“I don’t know how much you know about my marriage. Jan was the love of my life. The moment I met her I knew that she was the woman for me-and that was going to be forever.” His voice lowered a bit, as though he was fighting off emotion. “I’m a forever kind of guy. We had our ups and downs, but she was my heartbeat.” His voice sounded choked and he paused, steadying himself. “When I lost her and my little girl, I lost my life.”
Callie closed her eyes for a few seconds. His pain was hard to bear.
“But my grandfather needed me,” he said, going on after a pause to center himself. “I couldn’t hurt him, he’d had enough grief in his life. And little by little, I pulled myself back out of the darkness.”
His voice was gruff. This was obviously difficult for him to talk about. “I don’t usually spill my guts this way, but I feel like we have to be honest. This is a big decision. I don’t want to fall in love again. I’ve done that once. I just want to move on.”
She nodded, though she knew he couldn’t see her. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and she believed him.
“At the same time, I have this deep, hungry need for a child. I can’t really explain it. It’s partly that my grandfather would so love to see an heir in the pipeline. That would make up for a lot with him. But there’s more to it. Maybe it’s something embedded in my DNA. I don’t know. But I need to have a child.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I feel the same way.”
He was silent for a long moment, letting their agreement on the most important aspect sink in.
“Callie,” he said at last. “Please give this more thought. I’m begging you.”
She didn’t answer him and he paused for a moment, then added, “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly. And listened as he hung up.
Callie did give it more thought. The morning sun brought back her optimism and things didn’t look so black and white. The entire project looked possible again.
And more thought brought up another issue. For all she knew, this might be her only chance. After all, she was almost thirty. There were no other prospective husbands on the horizon. Maybe this was just what she needed. All she had to do was throw caution to the wind.
Well, if that was all!
She was going to do it. She was going to marry Grant Carver and try to have a baby with him.
“It’s a business arrangement,” she told Tina, who took the news with openmouthed surprise. “It’s not a love match.”
Tina had the audacity to laugh at her for that pathetic proclamation.
“Right. There’s no way in the world you could fall for a man like that. No way.” She nodded wisely, then collapsed in giggles.
But Callie was determined to stand firm. After all, she’d been married before. She knew the ropes. Sort of.
Grant picked her up right on time and they cruised to the Cattlemen’s Club for dinner. He didn’t ask for her decision until they were seated at a round booth on a platform high enough to see out over the Dallas lights. They sat very close together this time, instead of across a table from each other. A sommelier poured out ruby-red wine in their crystal glasses, and Grant made a toast.
“To wedding bells and the pitter-patter of little feet,” he said, smiling at her. “Will you drink to that, Callie Stevens?”
She knew exactly what he was asking. She met his gaze and felt a tingle. Here it was. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and held up her glass.
“Yes, Grant Carver,” she said. “I’ll drink to that, and what’s more-I’ll marry you.”
The joy that leaped in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat and her heart start to thump. It was nice to be wanted-even if it was just a business deal. For just a moment, she thought he was going to toss aside his glass and take her in his arms and kiss her. She was ready to say no and to push him away, but her heart was beating even harder and she knew, no matter how hard she tried, she was not going to be able to avoid feeling a certain excitement when it came to being near this man.
She didn’t have to do any jujitsu to keep him away. He controlled himself, but his smile wrapped around her almost as warmly as his arms would have.
“Brilliant,” he said softly, his blue eyes shining. “You’ve made the right choice. Callie, we’re going to make a great couple, you and I.”
That would be lovely. She only hoped it was true. They sat very close and their heads got closer and they talked together almost like lovers, lost in a world of their own. Salads were served, and then the entrees, grilled duck for her, grilled steak for him. The food was delicious, the music from a string quartet romantic, the clinking of crystal and sterling silver a fine backdrop to the murmur of voices all around. Callie felt as though she’d stepped into a charmed land, a parallel universe, where good things just might happen after all.
“Well,” she said at last. “When are we going to do it?”
“Tie the proverbial knot?” He smiled at her. “I’ve arranged for a marriage to be performed by a justice of the peace I know at his chambers next Wednesday. Subject to your approval, of course. That will give us time to clear up all the paperwork. We should bring along two witnesses. I’ll bring my sister, Gena.”
She nodded. “I’ll bring Tina.”
He paused and a shadow passed over his face, surprising her.
“Are you two really that close?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. We’ve known each other forever.” She hesitated, then decided he might as well know the truth. “You see, we both had single mothers who died when we were teenagers, and no other family to go to. So we met when Social Services moved us into a group home with about ten other kids.”
He stared at her, astounded. “Callie, I had no idea. My God, what you’ve been through!”
She meant to give him a reassuring smile, but she could tell it was coming off a bit tremulous.
“It was pretty ghastly at first. But once Tina and I found each other, it was like we formed a little family of our own. It made the whole experience bearable.”
“So Tina is about as close to you as my sister is to me,” he said, looking resigned.
She nodded. “I would do just about anything for her.”
He looked troubled for a moment, and she wasn’t sure why that should be. But he shook it off quickly enough as dessert arrived. Bananas Foster for them to share-set on fire by the waiter to caramelize the brown sugar.
“Oh, this is heavenly,” Callie said. “I could live on this.”
Grant didn’t answer and she looked up to see why. He was watching her eat with a strange look on his face. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she quickly brought up a new subject.
“I guess we ought to get some of the details settled,” she said.
“Right,” he said, nodding slowly. “I’m assuming my penthouse apartment will do until the baby comes. Of course, if you’d like to come over and see it so you can plan to move in right after the wedding…”
She stared at him, surprised. “Oh, do I really need to do that? I thought I would just stay where I am now until…”
“Callie, we’re going to be married. Married people live together.”
He was right, of course. She felt a little silly. She hadn’t thought that through. Naturally they had to make this look as much as possible like a real marriage. What was she thinking?
“I guess you’re right. But I’ll have my own room.”
He frowned. “If that’s the way you want it,” he said grudgingly.
She was surprised it was even an issue. “I think that would be best.”
He shrugged, then thought of something that lifted his spirits.
“I’ve got a gift for you,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “Close your eyes.”
“What is it?”
“A surprise. Close your eyes.”
She did so and felt him putting something on her finger.
“And now, we’re officially engaged,” he said.
Opening her eyes, she gasped at the beautiful ring he’d put on her hand. “Oh my goodness! Oh, it’s beautiful!”
The diamond had to be over a carat, surrounded by smaller diamonds that sparkled with cool, crisp fire.
“Oh, Grant!”
“It was my mother’s.”
