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

one by one. “I can’t let what happened to Alan happen to me. I want children. I want a wife. I want someone to leave all this to. Or else, what’s the point?”
    Surprised by this tiny peek inside the enigma that was Jake Anderson, she sat in a chair facing the desk. “Surely there are other women...”
    He shook his head. “The only ones I know are rich society women. I don’t want my children raised with their brand of values. You and I come from similar backgrounds. We both come from good ranch stock. Together we can raise our kids to care more about the value of life than the value of a dollar. I want a wife who’ll kiss their hurts and bake them cookies instead of patting them on the head and then flying off to Barbados for the weekend.”
    Claire crossed her legs and pulled her skirt down as far it would go. “Have you considered adoption?”
    “I guess that’s a possibility, but why do that when I can have the whole package? Besides, I can’t adopt a wife to help raise my children.”
    “What about my job? I’ve never pictured myself as a housewife.”
    “I never said you had to quit work. In fact, I’m counting on you keeping track of our money. It’ll still be in the family. Now you see why I want you as director.”
    “This has to be a dream.”
    His dark brow lifted. “Shall I pinch you again?”
    “Very funny.” Claire stood and walked over to the window, rubbing the goose bumps off her arms. How could this be happening? It sounded like something from a book...or a soap opera. Become Mrs. Jacob Anderson? Wife of one of the richest men in Colorado?
    He came up behind her, standing close enough that she could feel heat all the way down her back. Though he didn’t touch her, tiny fingers of warmth reached out, urging her back toward him.
    “So?”
    Shivering, she looked at him over her shoulder. “What about prenuptial agreements? What about my family? What about...”
    “What about having a baby?” he demanded softly. “Marry me, and you won’t have to go through the expensive, uncertain process of in vitro.”
    Claire’s gaze shifted back to the city lights beneath her. She’d imagined getting marriage proposals since she was a little girl. But she’d never, ever imagined a proposal like this. This was so cold, so calculated. She’d pictured flowers and rings and violins when she was a little girl. When she was older, she’d pictured passion and flowers and rings and violins.
    “What about love?” she asked quietly, meeting his eyes in the window reflection.
    A shadow crossed his face. “Love? I can’t say I believe in love. Not love that lasts.”
    “I know it does,” she said. “My brother and his wife are very much in love after nine years of marriage. So much, that sometimes it hurts to watch them.”
    His hands on her shoulders, Jake turned her to face him. “Has it happened to you, Claire? Have you ever been in love?”
    The knife sank deep. She shook her head.
    “Neither have I. I thought I was once. But it turned out to be a mirage. No more substantial than the reflection in this window.”
    His voice was tight, his face so hard, she had to ask, “What happened?”
    He looked past her. “Melissa left me a month before our wedding. She moved back in with her former boyfriend the day after I asked her to sign a prenuptial agreement.”
    “Oh, Jake, I—”
    “It doesn’t matter.” His eyes came back to hers, black as the night sky. “My point is that marriages fall apart when the emotion the couple thought was love is gone. Why base a marriage on something so uncertain?”
    “What would our marriage be based on?”
    “Mutual goals. Respect.” He slid his hands down her arms to capture hers. “And, I hope, friendship. You think I don’t know anything about you, but you’re wrong. I know you’re smart, you’re stubborn, you’re generous. I like the Claire Eden I know so far. I’d like to get to know you better.”
    “Don’t you think getting married