Tempted by the Wrong Twin Page 17

  She hiccupped a laugh, and he reached for her hand with his free one and intertwined their fingers.

  “I love that you overcame your preference for privacy at work and held my hand in front of all of your colleagues. I love that you tried so hard to bond with Ellie. And I especially love that you stood by me each time the darkness tried to carry me away.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed at them before they could fall. The rest of the world faded away, and all she could see was Nick. He was magnificent, and she couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone the way she loved him.

  “If you choose me today, I vow that I’ll always try to make you happy. And even when my demons whisper to me, I vow that I’ll never give up on you. On us.”

  He offered her the gold ring on his palm, and she nodded once, so he slipped it on her ring finger next to the first gold band he’d given her. Beyond words, she reached up and found his mouth, found his kiss. She melted into him, wanting the kiss, the moment, to never end.

  Eventually, he pulled back. “Harper,” he rasped.

  When she’d regained her breath, she picked out the other gold ring from the box in his hand and held it on her upturned palm. Then she looked into his eyes and finally gave her love free rein.

  “I choose you, Nick Tate, to be my husband. Not because you’re the father of our babies, and not because I’m expecting you to be a perfect husband. I choose you because I love your noble heart. I love the way you love Ellie. I love that you jumped on board with my plan to rescue Frank before you even knew the details. I love that the people under your command still matter so much to you. I love that even though we disagree on things, you always have my best interests at heart.”

  He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across the tops of her fingers.

  “If you choose me today, I vow that even though I’ll always want you to be as happy as you can, I’ll accept you as you are, with all your glorious imperfections. And I know there will be bumps along the road for us, but I vow to never give up on you.”

  She slipped the ring on his finger, and the sight of it there with all the extra meaning of these vows made the tears that had been welling in her eyes finally burst free. He pulled her to him, cradling her against his chest, and whispered, “I promise you, Harper. I’ll never give up on us.”

  “Neither will I,” she said.

  Frank appeared and tried to stick his snout between them to work out what the noise was, but gave up and flopped down at their feet.

  With a finger, Nick tipped Harper’s face up so he could see her eyes. “By the power invested in me by—” he glanced around “—Frank the Labrador, I now pronounce us husband and wife. For real this time.”

  “For real this time,” she echoed and smiled.

  And then he kissed his bride.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss a single installment of the

  TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: BLACKMAIL

  No secret—or heart—is safe in Royal, Texas...

  THE TYCOON’S SECRET CHILD

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child

  TWO-WEEK TEXAS SEDUCTION

  by Cat Schield

  REUNITED WITH THE RANCHER

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Orwig

  EXPECTING THE BILLIONAIRE’S BABY

  by Andrea Laurence

  TRIPLETS FOR THE TEXAN

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard

  A TEXAS-SIZED SECRET

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child

  LONE STAR BABY SCANDAL

  by Golden Heart® winner Lauren Canan

  TEMPTED BY THE WRONG TWIN

  by USA TODAY bestselling author Rachel Bailey

  and

  September 2017: TAKING HOME THE TYCOON

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Catherine Mann

  October 2017: BILLIONAIRE’S BABY BIND

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Katherine Garbera

  November 2017: THE TEXAN TAKES A WIFE

  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Charlene Sands

  December 2017: BEST MAN UNDER

  THE MISTLETOE

  by Jules Bennett

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  The Texan’s Baby Proposal

  by Sara Orwig

  One

  September

  Facing a problem he never thought he would have, Marc Medina sat in his spacious Dallas office on a Tuesday evening and, through his open door, watched Lara Seymour, his executive secretary. It was almost an hour after closing time, but she had a six-o’clock appointment to talk to him. He knew she would appear promptly at six, not a minute early, not a minute late. He wondered what problem she had and hoped she wasn’t planning to quit because she was the best secretary ever.

  And the best looking.

  He stifled that line of thought. CEO and President, Marc had built this company, Medina Energy. He had a policy of never dating a coworker, never getting emotionally involved with one, never flirting with one. Instead, he maintained a professional relationship at all times. Nothing would make him deviate from that policy, especially now that he was widowed.

  Of all the women he had worked with, Lara was the biggest temptation. She was the only one he was keenly aware of as a woman. Still, their relationship had never gone beyond business friendly.

  His thoughts returned to his ailing grandfather and his ultimatum to Marc—marry within this month and live on his grandfather’s ranch for one year. If he did so, Marc and his mother stood to gain a large inheritance of mineral rights and producing wells, and he stood to gain the ranch. Marc wanted that inheritance and he wanted his mother to get hers, as well.

  Knowing his grandfather, Marc was sure the old man figured that, since Marc dated some very beautiful ladies, he’d have no trouble getting a wife right away and then settling on the ranch. Marc knew what his grandfather ultimately wanted. Rico Ruiz’s doctors had given him a limited time to live and he was no doubt making arrangements for his two greatest loves—his wife and his ranch. With Marc running the ranch, Rico would
be reassured that his wife, Marc’s grandmother, could live there in the house she was accustomed to for the rest of her days and Marc would care for her.

  His grandfather had always thought Marc should live on the ranch. He thought Marc loved that life more than the corporate world, but as much as Marc did, he wasn’t quite ready yet to be a rancher. He was sure his grandfather thought he knew what was best for his grandson. Marc loved the old man and he wanted to make his last days happy, so he’d try to do what his grandfather wished, but...

  Where in blazes would he get a wife in a month? One he could tell goodbye later and dissolve the marriage.

  That was the big catch. He didn’t think any of the women he dated would want to marry and then split. He couldn’t think of one woman friend he’d want to live with, even at the ranch where they had lots of space. He glanced at a short list of names on his desk. Each one already had a line drawn through it.

  His attention was diverted as Lara passed the open door again. There went someone he could have around for one year. As a secretary, she was a huge help and yet she stayed in the background, usually barely noticeable, but always there when he needed her. Pity he couldn’t ask her. He looked at his list of names again and wrote down another one, crossing it out as soon as he finished writing.

  Searching his memory for anyone else, he glanced at Lara, who was seated at her desk putting something in a drawer. He suspected she was coming to see him to turn in her resignation. At her interview a year ago she’d mentioned she was saving her money to go to medical school someday. At the time he’d dismissed her statement as wishful thinking, but after working with her, he now believed what she said. When Lara set her mind to something, she got it done—fast and efficiently.

  She reminded him of someone else he knew. Marc glanced at Kathy’s picture on his desk and pulled it closer. “I miss you and need you,” he whispered, thinking about his pregnant wife who’d died in a plane crash fourteen months earlier. It still hurt like hell to be without her. In that crash he lost his wife and his baby. Kathy had been two months pregnant.

  He shifted his thoughts back to his ailing grandfather—another big, painful loss that was coming in his life. That made him think of his grandfather’s ultimatum—or bargain, actually. Marc had two giant reasons for wanting to meet his grandfather’s criteria. The first reason was that he wanted the ranch and the inheritance that would benefit not only him but his mother.

  The other big reason was that he loved the old man. His grandfather had been the father figure in Marc’s life since he was twelve years old and his dad died. Marc loved his grandpa and he wanted the man’s last days to be happy ones. He wanted that with all his heart—he just hadn’t known that would mean that he’d have to marry within a month.

  “Damn,” he said aloud, shaking his head and wondering what he was going to do. The stakes were too high and he loved his grandfather too much to say no to his proposition. But where was he going to find the perfect “wife”?

  A knock on the door called a halt to his rambling thoughts. He looked at the clock. Six on the dot. As usual, Lara was right on time.

  “Come in.”

  In a white cotton blouse with a tan tie at her throat and a matching tan skirt, she looked professional, tailored and so conservative she could easily fade into the background. In fact, there had been times she had to bring him papers during meetings and she had been barely noticeable, slipping in and out, a quiet, shadowy figure while so efficient at her job. Once again he hoped she wasn’t going to quit. He knew she’d had a recent broken engagement, but he had never talked to her about it other than to say he was sorry. She had thanked him and only said she and her fiancé had had differences of opinions on some major issues.

  Lara closed the door and turned back to him. “What I have to say is private and very personal.”

  He hid his surprise as he pointed at a chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  She had a graceful walk. Actually, she was damn attractive, with big blue eyes with amazingly thick, long lashes. She kept her dark brown hair in an upsweep; in fact, he’d never seen her with it down, falling free, but he imagined it was long and thick and luxuriant.

  He gave her his full attention, curious about what was personal and important enough to warrant this meeting. She crossed her long legs, her tan skirt falling over her knees. She didn’t need prompting but immediately began to speak.

  “I have a situation that eventually I’ll have to let everyone know about, but for now, it’s private. I’ll need to take some time off later.”

  “Sure, Lara. Whatever you need. We can fill in until you return,” he said, relieved she wasn’t quitting her job.

  Her cheeks became flushed, adding to her looks. She wrung her hands and looked at the floor. The reaction surprised him because he had never seen her lose her poise or appear upset. She hadn’t even appeared bothered by her broken engagement.

  “I’m dealing with things I never had to deal with before and never expected to have happen in my life,” she said, looking away as if lost in thought. “This is something I just never expected to have to discuss with my employer.”

  “Short of quitting your job, I doubt there’s anything you really need to tell me. Unless you need help of some kind.”

  She gave him a fleeting smile that was gone in an instant as she shook her head. “Oh, no. I don’t need your help. Maybe just a little patience and understanding,” she said with a tiny twist of her lips that she may have meant to be a smile.

  “Lara, just say what it is. I’m not going to get angry. You’re a great secretary.”

  With a deep breath she turned back to face him. “This is so hard, but I feel you should know.”

  “Go ahead and tell me if you think I should know,” he said gently, wishing he could ease her discomfort.

  She tightened her entwined fingers until her knuckles went white. “Oh, my,” she said, looking away from him. When she turned back, her blue eyes gazed directly at him in a wide-eyed stare as she said bluntly, “I’m pregnant.”

  She drew in a deep breath and surged forward. “We didn’t expect this to happen and Leonard Crane—my fiancé—really did not like it, so that’s why we’re no longer engaged.” She paused a millisecond and went on.

  “You see, my ex-fiancé didn’t want children for a long time yet. He wanted me to get an abortion and I—well, I can’t do that. I want my baby,” she said with a note of fierce determination in her voice that startled him.

  Marc understood now why she was so upset. No matter how much she wanted her baby, an unexpected pregnancy had to push her life off course. Lara was in such perfect control of every facet of her job and helped him keep control of his. She was efficient, intelligent, orderly, capable, dependable, driven. In fact, he was surprised that anything unplanned had occurred to her, especially a pregnancy.

  He resisted the temptation to let his gaze drift over her figure, but he knew from the past few days of seeing her move around the office, she didn’t show her condition at all. She was tall, probably five feet ten, and she was still slender.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you?” he asked. He wondered if Lara needed money or a different place to live. He wondered if she had family to rely on. They had worked closely together and he thought a lot of her. He’d do whatever he could to help her and her baby.

  She merely shook her head and gave him a small, forced smile to reassure him she was okay. Instead, it only made him aware of her good looks again.

  And that’s when the thought hit him. Lara had a dilemma...and he had a dilemma. She was pregnant, working to support herself and to save for her education. He needed a temporary wife to win his inheritance. Perhaps he had a solution to help them both out...

  Would she be a candidate for a marriage of convenience?

 
He had no doubt Lara would be willing to dissolve the marriage later. That was the best thing of all. She had her own agenda, plus the drive, the willpower and the stamina to stick with it. In a temporary marriage of convenience, she wouldn’t make demands on him or expect him to fall in love. He couldn’t. His heart was still with his wife. He hadn’t gotten over her loss and he wasn’t ready for another relationship.

  He’d been able to work closely with Lara for a year without ever crossing that line and getting personal. He knew he’d be able to keep their relationship the same as it had been.

  In the meantime, he could give her the financial support that would take away a lot of her worries about her baby.

  Yes, the more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.

  He wasn’t aware she was even speaking until she shifted in her seat and drew his attention.

  “If I continue to feel good, I’ll work until it’s time for my baby, if that’s all right with you.”

  “It’ll certainly be fine with me. You take the time you need for leave,” he hoped he said. His thoughts were still on the prospect that she actually might be a good candidate for a short-term marriage. Again, he thought about that awareness he had of her as an attractive woman. Would that make it more difficult to keep his distance in a marriage of convenience than it had in the office? He didn’t think it would.

  The more he mulled over the thought, the more he knew. Lara Seymour was the answer to his dilemma.

  He tried to pay attention as she talked about her plans, but his thoughts could not be corralled. He was so sure of his plan that he wanted to pose the offer right away. But he couldn’t do that here in the office. No, he’d rather get his offer lined up in his own thoughts and ask her to dinner to tell her. Somewhere private where they would not be interrupted.

  “I’m only in my second month, actually not far into my second month, so this is very early. I’d prefer not to announce this to the office, which is why I wanted to see you after hours.”

  “Of course. I won’t mention it. I appreciate you letting me know, even though I won’t need to get someone to fill in for you for months yet.”