Linda Warren - The Texan's Bride

Her dark eyes flared like charcoal being lit by a match. “It may surprise you, but I don’t need your permission for anything.”

“Whoa.” He held up a hand. “I can see that pushes a button, but I’m out here in left field. What the hell are you talking about.”

“I’ll say it one more time, slowly, so you’ll understand.”

He gritted his teeth at her condescending tone and kept a leash on the curse words burning his throat.

“I want a baby. I want to conceive, feel the life grow inside me and give birth to my son or daughter.”

“Oh.” That pretty much obliterated every response from his mind.

“Since Daddy died I’m all alone in the world. I have no relatives that I know of. I want someone to call my own…someone to love.”

He heard the sadness in her voice and he felt himself weakening toward something he didn’t even understand. “If you’re talking about being artificially inseminated, as you pointed out, you don’t need my permission.”

She slapped the folder in front of her, drawing his attention to the file. On it, he saw the words Jessie Hardin. He wasn’t aware she went by her married name.

“Good grief, are you dense or what?” The first sign of emotion flashed across her pretty face. “Why would I need to go to a sperm bank? I have a husband.”

The creases on his forehead became tighter. “You mean you’re asking me to donate…?”

“No,” she interrupted him. “I want to have my husband’s child the old-fashioned way.”

What! It took a moment for him to catch his breath.

“You want us to make a baby?” he asked, motioning from her to him.

“Yes. You asked what I wanted and that’s it.”

His brow was so furrowed now he could barely think. “You do realize we’d have to have sex to accomplish that?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever had sex?”

Resentment flashed across her face. “Of course. I’m thirty years old.”

“When, Jessie?” he probed. “When have you had sex? Your father had you guarded twenty-four hours a day even in college.”

“There are ways to escape the guards,” she said with a lift of a dark eyebrow. “I’ve learned every trick in the book.”

“Did Roscoe know?”

“Of course not. The guards didn’t want to lose their jobs.”

He placed his hands on his hips. “Who did you sleep with?” He had no idea why he was asking her this. It was none of his business, but for some unknown reason it seemed important.

“I resent that question.” Like a shade being drawn to block the light, her eyes shut out any emotion other than anger. How he wished he could see beyond that veil of darkness.

“I am your husband,” he reminded, just to needle her.

She glanced at him. “Who I’ve slept with in the past is no concern of yours.”

He nodded, conceding her that point.

“We’re getting sidetracked,” she said. “Let’s get back to my request.”

Cadde rubbed his jaw. “Frankly, Jessie, I’m surprised. You’ve never shown one sign of making this marriage legit in every way.”

“Neither have you.” Her eyes held his like a trap held an animal.

The thought made his tone sharper than usual. “It’s damn difficult to get close to an iceberg.”

She bristled just as he knew she would. “And it’s even more difficult to attract a machine whose only focus is the oil business.”

“Damn, Jessie, this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had.”

She twisted the iced tea glass on her right. “I’d like an answer to my request.”

The word request irritated him. “I’m not Roscoe and I don’t automatically grant your every wish.”

“Fine,” she answered without pausing, “I’ll continue to block your proposals at Shilah.”

“That’s not fair, Jessie.”

“Whoever said life was fair?”

He swiped his hand through his hair. “Honestly, Jessie, I’m not ready to be a father. I spend every waking minute I can trying to get Shilah back on its feet. Roscoe wasn’t feeling well his last year and made some bad decisions.”

She stood in a quick movement. “My father never made a bad decision.”

“Okay,” he replied to pacify her.

“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped.

He took a long breath, giving them both some time to cool off. “As I said, I’m not ready to be a father.”

“You’re almost forty,” she shot back. “When will you be ready?”

“When Shilah is making a steady profit.”

“Oh, please, you had time to go out to dinner with Karen Harvey—twice.”

He did a double take. How did she know that? “It was a business dinner—a reward for a job well done on a lawsuit pending against Shilah.”

One dark eyebrow lifted again. “You rewarded her twice?”

He tried not to appear guilty but he feared he failed. “There’s nothing between Karen and me. It was only business. I didn’t cheat on our sham of a marriage.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that.”

At that moment the crazy dog of hers sniffed at his boots. The mutt was small with a ring of brown around her left eye and another brown spot on her white body. “If she pees on my jeans one more time…”

Jessie bent and patted her leg. “Come, Mirry.”

The dog immediately trotted to her and Jessie stroked Mirry’s head. The little thing looked weird without any ears or tail, but that didn’t matter to Jessie. Her classical features softened as she cooed to the animal. He remembered Roscoe talking about her love of animals and it showed in her expression. None of that emotion had ever been bestowed upon him. He thought it best to get back to the matter at hand.

“A baby should be conceived between two people who are in love and building a life together,” he told her.

She straightened from petting the dog. “In most cases that’s true. It’s quite different for us, though. We were forced into this marriage and I’ve decided to make the best of it. I do not intend to remain childless.”

“But—”

“I thought sex to a man was like turning on a faucet…anywhere, anytime type of thing.”

He studied her face. “You’re so unemotional about this.”

“You want emotion, Cadde?” She reached down and opened the file. Pulling out a document, she slid it on the glass table in front of him. “Here’s the kind you will understand. The day I give birth I will sign over one share of my stock to you. I’ll then have twenty-five percent and you’ll have twenty-six, giving you control of Shilah. Isn’t that what you want more than anything in the world? Well, there it is in black and white.”

For the first time in his life words failed him. He couldn’t push a single syllable through his throat. Was she serious?

“I want full custody. You will give up your parental rights.” She tapped the paper. “It’s in the document. You can see the baby whenever you want, but I will raise the child, leaving you free to run Shilah. You have twenty-four hours to think it over and then the deal’s off the table.”

She brushed past him and he came to his senses, grabbing her arm. “Oh, no, you don’t get to walk away after delivering a bombshell like that.”

Her skin felt as soft and inviting as anything he’d ever touched, reminding him of a magnolia blossom from the tree his mother had planted in their yard in High Cotton, Texas. Jessie’s chest rose and fell with each labored breath. His eyes were glued to her breasts pressing against the white silk. A delicate, tantalizing scent reached him.

She was petite, barely five foot four, and all woman. Suddenly he could feel the heat building between them and he wondered why she didn’t pull away or why he didn’t let go.

“There’s nothing left to say,” she said in a hoarse voice he’d never heard before. “The next move is up to you.”