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
