by Sara Orwig
He would soon be her husband. She poured herself into their kiss. Yet as passion built, she finally stopped. “Jeff, we have so many decisions to make.” He straightened up and released her slightly. Both of them were breathing hard, their hearts pounding.
“You just made the big one. You won’t regret it. Besides, the year will be gone in no time,” he added with a smile. “Ahh, Holly, this is good. We’ll have a fine agreement. I’ll get my lawyer to draw up a prenuptial agreement and you can get your own lawyer to look it over.”
“I would like that,” she said, knowing she could now afford to do such a thing. “This is still crazy, Jeff.”
“Not so crazy for what we each get out of it.”
“I suppose we’re going to present ourselves to the world as in love since you have to do so for your family.”
“Yep, although Noah will know better. He knows how you felt about coming out here.”
“My family is so busy, they’ll accept what we say and go on with their lives, so no problems there. I’ve already told one of my closest friends.”
“It won’t matter. Dad told Noah to just pick some woman he was compatible with and get married.”
“I knew your dad had the final say with everything in the company, but I didn’t know he was that determined to get what he wanted,” she said, beginning to understand a little of Jeff’s rebellion.
“Wait a minute.” Jeff left the room abruptly and when he returned held out a box wrapped in shiny gold paper. “This is for you, Holly.” She opened it to find another box and then a black velvet box that she opened. Her breath caught at the dazzling diamond ring flanked by smaller diamonds.
“Jeff, this is gorgeous!” She glanced up at him. Guilt struck her for demanding another half million from him.
“Let’s see if we got the size right,” he said, taking it from her and slipping it on her finger.
“It’s perfect. How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.”
“This is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” she said, shaken by the commitment she had just made.
“I think maybe I’ve rushed into this too fast,” she whispered, thinking aloud. “Jeff, if you do things like this for me, you forget the half million I asked for.”
He hugged her. “You might make it worth my while.”
She looked up at him, slipping her arm around his neck. “Thank you. This is way beyond anything I dreamed,” she said. She stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
His arm went around her waist and he held her tightly as he leaned down to kiss her in return.
Her heart pounded with desire. She spun away in his scalding kiss as she kissed him with eagerness.
While his fingers wound in her hair, he kissed her. She ran her fingers through his hair and then down his muscled back, wanting him physically, on fire with the need to love him.
She looked up at him to find him watching her. “Let’s set a date soon. The sooner we marry, the sooner the year begins.”
“I can’t stop looking at my ring,” she said, wiggling her fingers. “Jeff, this is so extravagant, it’s sinful.”
“Not really. Who knows, Holly? This may be the only time in my life I marry. I might as well do it as right as I can.”
“I hope it isn’t the only time either of us marries,” she said solemnly, unable to imagine this marriage would last.
“We don’t have to worry about that now. Holly, I’ll pay for the wedding and you can do whatever you want, so don’t let money hold anything back. If you can have this wedding soon, we’ll manage to get it done,” he urged, reaching over to toy with a lock of her hair. His warm fingers brushed her nape and it was difficult to concentrate on a calendar. She tried to think about her own appointments. Jeff had his all marked in the calendar he handed her.
She looked at it and for a moment was dazed, unable to focus. Everything was happening sooner than she had anticipated.
“If I can get things done quickly, it’ll cost more.” He waved his hand and she continued, “I can get married the third weekend of August.”
“Done. The third weekend in August. Let’s go see my family to tell them. I’ll call and ask all of them to dinner tomorrow evening, telling them I have a friend I want them to meet. That should be a red-flag warning. We’ll meet them in Dallas. My mom will want to meet you anyway. You watch. They will want to have an announcement party for us soon.”
“Your mother never came to the office. I never did see her at company events. I would feel guilty about this except you told me your dad told Noah to just marry someone compatible in order to be married. That’s callous.”
“Nope. It’s Dad wanting to get his way.” Jeff crossed to the table to get a cordless phone that he put on speaker. She listened as he made calls and arranged for dinner with his family.
She couldn’t keep from continually looking at her ring, which was dazzling, and she wondered how long it would take her to get accustomed to it. She glanced at Jeff as he talked, her heart skipping. He was going to marry her and shower a fortune on her. One year was all that was required of her. The uncertainties she felt about Jeff would be gone out of her life in a year. She had mixed feelings about the turn her life had taken. Exciting, beyond her wildest dreams while at the same time, she would have a close relationship with a man she would never have selected on her own.
In August she would be his wife. The thought stirred fluttering inside her. Mrs. Jeff Brand. She looked at him again, remembering how he had looked in the pool almost naked—lean, muscled, sexy.
He finished his calls and turned to her. “We’re set. Meet them at the club tomorrow night at seven. We’ll shut down early from work. We can go ahead and announce it at the office and you can show off your ring. I’m going to call Uncle Shelby and invite him, just in case he’s in the country.”
“Nita and Daphne will hate me. They love flirting with you.”
He shook his head. “I’ve tried to ignore that. It should go away now.”
“They are going to be crushed.”
“Then after the office formalities, we’ll have a party so I can introduce you to the cowboys who work on the ranch, my foreman and local friends. We’ll invite Nita and Daphne and they’ll meet guys who will interest them far more than I have.”
“That I doubt,” she remarked. “We better start getting dates down on the calendar.”
“What kind of honeymoon do you want?” He walked over to her to take her into his arms and kiss her. It was another half hour before she ended their kisses.
“Jeff. Wait. Not so fast.” She straightened her clothes, trying to get herself composed. “Let’s call my family. They’ll be surprised, but that’s about all there will be to it. They lead busy lives and are all wrapped up in what they are doing.”
It was an hour before they finished talking with her parents and her brothers. The more time that passed, the more she felt anxiety crowding her over this marriage that neither of them really wanted. She noticed that Jeff had grown quieter. She suspected his own anxiety level was climbing. Each call was more binding, reaffirming the reality of marrying. “We might as well sit down and start making wedding plans because neither of us will sleep.”
It was almost three in the morning when she told him good-night.
Her uncertainties grew. She reminded herself that the commitment was only for one year. The last thing before she switched off a bedside light was a long look at her new ring while she thought about Jeff’s kisses.
The next day, Jeff shut himself in his office and called Noah.
“I want to talk—do we need to make an appointment?”
“No. I have a meeting later this morning. I’ll see you tonight. What’s up that you want to talk now?”
“I want you to know before tonight. Are you sitting down?”
“Don’t tell me you’re quitting.”
“No. Far from it. I’m getting married, Noah.”
“Wait while I pick myself up off the floor.
Who’s the lucky bride? I remember Carrie, Emma, Polly—I’m sure there are plenty I don’t know. How’d she talk you into it?”
Jeff laughed. “She didn’t. Remember Dad’s deal about the ranch if I marry?”
“I’ll be damned. You’ve proposed to someone. Oh, hell. You aren’t doing this only because of the offer Dad made to you about the ranch? Not you.”
“Afraid so. That’s why I wanted to tell you now. We’re telling the world we’re in love.”
“Don’t just marry to get the ranch. I can’t even believe I’m saying this to you. You of all people. You’ve always been able to resist Dad’s prizes and his manipulations. Does your fiancée have a clue that you’re not wildly in love with her?”
“She knows it because I’ve made a bargain with her. A damn big bargain.”
There was a long silence finally broken by Noah’s swearing. Jeff could imagine his brother’s scowl. “Dammit, Jeff. It’s not Holly, is it?”
“Yep. You bribed her, so I figured I could, too.”
“I expected to get her back, you realize. She’s one of my best employees.”
“You still might someday. We’ve made a deal we’re both happy with.”
“I can’t imagine. You must have paid her a colossal amount of money. She’ll be too independent to work for me. You two don’t even like each other. Why are you locking yourself into that kind of situation?”
“We’ll manage. There are moments when we get along,” Jeff remarked dryly, thinking about kissing her last night and wanting her now. “I’m paying her a mil and a half. Up front. She’ll make way more than that, but that’s the big incentive. I’ve already given her a diamond like a headlight.”
“Don’t do this. You’ll regret it. I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation. I’m saying to you what you’ve said to me all my life.”
“And you’ve benefited far more from Dad’s generous rewards for doing what he wants than I ever have. Well, brother, I’ve finally wised up and will reap my bounty.”
“I would have bet the house that she would turn you down. Of course, over a million—she’s ambitious.”
“I’ve offered her a few other perks, as well,” Jeff said, avoiding breaking the news to Noah about his business offer.
“You’re making a mistake. You’re way too much a free spirit and you have too many women friends to settle into any kind of relationship with Holly unless you two simply live under the same roof and go your separate ways. I guess I’ll stop talking. You’ve already done what you wanted to do, but that family ranch isn’t worth getting tied into marriage with someone you’re at swords’ points with.”
“I want the damn ranch. I think we can do this and if we can’t, we’ll get out of it.”
“You get out of it within a year and Dad will raise hell over giving you the ranch. Or is that what you intend?”
“Nope. To most outsiders, we’ll look like a couple in love. She’s going to tell her closest friends and her family because they’re driven with ambition, too, from what she’s told me. She seems to think they’ll understand.”
“I have that same impression. I’ve never met them. I don’t think she sees them often. Now I’m sorry I had her work for you. I don’t think this will do either of you any good.”
“Stop being so negative. We’re adults and we’re doing what we want. She gets almost two million and I get the ranch. That’s not a bad trade-off.”
“It would be to me. I hope you can still say that a year from now.” Noah sighed loudly. “All right, you’re engaged I assume.”
“And we’ll have a wedding soon. I want to take you and Faith and the folks to dinner with us tonight if possible and we’ll announce this. You can tell Faith everything as far as I’m concerned.”
“Sure. We’re free tonight.”
“I’ll call the folks and call you back. Cheer up, Noah. We’re of age.”
Noah snorted. “For all that you act like it. I’ll still be in shock tonight. I won’t tell Faith until later. That way her reaction will be better.”
“Thanks. We’re meeting at the club at half-past six,” Jeff said and ended the call.
It only took a few minutes to set up the dinner date with his uncle, who agreed to fly in for it since he was already in Chicago. Jeff left his office to go to Holly’s.
Would they be able to tolerate each other for an entire year? Would he be able to settle down and stick with her for that time?
Big unknowns to which he could only guess the answers. He knew what he hoped. His mansion was huge and they could stay out of each other’s way. Thoughts of the ranch replaced worries. It was a first-rate cattle ranch with abundant water and a great climate and location.
Shoving back his chair, he went to her office, stepped inside and closed the door. Wide-eyed, she looked up. In slacks and a shirt that was buttoned to her chin, she looked her usual cool self and mildly annoyed by the interruption. He wanted to pull down her hair and take her into his arms.
“I’ve already told Nita and Daphne that we’re closing early. Let’s go to the house and get ready. I’ve told Noah our plans, but he’s not telling Faith yet.”
“I doubt if he was happy to hear the news. He knows we’re not in love.”
“You’re right. Also, I called Uncle Shelby and told him I was taking the family to dinner to make an announcement. I had to track him down—he’s in Chicago, so he’s flying down in a private jet to join us tonight.”
“Did you tell him the truth about our engagement?”
“No, not yet. I will, but tonight with Dad around, I want everything harmonious and peaceful, so I haven’t yet.”
“You’re close with your uncle, aren’t you?”
“More than my dad,” Jeff replied.
She dropped her pen and gazed beyond him with a slight frown. Shaking her head, her attention came back to him. “All right. Give me fifteen minutes to wind up what I’m doing.”
He nodded and left, suspecting she was having second thoughts about her acceptance.
All he had to do was think about the ranch and he was satisfied. The year would pass and he thought he could get a warmer response out of Holly. If he didn’t, could he live with her frosty remoteness? He thought he could. He remembered last night—there had been no coolness from her then.
His usual optimism set in and he returned to his office, wishing she would close and they could go.
That evening, nervousness over announcing their engagement gripped her. Holly stared at the empty doorway. Doubts had assailed her all day and she had looked at her ring over a hundred times she was certain, viewing it as a promise of the money to come from their deal.
When they entered the country club, she still had butterflies in her stomach. Moisture clung to her palms.
“Smile. You look as if you’re headed for a disaster.”
She glanced up at him. “I feel guilty and I don’t know why.”
“No need to feel guilty. We’re doing what Dad wants.”
“Even though I simply told my folks that this is a marriage of convenience, I didn’t feel guilty with them. My brothers—my whole family—are wound up in their careers, so they are thrilled over the money I’ll get.”
“Dad will be happy,” he told her, taking her arm. “You look gorgeous tonight.”
“Thank you,” she answered, suspecting he would have given her the compliment if she’d appeared a wreck. She smoothed the skirt to her sleeveless black dress. “When you and Noah want something, you go after it with all your being. That’s one place you’re alike.”
“I suppose. We get that from Dad. It’s all we’ve ever known.”
She greeted Noah, Shelby and Knox. She knew all of them would be friendly, but it didn’t help her relax. “Your dad is an older version of you and Noah.”
“We’ve been told that.”
She greeted Faith, whom she hadn’t seen since their wedding. Noah shook her hand warmly, gazing at her with a smile that never
reached his eyes. And then she greeted the senior Brands.
Within minutes Noah’s and Jeff’s charm had her relatively at ease. She knew Jeff’s mother, Monica, was making an effort to be friendly. Soon the women were conversing.
They had a lounge to themselves for cocktails and Jeff stood at one point. “I want to make an announcement.” He took her hand to draw her to her feet beside him.
“I’ve asked Holly to marry me.”
The family seemed to explode and surround her to welcome her and to look at the ring that had been in Jeff’s pocket until a few moments ago when he had slipped it back on her finger. Noah was the last and he was quiet as he squeezed her shoulder lightly.
“Welcome to the Brand family,” he said.
She gazed up at him and while he smiled, she knew Noah well enough to know that he was less than pleased with her engagement to Jeff.
Shelby walked over to give her best wishes. He shook his head. “I can’t believe Jeff is marrying. You worked a miracle.”
She smiled. “I’m thrilled beyond measure. Thanks for being here tonight. It means a lot to Jeff. He feels very close to you.”
“There’s always been friction between my brother and me. A little between the boys. Of course, Jeff and Noah aren’t boys any longer, but I still think of them that way. They’re closer than Knox and I are and I’m glad. Knox and I have had some bitter moments. I’ve never liked the way he favored Noah, but then Noah is so much like Knox. It’s easy for me to favor Jeff because he’s far more the way I am and frankly, he was more fun to have around as a kid. Jeff was always ready for a good time.
“Sorry. My family gets along—when we see each other,” she added with a smile.
“I’ll look forward to meeting them. They will come to the wedding, won’t they?”
“Oh, yes. We get together a few times a year.”
“I take it there are no grandchildren. That draws families together fast. I’ve never been as close to Noah as Jeff, but now Erin is a little doll and I’ll admit I’m making more trips to Texas just to see her.”
“Talking about me?” Jeff asked as he walked up to join them.
