The Texan's Contract Marriage - By Sara Orwig Page 0,19
baby. And the Rangels deserved time with Noah just as Noah deserved a dad and his ranching heritage. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “I love you, sweetie,” she whispered, touching a wispy lock of his hair. She wiped more tears and turned away, glancing back once at the sleeping baby.
She paused in the empty playroom, picking up a stuffed pink pig that Noah loved. Camille ran her hands over the pig while she tried to get her emotions under control. She didn’t want to go to Ashley in tears. Her sisters loved Noah, too. Stephanie would be furious, but the money might calm her. Stephanie had a profound appreciation for money.
After taking a deep breath and trying to think about something else for a few minutes, she went to the master bedroom.
Ashley was curled up on the sofa, quietly waiting.
“Let me change quickly and I’ll join you,” Camille said. “Do you want anything to drink before we start talking? We may be here awhile.”
“Now I’m getting really curious. I’ll go get us both something. How about lemonade?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
When she returned in a turquoise T-shirt and plaid pajama pants, Ashley was waiting with two tall glasses of lemonade on the table near the sofa. A plate of cookies rested between them.
“Let’s hear what’s up.”
“Get ready for a shock. I’m talking a really big shock,” she said. Ashley nodded. “He’s proposed a marriage of convenience.”
“No!” Ashley’s brow furrowed while her eyes widened. “You turned him down, didn’t you? You can’t do that—”
“Ashley, listen to me. Remember, I contacted him in the first place because I wanted Noah to know his paternal family. I wanted Marek to be a father figure to Noah. I haven’t given him any answer. He asked me to think it over, and I told him I would get back with him next Tuesday after talking to my family.”
“You can’t even give his proposal a moment’s consideration. You don’t have any reason to agree and you have every reason to say no.”
“Do you want to hear everything or not?”
“I want to hear. Marriage is impossible. He would have far more legal claim on Noah. You’d be tied into a loveless union. Even though he is handsome, wealthy and sexy. I’ll give him that much. You’d have to share Noah. Big-time. Marek wouldn’t love you. He would interfere with you in every way. You can’t even consider it.”
“Do you want to hear his proposal or not?” Camille went through all Marek had offered. When she relayed how much money he would give them, all the color drained from Ashley’s face and her mouth dropped open.
Camille grasped Ashley’s hand, which was cold as ice. “Ashley. Are you all right?”
“Five million now and a million a year plus an allowance?” Ashley repeated breathlessly, sounding dazed.
“That’s right. I’m trying to avoid thinking about the money, but it’s impossible. With funds like that I can send you to school. I can give Mom and Dad financial help in taking care of Grandma. I can pursue my career without feeling I have to make it to be able to survive and help my family. Ashley, that money would lift a huge burden off my shoulders.”
“I knew he had money, but I didn’t know he had that much,” she said, still sounding dazed as she stared beyond Camille.
“It will change your life and mine, for sure. It will change Noah’s. He’ll have a trust fund set up for him, and I’m sure it will be generous. Marek will be a father to him. We’ll lose him some of the time, but definitely not all of the time. And Marek asked if you would stay as Noah’s nanny. That’s what he wants, and he said he would pay your salary, which, I’m certain, would be larger than what you’re getting now.”
“My word. I can’t imagine all this, Camille. Mom will faint. She doesn’t do well with surprises.”
“I know. I’ll break it to her slowly.”
“When you started, I figured Stephanie would be furious with you for revealing Noah to Marek. Now, I don’t think she will be if you tell her about the money at the same time you tell her about the proposal. You know Stephanie and money. That’s the driving force in her world. How much is he going to want Noah?”
“We haven’t gotten to that, but Marek keeps telling me that he wants me to be happy and he doesn’t want to hurt me in any way.”
“You’ll be