Читать книгу The Ransomes: Matt, Nick and Katherine - Sara Orwig - Страница 11

“Good evening,” Olivia said with far more assurance than she felt. At the sight of Matt, who was handsome, commanding and appealing in an immaculate white shirt and navy suit, her qualms faded momentarily to be replaced by a jump in her pulse.

Matt’s gaze drifted over her in a thorough assessment that was as provocative as a caress. “You look sensational,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” she replied, knowing they were treading dangerous ground. She reminded herself that he was a Ransome with all the complications of being Jeff’s brother. Her smile faded and she inhaled, fighting that irresistible draw she experienced around Matt.

In spite of her wariness, she couldn’t keep from being pleased by the admiration in his expression. She was certain that his compliment had been sincere. Earlier, she had hardly known herself after the hairstylist finished. Her hair was cut, the sides brought up and looped on her head, the rest tumbling down her back. Instead of the simple black dress Matt had selected, she had found a dark blue one she liked that had a low-cut, draped back and was sleeveless with a skirt that stopped inches above her knees. She loved the cool silk lining that was smooth against her skin when she stepped into it.

“Ready to go?” he asked, and she nodded, picking up her purse.

“So is this a truce, more or less?” she asked as they headed to the elevators.

“Might as well be,” he answered easily, yet she had a suspicion his animosity toward her had changed little. “You’ve moved into my house and we’ll be together a lot from now on so we might as well get along.”

She smiled disarmingly at him, yet she couldn’t get rid of her suspicions that his sudden change in attitude hid an ulterior motive. Whether it did or not, she intended to enjoy the evening. She was with a handsome, sexy man, going to an elegant restaurant and she was dressed in the most gorgeous, expensive dress she had ever owned. Tonight she was Cinderella. She would enjoy herself until the clock struck twelve or whatever happened to burst her bubble.

Today, his kisses had rocked her. Remembering caused her lips to tingle. She hated that he had stirred feelings she thought were long dormant.

His kiss had plundered and all that pent-up desire that burned in the depth of his blue eyes had poured into his kiss and demolished any resistance she might have had. Tonight she would be even more susceptible to his charm.

As they left the hotel and climbed into a limousine, it came to her what he was possibly doing—giving her a taste of a lifestyle she had never known, but soon would be able to afford if she accepted his offer.

Anger flashed at the realization of his motive. Of course that was what he was doing! His smiles held all the threat of a crouching tiger. In his own way, Matt was fighting for what he wanted. Yet she couldn’t blame him, because she was doing the same with her threat to walk if he didn’t accept her terms.

They rode in the back of the limo across from each other and she smiled at him.

Desire blazed in his eyes, cutting across the battle between them. While she watched, he reached into his pocket. “I bought something for you today,” he said, handing a small box to her.

Surprised, she glanced at the box and then at him. She was tempted to throw it at him for what he was doing, but then she reminded herself that he was trying to win her over to agreeing to his offer just as much as she intended to persuade him to consent to her proposal.

She opened the box. Nestled inside was a gold, diamond-studded bangle. Catching the light, the diamonds sparkled. “It’s beautiful!” she gasped, momentarily forgetting his motive or her caution, because she had never dreamed of owning such a piece of jewelry.

He reached over to pick it up. Taking her hand in his warm, strong fingers, he slipped the bracelet on her slender wrist.

“Thank you! It’s absolutely gorgeous!” she exclaimed, her emotions churning because all at once, she was both thrilled to receive the jewelry from him and at the same time, she was annoyed. Beneath those warring emotions ran an undercurrent that saddened her that the gift held no meaning whatsoever. It was simply a beautiful bribe.

“There’s something to go with it,” he said, smiling at her, and her heart skipped a beat. His bone-melting smiles were irresistible, so her guard came up again because she knew she was treading on dangerous ground. In icy clarity, she realized that with this Ransome her heart was more at risk than it had been with his younger brother.

Matt withdrew another small box and handed it to her. If his motive hadn’t been so underhanded, she would have been dazzled. As it was, she gazed at him solemnly, telling herself she could still refuse his offer. Cinderella for a day. She could turn her back on this and survive. But it was beginning to nag at her whether if she did, and lost her big gamble, would she be cheating her baby of a better future?

She opened the box and gasped again. Even when she knew it would hold another beautiful, expensive bauble, she stared at the golden necklace with a diamond pendant that matched her bracelet.

In a smooth movement, he slid onto the seat beside her. “Turn around,” he said, taking the necklace from her hand.

When she turned her back, his warm fingers brushed her nape. Reaching behind her head, she held her hair up while he fastened the necklace and then she faced him. He sat close enough that their thighs touched and his blue eyes bore into her, causing her heart to race.

“Thank you. They’re both beautiful.”

“You’re what’s beautiful, Olivia,” he said softly, brushing a stray tendril of hair away from her ear.

He was only inches away and desire, like heat lightning flashed, holding them locked in the moment. When his gaze lowered to her mouth, she thought he surely could hear her heart pounding. She should move, but it was impossible. She fought the urge to slip her arm around his neck and pull him the last few inches, to draw him close and lose herself in his hot kisses.

“I thought we both agreed we weren’t going to do this,” she said, as much to herself as to him. She closed her eyes and turned away.

He slipped onto the seat facing her. Even while hot desire still burned in the depths of his blue eyes, the tight clamp of his jaw reflected a tense, angry look in his expression.

“You’re right. We’ll eat and then get the hell back to the ranch,” he said, looking out a window.

“Regrets for bringing me here?”

His head swung around and she braced against the force of his gaze. He shook his head. “Not at all. You should have this. Before long, one way or another, you get a tidy sum of money to buy whatever clothes or car you want. You might as well get some things now.”

She bit back her reply when the limo stopped at the front door of a restaurant.

Even though the sun was still above the horizon, tiny lights twinkled in the bushes while large lights shone on tall pines. As she emerged from the limo, Matt took her arm.

They were led through the restaurant past a dance floor where couples already circled to piano music. The waiter seated Matt and Olivia at a table on the patio near a splashing fountain. Brightly colored lanterns were glowing overhead and red roses filled crystal vases on each linen-covered table. In the festive ambience with Matt at her side, Olivia bubbled with excitement.

Their waiter appeared, placing thick black folders with the menu in front of them. Olivia opened hers. She glanced at Matt who was reading his menu and then she looked down at her own. The dishes sounded exotic and the prices astounded her.

“I can’t believe we’re eating anything as expensive as these dinners,” she said.

“The food here is very good,” he said. “Do you like lobster?”

She shrugged. “Actually, I’ve never eaten lobster so I have no idea whether I’d like it or not.”

“I suggest you try it and then you’ll know.”

“The daredevil Ransomes who will always try the unknown,” she said quietly, thinking about Matt and Jeff.

“Life is exciting.”

“Maybe from your perspective. From mine, life is survival.”

“It doesn’t have to be from now on,” he said smoothly waving his hand to include their surroundings and she was aware again of the clash of wills between them. “My offer will open all the doors for you,” he added.

“Marriage wouldn’t be real and it wouldn’t be permanent,” she reminded him and they paused when the waiter appeared.

After they had ordered, she gazed across the table at Matt. “The clothes are beautiful, the jewelry breathtaking and my first flight was thrilling. My first limo ride was unforgettable. But you’re not going to hold me with the life you’re dangling in front of me now,” she said softly. Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. Otherwise there was no reaction from him except an arch of his eyebrow.

“Don’t lose sight of the fact that if you turn down my offer, you’ll be taking all sorts of opportunities away from your baby. Do you want to raise a child in a neighborhood like you grew up in, instead of the Ransome ranch or a house you can afford in a prosperous neighborhood with a suitable school? You’ve got to think for two. It’s not only you,” he reminded her quietly, and her anger soared.

“Dammit, I’m taking that into consideration, but I’m not selling short of what I know my baby should have,” she said, hurting because Matt was right. Pain was tight in her chest, and she fought back tears that startled her since she rarely ever cried. His accusation had been on target and hurt badly. But she wanted the Ransome heritage locked in for her baby. “You’ll commit to a point and then it stops.”

“It’s a damn generous commitment, I’d say,” he retorted.

“I’ll do something to stay out of bad neighborhoods. There are some acceptable jobs out there that I can do and I’ll find one. I’ve gotten farther now than all the odds indicated I would.”

“That you have. But don’t sell the baby short to try to get me to marry you. Jeff wouldn’t, and I’m not going to either.”

His words stabbed into her, deepening her hurt. “That’s your answer?” she asked, wondering if he would abandon her on the spot. She held her breath while fear chilled her.

“No, it’s not my answer. I believe you’ll walk so I’m still contemplating the future. I’m not deciding something that important without giving it a lot of thought. Now, on that note, try to enjoy the evening.”

“Oh, right,” she answered, yet his reply rekindled her hope.

“I mean it,” he said in a softer voice. “Had we met under other circumstances, we both could probably enjoy the next few hours. Neither of us will take decisive action tonight, so relax.”

“That’s a tall order,” she remarked.

“It’s simple.” He stood and came around the table to take her hand. “We’ll get away from our problems. Let’s dance.”

“I can’t dance,” she said.

He shook his head. “You’ve got two feet and you can move, so you can dance. I’ll show you,” he said, ignoring her protest and leading her inside to the dance floor. Her heart drummed as she looked at couples moving so easily together.

“I really can’t dance. I never did get around to learning and most of my life has been spent studying and working and trying to survive.”

“That’s going to change,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Just move with me,” he said, holding her lightly. Their proximity was volatile, and every nerve in her body quivered with awareness. As his thighs brushed hers, her desire flamed. His hand held hers against his chest.

She stepped lightly on his toe and almost stumbled, but his arm tightened around her and he held her. “Sorry. I told you—” she said.

“Don’t worry. You’re a feather and it doesn’t matter,” he said, interrupting her. “I’m holding you so you’re not going to fall,” he added in a husky voice.

In minutes it became easier to follow his lead. Even so, when the music stopped she stepped back. “End of first lesson. Let’s sit the next one out.”

“Fine,” he said, taking her arm to lead her back to their table.

When they were seated, over glasses of water and tossed green salads, she paused to study him. “You know a lot about me, but I know very little about you. Jeff was a party boy—he seldom mentioned his family or background.”

“He probably talked about himself and his wild exploits. My kid brother and I weren’t much alike. At least, I’ve always hoped we weren’t because Jeff was damned irresponsible. What do you want to know about me?”

“Start with telling me about your family,” she asked, curious about him because whenever she had approached the subject of family with Jeff Ransome, he had talked about himself.

“There’s my dad who has heart trouble and isn’t in good health, but he still wants to be in charge and that’s why I have my own house. The big house is down the road a ways.”

“The big house!” she exclaimed. “I can’t imagine one much larger than yours.”

“Oh, yes. Bigger, fancier. All it needs is a moat around it and we’d have a castle. I’ll take you to see it and meet Dad soon.”

“So where do the other family members live? Tell me about Nick and Katherine.”

“We’re all close in age. I’m thirty-two, Nick is thirty-one and Katherine is twenty-eight. Business is Nick’s first love. He’s CEO of Ransome Energy and under Nick’s control the family oil business has tripled in size, gone public and continues to grow. Nick thrives on making deals.”

“Is he married?”

“No. Nick isn’t the marrying kind. He’s almost as wild as Jeff was, but not quite. Nick is reliable—there’s the big difference.”

“What about your sister?”

“Katherine has a home in Dallas and one here on the ranch. Nick has his own ranch near ours. She’s single and she’s a graphic artist, but she specializes in murals. At the moment she’s painting one for a museum in Chicago. She’s quite good.”

“So how long were you married?”

To her surprise his eyes clouded over. “Two years. Margo preferred a career to marriage. Her family is wealthy, so she didn’t need the money from the career, but she wanted everything else that went with it.”

“What does she do now?”

“She’s a news anchor in L.A. now. I suppose in the beginning, I could have gone with her if I’d been willing to leave the ranch and leave Texas, but I have my own agenda and didn’t like the idea of tagging along wherever her career led her. Her career is first in her life.”

“So you still love her?”

“No, I’m over Margo, but that was a bad time when we divorced. It wasn’t what I’d planned.”

“And what happened to your mother? Is she no longer living?”

“I don’t know,” he answered with a cold tone. “When we were little kids, she walked out on us. There was another man and she married him, but it didn’t last a year.” Matt’s brows arched. “You haven’t heard any of this before?”

“No,” she said. “Jeff really did focus solely on himself. In spite of that, he was charming and entertaining and drew friends like a picnic drawing ants, but then you know about him. So tell me about your mother. You didn’t finish.”

“My dad raised us. We’ve had no contact with her which is the way she obviously wanted it.”

“That’s dreadful. Do you even know where she lives?”

“No,” he said, a shuttered look coming to his expression. “None of us want any contact now that we’re grown and she certainly hasn’t wanted any since she disappeared out of our lives.”

“Sorry.”

He shrugged. “That’s the way I’ve grown up. I don’t think about it any longer.”

“So you’re the cowboy in the family who loves the ranch.”

“Yes. I get away occasionally. I like to ski and to escape from the ranch. Occasionally, I go to the tropics. We own three ranches, this one, one in Wyoming and one along the California coast and we’re buying one we’ve leased in Argentina.”

“As in South America?”

“Right. It’s the best ranch of all. It’s the one I prefer.”

“And Jeff helped you here?”

“Jeff worked with me when he wasn’t off gallivanting around the world. He couldn’t possibly have settled and worked in an office like Nick is doing. You’ll meet my family soon.”

“And they approve of your offer to me?”

“Sure. Everyone is interested. A new Ransome in the family would be damn good.”

“Seems to me, among the three of you, one of you could produce a grandchild.”

“There’s already a grandchild on the way.” His gaze swept over her. “Have you felt all right?”

She nodded. “Fine. Not even any morning sickness.”

“You definitely are pregnant.”

“That’s a statement and not a question, isn’t it? I’m sure you checked that one out and you know who my doctor is.”

“Sorry about checking up on you, but I had to be certain.”

The waiter brought their lobster dinners. After the first bite, she looked up to find him waiting and watching her.

“It’s delicious. You want me to like eating lobster. You want me to cultivate a taste for exotic food.”

“I don’t know that lobster is exotic. Every grocery store carries them, but I’m glad you like it,” Matt answered.

“It’s another sales pitch,” she said, touching her diamond pendant and knowing that he was doing all in his power to get her to accept his offer and forget her proposal.

“Ma’am, I’m a plain ole cowboy,” he drawled, and she had to laugh.

He gave her a wicked look. “Olivia, you’re doing your own share of bribery with your smile that seduces and befuddles. You want me to succumb and accept your proposal and you’re stooping to as much bribery as I am,” he said softly.

“My smile seducing and befuddling?” she asked in mock disbelief, for a moment letting go worries and enjoying his company, bubbling inside because he was flirting.

“You know what you’re doing,” he said, inhaling deeply and she flashed him another merry smile, wishing she could befuddle him enough to get him to agree to what she wanted.

“Yes! So may the best man—or woman—win!” she exclaimed, holding her water glass up in a toast to him.

Eyes twinkling, he touched her glass with his. “You’re on. But then this battle is already under way.”

“And you’re flirting shamelessly,” she said. “Besides the gifts and dinner and clothes and the evening out.”

“All my weaponry pales beside yours—your face, your body, your smile, that dress, your legs. You have the edge and you know it.”

“Whoo!” She fanned herself. “I didn’t know you’d noticed,” she purred, enjoying flirting with him. “You have armor that protects you totally. You are shielded and immune.”

“Forget dinner. Let’s dance,” he said, coming around the table to take her hand to lead her to the dance floor. After a few minutes he looked down at her. “You’ve gotten the hang of it. You’re very good at this.”

She laughed. “Your flattery overwhelms me! Wait until I step on your toe again.”

“I mean it. You’re doing fine. Don’t you like this?” he asked in a silky voice.

She slanted him a look. “You’re flirting again.”

“So what’s wrong with that? No harm done. You’re a beautiful woman and a sexy one. Why shouldn’t I flirt?”

“Don’t expect it to lead you anywhere.”

“Where did you think I want to go?” he asked.

She shook her head and laughed again. “Don’t tell me you don’t want me in your bed.”

“I’ll tell you one thing I don’t want in my life—any emotional complication. Judging by your demands, I don’t think you want any in your life.”

“I definitely don’t. Not with a Ransome, thank you.”

“I take it you and I will never have a handshake deal, even if we finally do come to a mutual agreement?”

“I keep my word.”

“I’ll damn well keep mine,” he said. “Stop mixing me up with Jeff.”

The next number was a fast one and when she turned to leave, he caught her hand.

“I really can’t do this—” she protested.

“You’re a quick study. Watch my feet and then follow me,” he said, pulling her with him.

She did what he said and soon she was dancing with him. He spun her around, caught her and then returned to the quick steps. She studied his feet for a few more minutes and then looked up to find him watching her intently. Her heartbeat skipped and she drew her breath, tossing her head and feeling her hair swing.

“Perfect,” he said softly.

“Not really. I’ve stepped on you twice.”

“Never felt it. Accept my offer, Olivia, and have a better life and an easier one,” he urged. “We’re a mere technicality away from what you want.”

She shook her head. “That isn’t quite the same.”

He spun her around and yanked her up against him, his arm banding her waist instantly and holding her close while he looked down at her. She felt his hard length pressed against her and she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. At the same time, she looked into his eyes and felt the clash with him over their futures. She knew the light moments were gone and the flirting was over.

He spun her away from him and then the music stopped. Gasping for breath, she let him take her hand and she felt the calluses on his palm that indicated he really did do ranch work.

“Let’s go back to the hotel and talk things over,” he suggested.

Knowing they might as well get back to business, she nodded. At the door she glanced back over her shoulder. In the past couple of hours, she had had the time of her life, the best she could remember.

She was surprised by her own reaction and wondered if she had really been in love with Jeff at all.

In the limo she was as silent as Matt, aware they were each locked in separate worlds. At the hotel as they reached their adjoining suites, Matt shed his coat and tie and unfastened the collar of his shirt. “Let me come in for a while. I’ll order tea or lemonade or whatever you’d like,” he suggested.

She nodded and opened her door, moving inside. He followed and tossed his coat on a chair. “What would you like to drink?” he asked.

“Hot cocoa,” she said, wondering if she could drink anything. Her nervousness had returned, but she didn’t want it to show. All evening she had felt as if what she wanted was slipping through her fingers. She could feel his resistance to her offer. When he said no, was she ready to make her decision and stick by it?

He ordered a pot of hot chocolate and a cold beer. Only one lamp burned in the fancy suite and in the soft light, his appeal heightened. It would have been easier to deal with him if she hadn’t had this fiery sexual reaction to him. And why the chemistry she couldn’t imagine because they fought for opposing goals. She suspected he truly did not like her at all. Facing him, she knew part of his attraction was his rugged good looks and a sexiness that probably drew most females he encountered.

He moved around the room, turning on soft music, dimming the light, rolling back his cuffs, seductive moves, yet she knew seduction wasn’t his goal. He wanted her to agree to his offer. His control was admirable because she guessed it was an effort for him. She suspected he usually got his way.

At a knock on the door, she watched Matt cross the room in long strides to let the bellman wheel in a cart with a silver pot, china cups and two cold beers on ice. Olivia sat on a wingback chair and crossed her legs. In minutes, Matt handed her a cup of steaming chocolate.

“It’s too hot to drink right now,” she said, placing it on a coffee table and then leaning back.

When he sat nearby and gave her a long look, she drew a deep breath. “I feel like the proverbial bug under a microscope,” she said.

“An absolutely stunning butterfly, maybe. A bug—no,” he answered quietly, his gaze drifting lazily over her while she couldn’t avoid being pleased by his compliment. “Are you ready to discuss the terms of my offer?”

She shrugged. “It’s not essential because I really do not intend to accept it. I prefer that you accept my proposal.”

“Let’s just say, ‘What if?’ and talk about my offer for a while. All right?”

“I suppose, as long as you don’t abandon me here in Houston if we don’t come to an agreement. I do want to return to Rincon.”

“I promise to get you home and I don’t intend to reach a decision tonight. I only want to talk things over. When I first approached you, we were complete strangers.”

“And the brief time we’ve been together has made a difference?” she asked in surprise because it hadn’t changed her opinions.

He set the bottle on a table. “We’ll live in my house, but what happens if you want to go out with someone or start seeing someone regularly?”

She shook her head. “You’re assuming we will go with your offer.”

“Let’s discuss it.”

“It’s pointless to, but if it makes you happy, all right,” she said. “For now, I don’t want any man in my life. Not at all. You’re still going on the assumption that I’ll accept your offer and we won’t marry. Or do you intend the same agreement if we marry?”

His eyes narrowed and her heart began to thump faster at the determined expression on his face. “No. If we marry, I don’t want sordid gossip floating around Cedar County about this baby’s mother or stepfather.”

“So what do you propose? A celibate life?” she asked, unable to imagine that he would agree.

“Hardly. If I agree to your marriage proposal, I want sex.”

Heat blazed in her, and she could feel the perspiration break out on her forehead. While her emotions boiled, they stared at each other. “That isn’t what I intended.”

“That’s what it would have to be.”

“How often?” she shot back, trying to catch her breath and wondering if she could handle sex with Matt Ransome without falling head over heels in love with him—a love that she was certain he would never return. Could there be great sex and no love with a handsome man who was helping her raise her child? Hardly.

Fear curled in her, thick and as palpable as smoke from a fire. Jeff had broken her trust and trampled her feelings. Could she expect anything better from his older brother?

“Let’s say after your pregnancy is over, twice a week and then we can go from there.”

“And until my pregnancy is over?”

“I don’t see any need to be definite except if I marry you, then I want a wedding night with sex.”

She was certain he could hear her heart thudding. His demands were making both propositions, his and hers, real to her.

“You know what you want, don’t you?” Agitated, she stood and moved to the floor-to-ceiling window to gaze down below at the lights on a sparkling pool. Was she ready for sex with him? Her body was more than ready. His words had set her ablaze, but sex was a fast track to heartbreak. Remembering his spectacular, sizzling kisses that had stormed her senses and had been the beginning of seduction, she knew he would be a fabulous lover. And that was what worried her because Matt Ransome seemed as hardhearted as they came.

“There’s always my offer,” he said quietly, standing close behind her. She hadn’t heard him get up or move across the room. She turned to face him. He stood only a foot away. He had rolled back his sleeves and unfastened one more button on his shirt. All she could think of was sex with him—a wedding night.

“If I increased the amount of money, would you accept my offer? If I changed the hundred thousand dollars to a hundred and fifty thousand, how’s that?”

Again, he shocked her and she stared at him while the amount spun in her thoughts. “If you’re that willing to raise what you’ll pay me, then marriage must be binding enough that you want to avoid it at all costs,” she whispered.

Matt stood waiting quietly, letting her think about the money. He could afford what he had offered and he did not want marriage, yet standing so close to her, gazing into her wide green eyes, his pulse raced and he was hot with desire. She was stunning with her new hairdo and clothes. She had been a looker before, but now she was breathtaking. Men had watched her all evening in a restaurant where people would be far more restrained than the honky-tonk at home.

No matter how enticing she was, he didn’t want a permanent entanglement. Even with the increase in his offer, he felt to his soul that she was going to hold out for marriage.

He inhaled deeply, his gaze sweeping over her slender bare shoulders and long, graceful throat, the soft curves that the dress hugged and her tiny waist. Her long legs were spectacular. He already knew that from seeing her in the towel and cutoffs. Could he take her to bed, live under the same roof, share a baby with her and still keep his heart locked away?

He had no doubt that once she got her law degree, she would be gone. He hoped by that time, she would feel that her child was part of the Ransome family. In the meantime he better worry about the present. What would he do if she turned down his offer?

“I’ve made you a damned handsome offer,” he said aloud, half to her and half to himself.

“I know you have. It was generous before you raised the amount. It’s the long-term commitment I want.”

“I’ll never love again,” he said. “You better believe me because I do what I say.”

“I imagine you do,” she replied, looking up at him. “Jeff told me about how your father got lost one time when his small plane crashed in the Rocky Mountains and after the searchers gave up hunting for him, you flew up there, trekked into the mountains on your own and found him and brought him out of there on a stretcher you improvised. Jeff said you do what you say and you don’t give up. Actually, he said you’re stubborn as a mule.”

“As if he wasn’t. I knew my dad was there and I wasn’t going to leave him. He had broken one leg and he couldn’t get out on his own and no one else survived the crash. My dad is a tough old codger.”

“I suspect you’re rather tough yourself.”

“If so, I’ve had to be sometimes,” he replied, fighting an urge to reach out and touch her. In spite of the conflict between them and his anger, he wanted her. Desire was a throbbing, hot flame tormenting him. She was beautiful and he couldn’t stop wanting to hold and kiss her.

“And stubborn?”

“I suppose. If it’s stubborn of me to avoid falling in love again, then so be it. I believe you have a streak of that trait yourself,” he said, and she smiled at him. “So you still plan to move on someday?” he asked.

“We both know marriage will give the baby more,” she said, ignoring his question.

Every minute with her he had been torn between anger and attraction and that was still true. They were at an impasse, and his desire was escalating. He knew he needed to get distance between them.

“I’ll sleep on it,” he said. He strode out the door into the hall, closing her door quietly behind him and going to his room.

Shedding his clothes he moved around his room. Sleep wasn’t going to be part of his night. Would she walk away from all he offered simply to hold out for marriage?

He absolutely didn’t want to marry again. Not even if the woman was fabulously beautiful and sexy? The question taunted him because he couldn’t extinguish memories of holding her in his arms, of her scalding kisses, or how stunning she had looked tonight. How badly he had wanted to peel her out of that scrap of a dress! Marriage would mean sex with her. She had already agreed to it.

He groaned, knowing sleep was impossible. He glared at the door that led to her room. She would give up most of the cash if he would marry her, but that didn’t matter because cash was no problem for him.

Coming from the background of poverty, she had a far smaller regard for money than he would have expected.

Feeling hemmed in and wishing they had flown home tonight, he paced his room and then moved to the window to stare outside. It was late and traffic had thinned. He wasn’t giving up the baby. Deep down, he still felt that she would disappear if he rejected her proposal. “Dammit!” he swore, knotting his fists, wishing he could walk away. She knew she had what he wanted.

By morning, after a shave and shower, he continued to toss the choices back and forth in his mind. He went around to knock on her door and stood waiting, wondering how she had slept.

She opened the door and gazed up at him. Dressed in a white suit and red blouse, once again, she looked stunning. Her hair was looped and pinned on one side of her head, giving her a more sophisticated appearance. No amount of fancy clothes or cosmopolitan hairdos could extinguish her sultry, sexy aura and there was no stopping his body’s immediate response to the sight of her.

Matt drew a deep breath. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she replied and stepped back. “Won’t you come in?”

As he entered the room, he inhaled the seductive scent she wore. He wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair and pull it down. At the same time he wanted to send her packing. Never since childhood had he had to battle someone and lose as he was with her. Even when Margo left him, at the end he had been angry, but ready for her to get out of his life. He couldn’t handle Olivia. It was the first time in his life he had been in this position and he didn’t like it.

Staring at Olivia, he was tempted to tell her to pack and go if she wouldn’t accept his terms, but when he thought about losing the baby, he clamped his jaw closed more tightly.

This morning she was gorgeous and looked as self-confident as if she already had her law degree. How much easier all this would have been if she had been as plain as a guinea hen. “You’re ready to fly home?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

“I’m not in a rush. I’ll take you to breakfast.” They faced each other in a tense silence. “Have you come to a decision on my offer?” he asked and held his breath.

“I still want more than money,” she replied nonchalantly as if they were discussing what to order for breakfast, and his insides clenched.

“Dammit, I don’t think you know what you’re doing!” he snapped, trying to hold back his fury and hating to meet her terms.

“Indeed, I do,” she replied with the coolness of a card shark. “So do you have an answer for my proposal?”

He jammed his fist into his pocket. In the night he had made his decision what he would do if she turned down his offer.

“How can you reject the fortune I’m extending to you? You’re not thinking about your baby.”

“Oh, yes, I am. I can decline your offer because I think you want my baby in your family to such an extent that sooner or later, you’ll agree to my proposal. If you do, you’ll make a greater commitment than what you’re now suggesting I take.”

“You’re damn sure of yourself,” he grumbled, thinking he had misjudged her by a country mile when he first saw her. She was smart, self-possessed and quickly shedding any rough edges she had from her poverty-stricken upbringing.

She merely shrugged. “I’m more sure of you,” she replied softly.

He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to hand it to you. I usually get my way in deals. I’ve bought land, horses, cattle, took over a drilling company for my dad, etc., etc. and you’re the only one who’s held my feet to the fire and given me something I couldn’t cope with.”

“Do tell,” she said blithely, and he wanted to grind his teeth. At the same time, he had to hand it to her for holding out for the big deal.

“At least, it’s a relief to know this baby’s going to inherit some brains.”

“Thank you, I think. Unless you’re referring solely to your brother.”

“You know I’m not talking about him.”

They stared at each other while silence once again filled the passing time. She smiled at him and began to move around the room, placing her bag and a sack together in a chair so her things would be ready to go. Finally, she turned to face him. “Still debating? We can go to breakfast while you think it over.”

Knowing she wasn’t going to change, he shook his head. There was no need in prolonging the moment of decision because he was the only one vacillating about her proposition.

Her eyebrows arched and she slanted her head. “No? That must mean you’ve come to a conclusion? What are you going to do? Are you going to marry me?”