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“I rented it furnished. Look, if you’re taking charge of my life, then that settles it, I’m not going,” she said, hoping her voice was forceful and trying to keep her gaze from roaming down his long legs or across his broad chest.
“I’m trying to improve your situation,” he stated patiently. “What’s holding you in this place?”
Her face grew hot and she glanced away, unable to meet his direct gaze. “Nothing,” she admitted. “Except you’re a stranger.”
“Not a total stranger. You knew Jeff, so you know a lot about me. You’re not safe here. This isn’t a healthy place for an expectant woman. You don’t need to be alone and you could be a hell of a lot more comfortable. All right?”
Annoyed, she shook her head. “You’re taking charge. Back off and give me some room. I’ll think it over. I’ll come out in the morning and we can discuss your offer more.”
He inhaled and looked as if he were trying to cling to what little patience he had. “All right, but resign and get away from the secondhand smoke. At least think of your baby.”
“I do think of my baby.”
“If you’ll get a pencil and paper, I’ll give you directions to the ranch.”
She glared at him and knew he held his annoyance in check. She didn’t like him taking over, yet it was for the best. If she moved to the ranch, she knew she would be making a commitment from which it might be difficult to shake free.
She didn’t like Matt’s forceful ways. Maybe that’s why Jeff had had such a rebellious nature.
“I’m beginning to understand why your brother was like he was.”
Anger flashed in Matt’s blue eyes. “My youngest brother wouldn’t take responsibility for anything.”
She realized she had touched a nerve. Dropping remarks about Jeff, she hurried to get a pen and paper. As Matt wrote directions to his ranch, she looked at his well-shaped hands, his thick, slightly curly eyelashes and straight nose. A faint dark stubble showed on his jaw.
“After knowing Jeff, who could not be relied on, I find it difficult to trust you,” she admitted.
“I’ll keep reminding you, I’m not like Jeff,” Matt replied quietly. They stood only inches apart and he had focused on her with that intensity he had the first time they had made eye contact. Her insides got butterflies and her gaze lowered to his mouth while she wondered what it would be like to kiss him.
When she looked up to find him gazing at her mouth, her heart missed a beat. She drew herself up. “I want one point clear—you’re a take-charge person. If I move to your ranch, you agree now that you won’t try to run my life.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” he answered with sarcasm as the fiery clash of wills continued to snap between them. “But I am going to speak up when you do things that might endanger the health of your baby.”
“Right now, you can forget about ever trying to take my baby from me.”
“I know a child needs its mother. I don’t want to jeopardize that relationship as long as you are a loving mother. Your family has a history of neglect and abuse.”
“I’m not like my parents,” she snapped while anger made her hot. “My folks drank, were into drugs. They were verbally abusive. They neglected me as well as themselves and were irresponsible and it killed them. I couldn’t wait to get away from them,” she said flatly. She studied him for a moment. “You know a lot about me. Especially for having just met me. More than Jeff knew, I think. How’d you find out so much?”
“I wanted to know about you before I started dealing with you. I hired a P.I. to check into your life.”
Her displeasure heightened that he would have her background checked, but then she knew if she were making the offer he was, she might do the same.
“You don’t approve, do you?” he asked.
“No, but I can understand why you wanted to know about my past. I’ll think about your offer to move into your home,” she said, knowing she should accept eagerly, but she was loath to relinquish her independence.
“We won’t get in each other’s way. It’s a big house. Also, fall enrollment is open at the university in Fort Worth.” He reached into a back pocket and withdrew brochures and a catalogue. “Here, you can look at these,” he said and placed them on a table. “You can become a full-time student and graduate sooner,” he said.
“You’ve been planning this for a while. How far from Fort Worth is your ranch? I’ve forgotten what Jeff told me.”
“Thirty miles. Not far. You can commute easily.”
They stared at each other, and she wondered if he intended doing what he said. She had been surprised by men before, so if Matt Ransome didn’t live up to his part of their bargain, she could deal with it. She knew he lusted after her. It showed in the way he looked at her, but his control was evident also. She had the feeling that he didn’t like her at all. She suspected he didn’t approve of much his younger brother had done or the women Jeff had known. Matt Ransome would have seemed like ice, real straight and arrogant, except for the smoldering looks he gave her. What astounded her was the effect he had on her. Since Jeff, she had been immune to men, but she wasn’t immune to Matt. He made her pulse race, her breath catch. She didn’t want to react that way to him and she knew he didn’t want to respond to her, so whatever kind of chemistry there was brewing between them, it was unwanted and hopefully would evaporate.
“Are we finished for tonight?” she asked, wanting him out of her house.
“I don’t think you’re safe here. Anyone who wants to break into this place can do so easily if they have an ounce of skills. Do you want me to stay here? I can sleep in a chair or on your sofa.”
She smiled, amused by his offer of protection. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. My dad died five years ago. My mother died two years later and I’ve taken care of both of them since I was twelve years old. We lived in a lot tougher neighborhoods than this. That’s one reason I moved here. Cheap rent and a better area, although I’m sure it doesn’t look suitable to you. One more night here is nothing to worry about.”
He stared at her and she wondered if he was going to insist she let him stay. It was obvious that he disapproved of her. He probably thought she was easy. If he got to know her, he would find out he was wrong in that judgment. The last thing she wanted was to be a live-in girlfriend, going from one brother to the other.
As they gazed at each other, that searing awareness flashed between them. In spite of all her intentions to keep a wall between them, it was impossible to resist reacting to Matt. Right now her heart raced. Perspiration had broken out on his forehead, and he seemed as riveted as she was.
Inhaling deeply, he spun away to cross the room to the door. She trailed after him, pausing a few feet from him. “I gave you my cell number. Call me if you need anything,” he said.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be glad if you say yes,” he said. He opened the door and strode outside. She followed, watching Matt Ransome climb into his car and drive away.
When she stepped back inside, she looked around the shabby room. By accepting Matt’s offer, she could take care of her baby, get her education, live in a safer place. She was scared to celebrate because she hadn’t been to the ranch yet, nor had she spent a night under the same roof with Matt Ransome. Was he leveling with her and telling her the truth? Was his sole interest in the baby?
“I hope so,” she said quietly, looking around at her few possessions. She would be glad to leave this house. It would take less than a couple of hours for her to get all her possessions packed.
She switched on a bedroom light, looking at the nondescript bed and the dresser, a chest of drawers that didn’t match and a torn braided rug on the floor. As she got ready for bed, she thought about Jeff Ransome. She had enrolled in a two-year college, working in a café until she had gotten the job at the Two-Steppin’ Ribs. It paid more so she put up with the smoke and the leering men, but from the start, Jeff had been different from the others.
Tall, brown-haired and handsome, Jeff had gone to the Ribs to gamble. There was a high-stakes poker game in a back room that was invitation only and the night she’d met him, Jeff had been part of it. After closing he had hung around and asked her to go out with him.
Since she was twelve years old, she had known that she attracted males. Early on, she had learned to try to keep a wall around herself, but when she met Jeff Ransome, he had charmed his way past her defenses. She had been unable to resist his charismatic personality.
As Olivia pulled on cotton pajamas, gathered up the school catalog and brochure and climbed into bed, her thoughts went back to Jeff. He’d been the second man in her life, which she knew he hadn’t believed. She’d had a wonderful time with him until she discovered she was pregnant. They had used birth control, but she had gotten pregnant anyway.
From that moment on, Jeff was through. And then a month ago he had left for a trek in the rugged Himalaya mountains where, in a daredevil climb, he’d had a fatal fall.
Olivia gazed into space, mulling over Matt Ransome’s offer. She had to accept, but as much as possible, she wanted it on her terms, not his.
She opened the catalog and turned to the section on pre-law, her major, and for the first time allowed herself to think of the windfall Matt Ransome was providing. If only it was exactly as he said and there were no hidden agendas, no strings attached and no unpleasant surprises ahead for her. She could move to the Ransome ranch and quit her job! In the early hours of morning, the whole offer seemed surreal, and she suspected that as soon as she settled on the ranch, Matt would want to sleep with her. He was appealing, sexy and generated sparks in her the way no other man had.
Forget it, she told herself, knowing she would not go from one brother to another. “If I accept his offer, I vow I won’t have sex with Matt Ransome,” she said aloud, trying to stop remembering the tingles she had when she gazed into Matt’s blue eyes.
Forcing her thoughts off Matt, she wondered about her future and his offer. Was there anything she could do to get Matt’s proposition more on her own terms?
The next morning her palms were damp from nervousness as she drove through an open gate and passed a sign announcing the Ransome ranch. In minutes she turned a bend in the ranch road. Ahead spread houses, a barn, a corral, pens and outbuildings. A pumping windmill stood near a stock tank filled with water.
When she drew closer, she looked at an intimidating, sprawling stone ranch house with a shake shingle roof. It was surrounded by immaculate, lush green lawns and a profusion of flowers in well-tended beds that all proclaimed the wealth of the owner. She had never lived in a house that looked as grand as this one. Swallowing hard, Olivia couldn’t imagine herself suddenly part of the Ransome family.
A rail fence enclosed the yard and two live oaks gave inviting shade that failed to calm Olivia’s nerves. On the porch the hanging pots of yellow bougainvillea, scarlet gaillardia and purple impatiens added a dreamlike feeling. This could be her new home. She couldn’t fathom it.
Adding to her jittery nerves and disbelief, Matt Ransome came striding outside. In a white T-shirt, jeans and western boots, he looked muscled, tough and electrifying. Without saying a word he created a high voltage magnetism. The sight of him did nothing to calm her nerves.
He motioned her where to park in front of a six-car garage. When she climbed out, she was conscious of her cutoffs and her white T-shirt.
“Hi there,” Matt said in a deep voice as he took a box from her car. In his T-shirt that revealed sculpted muscles and his tight jeans, his sensuality jumped a notch. One look in his eyes confirmed that the sexual appeal between them burned as hot as ever. When she stepped out, she looked up to see him gazing at her waist.
“You don’t look pregnant,” he said.
An inner voice told her to keep everything impersonal with Matt, but she couldn’t do what she knew she should. “I guess it’s because I’m tall,” she replied breathlessly, mindful of how close he stood. She barely knew what she said to him. He should move away. She should step aside. Instead, she gazed up at him while her heartbeat continued to accelerate.
Silence between them carried sparks. When his attention lowered to her mouth, her pulse drummed. As he gazed at her, the blatant, scalding desire in his eyes heated her.
“No physical relationship comes with this package,” she repeated.
“It damn well doesn’t,” he replied, sounding half angry. “I don’t ever want to get involved again except in the most superficial manner. You and I absolutely don’t need entanglement between us.”
“That’s something we can agree on. It would help if you’d move away.”
Something flickered in the depths of his eyes before he leaned around her to pick up another one of her boxes.
“I’ll get your things and then I’ll show you around. Have you quit your job?”
“No, I haven’t. I figured whatever we decide to do, I’ll work tonight.”
Matt straightened up and she saw the hard look back in his features. He shook his head. “You quit today. You don’t owe them anything and you shouldn’t be there one more hour.”
“I thought you weren’t going to meddle in my life,” she said, trying to curb her temper.
“Where the baby is concerned, I’ll interfere. That nightclub isn’t healthy. They’ll manage without you.”
“Look—”
“No, you look,” he said quietly. “The bar’s atmosphere isn’t healthy. They’re going to get along without you. If we have a deal, part of it includes you taking care of yourself and your unborn baby.”
Where sexual tension had spun tightly between them only moments ago, now friction set sparks flying. She glared at him, yet she suspected she would get nowhere if she argued the rest of the day.
“Why do you want to wait tables so all-fired badly?” Matt asked her.
“I don’t. That isn’t it.”
“There you are.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m here tentatively. We haven’t agreed on what we’re going to do. I haven’t accepted your offer. We need to discuss it before you start taking complete charge.”
“Let me show you around, let you select your room and then we’ll sit down and see if we can’t come to terms,” he said, lifting the last box and putting it under his arm. “Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to everyone who works here. Mrs. Marley is the housekeeper and cook. You’ll meet her at the end of the week. She’s here two days a week. Fridays, she cooks. Saturdays, she cleans. My dad lives down the road from me. She’s at his house Monday through Thursday.”
Olivia nodded.
“Wait a minute,” Matt said and set a box on her car. Following Matt’s gaze, she watched a tall, sandy-haired man approach and shake hands with Matt.
“Olivia, this is our foreman, Sandy McDermott,” Matt said easily. “Sandy, meet Olivia Brennan who will be staying with us a while.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Sandy,” she said, extending her hand and smiling.
“Happy to meet you, Miss Brennan. Glad to have you here.”
“It’s Olivia, Sandy. Call me Olivia.”
Sandy nodded. “Nice meeting you, Olivia,” he said, turning to talk to Matt. Olivia listened while they discussed cattle and a world she didn’t know. Matt was quick and decisive and more relaxed than when he was dealing with her. As soon as Sandy told them goodbye and left, she and Matt headed for the house.
She was aware of Matt walking close beside her. Her jittery nerves kept her on edge, and she wondered what she was getting herself into.
Once again Matt took her arm and she drew a deep breath. She hadn’t known him twenty-four hours, yet his slightest touch set her ablaze. She couldn’t fathom the chemistry. She had known other handsome, decisive males and she had had no trouble dealing with them and no difficulty ignoring them. Until now. Even Jeff with all his charm had never carried the electricity of a bolt of lightning the way Matt did.
She wondered again what she was getting into if she accepted Matt’s offer that was a windfall in her circumstances. She was heartily glad to be out of the bar and away from lustful men. At the same time, she wanted this bargain to be partially on her terms. Her queasy nerves jangled when she thought about her plan and her requests. She had no idea how Matt would react. The knowledge was constantly with her that she was taking a risk by making her own demands because if she accepted his offer and he did what he said and kept his bargain, her life would improve beyond her wildest dreams.
He held the door, following her inside an enormous kitchen with oversize windows. Sunlight streamed into the room that held maple cabinetry, granite countertops, a marble floor and maple furniture. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a patio and a pool with sparkling blue water.
“This is beautiful,” she said, unable to keep a breathless tone of awe out of her voice. “It doesn’t look like what I imagined.”
“Jeff and I must have created the wrong impression.”
Her gaze flew to him and heat flooded her cheeks. Embarrassed by her reaction, she bit her lip.
“You probably thought we lived in a cabin with mounted heads and gun racks and the sort.”
“No,” she denied halfheartedly and then shrugged. “Maybe something like that,” she admitted.
“C’mon. Let me show you this wing of the house.” He took her arm lightly, yet the contact sizzled, and as they crossed the kitchen, her surroundings paled in comparison to the man beside her.
From the hall he led her into a family room and her awe returned at the sight of a twenty-foot-high cathedral ceiling, a massive stone fireplace, luxurious tan leather furniture and pictures of landscapes.
“This is a dream!” she gasped and her face flushed. “You can tell I’ve never lived in a house like this,” she said.
“Well, now you do,” he said. “It’s comfortable. Across the hall are the living and dining rooms,” he said, taking her arm again as they returned to the hall. “On the other side of the kitchen is a utility room, exercise room and my office. The bedrooms are in the opposite wing. Other than my bedroom, in the southeast end of the house, you can have whichever bedroom you want.”
As he led her through a workout room, a media room and his office, the elegant furnishings overwhelmed Olivia. It was a dream-come-true moment to think she would live in this palace. She realized Jeff and Matt weren’t the ordinary cowboys she had imagined they were. The house reeked of money and power and she wondered whether she could hold her own and govern her baby’s future against the Ransomes’ wishes.
“We’ll have a decorator help you with the nursery.” Matt’s words jolted her back into awareness of the moment.
“I won’t be here forever.” Olivia gave him a startled, wide-eyed look.
“That’s all right. You’ll return to visit and bring the baby.”
“You’re so certain!” she exclaimed, yet now she realized part of the source of his arrogance and assurance. Growing up in a home like this, how could he be anything except confident?
“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked, looking blandly at her.
Olivia stopped to face him, a frown creasing her brow. “Our lives are so different.”
