“Did he ask any more questions?”
“No, he just turned over and went to sleep.”
After Shep led Raina to the sofa, he sat beside her. “We should go to the courthouse and fill out the applications for a license next week. How do you feel about that?”
“That would be fine.”
“If you want a church wedding, we could wait.”
“I don’t need a church wedding, Shep.” She saw a flicker of something pass over his face. Disappointment, maybe? “Do you want to get married in a church?”
He gave a shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Do you want the boys to be there?”
“I think they should be. Also, I called Carla Sumpter and she said she can meet with us around six on Friday, if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine. I have surgery in the morning and appointments until four. I should be free by then. Will our getting married prolong the adoption?”
“Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. We’ll see what she has to say.”
“I don’t want to jeopardize your adoption of Manuel. We can always wait, or—”
“Getting cold feet already?” he asked with a penetrating assessment.
“No, but—”
“No buts, Raina. Manuel’s going to be our son. And our baby is going to know both parents, however we have to do this.”
However we have to do this. He was marrying her for their baby’s sake, and she’d better remember that.
“You said you wanted a prenuptial agreement?”
“I think we both need one, don’t you? There was a lot of information in the news about the Victims’ Compensation Fund and the settlement. You need to protect what you have.”
“I don’t have much to protect. I used some for med school—what my scholarships didn’t cover. But the rest, and any donations that came in, I gave away.”
“You gave them away?” he repeated, looking shocked.
“I set up a grant program for fire companies that are affected by disasters.”
“You are full of surprises,” Shep said with admiration.
“I did what was right for me. And with the prenuptial agreement…” She’d considered it since he’d mentioned it, and made a decision. “Why don’t we have our lawyers just draw up papers saying we take out of the marriage whatever we brought into it? That way it won’t be complicated.”
“I’m a wealthy man, Raina. I will definitely provide for our child and his or her future. Some should be yours if things don’t work out. We’re both going into this with the best of intentions, but you never know.”
Suddenly she needed to get his doubts on the table. “You think I’m going to leave, don’t you?”
He was silent.
“Shep, tell me why you can’t believe I’ll be as committed to this marriage as you?”
“Let’s just say, history has been a forceful teacher.”
“Were you involved in a serious relationship and got hurt?”
“You don’t really want to hear about my past love life,” he said, teasing, trying to make light of what she wanted to find out.
She met his gaze. “Yes, I do.”
For a few ticking moments he was silent, staring straight ahead. When he spoke, his voice was tight. “There was a woman in California. It turned out we didn’t want the same kind of life.”
It was obvious he’d felt betrayed, and she wanted to know more. But she sensed Shep’s protective walls wouldn’t let him say more.
He was still holding her hand, and now he turned it palm up and rubbed his thumb over the center. “You’re not like any woman I’ve ever met, and that’s a good thing. I want to believe that you’ll stay. But as I said, neither of us knows what will happen next.” Then he smiled. “Except that you’re going to have a baby—and he or she will belong to both of us.”
“There’s something else we need to do. Maybe tomorrow evening we could meet with my mother and brother and tell them we’re getting married.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell them without me first?”
“I’ve already told Ryder I’m pregnant, so he knows we’re involved. Mom doesn’t know anything yet.”
“What did your brother say?”
“He’s always on my side, no matter what happens, but he’s protective. He’s an older brother, so I’m not sure how he’ll react to the idea of me marrying you this quickly. But that’s the whole point, Shep. We are getting married, and I’d like to tell them together.”
“If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”
When she gazed into Shep’s eyes, she saw determination and humor and desire. But if she looked deeper, she could see he’d been through a lot in his life. Telling her family they were getting married wouldn’t be difficult for him. Would he eventually confide in her about his life up until the present?
In a flash of insight, she suddenly realized why facing her family wouldn’t faze him. “You’re willing to go through all this to be a father,” she said softly.
“Yes.”
Shep was a man of few words. Would he become more open with her as their relationship deepened? That was her hope.
“You’re taking on a lot more than I am.” He turned toward her, his thigh lodging against hers, his voice going a little husky. “Joey and Roy can be a passel of trouble, and at two, Manuel’s growing into his independent stage. He says ‘no’ to me now,” Shep added with a half smile. Showing he was thinking about their future, he continued, “I think we should build a guest cottage where Eva can stay. If you want to go back to work, maybe we can find some additional help.”
Was he trying to convince her that her decision to marry him had been the right one? “Shep, moms handle three or four kids all the time.”
“Not suddenly, like this. I don’t want you to feel you’ve taken on more than you can handle.”
“I’m a do-it-yourself kind of person, just as you are. Someone else helping is fine, but I think we’ll want to raise our own kids. I’ve wanted children for a long time. The idea of taking on all of them is daunting, but I feel I’m ready for it. I want to be a mom just as much as you want to be a dad.”
The warmth in Shep’s eyes slowly turned to desire. He slipped one hand under her hair as if he relished the silky feel of it. Then he tilted her head up until her lips were very close to his. A warm breeze blew through the living room window, bringing with it the scents of overgrown fields and night dampness that was primal and filled with earthy secrets. Then there was the masculine scent of Shep, the cotton of his shirt, a trace of cologne, male pheromones. Her response to him was quick and without thought, as it always was. She twined her arms around his neck and gave herself up to the wishes that were awakening in her heart.
She’d been lost in his kiss for a few seconds…for a few minutes, when she realized Shep was pulling away. He had kissed her—but then his enthusiasm had seemed to wane. Or was it simply his restraint taking over? She felt foolish, giving in to hormones. The children were upstairs.
She was rushing headlong into this marriage because she wanted to be a mom. She wanted to protect her rights to her child, wanted a connection to a life partner that she’d missed since Clark had died. She’d fallen for Shep’s strong and determined approach to life, his humor, his desire.
But had this kiss been an indication of what was going to happen in their marriage? That he’d always keep himself guarded and restrained with her? Did he want her as much as he wanted their baby?
The sobering thought had her sliding her fingers from his hair and drawing her arms to her sides.
He caught the change. “We can’t expect too much,” he said, leaning back against the sofa, still keeping his gaze on hers. “We have to take this slow and just see what comes.”
“Are you afraid?” she asked.
“No. Just concerned that everything will work out the way we want it to.”
“You mean that we’ll have a good marriage?”
He nodded.
“You’ve never been married. I have. It does take work.”
“I’ve never been afraid of work,” he replied with a shrug and a smile. That smile made her heart flutter again, and her stomach twitter. He was one sexy cowboy.
And she was going to have to do one heck of a job selling this marriage to her family.
“This Victorian is at least a hundred years old,” Shep told Raina as he walked the rooms the next morning, examining it with a builder’s eye. “The way it’s built, it will be here at least a hundred more.”
Raina had told him they would meet her family at the Victorian, rather than at her brother’s place or her mother’s. She felt neutral territory was best. But Shep wasn’t so sure. He’d suggested the ranch, where they could introduce the family to the boys. But Raina had wanted to go slower than that.
Shep wandered back into the kitchen where Raina was preparing iced tea.
“Be right back,” she said, slipping outside onto the patio.
Trying to settle his nerves, he lifted the dessert dishes from the counter to the table and set out the napkins and silverware.
Raina returned with a smile and a handful of fresh-scented leaves. “Fresh mint.” She took a sprig and held it up to his nose.
He sniffed. “That’s mint, all right.”
She laughed at his expression. “You’re wondering why I bother. I just love the smell of mint when I’m sitting out on the patio. And it’s just perfect dropped into a glass of iced tea. Will I be able to have an herb garden at the ranch?”
His large hand went around her smaller one before she could take the leaf away. “An herb garden would be nice.” He took a bite of the mint leaf. “Definitely fresh.”
After she took a bite, he lifted her chin. “Now let’s see if we taste like mint.”
He knew her mother and brother would be there any minute, but that didn’t matter. The desire he felt was reflected in her gaze. Remembering their last kiss, he knew how damn hard it would be to restrain himself. This time he let a little more passion give way as his tongue searched for hers, easily tasting her and inviting her to taste him.
But she pulled away all too soon. “I don’t have much time to get ready,” she said breathlessly.
“It looks to me as if you are ready.”
There was one small dish of pastries, another of cookies, a hand-painted plate with wedges of cheese and fruit. “I just have to take the corn bread from the oven. Sometimes Ryder isn’t into sweets. Can you make a pot of coffee? He won’t be crazy about mint tea.”
Shep wasn’t sure how he’d feel about mint tea, but he wasn’t about to say so. This was Raina’s evening, and he was letting her take it as far as she wanted to.
He told himself he was prepared for anything. “Is your brother going to want to throw my butt in jail for getting you pregnant?” He wasn’t nervous about it, but he just didn’t want to start out with her brother angry at him. Since she was close to him, Shep didn’t want to interfere with that.
“Ryder’s a reasonable man.”
“You’re saying the words, but I don’t see it in your eyes.”
Suddenly they heard the front door open, and Angie came hurrying in. After greeting them, she assured them, “I won’t interrupt. I’ll slide out the back if your mom comes in the front. I just need my laptop.”
“Work?” Raina asked.
“No, Gina’s wedding. All my notes are on my computer. We’re going over the checklist. With the big day only a little over two weeks away, she and Logan are finally going to decide what they’re doing about a honeymoon.”
Raina explained, “Angie’s sister Gina used to live here, too. She’s marrying Logan Barnes.”
“He has a son, Daniel, doesn’t he?” Shep remarked.
“Do you know Logan?” Angie asked.
“He ordered supplies from us for the day-care center he built at his factory. I supervised the delivery of a lot of it and he and I got to talking. Daniel and Manuel are close together in age, so we thought they might like to play together sometime.”
“That would be wonderful,” Angie said enthusiastically. “We’ll have to have a barbecue and invite them over. Maybe Tessa and Vince and their kids, too. Do you know Tessa Rossi, the pediatrician?”
“Yes, my boys go to her.”
“Tessa used to live here, too,” Raina remarked. “And one of her housemates, Emily Madison, is a midwife who works with my obstetrician. He’s her husband. I’d like Emily to deliver my…our baby.”
“Midwife?” Shep’s chest suddenly got tight. “You’re not thinking of having the baby at home?”
“What better place to have a baby? Now don’t worry, Shep. You and Emily can have a nice long talk and she’ll explain how safe it is, how much better for me and the baby.”
Angie leaned close to Raina and whispered, “Don’t spook him before the wedding.”
Raina grinned at her friend. “He needs to know what he’s getting into.”
Raina’s gaze found Shep’s, and he knew she was as uncertain as he was about this marriage. Yet, he was determined to take responsibility for his child. He was also determined to look after her—and knew having her under his roof was the easiest way to do it.
Just look after her? the voice in his heart asked, the voice that kept him honest.
All right. He wanted her in his bed every night. He wanted to wake up to her face each morning. He wanted to watch her play with the kids.
Maybe he wanted too much.
When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Angie hurried out the back, while Shep considered the best way to deal with a mom who would be concerned about her daughter’s welfare and a cop who might look on him as the enemy.
A few minutes later, in the quaint but comfortable atmosphere of the Victorian’s living room, Shep found himself offering his hand to first Raina’s mother, Sonya Greystone, and then her brother. “I’m Shep McGraw,” he said to the gray-haired woman who wore her hair in a sleek, chin-length cut. She had finer features than Raina, but he couldn’t miss the resemblance.
Her brown gaze studied him quizzically, as if she wasn’t quite sure why she was here. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. McGraw.”
“It’s Shep,” he said with as friendly a smile as he could muster. He wasn’t sure what Raina had told her family, but he could see they were unprepared for the news they were about to receive.
On his part, Ryder gripped Shep’s hand hard, and the two men sized each other up quickly. Shep innately understood that Ryder Greystone would protect his sister at all costs.
After introductions and an uncomfortable moment, Ryder tossed out a conversational gambit. “I heard you turned the lumberyard around in a short amount of time and took on a few more men.”
“When business is good, I can keep a stronger workforce.”
“How can business be so good, with home construction down in this area?”
Shep could see Raina’s eyes were already shooting daggers at her brother. But he could hold his own. More than his own.
“True, but home repairs are up,” he replied to Ryder. “I have a couple of contractors who specialize in additions, and they like my products. Plus we’re even trucking to outlying Lubbock areas. My suppliers are faster than some others. I can go on with other ways we’ve revved up business, but I’d probably bore you.”
Raina motioned toward the kitchen. “Let’s sit down. I have coffee, iced tea and snacks.”
Shep’s hand naturally settled at the small of Raina’s back as they moved into the kitchen. He was aware that both Raina’s mother and brother seemed to take note of the gesture. He waited for Raina to be seated first, and then he took the chair across from her brother.
“Raina tells me you have three boys, Mr. McGraw,” Raina’s mother said.
“Please call me Shep,” he reminded her with a smile. “And yes, I do. Roy is six, Joey is eight and Manuel is two.”
“Yes, she mentioned you ha
ve a toddler. He must keep you stepping.”
“They all do.”
“Do you have family in the area to help you with the children?” Mrs. Greystone asked.
“I have a housekeeper. She’s good with them, as Raina can tell you.” Raina was being awfully quiet, and that concerned him a little.
“I see,” Sonya murmured. “You said you wanted me to meet Shep,” she said to her daughter. “Are the two of you dating?”
Raina sat up straighter and met her mother’s gaze. “We’re not just dating, Mom. We’re going to get married. That’s why I invited you here. We wanted to tell you together.”
Sonya pushed back her chair and stood, as if the words propelled her up. “Married? You aren’t serious?”
Ryder looked from one of them to the other. “I think they’re very serious, Mom.”
“But how can this be? You didn’t even tell me you’d met someone.”
“I’m telling you now,” Raina said calmly. “I also have something else to tell you. I’m pregnant.”
At that, her mother seemed absolutely thunderstruck. The silence in the room was suffocating.
Shep took Raina’s hand, not only to give her comfort, but to show her family they were a solid unit. “Mrs. Greystone, I know this news is surprising to you. But I want you to know I’ll take good care of Raina and our baby.”
“Have you ever been married?” Ryder asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Are you getting married because of the pregnancy?”
“Ryder, I don’t think that’s your concern,” Raina answered.
“He’s trying to make sure you’re going to be happy.” Shep could feel the tension in her hand, and he wished he could make this easier for her.
He addressed her brother. “I care about your sister and what happens to our child.”
“Will you sit down, Mom?” asked Raina. “Let’s talk.”
The older woman sank down into her chair. “All right. But I don’t think talking will change anything. You two have obviously made up your minds.” She looked directly at her daughter. “I thought you might not marry again…after the way Clark died. I couldn’t marry again after your father died.”
The Texan’s Happily-Ever-After Page 10