The Texan's Baby Proposal

She, on the other hand, could barely contain her excitement or stop thinking about the fantastic fortune he would give her. But along with her excitement came a constant nagging worry that she should guard her heart or risk getting badly hurt. She had to stay out of his bed, because sex would mean nothing to him except physical satisfaction. She had to be on constant guard against seduction that would be briefly satisfying and then could bring down all sorts of problems for her.

She needed to keep a wall between them, she reminded herself. Eventually, they would part and he would never look back. By then if she had her baby, she’d better have her life in order.

As she laid out clothes to wear, she looked at herself in the mirror, studying her stomach, which was still flat. She wasn’t far along in her pregnancy and she was tall and slender. Most people would think this baby was Marc’s and he was agreeable to that. Why was he being so generous with her? Was it because of the loss of his own baby and his wife? She knew he was relieved to find someone who would be happy to part when he ended their marriage—she could understand that one and how she was probably the only woman he knew who would walk away with a smile. And she’d better maintain that distance from him so she would be able to leave without any kind of hurt. She had worked for him for a year and she could say goodbye and be okay right now. She wanted to feel the same way when they ended their marriage.

When her doorbell rang, she took a deep breath, picked up her purse and went to answer. Her new husband-to-be and her new life stood waiting on the other side of her closed door.

Three (#u3a716ecc-6ac3-5f94-9801-e8610035d810)

While he waited for Lara to come to the door, Marc looked at the neat flowerbeds bordering the porch of the small house where Lara lived. He wondered how much they would see each other once they wed. She could settle on the ranch because he knew that’s what his grandfather wanted. Other than that, he didn’t care what she did to get ready for her baby and to go back to school when their marriage ended.

The door swung open and he turned, momentarily startled. “Lara?” His gaze swept over her and his pulse jumped unexpectedly. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “You worked until your regular closing time, so you had just an hour to get ready.”

“That’s right,” she said, looking at him with wide, curious blue eyes.

“You look gorgeous.”

She smiled. “Thank you. Come in and see where I live.”

He walked into her place, not because he was interested in seeing where she lived. He merely wanted to look at her longer.