want to do well with my career.”
“I expect you to,” he said. He took her hand again. While his hand held hers, his thumb brushed her knuckles lightly, keeping her aware of his contact. Married to him. Even as the proposal seemed impossible, the prospect made her pulse race.
“I hope to be part of Noah’s life,” Marek continued. “I want to be an influence in his life, to get to know him. By proposing, I feel I’m doing what Kern would have done if it had been my baby. I loved my brother. I just want to watch Noah grow up. I feel as if it gives me a tie to Kern,” Marek said, his voice deepening.
Camille’s eyes filled with tears.
“Camille,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to hurt or worry you. I want you to be happy with whatever we do.”
“How can I be happy with this? You’ll have Noah, and I won’t be able to do anything about it?” she cried, standing and walking away in embarrassment that she couldn’t control her tears.
He came up behind her to place his hands on her shoulders and turn her to face him. He framed her face with his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
“Stop crying. I promised I wouldn’t hurt you,” he said gently. “Causing you distress is not what I intended. If I were Kern and had just proposed—the two of you were not in love—wouldn’t you consider his proposal?”
Startled by his question, she gazed up at Marek while silence stretched. What would he do if she refused to marry him? He was far more powerful and had more resources. “I suppose I would give it thought,” she replied.
“I’m not Kern, but, believe me, I have his interests at heart.”
Mulling over what he said, she decided she would have given some serious thought to a proposal if it had been from Kern. “You’re a little more serious and forceful than Kern.”
Marek’s faint smile lifted one corner of his mouth, calming her slightly. “I’ll try to be less ‘forceful.’ All I ask is for you to think about the possibilities. Now, are you ready to hear what I propose in the way of finances?”
“Another surprise,” she said without thinking. “Finances are really incidental. That’s not the issue here.”
He released her. “I know it’s not the issue, but I think we ought to look at all aspects of this. Finances, arrangements, a physical relationship. Want some more tea while we talk?”
His voice deepened, and that surprising fire he could ignite effortlessly between them sent a shiver to her toes. With the flicker in the depth of his dark eyes, she guessed he felt the same sparks, too. “Yes, thank you,” she said, walking to the outdoor kitchen with him and watching while he poured another tall glass of tea for her. This handsome, wealthy Texas rancher intended to marry her. The idea was impossible.
After retrieving his tea, he directed her to a chair away from the broken glass and slid his chair close to hers.
As she sipped the icy tea, she focused on him. His eyes gave away nothing about his feelings. He could have been discussing the weather as far as his demeanor and expression were concerned.
“We will draw up papers so our arrangements are as binding as any contract. If you accept, I will pay you five million dollars.”
Her shock returned full force. What were his real intentions? To offer that much money, was he working toward getting custody of Noah? “If I marry you, I get five million dollars from you,” she repeated.
“That’s right,” he said quietly. “You’ll get one million when we sign the papers and four million as soon as we are husband and wife. You will get a million each year we are married, plus a generous allowance. I will set up a trust for Noah and pay for everything for him. You can spend the money I give you as you please because there will be no strings.”
Her shock mushroomed over the fortune that he was dangling as an inducement to accept what he wanted. She could only stare at him, speechless over his offer that would transform her life and the lives of every member of her family. The money was both frightening and dazzling. “Now I see why you get your way so often,” she whispered without even realizing she had spoken aloud.
She had been counting on her career to help her family. With this money she wouldn’t have to worry whether she made stardom or not. Life should be far easier, and yet…
“That’s a huge amount of money,” she said, thinking it was an even bigger power play. Marek looked relaxed, as if accustomed to bargaining with such high stakes, but these were the highest possible as far as she was concerned. This cool rancher had thought this out and come up with an offer that she might be unable to refuse.
“I can afford it and I’d want to do it. If you say yes, you’ll be giving me far more because I know I will become a permanent part of Noah’s life.”
“You hardly know Noah. How can you feel this strongly about him?”
“It’s easy,” Marek replied. “I feel this strongly about my brother. This baby is a definite tie to Kern.”
She nodded, touched and aware how vulnerable he was where his heart was concerned. “I can understand that.” She rubbed her forehead. “Wow. You’ve turned my life topsyturvy. Actually, if I accept your offer—my whole family will be topsy-turvy. That fortune will change all our lives. You’ll want Noah a lot of the time. I’m sure you’ve thought about how much.”
“You and I would live in the same place some of the time. I don’t want to give up being a rancher or living on my ranch. But I don’t do that all the time now, and I can give up some of the time. When Noah gets to school age, you’ll have to give serious thought about how much he will travel with you.”
“I know, but I can’t foresee what my career will be. It’s filled with uncertainties at this point.”
“You’ll have enough money that you can give it up completely if you want.”
Momentarily, her tension lightened, and she smiled. “No, I’ve dreamed of this all my life, and things are beginning to open up for me. At this point, I definitely do not want to toss aside what I’ve gained. I want to sing. I want to be a star. I love opera. But I love Noah and I want what’s best for him.”
“Then I think you’ll have to seriously consider my offer.”
“I suppose I will,” she said, gazing beyond him, watching the splashing water in the fountain in the pool. “This is a beautiful place.”
“This is my Dallas home. The best place is the ranch.”
“I know very little about ranches.”
He reached over again to take her hand. “Camille, Kern was drawn to you, and I feel certain he would have proposed. I think you and I can have a workable arrangement that will benefit Noah. I’ve tried to do what will benefit you. This million a year I’ve offered—your monthly allowance will be enough that you shouldn’t need to touch that money. You should be able to invest it and I can help you and make it grow. I want what will make you happy—as happy as I will be if you accept.”
“Suppose you fall in love with someone later?”
“Divorce
