Page 510 of Conveniently Wed
“I’m sure he does. He reacts to the sound of your voice.”
He wasn’t sure what was the best way to approach the subject. He’d always been direct, so maybe that would work best here as well.
He leaned forward with his forearms on his thighs, clasping his hands between his knees. “I want to tell you something about me.”
“All right.” Finally, her fingers stilled, but a wary expression still lingered in her eyes.
“Because of circumstances that happened at a critical time in my life, I never planned to marry. But I have a large ranch that has been in my family for a long time.” Somehow, he couldn’t look at her face while he poured out as much of his heart as he dared. “I really need an heir.”
He lifted his eyes toward her face and saw her grimace. She raised her hand as if she wanted to interrupt.
“Please...let me finish before you say anything.”
She nodded, dropped her hands into her lap, and stared at him while he continued.
“You need a new start, and it’ll be hard trying to build a life and make a living with a baby to care for. I think I have a solution to both our problems.”
She sat straight, lifted an eyebrow, and looked doubtful, but she still didn’t comment.
“You and I could marry.” The words sounded so stark and bare, even to his own ears. He hid his cringe.
“N–”
“Let me finish before you say no. This would be almost a business arrangement, but so much more. I’m not looking for love, or even a...physical relationship.”
She sank back against the cushions and waited, her gaze skimming around him but never lighting on his face.
He couldn’t sit still, so he arose and started pacing. “You would be my wife in every other way. You wouldn’t have to worry about the future. You’d be respected as my wife and protected by me. And your son would become ours…and my heir.”
She sat there so long he decided she wasn’t going to comment at all. He stopped and glanced at her. The waiting was excruciating. The expression on her face a bland mask. Perhaps he’d bungled any chance he might’ve had to get her to agree.
“Mr....uh, Franklin, I really don’t know what to say... Before I make a decision, I’ll need to consider all aspects of the situation. Can you give me that time?”
“Of course, I can. How long do you think it will take?” He hated the hint of desperation in his tone.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know when I’ve come to a decision.” She arose and regally walked out the door without even glancing back.
She carried the best chance for his future with her, and he wasn’t a patient man. But what could he do but await her answer? He didn’t want this opportunity to slip through his fingers.
He might never have another.
12
For the first time since Michael was born, Lorinda couldn’t keep her attention on her son while she nursed him and got him ready for bed. The startling conversation she’d had with Franklin wouldn’t let her thoughts settle. His idea had a lot of merit, and she wanted to know her future would be secure without constantly worrying about the unknown.
After that thought took hold of her mind, her heart lurched within her. How could she even consider such a thing? She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready for another man to take Mike’s place in her life. Not being under male domination had freed her to begin to learn just who she was. Ingrid was teaching her so much she needed to know to become completely independent. That was a heady thought.Completely independent.Would it ever really happen?
More than that, why had Franklin been so vague about the reasons he didn’t want to marry? A handsome man like him, who wasn’t afraid to express his love to her son, wouldn’t be satisfied in a marriage relationship without love. What if she agreed with him and they went through with the wedding, then a woman he could love came into his life? Both of them wouldbe trapped in a prison of their own making. Then what would happen to her sense of security?
Although Lorinda hadn’t ever thought about marrying again, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she would want more of a family...at some time. A man could come into her life as well and fill that need inside her.
Besides, what was wrong with her that Franklin wouldn’t even consider her worthy of his love? His rejecting the idea of a physical relationship in any marriage they would enter hurt her…but not as much as her father’s continued abuse had. This pain was on a totally different level. In her marriage with Mike, she had moved beyond the feeling of being useless instilled in her by her father. But the internal scars remained.
Franklin was kindness itself, offering her a home and protection when these were just what she lacked. Could she really turn her back on what might be her only chance to have both? What if no other man ever came into her life who would accept her need to be somewhat independent?
As she rocked Michael, his eyelids drooped and finally settled shut. Maybe she’d have to pour all her love into her son and forget about a man ever wanting to love her. She’d spent plenty of her life without comfort and security, and she never wanted to go back to that dark, scary place. Her son must never know the kind of life she’d endured at her father’s hand.
Marriage to Franklin, even this kind of sham marriage, would be better than living a lonely existence the rest of her life. Maybe in time, they could establish a mutually beneficial relationship within his boundaries...and maybe, pigs really could fly.
