. “I need to fix up a room for a nursery and this will give me a chance to shop.”
“Are you going to live in the same house when this is over?”
“Sure. I just rent, but it’s convenient and I know my neighbors and have friends.”
“Lara, I’ll bet you’re married in no time,” he said.
She gave him a puzzled look. “Why would you make that statement?”
“You’re a beautiful and smart, very capable woman.”
“Thank you. That’s nice to hear. But remember, I’ll have a new baby in seven more months.”
“You’re the most unpregnant-looking woman I’ve known. And it’s great you feel so well.”
“I think it’s my height that keeps my stomach flat,” she said, placing her hand on it.
“Whatever it is, you don’t look or act pregnant.”
“I promise you, I am. You can call my doctor.”
“Oh, I believe you. You wouldn’t make that up.”
“No. Marc, I’m so thrilled to be having a baby. This wasn’t what I planned, but I just feel like I’ll finally have a family again.”
He smiled at her. “I’m glad. As long as we’re married, you’ve got a big family because you’re part of mine.”
“Which I love. Your mother is so nice to me.”
“That’s because she wants me to marry and settle and give her grandkids. She had me when she was sixteen, so she thinks I’m getting really old to be without a family.”
Lara had to laugh and he smiled. “Sometimes I wonder if she was in cahoots with Grandpa on this stipulation to get me married, but then I remember that she stood to lose too much for her to be part of it.” They came to another room and he opened the door. “Well, here’s my gym.”
She looked in on the large gym, then another big office and a sitting room.
“Now you’ve had the grand tour unless you want to see another office, a ballroom and an indoor tennis court.”
“I think I’ll unpack and put away my things.”
“Sure,” he said and once more draped his arm across her shoulders as they walked back to the bedrooms and she turned to enter hers.
“Change to jeans and, later, I’ll drive you around the ranch.”
“I really should study.”
“Maybe you really should, but you can put it off until tomorrow when I’m gone. Besides, you’ll be happier if you know your way around here.”
“Jeans it is,” she said, looking at her suitcases and boxes that had already been put in the suite. When he left, she closed the door behind him and turned to change, but she couldn’t stop her errant thoughts. Instead of the upcoming tour, all she could think about was kissing him, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. She picked up her laptop, as if to remind herself that she had chemistry courses to focus on. She hoped they kept her busy because she didn’t want time on her hands and she certainly didn’t want time to be with Marc. This marriage was for him to get his inheritance and that was all. She had to keep distance between them and concentrate on her own goals.
