Page 91 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Marriage can be a partnership. It’s something we can work at. We can get along. If we share a child, we can probably get along even better than now.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying that,” she said. “You’ve dedicated your life to increasing your fortune because you want to get back at your father. You’re concentrating on competing with him just to ruin his business. That’s revenge.

“Revenge drives you, Blake. Not love. Meanwhile, I’m trying to save people. I’m not marrying someone who is driven by revenge for childhood hurts. I’m sorry for what you went through, but there’s a better way.”

“That may seem foolish to you because you had an abundance of love and attention, but having a father abandon you hurts, Sierra, and it’s the kind of hurt you never forget. It’s not a silly childhood notion.”

“I know that, but you’re grown now. Move on and do some good in the world,” she said.

“I believe you have a very sizable check from me that will do some good. Don’t forget that,” he said.

She was being stubborn. They had a fabulous relationship, and if she would give it a chance, they could work out something that would give their baby both a mom and a dad.

“I only have that check because it was a bribe. You wanted me for this job, and you wanted me in your bed. You said you were attracted to me, and you wanted to see me again.”

“Yeah, I did. And you acted glad to take both checks I gave you, and glad to be in my bed,” he said.

Her cheeks grew red, and he suspected she was trying to hold her temper just as he was. She stood and clenched her fists. “I think we should call it a night and cool down. I have a lot to do tomorrow, and you’re leaving town. We can talk later, when you’ve had time to think about this.”

“I’ll think about it constantly, and I imagine you will, too. You might give some more thought to my proposal before you turn it down. Try to think of the baby—you shouldn’t turn down my proposal just because you don’t want to marry me. You’re not allowing our child to have both a father and a mother full-time, in a home we all share. And think of what I can provide, including my name. Marriage will make raising our child more convenient, more workable. Think about the baby you’re carrying before you reject my proposal.”

“I’ll do that, Blake. Ihavedone that. There is nothing about a loveless marriage that would be good for our child! Look at us now—you think this would be good for a child to be part of our squabbling? I don’t think so.” She took a deep breath. “I think we’ve talked enough tonight. I’m going to my suite before we say something one of us will really regret.”

She brushed past him and hurried into the hall. Her back tingled because she felt his gaze on her as she left the room.

Anger and hurt filled her. Why had she ever been so wildly attracted to Blake? Worse, why had she succumbed to his kisses and then to his lovemaking?

Now there would be no way to forget him. She was tied to him for the rest of her life. Her anger grew. She had tried to be calm and reasonable with him. She had expected him to propose and to insist on her accepting. She had no intention of marrying a man who was building a hotel chain with the sole purpose of getting back at his father. In the privacy of her bedroom she paced the floor, not only angry at herself but that Blake wouldn’t stop and think before he started pushing for marriage. Yes, that had been her first thought, too, but if he would give the future some thought, she expected he would come to the same conclusion she had—they were not compatible out of bed, and they shouldn’t be married.

By one in the morning, she had given up on getting to sleep. She was exhausted and yet still angry when she thought about Blake’s stubborn insistence on marriage before he had really had time to think things through.

It was almost dawn when she fell asleep, and then she overslept. As she showered and dressed in green slacks and a matching cotton blouse, she hoped Blake had already left the ranch.

She soon found out from Etta that Blake had left for Dallas, and she didn’t know when he would return. Trying to concentrate on the tasks at hand and put him out of her thoughts, Sierra went to work. The sooner she could get his new wing finished, the sooner she could return to Kansas City.

As she sat at a desk with sketches before her, she paused, staring into space, remembering being in Blake’s arms, the laughter they had shared. They had liked being together—it almost made her wish theycouldmake a marriage work—but there was no way she could get past his efforts to get revenge. That was a solid wall that would always divide them.

In spite of all common sense and absolute certainty that marriage to Blake would be a disaster, she couldn’t keep from thinking about him. He had a forceful personality, and the attraction between them, the electrifying appeal that made him unique, was irresistible. He could certainly turn on the charm, and they’d had a good time together.

With a sigh, she focused on the tasks for the day to try to move on.

Within the hour, she was lost in thoughts about Blake again. Common sense said she would get over missing him. That it was just a matter of time. Her heart was trying to tell her differently.

As the morning progressed, she kept busy, supervising placement of the new furniture and area rugs, the installation of the mirrors and new paintings. Blake was in California, and she talked to him briefly on the phone at night because of questions about the house. Each time she heard his voice, she felt a pang of longing that she tried to ignore. They were cool with each other, remote, as if there had never been intimacy between them, and she suspected when the calls about the house ended, she wouldn’t have any contact with him for a while.

Finally, they were finished. Blake was due back on Friday, and Saturday morning she, as well as Eli, Lucinda and the contractor, were going to meet with him to go over the rooms. She was certain any party Blake had planned earlier wasn’t going to happen now.

While it wasn’t convenient to move her things, she didn’t want to stay on the ranch with him after the work was done, so she stayed in the small hotel in town. In her hotel room, she looked intently at herself in the mirror.

At two months her stomach was still flat and her waist had not changed plus her five-ten height might be the reason she didn’t see any change. So far, she felt well and had not had any morning sickness.

She had rented a car to drive to the ranch tomorrow. She didn’t want to rely on Blake for anything—not transportation, food, lodging, companionship. Her anger with him was a constant feeling. She was certain he had not changed his mind in the least, and he would continue to insist they marry for all the wrong reasons.

It was simply something she would not do.

Friday afternoon in Dallas, Blake met Cade for lunch, sliding into a chair opposite his brother.

“Well, is the house finished?”