by Sara Orwig
“Badly,” he admitted.
“I can’t imagine, though it does make sense. Noah’s spoken well of it.”
“I want that ranch. I have to marry to get the ranch and the marriage has to last at least a year. He never mentioned children. That’s it.”
She looked into Jeff’s eyes and suddenly knew where he was going. “No!” she exclaimed without realizing she had said a word.
He placed his hand caressingly on her nape, distracting her as her heart jumped. “Marry me, Holly, for one year.”
She opened her mouth to protest and he placed his finger lightly on her lips, silencing her. “Listen to me. I’ve thought about this. Here’s what I can offer you in return—”
She twisted her head away. “No! Absolutely not. It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to hear your plans. I’m not marrying you and living out here on this prairie with the buzzards and rattlesnakes and cows. Never. You can stop now. There is nothing that will change my mind.”
“Maybe,” he said calmly, still caressing her nape and disturbing her even more. “You can hear my proposal. Marry me for the one year. That’s not a lifetime. A million dollars to you and I’ll set you up in your own business when the time is up. You’re smart and ambitious and capable of running a business. Why not have your own? I know you don’t mind the work.”
Stunned, she stared at him while his offer buzzed in her thoughts. One million dollars plus her own business in exchange for one year married to Jeff. No was still on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say it. She had to give his offer some thought. One year wasn’t a lifetime, as he had said. She would be working for him and staying on the ranch for a year anyway. A million dollars in addition to the fantastic amount she would get from Noah, plus setting her up in her own business. She didn’t have to get buried on this ranch. It was temporary.
Marriage without love. Could she tolerate that? The thought of sex with him made her heart race.
“You think it over. I know you’re shocked. Marriage looks feasible to me.”
“You’ll be going into this marriage knowing it is fake and temporary.”
His smoky eyes were wide and direct. “Yes, and so would you. But we both stand to gain a lot. And it should be bearable. There’s no man in your life right now.”
“No, there isn’t and won’t be anytime soon no matter what we do.”
Dazed, she stared at him, thoughts swirling over his offer and then the moment changed. Jeff had been close, his knees lightly touching hers.
When his hand slipped beneath her chin, tilting her face up as his gaze lowered to her mouth, she quivered in anticipation. Her lips parted as she leaned toward him and then his mouth covered hers. Her heart thudded when his tongue went in her mouth and he lifted her to his lap easily. He shifted her against his shoulder as he kissed her, a steamy kiss that made her forget the negatives concerning him.
She wound her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his thick, short hair, kissing him passionately in return. His kisses melted her, heated her in a manner no one ever had before. She moaned softly, the sound muffled by their kisses.
He was aroused, shifting her slightly to hold her closer. He caressed her throat and his hand slipped lower to caress her breast. Through her clothing, she could feel his scalding touch that heightened her longing.
After twisting free the top buttons on his shirt to slip her hand beneath to his bare chest, she tangled her fingers in the mat of chest hair.
He had unfastened her blouse, the clasp on her bra, cupping her breast as his thumb drew lazy circles. Sensations rocked her and she realized they were going faster than she’d intended.
With an effort, she sat up. His hair was tousled, his mouth red from kisses and his eyes filled with desire. He looked down, cupping her breasts. She gasped with pleasure as he caressed her.
“We have to stop now,” she whispered, more to herself than him. She opened her eyes to shift away and stand, trying to straighten her clothes, struggling for a moment to get herself composed. She longed to go back into his embrace, but she knew she would regret it later.
She returned to her chair. “Things got out of hand quickly,” she said.
He studied her with a concentrated look that made her wonder what he was thinking. “Marriage should work,” he said. “We can do this and both come out better off. Neither of us will be hurt when we break it off.”
“It would mean I’d live here on the ranch for a year,” she said, viewing that prospect as a calamity.
He grinned and leaned forward to touch her chin. “Brace up. For one million and your own business, it should be worth it and my house is rather comfortable. As it is, you’re here during the week.”
She blushed with embarrassment, realizing how she had sounded about his home. “Sorry, Jeff, but I have my condo and my friends in the city. I’ll have to give your proposal some thought. There are some huge drawbacks. The slim chance of a pregnancy, for example.”
“You know as well as I do there are ways to avoid that. We’ll be careful.”
“I’ll have to give this some thought. Right now, it seems ridiculous to even attempt.”
“Not at all. You think about it. We’re compatible. We’ve already found that out.”
“It’s getting late. I’ll turn in, but I don’t think I’ll sleep.” She stood and he came to his feet, gathering up their glasses to carry them inside.
They talked about possibilities as they headed to their rooms. At her door, he stretched his arm out against the doorjamb, leaning close while he touched her hair lightly. “I think this is the perfect solution for both of us. All you have to do is say yes and we’re on our way.”
She looked into wide eyes that could play havoc with her thought processes and her life. “I’ll think it over,” she repeated breathlessly, recalling his kisses. She reached for the door and stepped inside her room. “’Night, Jeff.”
He smiled at her. “See you in the morning.”
She closed the door and crossed the room, stopping to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was down, slightly disheveled, her mouth still red from his kisses. Her flushed face reflected her excitement, passion, his proposal. From the moment he had come into her life he had been a whirlwind of change in every aspect of it.
She was already living in West Texas, out on his ranch, working in a remote office with a man who might live up to expectations and might not.
If she accepted his proposal, she worried it would be too easy to lose herself in him. He hadn’t proven anything yet about his abilities. What kind of man was he to have being a cowboy as his prime goal in life? He was far too laid-back for her. There were many stumbling blocks in his plan.
A million dollars, in addition to what Noah was giving her, plus Jeff setting her up in her own business if she wanted him to. She had always dreamed of having her own wholesale accessory line. She knew the business and would know how to run one. She could shape it after the structure of Brand Enterprises. If she had the right products. She had the contacts, the experience. What she needed was money. The prospect was dazzling. She would be comfortable for life and could do as she pleased.
Could Jeff live with her for a year without growing tired? She didn’t know him well enough to know how he would react. He seemed too easygoing to take relationships seriously, even with the ranch at stake. She had seen some of the women who came over to their table to flirt and talk with him. They had touched him casually, but with the kind of touch that indicated they might have had a physical relationship before. She suspected he’d had a lot of shallow relationships, but she knew she was guessing.
The moment she thought about accepting, disaster seemed to loom. Yet if she turned him down, without a doubt he would find someone else and she would see what she could have had lost forever.
With her thoughts and emotions in turmoil, she got into bed, staring into the dark while she mulled over her future. He wasn’t in a huge hurry for her answer, but she couldn’t
go to sleep and put his proposal out of mind. It would be a monumental change in her life.
Her family would take it in stride and probably understand her reason for acceptance, since any of them would do the same. Each member of her family was ambitious, money-hungry, determined to continue achieving success, so they would tell her to accept if she asked anyone’s advice. As far as Jeff’s relationship with them was concerned, he could charm people and he seemed to have a wide circle of friends. Even in Dallas at the office, she’d been surprised by the number of men who stopped to talk to him and welcome him back, greeting him warmly and seeming sincerely interested in what he was doing.
Returning to Dallas Friday for the weekend, she tried to get some normalcy into her life.
As they ate salads Sunday evening, Holly told Alexa about Jeff Brand’s proposal. Alexa lowered her fork to her plate and stared wide-eyed at Holly. “A million dollars and your own business? That’s a fabulous offer.”
“Alexa, if I accept, I marry him. Tied to Jeff in marriage. That’s a close, intimate relationship. I have uncertain, negative feelings where he’s concerned. I don’t even know him that well.”
Alexa frowned. “That’s too big an offer to turn it down.”
“Perhaps. I really have to give it thought.”
“One year, Holly. You’re not thinking straight on this. Stop hesitating. Jump at this golden opportunity.”
Alexa frowned again, tapping her fork on her plate. “You’re out there with him for a year anyway. If he’s sexy—I assume charm also includes sexy?”
“Yes,” Holly answered.
“If you’re there one year anyway and he’s appealing, you might fall in love with him and not get the million, the marriage or have him set you up in business.”
“There are drawbacks either way I go. Just which way will be the most livable.”
“There, you see? The most livable is getting the million dollars. End of argument.”
Holly smiled. “I think you’re overlooking some important points, but I’ll keep this conversation in mind.”
“I’ll try to avoid saying ‘I told you so’ if you don’t accept.”
“I will appreciate that,” Holly replied in amusement. “Each time I decide to say yes, I get scared to pieces about what I’m committing to doing.”
“If you marry, I’m going to miss you here.”
“Whatever happens, I’m not giving up this condo. That palace Jeff lives in is ridiculous. I want a place I can come stay when I’m in Dallas—and I will be in Dallas, whatever happens.”
“Most women would jump at the chance to live in a palace.”
“You should see it. I’ve seen hotels that are smaller. No, I’ll still be your neighbor, just not here as often.”
She and Alexa parted at the doors of their condos. She wanted some time to herself. All weekend she had weighed both sides of Jeff’s proposition and she was beginning to lean toward accepting. It was too big to turn down.
Money flowed at that ranch with every luxury possible. Mrs. Jeff Brand. She couldn’t imagine being married to him. They barely knew each other. In reality, there was the possibility she would be in his bed before the year was out, married or not, so she might as well go for the deal he offered.
Making her decision, she discarded negative thinking, holding on instead to the possibilities.
Jeff was out of the office Monday to attend a business meeting with Noah and she didn’t see him until the next day at the ranch. It was half past eight when he appeared at the door of her office. “Morning. Have a nice weekend?”
“Yes. And you?” she asked, barely thinking about his answer as she studied him. Dressed in his usual jeans and Western shirt and boots, he looked more cowboy than the billionaire rancher he was. Yet her pulse raced and she stared at him, thinking soon she might be his wife. She realized he noticed the intensity of her gaze.
“I’m sorry. My mind was on some figures I’d been going over,” she said, flustered and trying to cover her lapse.
“I just said that I wish you’d contact Garrett Linscott and see if you can get me a telephone appointment with him. I don’t want to leave this to one of the secretaries because you might be able to talk him into it.”
Surprised by his request, she nodded. “I’ll try, but he’s very cool to Noah and vice versa. Noah has little to do with Garrett Linscott.”
“We never could work out the dollars with them. They always wanted more profit than anyone else. Too much for Dad, certainly. I’d guess Garrett has snubbed Noah, who simply brushed him off and went on to other accounts, but that’s one of the most prosperous Southwestern clothing chains. I rode in a rodeo with Garrett years ago. See if he’ll talk to me.”
“I’ll try,” she said and Jeff walked away.
She got the phone appointment and forgot about it until the afternoon when Jeff again walked into her office and sat across the desk. “Thanks for getting Garrett for me. I figured you could. I’m having dinner with him this Thursday.”
“Where?” she asked, knowing Garrett Linscott lived in Houston.
“In Houston. I’ll fly down. Holly, I’d like you to go with me.”
Surprised, she nodded.
“Great,” he said, unfolding from the chair and standing. “We’ll leave that morning so we don’t have to rush. I’ll get Nita to make the reservations for our hotel rooms and a limo. We’ll come back Friday.”
“Sounds fine,” she said. “What’s the purpose of this dinner? I assume you’ll try to get them to carry Brand products.”
“No. I want to get him to carry the Cabrera line. Which is Brand’s in a way, but not under the Brand name.”
“They’ve been extremely unreceptive—I don’t know how much difference a ride in a rodeo would make when it comes to business.”
“The rodeo was years ago. What will make the difference is the Cabrera line itself. We’ll see. At least he’s going to meet with me and talk to me.”
“True. We’ve made headway where Noah and your dad couldn’t,” she said. It should be an…interesting evening though she brightened at the prospect of dinner in Houston.
All through the day she could barely concentrate on business with Jeff’s proposal on her mind.
By five o’clock she found it impossible to think about business and she was thankful when she heard the secretaries leave. Jeff appeared soon afterward.
“Why don’t you quit early tonight? We can swim and then have dinner.”
“I’m ready,” she answered. “I’ll meet you in front in a few minutes,” she said as she turned off her computer.
Nervousness churned in her because it was answer time. All day he had been his usual, casual self with nothing to hark back to his proposal of last week. Yet she knew the subject would come up this evening. The closer she approached to giving him an answer, the more nervous she grew about it.
She stepped out of the office into another blast of heat. He took her arm and led her to his car. “We’ll drive. It’s quicker.”
They talked about the day and still nothing about the proposal that loomed all important in her mind.
She moved as if on autopilot, swimming with him and then changing for dinner while most of her thoughts were on the one burning subject. After swimming, she dressed in white linen slacks and a matching blouse, and every time she considered turning him down, she knew she didn’t want to. She combed her hair out, letting it fall loosely across her shoulders. Her determination to stick by her decision to accept grew.
Finally she went outside to find him. The table was set with a large bouquet of daisies and roses. Wine was chilled. Jeff had changed and she drew a deep breath as she approached him. “Ready for a glass of wine?”
“Yes, please,” she replied, aware of his appreciative gaze.
“I hope we’re going to have a celebration dinner,” he said as he handed her a glass of pale liquid.
“Here's to the future, Holly," he said, standing close and raising his glas
s in a toast. "Are you ready to give me your answer?”
Five
S he raised her glass to touch his lightly and then sipped the chilled dry wine.
He set his glass on a table and took hers from her, taking her into his arms. “Well, what’s it going to be? Will you accept my proposal? Will you marry me?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, Jeff. Let’s talk about terms.”
“Ahh,” he said, amusement lighting his eyes.
Her heart drummed. “You’ve offered me a million dollars and to set me up in business. The offer to set me up in business is too vague. What would that involve? You have to have a limit.”
“Practical Holly,” he teased, tugging a lock of her auburn hair lightly. “We’ll set a limit on my part at one million dollars. How’s that? You’ll have money of your own to put into it.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. You want marriage for a year. You’ve offered a million plus the business. I’d like another half million because this ties me to the ranch far beyond this job. That means one and a half million cash plus the other incentives, but I imagine you’ll be gaining far more than that.”
“That’s true, Holly. Okay,” he said, surprising her at his quick agreement, making her wonder just how much money Jeff was worth. “Do we have a deal? Will you marry me?”
“This is crazy. Yes, I will,” she replied. The amount of money she would be getting dazzled her.
With a whoop, he swung her in the air, spinning around to make her laugh while she held his shoulders. As he swung her around, she felt his muscles flex. Lowering her, he held her close. “Holly, we’ll be all right. You’ll see. We’ll each get what we want. First, though, let’s do this right,” he said and his mouth covered hers as he leaned down to kiss her.
When he drew her closer, her heart thudded as he kissed her, stroking her tongue with his, sealing their promise to each other with the passion he had talked about.
