“It’ll certainly be fine with me. You take the time you need for leave,” he hoped he said. His thoughts were still on the prospect that she actually might be a good candidate for a short-term marriage. Again, he thought about that awareness he had of her as an attractive woman. Would that make it more difficult to keep his distance in a marriage of convenience than it had in the office? He didn’t think it would.
The more he mulled over the thought, the more he knew. Lara Seymour was the answer to his dilemma.
He tried to pay attention as she talked about her plans, but his thoughts could not be corralled. He was so sure of his plan that he wanted to pose the offer right away. But he couldn’t do that here in the office. No, he’d rather get his offer lined up in his own thoughts and ask her to dinner to tell her. Somewhere private where they would not be interrupted.
“I’m only in my second month, actually not far into my second month, so this is very early. I’d prefer not to announce this to the office, which is why I wanted to see you after hours.”
“Of course. I won’t mention it. I appreciate you letting me know, even though I won’t need to get someone to fill in for you for months yet.”
“I thought it only fair to tell you now. So far I feel fine, so that’s good.”
“That’s very good,” he said, smiling at her. “Lara, you don’t need to answer if you don’t want to, but I really know nothing about your private life. Do you have family here who will be with you?”
She gazed at him with a solemn look that was so unlike her, he was startled. She shook her head. “I have friends. I don’t have relatives. My mom died of leukemia when I was eighteen. I had an older sister who died of acute leukemia when she was seven. My dad walked out when I was a little kid. I don’t remember him or know him. There are no relatives.”
Marc was shocked, but tried to hide his surprise. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that. I know you have friends and a lot of them here in this office. People like you.”
He couldn’t stop thinking of her being so alone. He had never known anyone who had no living relatives. He was so locked into his relationships with his family, he couldn’t imagine her solitary situation. She needed his help so much more than he had thought and it made him feel better to think that he could be a huge help to her and her baby. If this had been his wife, he would hope someone would have helped her.
He could set up a trust for Lara’s baby. He could let the baby have his name. If they married now, most people would assume he was the father, which would be fine with him because it would help her.
“I have wonderful friends here. This is a great office and a great place to work,” she said, giving him a radiant smile. Idly, he wondered how many single guys in his office had tried to date her.
“You have a master’s degree. When you came to work here, you told me you wanted to work to save enough money to go to medical school. Is that still on your agenda?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. My pregnancy is a setback, but I still intend to pursue my dreams. I want to go into medical research someday. With my mother’s illness I saw that there is still so much to be discovered about such diseases. If I can do anything to help in that field, I want to, for my mother’s memory. Doctors just couldn’t do anything to save her, but medical science makes new discoveries constantly. I want to help people. If I don’t get into medical school, I can do something else to help others.”
“That’s commendable. I hope you get to carry out your plans,” he said, thinking he should be able to help her meet some of her financial needs for her education.
“It will take me a little longer to earn and save the money to go back to school, but I intend to do so. If I can get accepted into medical school, I definitely plan to go. If not, I’ll become a chemist.”
“That’s tough without family members to help and to babysit.”
“I’ll manage,” she replied with a lift of her chin.
“I’m sure you will,” he said, and meant it. It hadn’t taken long to recognize her drive and ambition after she came to work for him. He’d seen it in himself and his mother all his life.
“If you don’t feel well, I want you to stay home. If you’re already here and don’t feel well, please don’t keep working. Take off and tell me if you need help getting home or anything.”
She smiled again. “Thanks. That’s nice but I’ll be all right. I’ve been fine so far. Not even morning sickness.”
“That’s good. I assume you have a doctor.”
“Oh, yes, I have a doctor who came with lots of recommendations from friends.” She smiled at him. “Well...I guess there’s nothing more to say but thank you for being so cooperative and helpful. I’ll let you know when I tell anyone else in the office and this is no longer a secret. It can’t be a secret for long,” she said, forcing a smile. Then she stood up, and as she did, his gaze swept over her and he liked what he saw. Her white blouse revealed full curves and a tiny waist.
There were moments—like this one—when he forgot her secretarial status and their business relationship, but he always caught himself before he said or did anything to indicate he saw her as an attractive woman instead of his very competent secretary. He caught himself again now, going to open the door for her.
“Take care of yourself and, again, if you need anything or don’t feel well, don’t hesitate to tell me,” he repeated. She turned to face him and suddenly he was aware of how close they stood. His gaze shifted to her full lips and he felt a tightening deep inside. For just a flash, he saw a flicker of her lashes and her cheeks became a deeper pink.
“Thanks, Marc. You’re always understanding,” she said softly and hurried out, crossing the room to her desk, which had everything in its proper place and ready for the next morning. She opened a drawer, retrieved her purse and turned to smile at him again. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sure,” he said, still watching her as she walked away.
He turned, walked back to his desk and sat, seeing the glass door to the outer office close behind her.
It always surprised him when he noticed her, because he still mourned his wife and he didn’t pay attention to women the way he had before his marriage. Even though in the past few months he had started taking women friends out, he would never be serious about any of them. In fact, he wasn’t even interested in any of them.
He thought about Lara.
And the more he thought about her, the more he knew she was the perfect “wife.” He hadn’t gotten over Kathy and wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship, but Lara wouldn’t expect one. She wouldn’t want to fall in love any more than he wanted to, because she had other plans for her future. And while he stood to gain from this crazy marriage of convenience, so would she. She’d reap the reward of the help he could give her and her baby—not only in a trust he’d set up for the child but in giving the baby his name.
No doubt about it, Lara was the right person to ask.
Well, maybe there was one doubt...
For an instant he thought of the moments when he’d had to bank an electrifying awareness of her as an appealing woman. Could he push aside that attraction? He had to, because Lara and he would both get what they wanted from the marriage. He’d get the ranch and she’d get the financial and maybe emotional support she needed for this pregnancy. Then, when they dissolved the marriage, they’d go their separate ways and both be happy about it and much better off because of the marriage of convenience.
Meanwhile, he knew he could live with her and still continue their business relationship. After all, they didn’t need to go to bed with each other. He hadn’t gotten over the loss of his wife, and she had just broken an engagement.