The Texan's Contract Marriage Read online

  “When you started, I figured Stephanie would be furious with you for revealing Noah to Marek. Now, I don’t think she will be if you tell her about the money at the same time you tell her about the proposal. You know Stephanie and money. That’s the driving force in her world. How much is he going to want Noah?”

  “We haven’t gotten to that, but Marek keeps telling me that he wants me to be happy and he doesn’t want to hurt me in any way.”

  “You’ll be a millionaire.”

  “Ashley, get around the money. It’s a plus and you can’t ignore it, but that isn’t what’s critical here. I think Marek should be in Noah’s life. I also think a marriage of convenience might work and benefit Noah, which is the paramount criterion.”

  “True, but I cannot stop thinking about the possibilities the money would give us.”

  Camille listened to Ashley talk while part of her thoughts were on Marek and his proposal. Was he happy with the prospects? How much of the time would he want Noah at the ranch with him? Could Ashley live in the isolation of a ranch on the Texas plains?

  She didn’t have answers to those questions, and she tried to focus on Ashley, who was still chattering about Marek’s offer. Camille couldn’t see how she could have any answer except one.

  *

  The next morning Marek sat over coffee with Jess, who had hung his hat on a hook at the door in the back entrance. Jess studied him as he sipped steaming black coffee. “What did Ginny say?”

  “You can guess. She’s totally opposed, thinks I’ll regret getting locked into a loveless marriage. She’s certain I have a lot to lose. As you can imagine, she was wild.”

  Jess merely nodded. When Marek’s phone rang, he glanced at the number. “Here she is again. I’ll have to listen to all her arguments this morning.”

  “Hi, Ginny,” he said. He nodded. After a moment, he ended the call. “She’s on the drive coming in. The whole Dalton family came with her so the girls can ride while Ginny talks to me. Frank will stay with the girls. She wants to talk to me in person. For her to drive all the way out here from Dallas is even more serious.”

  Jess drank the last of his coffee and stood. “That’s my cue to get the horses ready. I’ll see about Frank and the girls. You can deal with Ginny. She’ll come around, but you’ll have to listen to her vent about it. She’s just looking out for you and your best interests.”

  “I know.” Marek walked out with Jess and watched Ginny and her family spill out of their van. Jess greeted Ginny, and they talked a moment with Ginny waving her hands before she walked toward the house. Jess shook hands with Ginny’s husband while the girls stood waiting for his greeting.

  Frank Dalton, Ginny’s husband, was a no-nonsense accountant with his own business. Marek liked him and thought he was a good match for his sister. Jess hunkered down to say hello to the little girls, and they all headed toward the barn. Ginny sailed through the back gate, her short, shaggy black hair blowing in the wind.

  Marek told himself to hang on to his patience with her.

  She swept into the kitchen, her face almost as red as her shirt. “Marek, have you lost your senses? You can’t marry someone you don’t love.”

  “Hi there, sis. You look a little hot and bothered. Want a cool drink?”

  “No, I don’t. We drove all the way out here so I can talk some sense into you. Pray she turns you down.”

  “Ginny, I’ll have the cool drink. And I hope she accepts. I think this is the solution to the problem. I don’t think it will create a bigger problem.”

  “And when you fall in love again?”

  “There is still something called divorce if this marriage becomes a burden. But I do not expect to fall in love again. Sometimes someone falls in love for a lifetime. He loves that one person and that is the only love of his life on this earth. You don’t believe that happens?”

  “Maybe sometimes, but I don’t think that will be the case with you. You hurt now, but you’re strong and young and you’ll love again.”

  “Is your crystal ball out in the car? You think you know me better than I know myself?”

  “I don’t want you locked into something where you get hurt.”

  He smiled at her. “Relax, Ginny. I appreciate your concern. I’ve thought about this and I think it’s a workable solution,” he said, retrieving a cold beer and opening the bottle. “Want to sit where it’s comfortable?” he asked, motioning toward the living area adjoining the kitchen. “You can see the girls riding around in the corral from there.”

  “They brought their swimsuits because they’ll be hot after they ride. They were overjoyed to get to see the horses. Marek, please do not do this. I know you will be unhappy.”

  “Stop worrying. I’ve looked at this every which way and I still think this is the best solution. I’ll have some control. We’ll have Noah with us far more. She’ll be in Budapest this fall. If I don’t do something, she’ll take him to Budapest and we won’t even see him all the time they’re gone. I don’t want to lose him. Or even be merely a tiny part of his life. He’s too important to me. I think he is to you, too.”

  “He is, but so are you,” she said, frowning. “I don’t want you hurt.”

  “Ginny, stop worrying. I’ve gotten myself into this. If it doesn’t work, I’ll get myself out. This is an ambitious, busy woman who doesn’t have time for a private life. She sings at the Metropolitan in New York next spring. Her career is rising, and she’ll need help with Noah.”

  “She has help. Her sister is her nanny.” Ginny sat staring at him, rubbing her forehead. She shook her head. “I pray you’re right and you know what you’re doing. She’s trying to carve out a career for herself and she’s been somewhat successful so far. What happens if you fall in love with her? You’ll get hurt. She isn’t going to settle down and give up that career.”

  “I would never ask her to, and I’m not going to fall in love.”

  “You’re still suffering over your loss, but eventually you’ll heal and move on. You’ll hurt yourself. She will let you see Noah some without you marrying her. Please don’t do this.”

  “I want more than brief visits with him several times a year.”

  “Since when did you want to become a dad?”

  “You know how I love your girls.”

  “Yes, but you’re their uncle, not their dad, which is much more demanding. It’s a demanding, full-time job and you’ll love that baby like you can’t believe. Then, if you and Camille split, you’ll really be torn. Have you thought about that?”

  “Yes, but life is fraught with hazards and you just have to take some risks when you love someone whether it’s a child or an adult.”

  She turned away to watch her girls. “You don’t know what love is until a child comes into your life. Frank’s life and mine revolve around the girls. You take that baby to raise part of the time and you’ll love him more than you can possibly imagine. Maybe you already love him just because he’s Kern’s.”

  “Ginny, stop worrying. I want to take the chance. I want him in our lives.”

  Silence stretched while they studied each other. He waited patiently, certain of what he planned.

  “Okay, Marek, I’ll try to stop worrying and I’ll stop arguing with you,” she said finally. “I’m going on record though. I think you’re making an enormous mistake.”

  “If this were turned around and Kern was in the spot I’m in and it was my baby, I think Kern would want me to do the best thing for Noah. I’ve mulled it over, and this seems the best solution to keep Noah in our lives.”

  “You might be right. When will she give you an answer?”

  “Tuesday night we’ll get together again. I think I’ll know then, and I’ll call you as soon as I do. She’s talking to her sisters now.”

  “I can’t imagine you doing this. I can’t imagine her doing it, either. Both of you have switched off your common sense. Maybe her sisters will talk her out of it.”

  “Stephanie will try. I’ll c
all you Wednesday morning.”

  “You call me Tuesday night. I’ll be a wreck. In the meantime, I’ll try to think up another plan.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, Ginny. Tuesday night we’ll know whether I’ll marry Camille or not.”

  *

  Tuesday night, he had butterflies in his stomach. He had made multimillion-dollar deals without a qualm, but tonight he suffered uncustomary nerves. For once in his life he didn’t have a backup plan. This was it, and he could only pray she accepted. Stepping into the entrance of her condo, he experienced the same reaction as the first day he had met her, an awareness of how striking she was and the sense of energy surrounding her even as she stood still. Her hair was a midnight cascade, falling below her shoulders. Her sleeveless black dress with a scooped neckline revealed lush curves. A thin gold chain with a diamond pendant circled her throat.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling at him. “Come in.”

  “You look gorgeous,” he said.

  Marek could not discern any indication of her decision from her expression. He realized she was an actress as well as a singer and she hid her feelings well. She would do well in a boardroom in a high-stakes negotiation. “You asked to see Noah before we leave for the evening,” she said, leading him into the living area and motioning toward the leather couch. “Have a seat, and I’ll go get Noah. I won’t be gone long.”

  “So Noah is awake and happy?” Marek suspected that with one look at her sisters he would know Camille’s answer to his proposal.

  “He’s awake and bubbly. Stephanie has gone out for the evening, and Ashley is on the phone.” She hurried out of the room to the nursery, where Ashley waited with Noah. “Thanks, Ashley. I’ll bring him back to you. Sure you don’t want to come say hi?”

  “No, I might start crying,” she said, pushing up the sleeves to her gray sweatshirt.

  “We’ve talked about this. The money should be some consolation.”

  “I worry about you. I worry about how badly you’ll miss having Noah with you.”

  “I’ll be fine. I have my career. Marek said he can change the schedule if we want to see Noah more.”

  “I hope he holds to that.”

  Camille took her son and hurried back to the front room. Marek stood by the piano, looking at sheet music. His navy suit and tie were a quiet understatement of his power and wealth. A tall, handsome and appealing man, always commanding. Was he ever at a loss or uncertain? He turned to cross the room.

  “Ah, the happy baby,” he said, reaching for Noah, who kicked and held out his arms.

  “Do you really want to take him? Your shirt looks fresh and it’s white as snow.”

  “I’m not fragile and my shirt washes,” Marek said, taking off his coat and tossing it to the sofa. He turned to Noah.

  “I think he remembers you.”

  “Hey, that’s great. I hope so. I suspect he’s happy to see everyone. So far, I haven’t seen him unhappy.”

  “He has his moments, but most of the time, he’s happy.”

  Marek walked away, talking to Noah, carrying him to the window to show him the outside. Then he sat on the floor with him and handed him some toys. It amazed her to watch him, the wealthy, powerful rancher dressed in his immaculate suit, tailor-made white shirt and his hand-tooled boots that could have been custom-made, while he sat on the floor playing and making goofy noises for Noah. Noah laughed, a hearty sound that made him shake all over, and she couldn’t keep from laughing with him.

  “Why will grown people do anything to get a baby to laugh?”

  “Got me, but it’s fun. You can’t keep from laughing in return,” Marek said, making another silly sound and laughing with Noah. Her heart squeezed while her pulse jumped. Marek’s appeal soared when he laughed. Creases bracketed his mouth and his even white teeth flashed. Her heart was definitely in for a bumpy ride.

  Finally, he stood. “I’ll give him to you. Another night we’ll play longer.”

  “I’ll take him back to Ashley. Just a minute and we can go.”

  She hurried out of the room, holding Noah tightly in her arms, wondering whether she was making the right decision or not. After tonight, there wouldn’t be any turning back.

  Just as before, they went in a limo to his Dallas home, where they sat outside with drinks. He removed his navy suit jacket and tie as he had the last time. While she watched him, it occurred to her to wonder about his handsome appeal. Was she in any danger of falling in love? He sat close, facing her. He set both drinks on a glass table.

  “I’ve waited long enough, and we’re alone now,” Marek said. “What’s your answer? Will you marry me?”

  Four

  Her insides roiled and her palms became damp even though her hands felt icy as she gazed into his brown eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Yes, I will.”

  He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. He pulled her up and gave her a light hug. “Thank you,” he said in a voice that sounded choked with emotion.

  He smelled of citrus and sandalwood and the fresh cottony scent of his immaculate dress shirt. He was warm and tall, and his arms around her felt reassuring. He leaned away a fraction to look down at her and her only thought at that moment was how handsome he was. “We’ll make this work, Camille,” he said in a husky voice. A pang racked her because his emotional reaction was not due to her, but to her baby.

  “I don’t want to fall in love,” she whispered, biting back the words that if she did, he would break her heart.

  His dark eyes widened and then narrowed as he gazed at her, a look that became more intense. She felt as if he was seeing her as a woman for the first time. He inhaled deeply, and a hard look came to his features while a muscle worked in his jaw.

  “Forget what I said,” she said, stepping out of his embrace, walking away from him to put distance between them and to keep him from seeing the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks. “My heart is in my career and Noah, and, right now, I can’t imagine us being together a lot of the time.” Her words spilled out, sounding rushed to her, and she felt foolish. Trying to get a grip and be less emotional, she finally faced him.

  “Thank you, Camille,” he said, looking composed again. “We can start working out details, put down what we want in a prenuptial agreement that we can turn over to our lawyers to finalize. How’s that?”

  “Sounds fine.” She returned to get her glass of wine and sit in a green-cushioned teak lawn chair. He sat facing her and sipped his drink. “I’ll get a tablet to make notes as we talk about what we want.” He left to get papers from a cabinet and returned to hand a tablet to her. She looked down at proposed schedules.

  “I have schedules worked out, but you know your bookings and shows. This is just something to start from. Also, as soon as we sign the papers, I’ll have money transferred to you.”

  “That’s sort of staggering,” she said, unable to imagine that she would soon become a millionaire. Her gaze ran over him, his broad shoulders, his capable, well-shaped hands.

  “We’ll be married, Camille. As far as I’m concerned, your money is yours to do with as you please. I’ll pay your expenses and your housing, all that sort of thing. Just get Stephanie to keep accurate records.”

  “That’s very generous considering how much money you’re giving me. I earn a good living so far.”

  “I’ll treat you the same as I would a wife in the fullest sense of the word as far as finances and that sort of thing are concerned. How are your sisters and your parents with this arrangement?”

  “Ashley is worried about Noah. The money means a lot because she’s saved and scraped together for her education. Stephanie is practical enough to accept this. She does not like sharing Noah, but she is going to like the money immensely. She sees the possibility of having her own business, perhaps picking up more clients than she has now.”

  “Good. What about Ashley staying on as nanny?”

  “Ashley will be nanny at first. Later, if you can find a good
nanny, she would like to go to college full-time and finish her education.”

  “Sure. Tell her to let me know when to start looking for a new nanny.”

  “I haven’t told my parents yet about the money. I’d rather they meet you first and feel this is a marriage of two people in love. Otherwise, they may not get past the money and may never be able to see the reasons I want this for Noah as a tie to his father.”

  Stretching out his legs, he looked relaxed, as if they were discussing the latest movie or electronic breakthrough. Watching him, no one would guess he was making life-changing decisions. The evening had become surreal. She couldn’t imagine the changes, yet they were happening. Even more impossible to imagine—she would soon marry a man she didn’t love and barely knew. She let her gaze roam down the length of him, and her pulse raced. He appealed to her, and she hadn’t really had a man in her life in a long time. To her regret, she had a strong physical response to him. Already, if he came close or if there was physical contact with him, her pulse jumped. With her life focused on her career, she didn’t want complications by becoming emotionally entangled with Marek.

  “Well, what we’ve both avoided and what we have to work out is how will we share Noah? I’ve thought about all sorts of ways to divide the time. I’ve come up with something that’s a start. We can change it completely so that each of us finds it workable.”

  “Right now, this part is difficult to imagine,” she admitted, fighting back tears because she felt as if she stood on the verge of losing Noah. For a panicky moment, she wanted to change her mind, but there was no turning back time and events. “The first thing I’ll do when I get home tonight is go see him. I miss him when I’m away from him for just hours,” she said, struggling to hang on to her emotions. “Days are impossible to think about.”

  “The first little bit will be the hardest, and we won’t jump into a schedule the minute we marry,” he promised, taking her hand. “Stop worrying so much, Camille. I’ll work with you on this and maybe we can’t do a lot at first while he’s tiny. Besides, some of the time, you and I will be under the same roof and you’ll have him as much as ever. The difference will be I’ll be living with you, too.”