The Wedding Wager. Sara Orwig

him, unaccustomed to a woman being so unyielding with him. Knowing he had to work this out with her, he sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. “A large percentage of problems have solutions if people pursue finding them,” he said. “And want to find them,” he added. Megan wanted him out of her life and that of his son, but that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way he would stay out of Ethan’s life now.

      “Have you even tried to think what might work out?” he asked.

      “Frankly, no, because nothing would.”

      He considered the possibilities he’d mulled over in the car while driving to the ranch. “Fine. You have him during the school year. I get him for most of the summer.”

      “No! He spends one month with my aunt and uncle, who are like grandparents to him.”

      “He can do that, and I get him the other months and during spring break.”

      “I won’t do it, Jared. Ethan’s been so close with me. The first years of his life, I was home with him constantly. It’s just the two of us. He won’t want to go off next summer for two months and live with you.” She crossed her long legs.

      “Not next summer, this summer,” Jared corrected emphatically, and she shook her head.

      “I don’t want to share Ethan with you.”

      “You’re going to,” he said lightly, knowing he would never give up. He felt certain the law would be on his side. Her stubbornness was driving his anger, and he tried to calm down and think of what they could do that would be acceptable to both.

      “Here’s another idea, Megan. See if this is palatable. A marriage of convenience.”

       Five

      “A marriage of convenience. You’ve already had one before,” Jared said, and Megan’s temper shot up.

      “You’re only after Ethan to get my ranch,” she replied. “A marriage of convenience or any other kind would give you access to the ranch.” She shook her head. “Never!”

      He stood and approached her, stopping only yards from her, his brown eyes harboring anger that buffeted her in waves. She raised her chin to meet his gaze.

      “I’m not doing any of this to get your damned ranch!” he declared gruffly, and she knew he was fighting to hang on to his temper as much as she was. “I want my son!” he said. “Can’t you understand that?”

      “Frankly, no! You don’t strike me as the daddy type. Not at all. You’re a well-known society playboy, a jetsetter, and I think you want Ethan to help get you access to my ranch, either because of the novelty of it or because you can’t stand to not control your world just like my father,” she said and his face flushed and she’d clearly pushed him to the edge.

      “Don’t you ever lump me in with your father!” Jared ground out his words. “Megan, you’d better think about an answer to this.”

      “I’ll fight you, Jared,” she declared, walking away before she turned to face him. All the old pain rushed back, memories of panicked days after he left. “I don’t care how much money you have! I’m Ethan’s mother. I’ve raised him. You walked out on us. You go ahead with your lawyers and your threats.”

      They glared at each other and she knew they were locked in an impasse. In spite of anguish and anger and their battle over Ethan, Jared still made her heart race. She hated herself for wanting him, when he had hurt her so badly and was trying to do it again.

      “No judge will take Ethan from me,” she declared, fighting her rising terror of a court battle with Jared over Ethan. “Your lifestyle will work against you, too.”

      “A judge has to consider my rights. I can provide Ethan with far more opportunities than you can.” His words chilled her. She could never give Ethan what Jared could.

      “If I walk out that door, Megan, I’m calling my attorney and I will get him started on my custody of Ethan. In the future, you’ll never be able to bargain with me to the degree you can right now, so you better rethink your refusal.”

      “Go ahead, Jared. Bullying only makes me more certain.”

      “Bullying? I think I’ve been damn cooperative. I’m trying to find something we can both live with. You’re not. You refuse to consider any arrangement.”

      “None are feasible. All your suggestions will hurt Ethan.”

      “A marriage of convenience wouldn’t,” Jared replied.

      “I don’t want to be locked into a loveless marriage with you.”

      Again, his face flushed and she knew his fury was increasing. “Then I know one solution. I’m calling my attorney and you’ll hear from one of us, probably tomorrow morning, and the court can determine how much time each of us gets Ethan.”

      “Fine. I’ll call my attorney now, too,” she said, growing frightened and uncertain. “You’re a ruthless man, Jared. I learned that too late.”

      “In this situation, you’re forcing me to be.”

      “Go ahead and contact your attorney or your whole law staff. You’ll have to take me to court to get your son.”

      “You check that out,” he repeated, and strode out, not waiting. He slammed the door behind him. She stepped to the front window to watch him, his long legs covering the distance to his car quickly. He climbed into his car and sat a moment without driving away. She could see he was on his cell phone and she turned to look up the phone number of Rolf Gustavsson, her family attorney, whom she had been seeing often lately because of her father’s demise.

      Relieved to hear his pleasant hello, she related her problem. He said he would do some research and get back to her. Ethan’s tire swing moved back and forth under a black walnut tree. It caught her eye and she ended the call.

      She rubbed her temple. She knew Jared had rights. Rolf might be a nice man who had always been helpful to her family in dealing with their legal matters, but Jared had access to the world’s best legal talent.

      A marriage of convenience? That was impossible. Not one of his suggestions was workable. She put her head in her hands, hating that Jared had discovered Ethan.

      As much as she loathed the thought of letting him have the ranch, that was better than losing Ethan to him. No way could she think of Ethan as their son. She had always thought of Ethan as her son only.

      Now she regretted not selling the ranch to him quickly and putting as much distance as possible between them. If only—but it was too late now. The damage was done and she was going to have to live with it. She had made too many wrong decisions in her life. Was she making another one concerning Ethan?

      Her head throbbed. Any joint custody she’d ever have to agree to would be ghastly to her. The fact that Jared had walked out on her had to count as a strong factor.

      Halfway through the night, she decided she would offer to sell the ranch to Jared if he would forget about Ethan. It was her only hope and she hated the thought, but that would be infinitely better than having to share Ethan with him.

      The rest of her sleepless night was filled with apprehension. At dawn she showered and dressed, but even sitting with a cup of coffee did nothing to shake her mood. It was too early.

      When she received a call from Jared, vitality seemed to ooze from the phone.

      “Good morning,” he said. “I thought you’d be awake. I’d like to talk to you in person.”

      “Come over. I’ve been up for a couple of hours,” she answered, hoping she sounded as upbeat as he did. She wondered what he had on his mind.

      “I’ll be there soon,” he replied.