The Rancher's Marriage Pact Read online

  He looked mock serious. “Yes, you are, and don’t argue with me.”

  “I wouldn’t dare, Mr. Macho. Not after what you just did for me.” That brought about an important question. “Speaking of that, what about you? You’ve clearly got an itch that needs scratching, too.”

  “True, but I’m fine for now.” He grinned. “Later this evening is another story altogether. We still have a whole lot of exploring to do, if you’re game.”

  Paris imagined giving him the pleasure he’d just given her and that made her tingle. “I’m definitely game.” The sound of the reel suddenly drew her attention and prompted her to snatch the rod off the ground. “I think I have something. What do I do now?”

  “Bring it in, darlin’.”

  “How?”

  Without responding, Dallas stepped to her side, took the pole and turned the reel’s handle until he brought up the line, a smallish silver fish dangling from the hook. “Not quite big enough for dinner.”

  “It’s so cute, but hurry and take it off.”

  “It’s a baby,” he said as he unhooked the bass, crouched down and released it into the water. “Grow up, bud, and maybe I’ll catch ya later.”

  That made Paris smile. “I’m glad you let him go.”

  “I don’t like fishermen who hang on to undersized fish just because they can. It’s a waste, and I don’t like waste.”

  She liked him more and more with each passing moment. She predicted that beneath the tough-guy exterior resided a heart of gold. “It’s nice to know you have respect for wildlife. And women.”

  He offered her the pole. “Want to try for something bigger?”

  “Are you referring to a fish?” she teased.

  “Well, sweetheart, what else do you have in mind?”

  “Maybe I’ll show you later this evening.” She took the rod and this time managed to cast it all by herself. “How was that?”

  “Looks like you’re a fast learner.”

  She handed him back the pole. “But I’m not very patient. You fish, I’ll just kick back on the deck, get some sun and watch you bring in dinner.”

  He nodded toward the hatch. “There’s a towel in there, so have fun. But don’t get too comfortable because we might not be here much longer. It’s almost time for lunch.”

  Paris realized she hadn’t eaten a thing since the whole grain bar she’d consumed in the bedroom following her novice strip tease. “I admit I’m getting a little hungry, too.”

  After casting toward the bank, Dallas shot her a grin. “From this point forward, you can always depend on me to take care of all your appetites. How am I doing so far?”

  She returned his smile. “Best fishing trip ever.”

  And she couldn’t wait to find out what else he had planned.

  Seven

  His plans for Paris had unfortunately been put on hold.

  The woman had been so relaxed that immediately after she’d eaten lunch—if you wanted to call a tomato and lettuce sandwich lunch—she’d taken a nap. A long nap.

  His mind whirled back to earlier in the day, when she’d been as hot as a branding iron and quick to fire. The bastard she’d married had done a number on her, and he really wanted to right the wrongs. Show her all the ways a man could please a woman. Convince her that she was as close to perfect as they come. No doubt he’d be up for the challenge, in every way possible.

  Dallas had thought about joining her in bed, but he’d taken a trip to the nearest grocery store—fifteen miles away—then returned a few calls, including one from his attorney. As a result of that conversation, he had to break some serious news that wouldn’t make Paris happy in the least. She might not want anything more to do with him.

  And now, with the sun working its way down the horizon, Dallas grabbed a beer, fired up the grill and contemplated how he would tell her the sorry news. He didn’t have a lot of time left, he realized, when Paris made an appearance on the back deck a few minutes later, looking like she’d walked right off the cover of a fashion magazine.

  Her straight blond hair fell past her shoulders like homespun silk. She wore just enough makeup to show off her features to full advantage, and a short blue dress with thin straps that showed enough cleavage to make him want to growl. He couldn’t believe his luck in finding such a good-looking fake wife.

  She kicked off her flip-flops, curled up on the wicker sofa and pulled her legs beneath her on the blue cushions. “Whatcha doing, cowboy?”

  Imagining what it would be like to make fast, hard love to you on that sofa. For the sake of distraction, Dallas turned the burgers before lowering the lid on the grill to regard her again. “I’m making us some dinner. You must’ve been really tired considering how long you slept.”

  “I only slept about an hour. I spent the rest of the time rehearsing what I would tell my parents about our marriage and then I called them.”

  He would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. “How did it go?”

  She shrugged. “As expected. My mom bemoaned the fact that once again she didn’t have the opportunity to throw a lavish wedding for her youngest daughter due to a whirlwind courtship. The conversation with my dad wasn’t much better.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said, and I quote, ‘This guy better not treat you as poorly as that other SOB.’ And then he went on to say to let him know where he can find Peter so he can beat the...well...some sense into him.”

  Although Dallas could understand her father’s attitude toward the ex-husband, he didn’t like the thought of winding up on the wrong side of a retired military man when that man learned his daughter’s latest marriage wasn’t permanent. “How big is your dad?”

  “How tall are you?”

  “Six-two.”

  “He’s five inches shorter and stocky. My mom is five-seven, and so is my sister. I fell on the shorter side at five-five.”

  “I would’ve guessed you to be a little bit taller. Must be those long legs.”

  “Must be your imagination.”

  Yeah, his imagination was running amok when he thought about having those legs wrapped around his waist. Again he looked to his cooking duty to keep him from acting on his fantasies. At least until he could confess...after dinner.

  “Speaking of family dynamics,” Paris began, “I assume all your brothers know about the will, but do they know that our marriage isn’t exactly the real thing?”

  “They’re all pretty busy right now so I’m not sure what Jen or Maria have told them. I plan to say as little as possible when we get back to the ranch.”

  “Do you think they would actually believe you would rush into a marriage on a whim because of a will?”

  Probably not. “It doesn’t matter what they believe. It’s an unspoken rule that we don’t get into each other’s business.”

  After a span of silence, Paris leaned slightly and studied the grill. “Color me crazy, Dallas, but those look a lot like beef patties.”

  “Only two of them,” he said as he flipped them again before turning back to Paris. “I found some kind of veggie burgers at the store. I figured they couldn’t be too bad. Heck, you could serve up a boot as long as you’ve grilled it with mesquite wood chips.”

  “Heavens, I hope it doesn’t taste like a boot.”

  Honestly, so did Dallas. He didn’t want to let her down, although he suspected he eventually would before night’s end. “The cashier who checked me out told me she loved them.”

  “I’ll bet she checked you out thoroughly.”

  The jealously in her voice surprised him, and in some ways pleased him. “She had to be at least sixty-five.”

  She lifted her chin. “Just because a woman matures doesn’t mean she can’t recognize a sexy cowboy when she sees
one.”

  “And just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I’m gonna flirt with a grandmother.”

  “Men flirt with any woman who’ll flirt back.”

  At least she’d said it with a smile. She wouldn’t be smiling when he lowered the legal boom. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “I wouldn’t turn down a glass of white wine, if you happen to have some. If not, water will work.”

  “I have wine.” Thankfully he’d had the foresight to stock up a few months ago, the last time he’d had a female guest at the cabin. The last time he’d had a woman, period. Tina, or maybe it was Terry. What the hell did it matter? He’d only spent one weekend with her. Plus, she couldn’t hold a candle to Paris in any way, shape or form.

  When Paris came to her feet, Dallas caught a good glimpse of a thigh and one stubborn part of him stood, too. He needed to get the hell out of Dodge before she noticed. He’d begun to wonder if any man had ever expired due to a perpetual erection. “Sit. I’ll bring it to you. In the meantime, you enjoy the sunset.”

  “If you leave, you’ll miss it since it’s almost gone.”

  So was his sanity. “I’ve seen it before.” He’d also seen a feminine leg before, but for some reason, viewing even an inch of her bare skin kicked his libido into overdrive.

  After one last look at the burgers, Dallas rushed into the house, braced both palms on the kitchen island and took a few deep breaths. If he didn’t calm down and get with the program, all his plans for the evening would go up in smoke. He couldn’t act on his need for her until she knew all the truth.

  When he finally gained his composure, he took the plate full of lettuce, tomatoes and pickles from the fridge, along with the bottle of chardonnay. He thought about popping the top on another beer but figured that wouldn’t help his predicament at all. He needed to keep his guard up and his sex drive down for the time being.

  He brought the hamburger fixings and put them on the wooden picnic table, then handed Paris the wine. “Sorry about the plastic cup. I don’t have any fancy barware here. Hell, I don’t have any fancy dinnerware, either. That’s why we’re eating on disposable plates.”

  She took a drink of the chardonnay and rested the cup in her lap. “Not exactly environmentally friendly, but I suppose they’ll do if we don’t have a choice.”

  He didn’t want her to believe he was a total Neanderthal. “They’re plastic, too. I throw them in the recycle bin before I leave so George can properly dispose of them.”

  “That’s good to know. How is dinner coming along?”

  He checked the burgers, all the while considering giving her a kiss. Only one kiss. But like the potato chips resting on the red checkerboard tablecloth, he wouldn’t be able to stop with just one. “Looks like they’re about ready. Do you want cheese on yours?”

  “Sure. I’m in the mood to splurge a little.”

  Dallas hadn’t realized she was standing behind him until that moment. After laying the cheese slices on the burgers, he put the spatula down and turned around, only to run headlong into some fairly fantastic green eyes and a mouth that looked like it wanted to be kissed. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. “What else are you in the mood for?”

  She slid her arms around his neck and pressed her great body against his, indicating she might be willing to make his wish come true. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a little slap and tickle after we eat. Maybe a little of that before we eat.”

  Man, she was killing him. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “Yes, but not only for food.” She rubbed against him and it hadn’t been an accident. “Just humor me, okay?”

  With the last scrap of his control in shambles, Dallas gave her a full-throttle, no-holds-barred kiss. A tongue-dueling, fire-starting kiss that gave the barbecue grill behind him a run for its money.

  But damn, he wanted more. He wanted to use his mouth somewhere else, and that meant disregarding his original plan of ignoring her. To hell with it.

  He pushed the straps off her shoulders and then lowered the dress’s bodice to do what he’d wanted to do earlier that day. He bent his head and took one breast into his mouth while Paris threaded her hands through his hair to hang on. When he circled her nipple with his tongue, she released a purely sexual sound that made him so hard he wanted to strip out of his jeans then and there. Instead, he slid his palms down her back, clasped her butt and pulled her against the erection that wouldn’t die unless he did something about it. But if he acted in haste, he could make a mistake of monumental proportions. As bad as he wanted to be inside her, he thought of all the reasons why he couldn’t.

  Dallas let her go and took a step back. He had to look her straight in the eye when he made the revelation. “We need to have a serious talk before this goes any further.”

  Paris’s lips looked swollen and her eyes hazy, but she didn’t seem to be too mad over the interruption. Yet. “Talk about what?”

  “A change in the marriage terms.”

  “I’m sorry, Dallas, but I’m confused.”

  She wouldn’t be confused much longer, but she sure as hell might be ready to slug him. He saw no choice but to blurt out the sorry truth.

  “Darlin’, we’re going to have to get divorced.”

  * * *

  Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  Paris pulled the dress back into place as her mind reeled from Dallas’s proclamation. “Now? We’ve barely been married a day.”

  “No, not now. When the year ends.”

  She could not believe he would go back on his word. So much for trusting another man. “We both agreed we would get an annulment. In fact, you promised your attorney would find some way to accomplish that goal.”

  Dallas took her by the hand and showed her to the table where they sat on opposing benches. “I spoke to him today,” he began, “to ask him why it was taking so long to get the final agreement drawn up. He informed me that if we annul the marriage, that would be like it never existed in the first place, and that would go against the terms of the will.”

  Darn the family feud. She struggled to remain calm and sensible when she wanted to shout from frustration. “Then Worth could take control of the ranch and this charade would have been for naught.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  And she didn’t like it one iota. “Great. We’ll be forced to get a divorce and I’ll be marked as a woman who just can’t make any marriage work.”

  “Not if the divorce is my fault and I take the fall.”

  She supposed at this point they didn’t have any choice. “How would you do that?”

  “You could tell everyone I cheated on you.”

  Impossible. “That would be two cheating husbands. People could interpret that as I’m a total fool, or a cold fish in bed. What else do you have?”

  “Maybe I drink too much.”

  She’d never seen him have more than one beer. “Anyone who knows you could disprove that. Any other brilliant ideas?”

  “Yeah, I could tell the truth. I don’t want any kids and that’s a deal breaker for you.”

  Shock rendered her momentarily silent. Under the circumstances, that shouldn’t matter to her, but it did. His disclosure did put the kibosh on any future with him, as if she’d really believed that would happen. “You don’t want a child to continue your legacy?”

  “Nope. I have five brothers who can take care of the procreating.”

  For a man who appeared to be all about family, he certainly seemed opposed to having one of his own. “Why exactly do you feel this way?”

  He stared at some unknown focal point behind her. “When you have the misfortune of being born to a man like my dad, it makes you doubt yourself and your ability to be a good husband and father.”r />
  She reached over and touched his hand to garner his attention. “As far as I know, infidelity isn’t genetic, and I sense you’d be a great father.”

  “You don’t know me that well.”

  True, but she believed she was getting there. And she still had twelve months to learn even more, although she realized that was all she would ever have with him. “I know you love animals and you’re willing to set a baby bass free. That speaks to your patience and compassion and some paternal instinct.”

  “I’m basically married to someone for the sake of a parcel of land. Some might say that speaks to my selfishness.”

  Obviously both of them put a lot of stock in other people’s opinions. “I don’t see you as selfish, just desperate. Besides, I’m basically in the same situation since I married for financial stability. Mr. and Mrs. Desperation. It has a nice ring to it.”

  He rubbed his chin then grinned. “Yeah, it does. So you’re not too mad at me over the annulment issue?”

  She wanted to be angry, but in essence she could only blame faulty research and jumping in feet first before they knew all the facts. “Let’s just say I’m disappointed we rushed into this before I fully investigated our options”

  “Would you have changed your mind if you’d known?”

  She had to think about that a few seconds. “Possibly, but it doesn’t matter since we can’t do anything about it now. Besides, we still have twelve months to figure out how we’re going to end it.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, unless you can’t tolerate me that long.”

  She gave him a mock stern look. “That’s a strong possibility if you don’t finish those burgers. I’m suddenly so hungry I could eat the tablecloth.”

  “No more slap and tickle?” he asked, clear disappointment in his tone.

  She wanted to say definitely, but she hadn’t quite digested the divorce issue. “Let’s worry about dinner right now, okay?”

  He stood and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Sure thing, sweetheart.”