that he thought she possessed those qualities.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered.
“I’ve known about you all my life, the same as you know me. And I’ve asked around.”
Pinpoints of fire flared in the depths of her eyes, and he spoke quickly before she could complain about his inquiring into her background.
“We could operate our ranches together. You’d be in charge of hiring a nanny for Elizabeth and seeing to Li’l Bit’s upbringing. In return, you’d have my help, and you’d become part owner of my ranch. I’m willing to give you a share of my land in exchange.”
Shocked speechless, she stared at him in silence, too stunned to think of a reply. Disconcerted, she ran her hand across her forehead. “That is absolutely preposterous! Just go hire a nanny and a cook.”
“I have, and it didn’t work out.”
“Well, try again,” she snapped impatiently. “You hire men to work for you. A nanny is the same sort of thing. Why didn’t the nannies work out?”
His face flushed, and his gaze slid away. “So far, I can’t find anyone grandmotherly, and the others—well, hellfire.” His dark eyes met hers. “I’m not so damned appealing, but so far, the only ones I’ve hired want a permanent relationship.”
“For heaven’s sake, marry one of them!”
“They want the real thing,” he said stonily. “They want more than I can give. I’m not going to love another woman.” His voice became gravelly, and she could see the pain in his eyes as he battled his emotions. “I don’t want to marry for love. I don’t ever want that heartache again.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, seeing his pain and feeling sad over his loss.
He shrugged, then smoothed the baby’s hair as if to reassure himself that he still had her. Mattie’s sympathy mingled with her shock. It was obvious he thought she would be quite happy to settle for a celibate relationship that didn’t involve heart or body, but merely an overseer of his household. She felt annoyed and flattered at the same time. And still shocked. And beneath all her shock, his words echoed in her mind, Intelligent and strong and kind... The praise was astounding. She glanced at the sleeping baby.
“I don’t know one thing about a baby.”
“You don’t have to. You know calves and foals and how to run a ranch. You can hire a nanny. With you there, I won’t have problems with one. You and I can work out a damned good business arrangement if you stop to think about it. You’ll be gaining a lot of land—”
“So will you, actually.”
“Yes, I will,” he replied solemnly. “You don’t have any heirs. The danger, as I see it, is that you might fall in love someday and want to marry. We could annul the marriage and break the ranches back up. I would want a prenuptial agreement to protect Elizabeth’s inheritance. Also, I wouldn’t want you to bring any scandal to her, but I don’t think you would.”
“This is absolutely ridiculous! I’ll run an ad and hire you a nanny and you can forget marriage.”
He leaned forward another few inches, running his hand over his head. His fingers were long and blunt, the nails closely trimmed. She glanced at his face, and his dark eyes snagged and held her attention. “I know I’ve shocked you. I’m desperate and I’ve had time to think this over. You should give my proposal some thought. There are advantages to you. You have your grandmother to take care of. You’ve had a tough year, and your father’s illness ran up big bills. You’re still sending your sister Andrea to college—to medical school, from what I understand.”
Annoyed, Mattie frowned. “You’ve been snooping into my life,” she complained, only half thinking about what she was saying while his proposal spun in her mind. Josh Brand wanted her—Mattie Ryan, the Clayton County spinster—to marry him Impossible! Shock held her in a vacuum, and she had to force her attention to what he was saying.
“Everyone in these parts knows about each other’s business. This community is close. Everyone knows everyone. You know a lot about my life.”
“Maybe, but I don’t know you. We can’t marry. We’re strangers.”
“I’m not talking about a real marriage. If you want the physical side, I can do that, I suppose, but my heart is as numb as that desk.”
Agitated, she stood and went to the window to look at the rolling land that belonged to her. What Josh proposed was impossible. She couldn’t even imagine herself in any kind of marriage to him, even the most platomc relationship.
“Josh, I’m sorry, but I have my life.” She turned to face him. “I don’t know babies or how to be a wife. I’m flattered that you asked—”
“Mattie, I’ve been asking questions. Your dad mortgaged a large section of the Rocking R. You have some big debts.”
“Dammit! No one in this county can keep his mouth shut from the banker on down to—”
“Come over for dinner tonight,” Josh said abruptly, interrupting her. “Let’s get to know each other better.”
At a loss for words, she stared at him in silence.
“Just dinner, Mattie. Not scared of me, are you?”
“No! All right,” she answered, her heart fluttering. She felt lost. She had never dated seriously, never flirted or had casual relationships with boyfriends. She had worked with men all her life, but she had never had personal relationships with any man. Josh Brand was just the opposite. She could remember from school functions, football games and rodeos that Josh had had females fluttering around him since he was a little kid. And she remembered his beautiful, sophisticated wife.
“Good. I’ll come pick you up about seven.”
Elizabeth stirred and let out a wail. He turned and unbuckled her, then picked her up out of the carrier, talking softly to her. Mattie stared at him, watching the transformation of this man who was so masculine and tough. He cradled the baby, cooing to her as he jiggled her and tried to calm her. His voice gentled, his features softened; he looked incredibly appealing, no longer formidable. He fumbled in the diaper bag and produced a bottle, which the baby grasped and yanked into her mouth, her large brown eyes watching him constantly.
“There’s my girl,” he said, smoothing her hair. “Elizabeth, this is Mattie. Mattie, this is Elizabeth.”
“She’s sweet,” Mattie said perfunctorily. “I’ve never been around babies.”
“I hadn’t, either. They’ll put up with a lot,” he said without taking his gaze from his daughter.
“I really don’t think—”
He raised his head, his eyes focusing on Mattie with a look that made her pause. Without taking his gaze from her, he crossed the room, closing the distance between them. Her pulse jumped as she watched him stop only inches from her. He stood too close. She could detect the scent of aftershave, of talcum, of milk. The baby made soft sucking sounds while he held her bottle, and Mattie glanced at her. Elizabeth’s fingers were incredibly tiny and dainty, her dark lashes long and thick, and she
