Billion dollar baby bargain.txt

by Неизвестный

  “Luke, please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be,” she urged as she wiped an errant tear

  from her cheek.

  He didn’t want to hear the real reason she couldn’t continue being his wife, wouldn’t want to know that

  she was hopelessly in love with him and had been from the moment they met.

  “Okay, you’ve had your say. Now, I intend to have mine,” he declared, his voice as determined as she’d

  ever heard it. “You want a divorce because you’re in love with me, admit it.”

  She wasn’t surprised that he’d figured out how she felt about him. He’d had more than ample

  opportunity to come to that realization over the course of the past month. But did he have to humiliate

  her by pointing out that he didn’t want her feeling the way she did about him?

  “Yes, I love you,” she admitted, finding it difficult to get her voice above a whisper. “I’ve loved you for

  years.”

  “Then before I give you my answer, there’s something I think you need to know, Haley.” Turning, he

  walked back to the fireplace and seemed to take an inordinate amount of interest in something on the

  mantel. “I could have found someone else with similar characteristics, whom I could have convinced to

  have my heir,” he explained, his back still to her. “But do you have any idea why it was so important to

  me that you be the mother of my baby?”

  “No.”

  There was something in his tone that caused her heart to beat double time and a small bubble of hope to

  form within her soul. But she refused to allow it to grow. She wouldn’t be able to bear the devastation if

  it turned out she was wrong.

  He picked up whatever had claimed his attention on the mantel, then turning, walked over to kneel down

  in front of her. “The reason I didn’t want any other woman having my baby, the reason I went along

  with your marriage stipulation and the reason I won’t give you a divorce without a damned good fight is

  because I love you, too, Haley Garnier. More than life itself. It took me a long enough time to realize it,

  but I do and you might as well come to terms with the fact because I’m not letting you go that easily.”

  The hope she’d tried so hard to keep tamped down, blossomed and grew to fill her with a joy she’d

  never imagined possible. “Oh, Luke, I love you so much I ache with it,” she revealed, reaching for him.

  When he wrapped her in his arms to pull her close, she felt his body shudder and she knew he was

  experiencing the same emotion she was. “God, sweetheart, it like to have killed me when I thought there

  was a possibility that I might lose you.”

  “I’m so sorry I put you through that,” she stated, kissing his cheek. “I thought the reason I started feeling

  ill was because I was so emotional. I had no idea about the baby.”

  He shook his head. “No, you have nothing to be sorry about. You were upset with me and rightly so.

  I’ve been a complete bastard not to consider your feelings in all of this.”

  “But you had no way of knowing how I felt,” she said, loving him more with each passing second.

  “Yes, I did.” He cupped her cheeks with both hands and the love shining in his vivid blue eyes stole her

  breath and caused her heart to soar. “Maybe not consciously, but deep down I think I’ve always known.

  You wouldn’t have even considered my proposition if you hadn’t loved me.”

  Luke took her hand in his and the feel of his warmth and the strength of his love flowed through every

  part of her. “There’s something I need to ask you, sweetheart.”

  “And what would that be, dear husband?” She loved finally having the freedom to call him that and to

  openly tell him how much she loved him.

  His expression turned serious and so tender, it brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. “Will you marry

  me, Haley Rollins Garnier?”

  “But, darling, we’re already married.”

  “Marry me again,” he stressed, showing her the object he’d removed from the mantel. He flipped open

  the top of the little black velvet box and removed a gorgeous diamond-encrusted, white gold wedding

  band. Then, holding it close to the third finger on her left hand, he asked “Will you do me the honor of

  becoming my wife again?”

  “Yes, Luke. Nothing would make me happier.” Her heart filled to overflowing with love when he slid

  the ring onto her finger. As she gazed down at the sparkling diamonds, she couldn’t believe that it was a

  perfect fit. “How did you know the size?”

  He gave her a smile that caused her pulse to race. “I have my ways.”

  Kissing him until they both gasped for breath, she couldn’t stop smiling. “Yes, Luke Garnier, I’ll

  continue to be your wife for the rest of my life.”

  To her dismay, he shook his head. “Sweetheart, that’s not what I asked you. I want to know if you’ll

  marry me again.”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You mean you actually want us to go through another

  ceremony?”

  He nodded as he pulled two folded pieces of paper from his pants pocket. Handing her one of them, he

  smiled. “This is the name and phone number of the wedding coordinator at the Opryland Hotel. As soon

  as you’re feeling well enough, I want you to set up an appointment to meet with her. I’ve already

  instructed her to make this the wedding of your dreams.”

  Haley couldn’t believe he was willing to do that for her. “But why, Luke?”

  “You deserve so much better than our first wedding, sweetheart. I want everyone we know to be at this

  ceremony and see how special you are to me and how honored I am that you’re my wife.” He brushed a

  strand of hair from her cheek and his tender touch sent tingling sensations down her body. “And this

  time around, there aren’t going to be any business meetings or labor disputes to keep me from being

  with you every second of our wedding day and night.”

  “I love you,” she whispered, tears streaming down both cheeks.

  “And I love you,” he proclaimed, placing the other piece of paper in her hand. “This is the address and

  phone number of Millie Sanford.”

  “My…mother?” she reiterated, staring at the small note. “But how did you find her? I don’t even

  remember telling you her name.”

  “Let’s just say I know a woman with a hell of an investigative team and leave it at that,” he said, giving

  her a smile that melted her heart. “You may or may not want to use that information, but I wanted you to

  have it in case you decide to get in touch with her.”

  Unable to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and

  hugged him close as she sobbed against his shoulder. “I love you so much, Luke Garnier,” she rasped

  when she finally managed to bring her emotions back under control. “Thank you.”

  He placed his hand on her stomach and when he met her gaze, the love she detected in his eyes sent

  delightful shivers up her spine. “By the way, I think you might want to consider reducing your hours at

  the office now that you’re pregnant.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if you’re working all day, I can’t pamper you the way you deserve,” he informed, kissing her

  forehead.

  Laying her head on his shoulder, she sighed. “I’ve never been pampered before in my entire life.”

  “I know and as your husband, I intend to remedy that problem.” H
is tone left no doubt that that was

  exactly what he would do.

  Placing her hand over his still resting on her stomach, she grinned. “I was thinking that I might even

  quit.”

  “Or you could work from home. That is if you think you’ll get anything done with me and the baby

  underfoot all day?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to start working from home in order to be with you through your pregnancy and help out

  with the baby once he’s born,” he announced, smiling.

  Happier than she’d ever been in her life, Haley laughed. “Ever since you asked me to have a baby,

  you’ve referred to it as ‘he’ or your ‘son.’ What if we have a little girl?”

  “You’ve mentioned that before and I’ve given it some thought,” he said, his smile filled with love. “A

  little girl as sweet and wonderful as her mother would be just fine with me. We can have two or three

  boys a few years down the line.”

  She gave him a mock frown. “Two or three?”

  Resting his forehead against her, he winked. “Sweetheart, I love you so much I’ll be more than willing

  to give you all the babies you want. Girls, boys, twins, whatever your heart desires.”

  “Really?” Nothing would thrill her more than having a whole houseful of Garnier children to mother.

  “I love you, Haley Garnier. More than you’ll ever know.”

  “And I love you, Luke. With all of my heart and soul.”

  Epilogue

  A fter receiving good-natured advice from Caleb, Nick and Hunter, Luke smiled at Jake. “Looks like

  the next brother to take the plunge will be you.”

  Jake snorted. “If I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath. You’d end up turning blue and passing out

  before I take a trip down the aisle.”

  “Never say ‘never,’” Hunter said, laughing. “It’ll come back to bite you in the butt every time.”

  “Gentlemen, it’s time to take your places,” the wedding coordinator reported, motioning for them to

  follow the minister.

  Walking to the front of the ballroom, Luke couldn’t wait to see Haley. Arielle and his half brothers’

  wives had rented a suite at the hotel and insisted on Haley spending the night before the wedding with

  them. And even though he and his brothers had a great time hanging out at his house, Luke had missed

  being with her, holding her all through the night and waking up with her in his arms that morning.

  When the double doors opened at the back of the room and the bridesmaids came down the aisle to take

  their places on the opposite side of the minister, his breath stalled and Luke couldn’t believe how

  stunning Haley looked as she stepped onto the satin runner. She’d been beautiful the day they’d

  exchanged vows in the little chapel in the mountains, but today she was absolutely radiant.

  Luke stepped forward to extend his arm and when she smiled up at him with more love than he

  deserved, he silently vowed to spend the rest of his life making sure she never doubted how much he

  loved her in return. “Are you ready to renew your vows to be my wife?”

  “As ready as I am to hear your vows to be my husband,” she noted, her sweet voice sending a shaft of

  heat straight through him.

  “I love you, today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives, sweetheart.”

  “And I will always love you,” she promised, making him feel like the luckiest man alive.

  “Isn’t this just wonderful, Luther?” Emerald asked, leaning over to her personal assistant when the bride

  and groom turned to face the minister. “Four of my grandchildren married in a little over three years.”

  Luther gave her his usual stiff nod. “I’d say you’ve outdone yourself, Mrs. Larson.”

  Yes, everything had come together just as she’d planned. With information supplied by her good friend

  and curator at the museum, Max Parmelli, her arrangement to hire Chet Parker for the entertainment at

  her reception she’d thrown for herself last month had worked out brilliantly. The young singer’s interest

  in the lovely Haley had been just the impetus Luke needed to help him realize his feelings for her and

  ultimately led to Emerald watching them renew their vows.

  She smiled as she gazed at the wedding party standing at the front of the Opryland Hotel’s main

  ballroom. Luke made such a handsome groom and she’d never seen him look happier. Jake, the best

  man, was the mirror image of the groom and she still marveled at how much they resembled their father,

  Owen. She dabbed a tear that slipped from her eye with an Irish linen handkerchief. If only Owen could

  have realized what a precious gift his children were.

  Her gaze drifted to her three other grandsons, Caleb, Nick and Hunter, and her heart swelled with

  emotion. It thrilled her to know that Luke and Jake had become close to their newfound brothers. And

  she was doubly happy that Luke had asked them to be groomsmen in his and Haley’s wedding.

  She sighed contentedly. Now that everything had worked out for Luke, she could turn her attention to

  making sure the same happened for her remaining unmarried grandchildren.

  She focused her attention on Jake. He was going to be the most challenging one yet. Of all of her

  grandchildren, she worried that he might be the one who turned out to be just like his father. And

  although she’d yet to determine the best course of action to test his mettle, she had already started

  collecting information and she had no doubt that something would come to mind for him very soon.

  Turning her attention to her only granddaughter Arielle, Emerald smiled fondly. With a baby on the way

  and her mother Francesca gone, the child needed Emerald now more than ever. But she had already set

  the wheels in motion to remedy the situation and she had every confidence that it would be brought to a

  satisfying conclusion, the same as her other efforts for all of her grandchildren.

  “Aren’t they a beautiful couple?” she queried Luther when Luke and Haley turned to walk back up the

  aisle as the string quartet played Pachelbel’s Canon.

  “A handsome couple indeed,” Luther agreed, nodding.

  Emerald smiled beatifically. “That’s another one down.”

  Luther came as close to smiling as he was capable of doing. “And two more to go, madam.”

  BRENDA JACKSON

  ONE NIGHT WITH THE WEALTHY RANCHER

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  One

  “W hat are you doing here, Summer?”

  Summer Martindale’s eyes froze on the document in front of her at the sound of the husky voice. It was

  a voice she hadn’t heard in almost seven years, yet she distinctively remembered the sensuous timbre

  and how every audible vibration could stir her senses in a way that even today she could not explain.

  In a way she wished she could forget.

  She inhaled deeply and after a moment, she lifted her eyes and stared into Darius Franklin’s dark and

  intense gaze. It was a gaze that was emitting a chilling glare.

  Summer could just as easily glare back but refused to let him know how disturbing it was to see him

  again. What had once been between them was over and done with. He had made sure of that in the worst

&nb
sp; possible way, which she could never forgive him for. His actions had caused her pain—a degree of pain

  she vowed never to experience again.

  “I could ask you the same thing, Darius,” she finally responded. Her tone was just as sharp as his had

  been.

  He stood tall, all six foot one inches of him, as he leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed over his

  chest and his gaze fixed directly on her. She thought at that moment the very same thing she’d thought

  when she’d first laid eyes on him. Darius Franklin, with his pecan tan complexion, close-cut black hair,

  charcoal gray eyes and neat pencil-thin mustache, was an extremely handsome man. But there were

  other noticeable changes. His cheekbones appeared more pronounced and his lips seemed firmer.

  His dark stare, as well as the way a muscle seemed to twitch in his jaw, were all the evidence she needed

  that he wasn’t happy to see her and if truth be told, she wasn’t happy to see him, either. It would be a lie

  to claim she hadn’t thought about him over the years, because she had. Yet at the same time, the

  memory of what he’d put her through—the humiliation, heartbreak and pain—made her regret ever

  lowering her guard and letting him into her life.

  He stepped away from the door and she watched his every move, wishing she weren’t drawn to how fit

  his body was, and wishing a tug of desire had not invaded her stomach. Although he wasn’t as lean as he

  used to be, he wore his masculinity well. Well-toned muscles outlined his chest and shoulders—muscles

  she could easily see through the material of his chambray shirt. And then there were jeans that hugged

  his firm hips and strong thighs. They were thighs that could keep a tight hold on hers as he thrust deeper

  and deeper inside of her.

  She forced the turbulent memories away. Her gaze moved back up to his eyes and she tried not to flinch

  at the cold look in them. Something inside her shivered and she wondered how a man she had once

  fallen in love with so deeply could end up treating her so shabbily.

  “I live here in Somerset.”

  His voice cut through Summer’s thoughts. He lived here in Somerset? Maverick County? That