The Baby Race (2 page)

"How 'bout we drive out to the Falls? Any
eavesdroppers will have a hard time hearing over the roar."

"Alright." This time of day the Falls would
be loaded with picnickers and tourists. She stood and reached for
the check.

Race beat her to it, dropped a couple of
bills on the table and took her arm. The warmth of his grip soaked
through her thin blouse, but didn't touch the chill growing in her
heart.

Race handled his oversized pickup truck like
a race car, careening over and around the hilly, curving road at a
speed that left Claire's heart and stomach behind and made
conversation impossible. By the grim look on his face, she knew any
objections would be unwelcome, so she bit her lip and held tight to
the door.

Though the grassy area bordering the
picturesque falls was crowded with picnickers, like Race said, the
constant roar of water drowned out conversations more than a few
feet away. On the old blanket he provided from the bed of his
truck, Claire sat and curled her bare legs beneath her. While the
glare of the June sun beat on her head, the spray from the falls
felt cool and refreshing against her skin, almost like she imagined
a lover's caress would feel.

Since her arrival in Council Falls two years
ago, this had become one of her favorite places. During the summer
months, the sparkling fall of water over rocks and the dense green
woods that surrounded the twisting flow of the Council River
reminded her of the tropics where she'd spent her childhood days.
But even when winter settled in, and all but a trickle of water
froze she loved the tranquility.

Race folded himself down onto the blanket,
which suddenly seemed to shrink in size. She started to scoot away,
but at his knowing look forced herself to remain still.

"So, are you going to marry me?" he
asked.

Blunt was understating Race's manner. The
hint of uncertainty in his voice lightened some of Claire's unease
and relit her natural sense of humor. He wasn't as sure of himself
as he appeared. "If this is how you go about finding a bride, no
wonder you need to enlist your grandmother to find candidates."

"Damn her! She didn't tell you the whole of
it, did she?" He ran a bronzed hand around the back of his neck,
and then lifted his head to stare straight at her. "I'm not looking
for a bride. I'm looking for a wife. A woman to be the mother of my
baby."

"B-baby?" Claire sputtered. "Nothing was said
about a baby." She edged back on the blanket, prepared to bolt if
he made any sudden moves.

Damn! Jared thought. He'd handled that badly.
Why had he said it, when he had no intention of participating in
Grandmere's bizarre baby race? "Relax. I'm not going to jump
you."

"I think you'd better explain." Hands
clenched in her lap, she sat up straight and watched him as if he'd
just escaped from a mental institution. And if he was seriously
considering going through with this mad charade, maybe he had.

Race took a deep breath. "It's a bit
complicated. You know I own the ranch out at the edge of town where
I take in abused horses and rehabilitate them, then find them new
homes. Well, most of my funds come from private donations and fund
raisers I hold. Next spring my balloon payment comes due and
there's no way I'll be able to make it."

"What in heaven's name does this have to do
with having a baby?"

"Be patient. You also know my grandmother,
Amelia Reed?"

"Yes, we've met. An interesting woman."

"That's an understatement. Grandmere
practically controls Council Falls. Recently, she decided she's
getting old. Old? Hell, at 75 the woman runs rings about most
people. She wants to guarantee that the Reed name continues. So
she's come up with a crazy contest. The first of her grandsons to
marry and produce a son will collect a substantial cash prize. With
it I could pay off the ranch."

"You're willing to father a child to win some
money?"

Race didn't know why her disapproval stung.
"No, of course not."

"You don't want to get married?"

She sounded disappointed. Why? "What I want
doesn't matter. I need to get married."

"Now, I'm thoroughly confused." She shook her
head and sun-streaked, coffee-colored hair danced around her small
elfin face. Humor glinted in the warm brown eyes that met his gaze
steadily. Her calm acceptance of the strange situation gave him the
courage to continue.

"Grandmere is also offering each of us a cash
bonus when we marry, as well as the larger prize for the first
great-grandson. I intend to collect the bonus, pay off my ranch and
ignore Grandmere's baby race."

"I see." Her head dipped forward, her hair
shielding her face.

Did she? Race doubted it. How could she, when
he didn't? His fingers itched to push aside that silky veil and
read her feelings in her expressive eyes.

"Surely there's a woman in your life whom
you'd rather marry than a stranger?"

"No. There's no one. I don't want a wife or
family. Grandmere's marriage bonus only stipulates we have to
remain married for a year. After that, we'd divorce and go our
separate ways."

"And what do I get out of this
arrangement?"

The mercenary question bothered him, but what
did he expect? He was basically buying a wife. Of course she'd want
something in return for her time and effort. Love had nothing to do
with this arrangement. "You're trying to adopt your stepsister,
right?"

She nodded.

"I'd play the part of the supportive husband
for the social worker. And after the divorce, I'd provide you with
a cash settlement. In addition, I make a comfortable living from my
saddle making business. Not enough to pay off my loan, but enough
to provide you with a small monthly income until you get on your
feet."

For a long moment she looked out over the
river. Race couldn't see her face, but the rigid set of her slender
shoulders telegraphed her tension. Then she turned toward him and
met his gaze. "Write out the agreement. I'll marry you."

~~~~~

CHAPTER TWO

Claire stared out at the glittering lights of
the Las Vegas strip without really seeing them. The plain gold band
on the third finger of her left hand felt heavy and uncomfortable,
a shackle binding her to the silent man inside the room behind her.
She'd always thought of herself as a practical, no-nonsense kind of
person, but this mad rush into a marriage of convenience left her
wondering if she hadn't inherited some of her father's
rashness.

Since she'd said yes to Race's unconventional
proposal, her life had spun out of her control. In less than three
days' time, Race had organized everything from their wedding trip
to Las Vegas, to someone to care for Bobbie Sue while they were
gone. Claire felt herself caught up in a dark whirlwind. Only now
that the deed was done did she stop to reflect on the choice she'd
made.

Other than what was contained in the detailed
pre-nuptial agreement Race had had drawn up, Claire had no idea
what he wanted from their marriage. Nothing had been said about the
intimacy inherent in any union.

Did he expect her to share his bed? She
didn't know whether the thought enticed or repelled her.

She jumped and turned as the warm weight of
Race's hand touched her shoulder. A frown crossed his face at her
instinctive retreat from his touch. He let his hand drop to his
side and took a step back.

"Are you ready for some dinner? It's been a
long, hectic day." He referred to the early morning drive to the
Chicago airport, the flight and the utilitarian wedding ceremony
after lunch. "Would you prefer room service to going out?"

Dressed in crisp jeans, black cowboy boots
and a white shirt, his dark sleek hair pulled back with a thin
rawhide strip, he dominated the room with his presence. The clean
woodsy scent of his cologne lingered in the air. Her stomach
clenched. She couldn't stay another minute alone with him.

She slid past him and grabbed her purse.
"Let's go out. Even though I spent some time in the Nevada deserts
with my parents, I've never been to Las Vegas. I'd love to see a
show, too," she babbled. Anything to prolong the moment when her
question about Race's intentions would be answered.

Surprisingly, dinner was a pleasant
experience. Because of their casual attire, they opted for a small
Italian restaurant just off the strip. The red checkered
tablecloths and straw-wrapped wine bottle candleholders
complemented the mouth-watering lasagna. Dim lighting and soft
romantic music both eased and aggravated Claire's nervousness.

In honor of their wedding celebration, Race
ordered champagne. After her second glass, some of her tension
dissipated and she felt brave enough to question him about his
ranch.

"Right now I can handle about ten horses, but
I have room to expand in the future. I'd like to build another
stable and paddock, hire more assistants."

She laughed as he told her about the antics
of Minny, the ranch's resident dwarf horse, and the trio of
mischievous goats she hung around with. She blinked back tears at
his stories of neglected, abused horses saved from certain death
and restored to health, happiness and useful lives. As he spoke of
the horses he rescued and cared for, his voice and features
softened.

Claire couldn't help but wonder what it would
be like to have his gentle concern focused on her - to have his
hands on her. Her heart rate increased and molten heat flooded
through her.

"The Council River runs along the edge of my
property for a couple hundred yards." His brisk tone and cool gaze
banished her misplaced thoughts.

"In the summer I get a lot of boaters using
the shore line for camping and picnics. But since the barns and
paddocks don't abut the river and the house sits between, there
hasn't been a problem."

"What's the house like?" Claire asked.

"Two stories. It's old, but sound. I had the
kitchen and baths updated when I bought the place, but the rest is
a bit rundown. I haven't had the time or money to remodel."

"If it has a roof and running water, it'll be
fine. Bobbie Sue and I are used to roughing it." Claire soothed his
budding defensiveness.

"It's not that bad. By the time we get there
tomorrow, your things will be moved from the house you were
renting. I took care of the back rent owed."

She felt a moment of irritation at how this
man had taken over her life. Keeping a secret in the small town of
Council Falls had proven more than Claire could manage. Everyone
seemed to know how few choices she had. She swallowed her pride.
"Thank you." Embarrassed and ashamed at her parents' lack of
foresight, Claire ducked her head to avoid the censure she knew was
in Race's stare.

"Other than in my room, feel free to
rearrange anything you like."

His room? Did that mean she'd have a room of
her own? Claire wanted to ask, but shyness tied her tongue.
Instead, she proceeded to tell him about some of the places she'd
lived as a child. She turned the often frightening, uncomfortable
situations her too casual parents had left her in, into humorous
tales of adventure. Though at times a muscle twitched at the side
of Race's mouth and anger darkened his eyes, she managed to coax a
laugh from him. His rare smiles, as well as the unaccustomed wine,
allowed her to open up to him.

"So, these last two years in Council Falls
are the longest you've ever stayed in one place?" Race asked.

Bubbles from her fourth glass of champagne
tickled her nose and she stifled an unexpected giggle. "Susan, my
stepmother said Dad had itchy feet. He was always convinced that
the next legend he followed would lead him to treasure."

"Didn't your stepmother object to being
dragged around the world with a baby and a young stepdaughter?"

Claire winced at the tone of disapproval in
Race's question. "I was sixteen when Dad married Susan. Bobbie Sue
was eight months old." Though she had questioned her parents'
nomadic lifestyle when they had two children to care for, she now
hurried to defend their choices. "Susan's feet were every bit as
itchy as Dad's. Though she loved Bobbie Sue and me dearly, she
wasn't the homebody, maternal type. She craved the excitement of
traveling and the thrill of the hunt for treasure."

"Who took care of you and Bobbie Sue?"

"I took care of her. In some cultures women
are married with babies of their own at sixteen." She ignored
Race's deepening scowl. "It was an interesting life. Bobbie Sue and
I have seen more of the world than most people do in a lifetime."
She didn't mention the fear and loneliness of her childhood before
Bobbie Sue. "But when Bobbie Sue needed to start school, I insisted
we set up a home base. I wanted her to have some security. She's
very intelligent and I don't have the education to tutor her. Did I
tell you she started talking at ten months and reading at four?
Council Falls has an excellent gifted program."

Race's probing stare made Claire shift in
discomfort. Could he read her deep craving for roots in her
restrained narrative?

"How did you decide on Council Falls?" His
simple question eased her mind.

"My mother was originally from the area."

"So you have family there?"

"No, she was an only child of elderly
parents. They passed on before I was born. As far as I know, Bobbie
Sue is my only family." Claire couldn't keep the wistful note out
of her voice. For as long as she could remember her dream was to be
part of an extended family. Once as a child, she'd seen a re-run of
an old TV show about a large mountain family during the depression.
She'd known then that her goal in life was to create the same kind
of loving home for herself.

The image of a rambling farmhouse filled with
children, pets and laughter blurred Claire's vision of the man
sitting across from her. Longing, for an impossible dream, clogged
her throat. When her year with Race was up, what man would want a
divorced, uneducated woman with a half-grown child? Bobbie Sue was
and would be her family. A half-hiccup, half-yawn caught her
unawares.