Page 58 of Wyoming True

His eyes had a faraway look. “That’s how I felt, when I came home from the army. I thought, I’m a grown man, I’m tough, I’ll cope.” One side of his chiseled mouth turned down. “I haven’t coped. I’ve just gotten older.” He looked around him. “All this,” he said, indicating the wealth of antiques around him, “hundreds of thousands of acres of land on two continents, purebred cattle, more money than I could spend in two lifetimes. And I’m all alone in the dark.”

“So am I,” she said, her face stark with pain and bad memories.

He cocked his head and stared at her. “I don’t want to fall in love again. Neither do you. Both of us are rich and alone. But we get along pretty well.”

“We do,” she said, sipping more coffee.

He took a deep breath. He’d had an insane thought. He didn’t even know where it came from, but it felt right. “How would you feel about getting married?” he asked abruptly.

She blinked. She stared at him. “You mean, marrying somebody one day...”

“I mean, marrying me.”

At first she thought it was a bad joke, except he wasn’t smiling, and his silver eyes were flashing with feeling of some sort, narrow and piercing on her face.

Her lips parted on a shaky breath. She just stared at him, and her face tautened as she recalled how she’d been drawn to Bailey and what had come after.

“A marriage of friends, Ida,” he said quietly. “Just that. We can explore the world together, in between raising cattle and looking after horses. I’ve had more than enough of women who want me for my bank account. You’ve had more than enough of men, period.”

“Yes, but you’re a man,” she pointed out.

“God, I hope so,” he said, and then laughed.

She laughed, too, but her blue eyes were somber seconds later. “It’s just that, well, the physical thing...”

“We can leave the physical thing out of it,” he interrupted. “I haven’t felt much interest in sex since I lost Mina, not that we were ever even close to being intimate. She didn’t feel that way about me. What I’m proposing is a platonic sort of marriage. Later on, if we both agree, we might consider altering the terms of the agreement. But for the time being, you’ll have a separate bedroom and I won’t make any sort of demands on you.”

“That would be fine for me,” she confessed. “I’m afraid of men, that way. But you...?”

“I’m feeling my age,” he said heavily.

“Thirty-seven isn’t old, Jake,” she said softly.

He smiled. “You’re good for my ego.” He sighed. “Some men get raunchy as they get older. It’s not that way with me. I like good food and good company to share it with.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” she said. She studied his lean face. He was very handsome. There were so many advantages to what he was proposing, the most notable being that she wouldn’t have to worry about being hunted by other men, ever again. Jake would protect her. And if he was willing to forgo adventures in the bedroom, then that was an added bonus. She was uncertain that she’d ever be able to get over what Bailey had done to her.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” he asked after a minute.

She nodded. “If you think you could live with me, like that,” she said. “Separate bedrooms, I mean,” she added and flushed, averting her eyes.

“I can,” he replied and meant it.

She drew in a long breath. “I feel very safe with you,” she said gently. “I know that’s probably not what a man likes to hear...”

He smiled. “It makes me feel good inside, that you think of me that way.”

“You’re a kind, gentle man,” she said unexpectedly. “I’d be honored to marry you.”

Sudden heat ran through him like molten lava. He felt his heart go up like a rocket, felt the blood rushing through his veins like a flood. He couldn’t explain it or understand it, but hearing her say the words made him feel invincible. Strong.

“I’d be honored to have you accept, Ida,” he replied.

She flushed, too, and then she laughed softly. “I suppose it’s not an everyday sort of marriage.”

“Nobody’s business but our own, either,” he pointed out.

She nodded.

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