Page 25 of The Texan's Baby Proposal

She changed to jeans and an aqua sweater, and braided her hair, letting it hang down her back.

She left to find Marc so they could go look at the ranch. When she couldn’t find him, she sat in the great room that ran across most of the back of the house.

She heard his boot heels on the wood floor and knew he was coming. Then he swept into the room, and once again, she realized she would be challenged far more than she had expected to keep from falling in love with her new husband in this marriage of convenience.

In boots and a Western shirt, Marc looked even more sexy and appealing than in his wedding suit. His big smile just added to his attraction.

“Ready? We’ll drive over some of the ranch. Don’t worry, I won’t begin to show you all of it and you wouldn’t want me to.”

She walked out beside him, listening to him talk about the ranch and what his grandfather did to change and update it, but she was far more aware of Marc as he drove the pickup and talked. After an hour of looking at herds of cattle, a corral with horses, a field of bales of hay, windmills and water troughs, she was ready to go back to the house.

“I can find my way in here,” she said as they walked in the back door, “but I can’t find anything out there on the ranch. I would be lost.”

“I’ve grown up looking at landmarks. I feel like I know the land as well as I know the house. Always keep your phone with you. If you get lost, call me and I’ll come get you. Now let’s stir up some grub.”

She laughed. “I don’t think you’ll even have to stir. We’re stocked until next year.”

In a short time he cooked burgers. They sat on the patio in the cool and ate and listened to the waterfall and the tumbling water of the fountain.

Finally she stood, picking up her dishes to carry them inside. “It’s been an interesting, memorable day. I’m turning in. I should study.”

He stood. “I’ll go, too. I’m going to Dallas one day this week. You can go along if you want.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass this time. I have plenty of studying to do.”

“Chasing your dream, huh? I picked the right woman for this marriage,” he said.

They walked down the hall together, and at her door she stepped away. “Goodnight, Marc. Thank you for the marriage and for my beautiful ring and for my gorgeous necklace. You did way more than we agreed on.”

“I did what I wanted to do. You helped me make my grandparents happy. That’s important. You made this deal possible and I didn’t know one other woman I could ask. I was really in a bind.”

She smiled. “Glad to oblige, though I really think you could have found a few takers.”

“And worried every day how I would get rid of them later,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ll be gone in a flash, off to do your own thing.”

“Yes, I will. I’m thrilled that you’re enabling me to do that.” She slipped into her room. “See you in the morning.” She closed the door before he reached out to kiss her. He hadn’t stopped her and he might not have reached for her if she had stood there longer, but this way was better. She needed to get on track for her own goals.

She sat down on her bed to study, amazed by her new life and the prospects she had for her future and her baby’s future. If she had a boy, she wondered if Marc would like for her to name him Marc. He had been so good to her and that was a good, strong name. There wouldn’t be a mix-up later because she and her son would be on their own. Lara Medina. That amazed her. And now her baby would have the Medina name, too.

Later, when she lay in the dark, she thought about her baby and Marc and his name. He would let people think this was his baby. That was the most generous of all the nice things he had done for her. He would claim her baby as his. It would give her baby a father—at least while they were together. It would give her baby legitimacy. Somehow, she was reluctant to reveal the true birth father because he didn’t even want his child to live. Marc, on the other hand, had made her child’s future bright, with enough money to cover his or her education.

Yes, Marc Medina was a good man. And sexy. And downright dangerous...

That was her last thought before she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Marc was seated in the kitchen when she entered the room the next morning. He came to his feet instantly. “You’re up early.”

“I thought you might be gone,” she said, her heart missing a beat as she looked at him. He wore jeans, a navy long-sleeved Western shirt and black boots. He looked incredibly handsome.

“Good morning,” he said, his gaze sweeping over her as he walked to her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. For one startled moment, she grabbed his shoulders because she felt as if she would fall, but he held her firmly. Then her arms went around him and she kissed him back and forgot to wonder why he kissed her. She was too consumed by the kiss that made her heart race.

When he finally let her go, he smiled down at her. “I thought we should at least kiss this morning. After all, we’re newlyweds.”

She placed her hand on her hip and looked at him. “I thought we weren’t going to have that kind of relationship,” she said, her heart still racing. She tingled and was aware of his gaze drifting over her. How was she going to avoid seduction if this was the way he started each day?

Instead of answering her, Marc swept his gaze from her sneakers and jeans up to her sweater. “I have to say, you look damn good in those jeans. You should have worn them to the office.”

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