The Ransomes: Matt, Nick and Katherine. Sara Orwig

      “Vic Waterman, this is Olivia. Olivia, meet Vic.”

      “Glad to meet you,” he said, shaking Olivia’s hand while he smiled at her. “Both of you come with me and we’ll find a quiet place to work.”

      In a paneled conference room they sat at an oval table and Vic Waterman produced papers and a legal pad. While Matt opened his briefcase to take out his papers, she waited quietly.

      For the next two hours they went over prenuptial details. At one point Matt said that he wanted it clearly stipulated that if she divorced him, she forfeited any claims on the Ransome money for herself. When he gazed directly at her, she nodded.

      “I find that quite acceptable,” she answered easily, watching Vic Waterman write in his tablet.

      Finally they worked out an agreement that was to Matt’s satisfaction as well as her own. Trying to contain her excitement, she was thrilled with the contract that would protect her in many ways and provide for her baby.

      The closer she came to becoming Matt’s wife, the more anticipation she experienced. She wanted the ceremony over and done, her baby’s future secured. As she glanced at the handsome man she would soon marry, her pulse jumped. How much was she looking forward to the wedding for her baby and how much for herself?

      How many times would she remind herself that she was going into a loveless marriage? Was she a hopeless romantic as Matt had declared? Was she dreaming of the impossible, of a man who would fall in love with her? Did she want him to and would she fall in love with him? She knew she was already doing exactly what she had promised herself she would never do—stop guarding against heartbreak.

      If something happened tomorrow and she had to walk away from all this, Matt included, she could do it without hurt, she was certain. Would she feel that way in a month? She glanced at him again. Leaning back in his chair, he had pushed his coat open. His self-confidence was obvious. He was handsome, sexy and exciting. If he dreaded their approaching nuptials, he didn’t show it. And she hoped she didn’t show her nervousness either.

      She looked into Matt’s blue eyes. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking—whether he hated her for this or if he expected a satisfactory arrangement. She bent her head to skim over all the points they had thoroughly discussed.

      Finally they were finished and told Vic goodbye. In the lobby of the building Matt turned her to face him. “You have the appointment this afternoon with the wedding planner. Let’s grab a bite to eat and then we can separate and meet later to go home.”

      She nodded and walked two blocks with him to a small restaurant that was busy with a lunch crowd.

      “Feel like celebrating? You’re getting what you wanted,” he said as soon as they were alone in their booth.

      “Yes, I’ll celebrate. And you protected yourself with the agreement we just signed, so you should be satisfied.”

      “Actually,” he said, glancing at his watch, “what is going to satisfy me is my wedding night with you,” he said in a husky tone that changed the conversation. He reached across the brown wooden table to draw his fingers along her arm and her heartbeat quickened while she drew a deep breath.

      “See, that’s what I like. You have an instant response to me.” He leaned closer over the table and lowered his voice. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever known.”

      “I seriously doubt that one,” she said, suspecting he flirted without giving it thought.

      “I’m telling the truth. You’re sexy and you respond to the slightest attention. Right now, you’ve got me aroused and hopefully, I’ve done the same to you.”

      “Please remember that we’re out in public.”

      “Believe me, I wouldn’t be sitting over here and you over there if I didn’t remember that we’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean I can’t touch you,” he added. He slipped his hand beneath the table and caressed her knee, sliding higher along her thigh.

      “Matt!” she exclaimed while heat rose from deep within her and her desire intensified.

      “No one can see me. We’re in a booth and it’s dark beneath the table. No one cares what we’re doing. I want you alone with me, in my arms, but more than that, I want the night to come when you’re in my bed and I can make love to you.”

      “You stop now,” she said breathlessly, knowing she had the firmness of jelly in her tone. His light strokes along her leg were stirring feelings she didn’t want to have now, making her want to be in his arms and making her want to reach for him in return.

      A waiter approached their table. With a mocking smile, Matt straightened and leaned back in his seat. She ordered a salad and listened to Matt order a burger. Then they made plans for the afternoon, but now she was more aware of Matt than their conversation and it was difficult to concentrate or talk about appointments and buying clothes and running errands.

      After lunch they separated, agreeing to meet in three hours. She walked a short distance and turned to look in a store window, but instead of seeing the display, she watched Matt striding away. He was tall enough to spot easily in the crowd of people on the street. Wind caught locks of his black hair and he had a long purposeful stride. Saturday night and seduction. She still wondered if she would last until a week from Saturday without trying to seduce him or letting him entice her into sex.

      Fishing in her purse, she produced a list of purchases to make. Her engagement ring flashed with brilliant fire in the afternoon sunshine and she was still amazed that Matt would give her such an expensive gift.

      She met with the wedding planner, and then shopped and finally went back eagerly to meet Matt, hurrying because she didn’t want to be late and keep him waiting.

      That afternoon at the ranch Matt shut himself in his office to take care of business. In her room, she changed to cutoffs while she remembered the last few minutes with Matt. “When your wedding night comes, Matthew Ransome, I’m going to make love to you like you’ve never been loved before,” she said, knowing she wanted this marriage to work. She crossed the room to the mirror to study her image. “Are you falling in love with your fiancé?” she asked her image softly. She looked down at the brilliant diamond he had given her. He was being too good to her, too appealing and his kisses too devastating. Was he seducing her into an illusion of love?

      “You knew you were in for heartbreak,” she told her image.

      She pursed her lips, remembering kissing him. “But so is he,” she said softly. “The men in this family have had their way far too long.”

      She patted her stomach. “I’ve turned down two fortunes for you, so I hope you know how much I already love you,” she said quietly. “Our baby.” Matt wanted her to refer to the baby as our baby. Excitement fluttered in her. She was going to have a family for her baby. A father, grandfather, aunt and uncle.

      Staying out of Matt’s way, she explored the house. In the library, she roamed around the room, looking at leather-bound volumes that were shelved along with dog-eared children’s books that must have been Matt’s and his siblings’. She opened cabinets to find more books and then she found a closet with shelves of scrapbooks. She looked at dates on labels on the spines of the books and pulled out some from years earlier to look at pictures of Matt as a child. She enjoyed pictures of his brothers and sister, studying them and able to pick out Jeff’s cocky grin and Matt’s usually solemn expression.

      After she had worked her way through a stack she noticed a large gray metal box on a shelf. The box was dusty and looked as if it hadn’t been touched in years. When she tried to open it, she couldn’t.

      Curious, she lifted it down carefully because it was heavy. She placed it on the floor and sat beside it to try to get it open, but was unable to until she discovered a tiny brass key taped to the bottom of the box. Puzzled, she stared at the key a moment. Why would someone bother to lock a box and then tape the key where anyone could find it?

      She