The Maverick's Baby Arrangement

by Kathy Douglass

  Daniel was so focused on getting Hailey to eat that he hadn’t noticed Brittany enter the room, so she took a moment to study him. His broad shoulders moved beneath his shirt as he lifted the spoon to Hailey’s mouth. The baby turned her head away from him and spotted Brittany. She babbled a few excited syllables while reaching out to Brittany.

  Daniel turned his head and, when he saw Brittany, jumped to his feet. He brushed a hand over his shirt then flicked a gray lump of dried baby food onto the table. “I didn’t think I would see you again.”

  He didn’t sound particularly aggravated. Actually he sounded relieved, which made her heartrate slow down.

  “We never did discuss my ideas for the party. So, if you still want to work with my firm, I’m hoping you have time now.”

  “Of course I want to work with your firm, and you specifically. If I made you believe otherwise, I apologize. I really want to hear your ideas.” He looked over at Hailey, who’d eaten all the breakfast she intended to eat and was straining against the belt securing her in the chair.

  “I guess I should have called first.”

  “It wouldn’t have made a difference. As you can see, we’re already awake.”

  Brittany nodded. She knew from experience that there was no such thing as sleeping late with a baby in the house.

  “And since my nanny search is going nowhere, I’m pretty much held captive in this house.” He blew out a breath. “I have a few more agencies to call, but I’m not holding out hope. Until I find the right nanny, I’ll be taking care of Hailey on my own.” He removed the bowl from the tray and started to take Hailey from the high chair.

  “You might want to wipe off her hands and face first. It’ll save your clothes. And walls.”

  “Thanks. I should have thought of that.” He dampened a dish towel and then cleaned the food from Hailey’s hands and face. She protested a bit but didn’t cry. When he was finished, he freed the baby and held her against his chest. “Let’s go to the family room. She has toys there and we can go over everything.”

  Once Hailey was settled on the play mat, surrounded by toys, Daniel and Brittany sat on the couch. Brittany reached for her satchel, but Daniel put a hand on her wrist, stopping her. Electricity shot out from where their skin connected and raced through her body. Darn it. Why was this still happening?

  “Before we start, I want to apologize to you. Again. I realize now how offensive my proposal must have sounded. I wasn’t as eloquent as I would have liked to have been.”

  “Forget about it. I have.” That wasn’t exactly true. She’d thought about his crazy proposal more than she should have. In fact, it was all she could think of. But he didn’t need to know that.

  “I can’t. I still think that having a wife will be the equalizer I need in the custody case. I’m a single man. It’s no secret that I’m busy. Even though I work from home, I still put in long hours. A wife will help me prove that I can give Hailey a stable home.”

  “And you think a quickie marriage to your event planner will give you some sort of advantage?”

  “I know you think it sounds outrageous, but hear me out.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. His voice was intent yet earnest. “We can make it work. I’ve seen you in action. You can easily accomplish anything you set your mind to. I believe you can play the role of wife and mother well enough to convince any social worker or judge that Hailey belongs here with me.”

  Brittany laughed. “I’m not some Mary Poppins or Suzie Homemaker. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly maternal. I’m focused on my career. You were right. I do want to own my own business. All the social worker will have to do is ask a few people about me and your plan will crumble.”

  “So, you’ll be a working mother. That’s not so unusual.”

  She sputtered. “And I’m not much of a cook.”

  “You don’t need to be. In case you haven’t noticed, I employ a cook. And a housekeeper. All I need is for someone to play the role of wife and mother for the judge. I can take care of the rest.”

  She cleared her throat. “That’s all?”

  “What else would there be?”

  She simply looked at him.

  After a moment, his eyes narrowed as he understood her meaning. “I don’t need to pay for female companionship. Not to be arrogant, but I have women throwing themselves at me all the time. I don’t have to coerce a woman to get her into my bed.”

  Brittany fought off the twinge of something that felt suspiciously like jealousy at the idea of another woman being in Daniel’s bed. She brushed the idiotic thought aside. “Well, if you’re so popular with the ladies, why don’t you simply catch one of the ones throwing themselves at you?”

  His mouth compressed as if he was suppressing a grin. When he spoke, there wasn’t the least bit of mirth in his tone, so maybe she’d imagined the reaction. “Because Hailey has already bonded with you. That’s rare for her. I won’t be able to convince the judge that Hailey and my new wife have a loving mother/daughter relationship if Hailey fusses every time my wife comes within six feet of her. You might not think you’re the maternal type, but you do a good imitation. I’m convinced that you care about Hailey enough to fool the judge or social worker.

  “As I said a minute ago, ours would be a marriage of convenience. I’m willing to put that in writing, if that will make you feel better about our arrangement. Once a judge grants me full custody of Hailey, we can get an annulment. Then I’ll give you any amount of money you want to finance your company. And I’ll recommend you far and wide. I can have my attorney draw up everything. Or you can hire your own lawyer to represent your interests.”

  Her interests. He made it sound cut and dried—like a simple business deal. And to him, it was. But marriage was so much more than a business arrangement to advance one’s cause, no matter how noble that cause might be. Her parents had been married for thirty-five years. Though Brittany had never liked the distribution of duties—she thought her mother did more than her share of the housework and caring for the kids—she never once doubted her parents’ devotion to one another. Her biological clock might not be ticking now, but she did want to get married one day and have the kind of marriage her parents had. Minus the kids.

  “I’m sorry, Daniel. I just can’t say yes. I hope my decision doesn’t interfere with our working relationship. I know I can help you get your resort off to a great start.”

  He seemed to deflate with every word she spoke. Still, he didn’t press her. “I’m sure you can.”

  She was under no obligation to marry him—in fact, she’d been clear from the beginning that she wouldn’t. So why did guilt prick her conscience as if she’d done something wrong?

  His cell phone rang. He checked the Caller ID and glanced at her. “Excuse me. I need to take this call.”

  “Of course.”

  Brittany didn’t want to eavesdrop, so she went over to where Hailey was playing with brightly colored stackable plastic doughnuts and sat. Brittany’s younger brothers had also had this toy and had played with it for hours on end. Hailey was chewing on the orange ring. She pulled the plastic from her mouth and, grinning, offered it to Brittany.

  “No thanks. I only eat the yellow ones.”

  Hailey chortled as if she understood Brittany’s joke.

  Though she tried not to listen, she could hear Daniel’s conversation. It was clear from his words that he wasn’t succeeding in finding a nanny for Hailey. Would that hurt him in the custody case? If so, what would happen to the little tyke?

  Finally, he ended the call and she returned to her seat.

  “I guess you heard all that.”

  “Yes. I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  “You must think I’m a manipulative jerk, but I’m not. I’m just desperate. Jane wanted me to raise Hailey. I have to fight for her. And win. That means that no tactic is
off the table. I failed my sister when she was alive. I should have known something was seriously wrong, but I didn’t. I was so wrapped up in my own life and my own hurt feelings.”

  “It’s not your fault. You didn’t see her problems because she hid them from you. She shut you out of her life because she didn’t want you to know about her troubles.”

  “I should have been there for her. Tried harder. I can’t go back and fight for her. She’s gone. But Hailey’s here and I’m not going to give up on her. It’s just the two of us. I can’t lose her, too.

  “I’m sorry for suggesting that you marry me. You’re trying to do your job and I put you in an awkward position. It didn’t help that in my frantic state I let you believe I was trying to force you.”

  “I understand. I know your heart was in the right place.” The sorrow in Daniel’s voice touched Brittany’s heart. She came from a big family and couldn’t imagine losing any of them, much less all but one of them. Holding on to that lone remaining family member might make her a little desperate, too. Who knew what crazy scheme she’d come up with if their positions were reversed? Maybe she would propose the same thing.

  Brittany was no lawyer, so she didn’t know the legal ins and outs of a custody case. Nor did she know what judges thought was important when making a decision. This judge might believe that a little girl needed a woman’s influence. Right or wrong, wasn’t that something most of society believed? Would a judge be any different? It hit her then. Though she didn’t think he should lose the court case, there was a real chance that Daniel could lose the custody battle.

  His voice broke into her thoughts. “Well, enough of my woes. I’ll think of something. Let’s look at what you have in mind for my dinner.”

  They tried to discuss Brittany’s plans, but his heart didn’t appear to be into it any more than hers was. Only Hailey, who was oblivious to the adult worries, was unbothered. She babbled happily to herself, setting the plastic rings on top of her head and then bending over and letting them slide off. When it became clear that they were each too distracted to focus, Brittany decided to leave the plans with him and suggested that they meet another day.

  Daniel agreed and she gathered her belongings. Brittany went over to Hailey and scooped the little girl into her arms, giving her a long hug before handing her to Daniel. Since Brittany was leaving the material for Daniel to review, she wouldn’t need to show up on his doorstep tomorrow morning. She might have only spent a little bit of time with Hailey, but the little girl had wiggled her way into Brittany’s heart. She was going to miss her. And though she would definitely never say it out loud, Brittany was going to miss Daniel, too.

  The rest of the day passed by in a blur and Brittany was glad to get home. She’d gotten a few questioning looks and more than one raised eyebrow when she’d told her coworkers she’d be skipping happy hour, but nobody pressed her for a reason. She was the furthest thing from happy and didn’t think she could fake it. Daniel might believe she was a great actress, but she knew better. Her feelings always showed on her face.

  She changed from her work clothes into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before pouring a glass of wine and going outside to sit on her balcony. The weather was just perfect. Although her view was nowhere near as beautiful as Daniel’s, it was still pleasant. Normally sitting out here and letting the cool evening breeze wash over her soothed her. Today the magic was lacking. After twenty minutes, she was still troubled. Still confused.

  If she didn’t know better, she’d think Daniel was trying to trick her into agreeing to marry him by appearing to back off. But she did know better. He took the direct approach. Besides, no one could fake that kind of agony. His heart was aching at the possibility of losing his little girl. Brittany had seen the way he was with Hailey. He adored her. And Hailey adored him right back. They belonged together.

  So what was she going to do about it? Could she really live with herself if Hailey and Daniel were torn apart when she’d had the ability to prevent it? Hailey had already lost her parents before she was old enough to know them. She didn’t deserve to lose Daniel, too. And Daniel didn’t deserve to lose his only remaining family member.

  Muttering to herself that she was out of her mind, Brittany picked up her phone and dialed Daniel’s number. When he answered, she didn’t waste time with a greeting.

  “I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”

  Chapter Six

  “Would you say that again?” Daniel asked. He needed confirmation that he hadn’t imagined Brittany’s words.

  Her voice came over the phone loud and clear. “I said I’ll marry you.”

  Relief surged through him, momentarily making him weak, and he sagged against his desk. “What changed your mind?”

  “You and Hailey belong together. Anyone can see that. I want to do my part to even the odds. I would never forgive myself if you lost Hailey and I hadn’t tried to help you.”

  His chest tightened and, for a minute, he couldn’t speak. He knew Brittany was a kind woman, but he’d begun to believe that marrying him so he could keep custody of Hailey had been too much of a sacrifice even for her. A part of him knew that his request was out of bounds. He wasn’t going to retract it, though. Not if it meant losing Hailey.

  “But I do have a condition.”

  “Name it. Anything you want is yours.” He’d sign over his fortune if that’s what she wanted.

  “I’m renting a condo with a good friend. When I move, I want you to cover my share of the rent until our lease expires. I don’t want to leave Amanda in the lurch.”

  “No problem. I’ll give you a check for the balance of the rent immediately.”

  “What exactly are we going to tell people?” she asked.

  “It’s nobody’s business.”

  “That may be true, but we have to tell them something. Otherwise they’ll make up a story we might not want getting around.”

  “We’ll tell people whatever you want.”

  She sighed. “Fine. We’ll say it was a whirlwind courtship.”

  “Sounds good. How long will it take you to plan the wedding?”

  “That depends on what you’re looking for.”

  “You’re the event planner, not me. Money is no object. I just want to get it over and done with.”

  Silence was her only reply and Daniel knew he’d made a mistake. Brittany understood that time was of the essence, but still, he could have been more tactful. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  She laughed, but it wasn’t the joyous sound he’d heard on other occasions. “Of course you did. But it’s fine. You’re right. We do need to do this quickly. But since it’s not going to be a real marriage, there’s no need for an elaborate wedding. We can just get a license and get married at city hall.”

  She’d said all the right words, but he didn’t get the sense that they’d come from her heart. Even though this was going to be a fake marriage, she was going to be a real bride. In the eyes of the law and everyone she knew, she was going to be his wife. As such, she deserved more than saying a few bland words in front of an indifferent judge.

  “I think we can do better than that. What about a small party at DJ’s Deluxe? We’ll invite your family and our closest friends. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds good. And speaking of family, you’re going to have to meet mine. There’s no way I can simply tell my parents I’m getting married to someone they’ve never met, no matter what kind of wedding we have. But if we have a ceremony, they have to be there. I can’t get married without them.”

  “Of course not. Just name the time and the place.”

  “How about my parents’ home on Sunday? The entire family gathers for dinner after church.”

  “The whole family? Just how many are we talking about?”

  “My parents and my two brothers and two sisters. Sometimes a few aunts, uncles
and cousins come by. But I’ll ask my parents to limit it to just immediate family.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Brittany’s family was a complication he hadn’t considered. But if they were going to be convincing as a couple, he’d have to meet the in-laws.

  “You can move in here after the ceremony. And although I’ve said it before, I’ll say it anyway. There won’t be a honeymoon or romantic wedding night. I hope that puts your mind at ease.” Though he knew the marriage wouldn’t be real, part of him regretted the fact that he wouldn’t be sharing a bed with Brittany. She was a beautiful, sexy woman with a loving heart; the type of woman he’d want to marry if he ever chose to get married.

  “It does.”

  The relief in her voice was proof her thoughts were miles away from his. He might find her desirable, but she was only marrying him to help him win the custody suit and to get seed money and recommendations for her business venture. This was a business arrangement. Sleeping together was the last thing on her mind. That was good. They didn’t need the complications a sexual relationship would bring. Once he won the custody battle, they’d get an annulment and put the marriage behind them.

  “Have you contacted a lawyer yet?” Daniel asked her. “We need to iron out the prenup. In my experience, having everything spelled out and in writing saves trouble down the line.”

  “I’m not after your money.”

  “I know that. But I still intend to uphold my end of the bargain. I offered you money to start your business and I intend to provide it. That’s not negotiable. We both need to benefit from this deal.”

  “Okay. I’ll hire someone to represent me.”

  “Thank you. What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “Wednesday is my day off.” She paused. “I have some errands to run, but nothing pressing. Why?”

  “Can you meet me in town for lunch? We need to iron out the details.”

  “Isn’t that what we’re doing now?”

  “Humor me,” he quipped.

  “Okay. I can always come by your ranch, if it’s easier.”