Page 12 of The Texan's Baby Proposal

“I think the way I look at the office is more conducive to a business atmosphere and I don’t care to draw undo attention to myself.”

“I think all that might have worked to my advantage,” he said, wondering if this was going to be the purely businesslike arrangement he had anticipated.

He held the door for her, and when she slid into the seat, he glimpsed her gorgeous long legs as her dress slipped high above her knees before she pulled it down slightly.

As he closed the door and walked around the car, he was hot, intensely aware of her and wanting to get another long look at her. And that’s when he had his answer. He would never see his secretary quite the same way as he had before this evening. Not after he’d had a glimpse of the good-looking woman she actually was.

At the restaurant they sat in a secluded corner. He ordered a glass of milk for her and white wine for himself, and she laughed when he held up his wine glass. “To a fabulous, brief marriage that will reward us both,” he said.

Her eyes sparkled and her full lips curved in a tempting smile as their glasses clinked slightly.

“A glass of milk doesn’t have quite the ring that two wine glasses do when touched in a toast,” she observed.

“No, it doesn’t.” They both drank and he set down his glass. “Let’s order and then we can talk about a wedding.”

After they had given their orders, he reached across to take her soft hand into his. To his amazement he felt sparks from the slight touch. Since when did he feel any electrifying reaction from merely touching a woman’s hand—particularly his secretary, whom he saw every day? As he released her hand, he wondered how much she was going to become involved in his life in this brief, fake marriage of convenience.

He hadn’t expected he would notice her much more at the ranch than he had at the office, but he had miscalculated where his quiet secretary was concerned. He should have paid closer attention, but he was still pleased with his choice. She would be perfect in so many ways, mainly in moving on when the year was up. Plus, she needed someone and he could help her and her baby. He knew she was locked into that education and career, and neither hell nor high water nor anything he did would change it. He was completely familiar with a woman driven to accomplish something.

“Now, what kind of wedding would you like to have?” he asked. “Remember, it has to be this month.”

“I think, given the circumstances that you and I are not in love,” she said quietly, her big, blue eyes making his heart race, “I think we should have a small wedding. I’m not far along in my pregnancy and if we have a small wedding this month, by the time I have to announce that I’m pregnant, people will think it’s your baby that I’m carrying. Are you all right with that?”

“Yes, I am. That was part of this deal. I told you that your baby can have my name.”

“Marc, you’re really generous,” she said, her eyes shining.

“Just remember, I’m gaining, too.”

“Is a small wedding all right with you? Because you have all sorts of people you probably are obligated to ask. I have no idea about your relatives except what you’ve recently told me.”

“My close relatives will be there—my mom, my grandmother. My closest friends, Gabe Callahan and his wife. I’ll ask Gabe to be my best man. After the ceremony, we’ll have a big reception and invite our friends, everyone we want.”

“Since I don’t have relatives and you do, if you’d like, we could just have a small wedding at the hospital—then your grandfather could be present. If he’s able, we could have it in his room or just outside his room.”

“You’re willing to do that?” Marc asked, surprised and pleased.

“Yes, because it doesn’t matter to me, and I can marry in a week, if you want.”

His pulse jumped because he didn’t expect this much cooperation from anyone, even her. It was enough that she’d accepted his proposal. “That’s fantastic, Lara. The sooner we marry, the sooner the clock starts ticking on the year I have to stay on the ranch. Also, something could happen to my grandfather at any point and I would like for him to know that I married and did what he wanted.”

“That’s good. We need to get the license.”

“I’ll take care of that,” he said, guessing she was moving back into secretary-boss mode. They paused when the waiter set green salads in front of them, and once they were alone, they continued discussing the wedding.

“We should be able to marry Saturday, if you can, or even Friday,” he said, and she nodded.

“Either one is fine. I’d prefer to avoid missing the class I’m enrolled in. I go to Denton to school on Wednesday nights, so Friday or Saturday won’t be an interference.”

“When we move to the ranch, you’ll have a hell of a drive.”

“It’s only once a week until December. I’ll do it,” she said, and he knew she would. He gazed at her. She was perfect for this temporary marriage of convenience. She would walk away as easily as he would. For a real marriage, though, she was the type of woman he vowed he would never marry—a driven woman who put business first even though her motives were to help others and work toward a cure for illness. She would work long hours—just like his mother always had. He didn’t need her for the real thing, though, so this would work beautifully.

“I expected a lot from this job, but never marriage to the boss. Wow,” she said, laughing, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ll have my accountant contact you and set up an appointment. You need to open an account where we can deposit funds on a regular basis, so you’ll have money available. Before we part tonight, I’ll give you a check for the wedding, your dress, that sort of thing.”

She laughed again. “I cannot believe this is happening to me.”

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