Page 22 of The Texan's Baby Proposal

“In that case, I may enroll in one more course,” she said, sitting back for the rest of the flight.

As soon as they landed, they were picked up in a limo, and in a short time she saw a sprawling, one-story house with a porch running the length of the front. “Marc, it’s a beautiful house.”

“I agree. It was built by the man who owned the ranch before Grandpa, but Grandpa added to it and changed it, so it’s his house now. Actually, with this wedding, I’ll inherit the house and it’ll be mine. That’s hard to realize in some ways. In other ways, I’ve always felt as if this was my family home.”

She felt a bubbling excitement as she climbed the porch steps and started to go inside. Marc caught her wrist. “Hey, wait. Let’s do this right,” he said and dropped the suitcases he carried. He scooped her up into his arms and unlocked the door, carrying her over the threshold.

With her arms wrapped around his neck, she laughed. “This isn’t a real marriage.”

“It’s all you and I have today, and today it is real. For you it’s the first, so let’s make it as good as we can.”

“I told you you’re a nice guy,” she said, looking into his eyes. She saw the flicker in the depth of his brown eyes and knew when the moment changed. She felt the hot flash of desire and wanted to be pressed against his hard strength. She wanted to be kissed.

His arms tightened to pull her closer and he bent his head. When his mouth covered hers, she tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him back, spinning off into one of his hot, passionate kisses that set her ablaze. The world narrowed down to Marc and she forgot everything else. His kiss deepened, and her insides knotted. Desire made her hot and aching for him. She clung tightly to him, barely aware when he let her slide down against him and then pulled her up tightly. Her heart pounded and desire shook her while she continued to kiss him. Without noticing what she was doing, she wound her fingers in his hair at the back of his head. Her moan of pleasure was a soft sound barely heard above the pounding of her heart.

This kiss was sexy, demanding her response. She didn’t want it to ever end and she clung to him, kissing him in return, wanting more, losing all sense of time and place. Finally, he raised his head slightly and she gazed up into his dark eyes that seemed to consume her. Stunned, she was on fire with wanting him. She ran her hands across his shoulders while she fought the temptation to kiss him again. She gasped for breath as she looked at his mouth only inches from hers.

“That got out of hand,” she whispered. “We were not going to do this. We can’t start out this way, Marc. This isn’t going to work if we kiss.”

He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. “I think you’re right,” he said, and his voice sounded gruff. He still had that penetrating stare that made her wonder what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to ask.

“We can forget that ever happened.”

“Not in my lifetime,” he said gruffly, and she was startled by the harsh note in his voice.

“Just try,” she said. “This is a beautiful house.” She looked around, groping for something to get both their thoughts off kisses.

She walked away from him, gazing at her surroundings and trying to focus on anything besides Marc. Her heart still pounded and she had to fight to keep from turning around and walking back into his arms.

“Marc, this is like a set in a movie.” She stood in the entryway of what looked like a luxurious mansion. Dark wood paneling covered the walls of the wide hallway that divided and ran in three directions. Overhead a huge crystal chandelier sparkled in the light from the front windows and open door. Gilt-framed oils of Western scenes hung on the walls, while potted palms and other massive greenery lined the walls between settees and groupings of tables and wing chairs.

“I never thought about where you live or what it’s like,” she said aloud without thinking as she stared at the opulence surrounding her. “For the ranch I pictured something like an ordinary house or a large, rustic cabin. This is a palace.”

“It’s Grandpa’s ranch home. At least, it was for a while. When they got older, he and Grandma moved into the guest house. They had it enlarged and renovated first, and they’ve built on to it through the years. Remember, this home belonged to a rancher before my grandfather, and that man never had children. They said he entertained a lot.”

“This looks as if it belongs in the city and not out on a ranch.”

“This part is a bit formal, I admit, but the great room where we do most of the living, plus the kitchen and informal dining area are casual and comfy. You’ll get a full tour later, but right now let’s get you to a bedroom. Most of the staff is off this week, but—”

Her laugh cut him off. “The staff? What am I going to be doing here for a year, other than my own plans of studying and going to my classes?”

“Enjoy life. Enjoy the ranch. My grandmother sewed a lot,” he said, grinning. “I had a lot of pajamas as a kid because I was the only grandchild. C’mon. I’ll show you my bedroom. Bedrooms are off to the left.”

“Well, I don’t sew. Thank goodness I’m enrolled in courses and can get some things done.” Carrying her purse and laptop, she walked beside him and still was more aware of Marc close beside her than of her surroundings. This was her home as long as she was married to Marc. It was palatial, and she couldn’t imagine anyone coming inside in muddy boots and walking through the place.

She thought about being here alone when he was out on the ranch or back in Dallas.

“When you’re gone, this will be like being alone in an empty hotel.”

He smiled. “No, it won’t, but you can go into Dallas with me when I go, if you want. You don’t have to stay out here every minute. We’re married, Lara. You’re not working for me and required to remain on the ranch,” he said with amusement.

“I’ll remember that,” she said.

“I’ll show you where I told them to put your things. If you don’t like it, you can move. We have plenty of rooms. Today is a lazy day, hanging out here, because my grandfather will get a report about our arrival. After that, he probably won’t even inquire because he’s gotten what he wanted.”

“Suppose I went back to Dallas and stayed. Would he know?”

“Yes, he would, but he wouldn’t ask. I think he expects things to work out the way he wants. Mainly, I’m sure he thinks when I get back to work on the ranch, I won’t want to leave. I will want to leave, though. This isn’t the life I want right now. It’ll be quiet for you to study, so you should get a lot done, and when you need to get to Dallas for your doctor visits, I’ll get you there. One of our cowboys, Randall, is also a driver for my grandparents. If you want to have a chauffeur to Dallas, he’ll be available.”

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