cook.”
“Tell me again why you want to get married,” he said in a quiet voice.
Desiree debated the wisdom of telling Carter the real reason she needed a husband. She had always believed honesty was the best policy. When she opened her mouth to speak, what came out was, “I’ve been on my own for six years. Nicole needs a father. I…the winters are long when you’re alone. And I could use a partner to help me do the heavy work on the ranch.
“As you’ve seen for yourself, my face makes it impossible for me to attract a husband in the conventional way. I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
“Why me?”
“Your grandmother speaks highly of you.” She smiled. “And I haven’t forgotten how you saved Boots.”
“Boots?”
“My cat.”
He rubbed his thigh and grimaced. “Right.”
So maybe she didn’t know about his money, Carter thought. She wanted company. And a father for her child. And someone to do the heavy work on the ranch. That made sense. And he could understand why she didn’t trust a man to see beyond the scar on her face. He was having trouble doing that himself, although his body had responded—was responding even now—to the thought of joining hers in bed. She had beautiful eyes. In profile, the scar didn’t show at all. And in the dark…
He would be giving her something in return for something he wanted very badly. Carter knew he could put down roots here. This place felt like a real home. He wanted to make it his. Though Desiree apparently didn’t know it, he had the money to restore the Rimrock to what it had once been, to make it even better.
He wanted to ask her when and where she had gotten the scar on her face, but he figured that could wait until they got to know each other better. Assuming they did.
“I have two problems with your proposal,” he said.
Desiree had been certain he was going to say a flat no, so she welcomed the opportunity to overcome his objections. “What problems?”
Carter’s lips thinned. “I hadn’t counted on the girl. I’d want her kept out of my way.”
Desiree bristled. “This is Nicole’s home. I wouldn’t think of confining her to any part of it to keep your paths from crossing. If you can’t handle the fact that I have a daughter, this isn’t going to work.”
Carter was amazed at how Desiree’s eyes flashed like fire when she was angry. In that moment, her scar made her look like a fierce warrior. He nodded abruptly. “All right.” He supposed it wasn’t necessary for her to keep the child out of his way; he would do whatever was necessary to keep his distance from the little girl.
“And the second problem?” Desiree asked.
“I can’t agree to a marriage in name only.”
Desiree paled. Her heart pounded, and her stomach rolled over so she felt like throwing up. She couldn’t couple with any man, ever again. “Why not?” She forced out the words through stiff lips.
“I don’t plan to spend the rest of my life as a monk. I’d expect my wife to provide the necessary comfort on cold winter nights.”
Desiree flushed as his eyes boldly assessed her body. She found the man she had selected to be her husband quite handsome. But she had learned from bitter experience that a man became a beast when satisfying his sexual needs. She dreaded what he might expect of her. She was certain she had nothing to offer him.
But it would humiliate her to have her husband going to some other woman for his needs. In their small ranch community the talk would be bad enough if he married her. She didn’t want to give her neighbors any more reason to gossip.
“I’m willing to compromise,” she said at last.
“There is no compromise on this,” he said. “Either you’re willing to be my wife or you’re not.”
“I’m willing to be a real wife,” she assured him. “But not until we know each other better.”
Carter’s lips twisted. “How long do you expect that to take?”
“I don’t know.” Desiree looked him in the eye and watched as he stared back, careful not to let his eyes drop to her scar.
“All right,” he said at last. “I accept your proposal.”
CHAPTER THREE
THEY DECIDED TO BE MARRIED a week later in a civil ceremony in Casper. Desiree offered Carter the guest bedroom, but he decided to stay in a hotel in town until the wedding so he could take care of some unfinished business.
“I’d like Nicole to be present at the wedding,” Desiree said as she stood holding his shearling coat for him at the kitchen door.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Once we’re married, you’ll be her father. I think it would help her to adjust better if she saw us take our vows.”
“From what I’ve heard, she’ll probably think I’m a gift from Santa Claus,” he muttered.
Desiree couldn’t help smiling. Chances were, Nicole would.
THE DAY OF THE WEDDING dawned clear and crisp. Most of the snow had blown away or into drifts, revealing a vast expanse of golden grass. Desiree woke with a feeling of trepidation. Was marriage the right solution to her problem? Would she and Nicole achieve safety by bringing Carter Prescott into the house? Was that alone enough? She considered buying a gun to protect them, but realized that she wouldn’t be able to use it, so it would only become one more danger.
Desiree was still snuggled under the warm covers when she heard the patter of bare feet on the hardwood floor. Her door opened and Nicole came trotting over to the four-poster.
“Where are your slippers, young lady?” Desiree chastised as she hauled Nicole up and under the covers with her.
Nicole promptly put her icy feet on Desiree’s thigh.
“Your feet are freezing!”
Nicole giggled.
Desiree took her daughter’s feet in her hands and rubbed them to warm them up. “Today’s the day Mr. Carter and I are getting married,” she reminded Nicole.
“Is he going to be my daddy now?”
“Uh-huh.” Desiree hadn’t asked how Carter felt about being called Daddy. Surely he wouldn’t mind. After all, being called Daddy didn’t require any effort on his part.
One of her major concerns over the past week had been how well Carter would get along with Nicole. During his visits he was brusque if forced to speak at all, but mostly he held himself aloof from Nicole. She supposed that was only natural for a man who apparently hadn’t spent time around children. And a man his age—he must be thirty-three or thirty-four—probably didn’t remember what it was like to be a child. Obviously
