Page 44 of The Honorable Texan
She hesitated.It didn’t sound genuine.He wasn’t pretending undying love, but he wasn’t promising much.She could get companionship and affection from a dog or a cat.What she wanted from Blake was much more.What sort of marriage would it be if he didn’t love her, as she loved him?He obviously enjoyed her physically, but everybody said that passion wore itself out eventually.After it was gone, what would Blake have left if he didn’t love her as well as want her?
“You’re thinking it to death,” he accused.“Listen to me.I’m tired of living alone.I’m willing to take a chance if you are.If things don’t work out, it’s no problem.We’ll go our separate ways.”He was already thinking ahead; if she turned out not to be pregnant, there was no reason to think he’d have to stay married to her.But he wasn’t about to admit that.
“You mean, we’d get a divorce,” she said.
He shrugged.“Sometimes things don’t work out.I’mnot saying I think we wouldn’t make it, Violet.I’m offering you a way out, just in case.”
“Isn’t that sort of like having a fire engine stand by in case there’s ever a fire?”she fished.
He chuckled.“No.It’s not.”He studied her warmly.“Come on.Give in.You can have any sort of engagement ring you like, and I’ll even let you sign an ironclad agreement that you’ll never leave me to work for anyone else ever again.”
“Why would I sign such an agreement?”she exclaimed.
“For my peace of mind, of course,” he told her dryly.“You’d want me to be happy, wouldn’t you?”
She lost her apprehension and laughed with him.“That’s awful.”
“Give me time.I’ll get even worse with age,” he promised.
“What a horrible thought!”
“I’ll promise not to throw dictionaries at you,” he added.
“You’ve never thrown one at me,” she recalled.She hesitated.“You didn’t throw one at Jessie?”
“It was a thin one,” he assured her.“Paperback, and abridged.”
She burst out laughing.“No wonder she quit!”
“Oh, that wasn’t about the dictionary,” he said easily.“That was after I poured coffee over a brief she typed.”
She gaped at him, waiting for an explanation.
“It had two spelling errors per line.I wanted to make sure she knew to redo it.”
“You couldn’t have just asked?”
“Too demeaning,” he said.“My way worked much better.”
“Your way made her quit!”
“So you could come back,” he pointed out.“She wouldn’t have quit if I’d just asked her to retype the brief, would she?”
She really liked him.It was surprising how comfortable she felt with him, now, even though he excited her almost beyond bearing.It would be taking a chance, she supposed, to marry him.But she didn’t have enough willpower to refuse.Perhaps she could teach him to love her, if she worked at it.At the moment, she felt as if she could do anything.Her heart was soaring with delight.
Her free hand covered his.“I must save other women from you,” she said facetiously.“So I suppose I’ll have to marry you, after all.”
He felt funny in the pit of his stomach.He was willing to marry her out of a sense of duty, although she wouldn’t know it.But when she agreed to it, he felt suddenly lighter than air.He felt like the luckiest man alive.That was absurd.He didn’t love her.He wanted her.He remembered suddenly the feel of her eager, untried body under his on the living room carpet and his cheeks reflected a ruddy color.
“What is it?”she asked, curious.
“I was remembering my carpet.”
It took a minute, but she remembered, too.Her own face flushed.
He laughed softly, wickedly.“At least, in that department we’re very compatible, aren’t we, Violet,” he taunted.
“Devil!”she accused, glancing around to make sure nobody heard him.
