Bargaining for King's Baby / The Wealthy Frenchman's Proposition. Maureen Child

tip and signed his name. Taking his credit card and the receipt, he tucked them into his wallet and only when he was finished did he look up at Gina again.

      “I don’t discuss my son. Ever.” His loss was just that. His loss. He’d survived. Put the past behind him and that was where he intended to keep it. Those memories, that pain had nothing to do with his life or his world today.

      “Fine.”

      “And I’m not interested in being a father again.”

      “I don’t need your help in parenting my child, Adam,” she said and her voice went suddenly as chill as his own. “All I need from you is your sperm.”

      “Why are you doing this?”

      “Because I want to be a mother.” She leaned back in her chair, fiddled with the handle of her coffee cup and lowered her gaze to the tabletop. “My brothers’ kids are beautiful and I love them with all my heart. But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being the favorite auntie. I want a child of my own. I don’t want to be married any more than you do—don’t worry about that. But I do want a baby. The way I see it—” she lifted her gaze to his “—this bargain satisfies both parties. You get your land. I get the baby I want.”

      He was already shaking his head. Instinct, he supposed, when she spoke again.

      “Think about this before you turn me down. I’ll marry you. Be your wife in every way. As soon as I’m pregnant, you get the land and we get a divorce. And I’ll sign whatever you want me to sign, exempting you from any responsibility toward me or my child.” Her gaze was steady on his as she added, “It’s a good deal, Adam. For both of us.”

      She had him in a corner. He hadn’t expected her to know about her father’s proposition—let alone come up with one of her own. The tantalizing idea that he could, in a few short months, have the King family ranch whole and secure again was a tempting one.

      He had to give Gina credit. She’d thought this out and had come up with a bargain sure to be tempting to him. And the fact that she, too, was getting something out of the deal made him feel less like some robber baron.

      Yet the thought of fathering another child wasn’t something he’d even considered. A pain he refused to recognize thrummed inside him for a long moment. Then it was gone, because he’d had years to learn how to distance himself from emotional distress.

      Besides, it wasn’t as if this would be a real marriage. A genuine family situation. This was something completely different and apart from the norm. Gina knew him. And she didn’t want a husband any more than he wanted a wife. She wanted a child, he wanted his land. A win-win bargain. All it would take was being married to a desirable woman for a few months.

      How bad could that be?

      “Well, Adam,” she said softly, her voice nearly lost in the quiet rhythm of the jazz spilling through the restaurant. “What do you say?”

      He stood up and held out one hand to help her from her chair. When she was standing, too, he shook the hand she held out and said, “Gina, you’ve got yourself a bargain.”

      Five

      Things happened pretty quickly after the proposal.

      Within a few days, Adam had arranged for a marriage license—apparently it paid to be one of the wealthiest men in California. And, since Adam was anxious to get their bargain up and running, there was no time for the big, fancy wedding Gina’s mom had always dreamed of.

      Instead Adam, Gina and her parents took one of the King family jets to Vegas.

      “Not exactly the wedding every little girl dreams of,” Gina whispered to herself as she looked around the interior of the luxury garden the ceremony was taking place in.

      The walls were painted a soft summer-blue, with white clouds sponge-painted on as accents. There were tall pedestals holding elegant sprays of silk flowers and the white carpeted main aisle still held the footprints of the couple who had been married before them. Classical music piped in from overhead speakers and Gina’s fingers tightened on the handle of her complimentary bouquet.

      Gina’s heart did a bump and roll in her chest and she was very glad she’d insisted on doing some prewedding shopping in San Jose. The deep yellow dress she wore made her feel beautiful and Gina had known instinctively that she would need all the confidence she could find.

      “You’re sure about this, Gina?”

      She turned her head to look at her father and swallowed hard before answering. “Yes, Papa. I’m sure.”

      Of course she was sure. She’d been in love with Adam King for what felt like forever. She’d dreamed of this day for years. Of course, in all of those dreams, Adam had loved her, too. Her dream groom was happy and smiling, surrounded by his brothers, looking at Gina with desire flashing in his eyes.

      So okay, the reality was a little disappointing. Still, she thought, shifting her gaze to the head of the aisle where her groom waited. She was marrying Adam.

      And Gina’d had a few days to completely rethink this bargain she’d made with her about-to-be husband. This was a business deal, certainly. Adam was getting what he wanted out of it and she would be getting the baby her heart craved.

      But over the last couple of days, she’d begun to imagine a slightly different outcome to this bargain. If she were willing to take a chance, to risk her heart, she might find a way to get everything she’d ever wanted.

      All she had to do was find a way to break Adam’s defences. Her insides fisted and released at the daunting prospect. She’d come this far, why not take that extra step? She only needed time. Gina was sure that once Adam and she were married, he would see the truth she’d always known. That they could be a great couple.

      She sucked in a deep breath as that thought shot through her brain and sent a current of adrenaline to the pit of her stomach.

      “You don’t look so good, honey,” her father said.

      “I’m fine, Papa. Really. It’s all good. See?” She gave her father a wide, phony smile that, thankfully, he accepted at face value. “Let’s get this done, okay?”

      “Yes,” he said. “Your mother looks anxious.”

      She did, Gina thought, sliding a quick look at her mom. Actually her mother looked as though she wanted to give Adam a stern lecture about how to treat her daughter. Best to head that off at the pass. Teresa Torino was already a little snippy about Gina marrying a man she didn’t think loved her.

      The string quartet suddenly began playing the solemn strains of the Wedding March. Gina’s stomach lurched, but she fought down the last bits of hesitation she felt and started down the aisle on her father’s arm.

      Not a very long walk, really, but with every step, she moved further away from the life she knew and closer to the life she’d always wanted.

      Adam’s dark chocolate eyes were narrowed on her. His features were stiff and the smile she’d hoped to see didn’t appear. But then, this wasn’t a love match, was it? His gaze was steady, but blank, giving away no hint at all of what he was feeling, thinking. And Gina could only hope he wasn’t able to read her emotions any better than she could his.

      At the head of the aisle, Sal laid Gina’s hand in Adam’s and stepped back to join his wife.

      Adam gave her a brief smile that didn’t do a thing to ease the cool indifference on his features.

      When the minister started talking, she found it hard to hear him over the thundering of her own heartbeat. She was only able to catch every other word, but they were the important ones. The ones that would change her life. At least for now.

      “I will,” Adam said and Gina swayed a little at the impact of two small words. And her heartbeat seemed to pound out, if only.

      Then it was her turn.