And Cowboy Makes Three (Cowboys To The Rescue 2) by Martha Shields

“Why did you do that?”
    “To prove this isn’t a dream.”
    The consequences of that reality made the blood rush from Claire’s face. She took a step back and rubbed her hand with cold fingers. “Then I couldn’t possibly have heard what I thought I heard.”
    “I guess it depends on what you thought you heard.”
    “I thought—” She frowned. “That you asked me to marry you.”
    He nodded calmly. “I did.”
    “You didn’t. You couldn’t....” She flinched in confusion and retreated until the backs of her knees struck a patio chair. She grabbed the railing to keep from falling. “Why?”
    “It’s the perfect solution. You need to have a baby, and I need an heir. So we get married.”
    “I can’t marry you!”
    “Why not?”
    “Why not?” she asked incredulously. “There’s about a bizillion reasons why not”
    “Name three.”
    “Well for starters, you just met me last night. You’ve only known me twenty-four hours.”
    “So?”
    “I could be a hatchet murderer for all you know. You don’t know anything about me.”
    He smiled tightly. “You were born Claire Angela Eden on May 8 on your family ranch, the Garden of Eden, in Dubois, Wyoming. You have two older brothers. Hank and Travis. Hank runs a small herd at the Garden—as it’s known—but his main source of income is rodeo stock. Travis is a rodeo champion. He’s currently third in world standings and is going for his eighth bull riding championship. Hank is married. Travis isn’t Hank has three children, two boys and a girl. Want to hear more?”
    “A few phone calls would have gotten you that much. It doesn’t mean you know me.”
    He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the apartment. “Come on. I want to show you something in my office.”
    He guided her to a room dominated by a heavy oak desk. He released her hand, then continued behind the desk and picked up a thick folder from the credenza. Flipping through it, he began reading off the teachers she’d had in grade school. When he started talking about the time she and her childhood friend Mallory sneaked off to smoke a cigar Mallory stole from her father, she reached across the desk and grabbed for the folder. He avoided her easily.
    “Nobody knows about that! Who told you? Damn it, that’s my life in your hands.”
    He looked up with feigned innocence. “Claire Eden 101.”
    “Very funny. What did you do, hire a private detective?”
    He closed the file and threw it on the desk. “Several, as a matter of fact. This morning.”
    “What? Why?”
    “You’ve been studying me. I thought it only fair I return the favor.”
    “I wasn’t studying you. I read the article Denver Magazine did on Alan.” She pointed at the folder. “Besides, having all those facts at your disposal doesn’t mean you know me.”
    He had the audacity to smile. “But I’m well on the way.”
    Her chin lifted. “You have no idea what kind of filthy habits I might have. What makes you think you can stand me for the rest of your life? And I don’t know anything about you, other than you’re pig-headed and overbearing.”
    “Fine. We’ll spend the next forty-eight hours together, getting to know each other. If we can still stand one another by Sunday, we’ll fly to Las Vegas and get married. Agreed?”
    “No! I haven’t agreed to anything. Besides, I have to start a new job on Monday. You need me now, remember?”
    “This is more important at the moment. The beans can be counted later.”
    Claire stared at him across the expanse of polished wood. Become Jake Anderson’s wife? She still couldn’t believe she was his date. Then something he said earlier caught her mind. “What did you mean when you said you need an heir?”
    Jake ran a hand back through his hair, then sank into the thickly padded leather chair. He studied her face for a long minute, then his eyes shifted to the floor-to-ceihng window. When his words finally came, they sounded stiff, as if he had to drag them out