No One But You by Leigh Greenwood Page A

herself.
    â€œThat’s about it,” Walter said when he’d brought his story up to the present. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”
    â€œNo. Thank you for being so open.”
    Walter’s smile was fatherly. “There’s nothing unusual about my story. There are probably a hundred men in Austin and San Antonio like me.”
    Maybe, but she hadn’t found any of them.
    â€œNow how about you telling me about this proposal of yours.”
    Sarah didn’t want to have to bare the story of her life, but he had a right to know why she was in the position of having to hire a pretend husband. It was hard to tell him about her marriage, but Walter showed nothing but sympathy for her situation. By the time she was finished, she felt like she was talking to an old friend. “I think that’s everything. Do you have any questions?”
    â€œAre you sure you want to do this?”
    That wasn’t the question she’d expected. “After what I’ve said, why do you ask?”
    â€œA pretty young woman like you should be looking for a husband, not a man old enough to be your father.”
    â€œI don’t want a husband. I mean, not a real husband. I don’t want any man to control my life ever again.”
    â€œNot every man is like your father or your husband. I’m certain you could find a dozen young men who’d treat you like a princess.”
    Sarah didn’t want to be treated like a princess, either. She wanted to be treated as an equal, one whose opinions would be listened to, whose wishes would be valued. She’d been in control of her life for six difficult and frightening years. She wasn’t willing to go back to being treated like a possession.
    â€œGiving up your chance for a normal marriage is a big step,” Walter said.
    â€œI’m determined to be the only one in control of my life. I’ll need something in our agreement that says while you’re legally my husband, you’ll have no authority over me.”
    â€œThat might be awkward to put into some kind of legal language. It would probably be easier to keep it as an understanding between us. Or the man you choose.”
    It probably would be difficult to find the right language, but she wanted something in the agreement that protected her. She had no reason to distrust Walter, but she had plenty of reason to distrust men.
    â€œWould you be interested in my proposition?” she asked.
    â€œAny man would be interested,” Walter said with another of his fatherly smiles. “I hadn’t been thinking of having a place of my own again, but a man likes to feel he’s in control of his life, too. I’ll need to talk to George first though.”
    â€œTake your time. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
    That seemed to take him by surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d talked to anyone else.”
    â€œJust Salty. The other cowhand is younger than I am.”
    â€œSalty is a good man,” Walter said. “And much closer to your age.”
    â€œThat’s not a consideration.”
    Walter paused a moment before saying, “I guess that’s all I need to know. You’ll let me know when you’ve made your decision?”
    â€œOf course.”
    He rose. “You’re fortunate to be able to call the Randolphs your friends.”
    Sarah nearly blurted out that she’d never met the Randolphs until a few hours ago. She wasn’t sure what kept her quiet. She nodded and waited for Walter to leave the office.
    The moment he closed the door, she fell back in her chair. He couldn’t have been nicer, and he was exactly the kind of man she was looking for, so why had she been so tense? Why did she feel relieved he was gone? Maybe she was tense because she was about to make a decision that would affect her family for years to come. Maybe it was the result of meeting so many new people in such a short time.