He was waiting for her response.
“No, you weren’t out of line.”
“Then why the coldness today?”
She tilted her chin. “I can be asking you the same thing, Jason. You weren’t Mr. Congeniality yourself tonight.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment but she could tell her comment had hit a mark with him. “No, I wasn’t,” he admitted.
Although she had made the accusation she was stunned by the admission. It had caught her off guard. “Why?” She knew the reason for her distance but was curious to know the reason for his.
“Ladies first.”
“Fine,” she said, placing her purse on the table. “We might as well get this little talk over with. Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes,” he said, rubbing his hand down his face in frustration. “A cup of tea would be nice.”
She glanced up at him, surprised by his choice. There was no need to mention since that first day when he’d shown up she had picked up a couple bottles of beer and wine at the store to give him more of a choice. Since tea was also her choice she said, “All right, I’ll be back in a moment.” She then swept from the room.
Jason watched her leave and felt more frustrated than ever. She was right, they needed to talk. He shook his head. When had things between them gotten so complicated? Had it all started with that kiss? A kiss that was destined to happen sooner or later given the intense attraction between them?
He sighed deeply, wondering how he would explain his coldness to her tonight. How could he tell her his behavior had been put in place as a safety mechanism stemming from the fact that he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any other woman? And how could he explain that the thought of any woman getting under his skin to the extent she had scared the hell out of him?
Chances were if he hadn’t run into her at the appliance store he would have sought out her company anyway. More than likely he would have dropped by later for tea, although he had tried limiting his visits for fear of wearing out his welcome.
Her phone rang and he wondered who would be calling her at this late hour but knew it was none of his business when she picked it up on the second rang. He’d never gotten around to asking if she had a boyfriend or not and assumed she didn’t.
Moments later Jason glanced toward the kitchen door when he heard a loud noise, the sound of something crashing on her floor. He quickly moved toward the kitchen to see what had happened and to make sure she was all right.
He frowned when he entered the kitchen and saw Bella stooping to pick up the tray she’d dropped along with two broken cups.
He quickly moved forward. “Are you okay, Bella?” he asked.
She didn’t look at him as she continued to pick up broken pieces of the teacups. “I’m fine. I accidentally dropped it.”
He bent down toward her. “That’s fine. At least you didn’t have tea in the cups. You could have burned yourself. I can help you get that up.”
She turned to look up at him. “I can do this, Jason. I don’t need your help.”
He met her gaze and would have taken her stinging words to heart if he hadn’t seen the redness of her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering she shook her head and averted her gaze, refusing to look at him any longer. Quickly recovering his composure at seeing her so upset, he was pushed into action and wrapped his arms around her waist and assisted her up off the floor.
He stood facing her and drew in a deep, calming breath before saying, “I want to know what’s wrong, Bella.”
She drew in her own deep breath. “That was my father. He called to gloat.”
Jason frowned. “About what?”
He watched her when she swallowed deeply. “He and his attorney were able to get an injunction against my trust fund and wanted me to know my monthly funds are on hold.”
He heard the tremor in her voice. “But I thought you had three months before your twenty-sixth birthday.”
“I do, but some judge—probably a close friend of Dad’s—felt my parents had grounds to place a hold on my money. They don’t believe I’ll marry before the trust fund’s deadline date.”
She frowned. “I need my money, Jason. I was counting on the income to pay my men as well as to pay for all the work I’ve ordered to be done around here. There were a number of things my grandfather hadn’t taken care of around here that need to be done, like repairing the roof on the barn. My parents are deliberately placing me in a bind and they know it.”
Jason nodded. He had started noticing a number of things Herman had begun overlooking that had needed to be done. He then shook his head. He’d heard of controlling parents but felt hers were ridiculous.
“Certainly there is something your attorney can do.”
She drew in a deep breath. “He sent me a text moments ago and said there’s nothing he can do now that a judge has gotten involved. And even if there were, it would take time and my parents know it. It is time they figure I don’t have, which will work in their favor. True, I got this ranch free and clear but it takes money to keep it operational.”
He shook his head. “And all because you won’t get married?”
“Yes. They believe I was raised and groomed to be the wife of someone like Hugh who already has standing in Savannah’s upper-class society.”
Jason didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Does your trust fund specifically state who you’re to marry?”
“No, it just says I have to be a married woman. I guess my grandparents figured in their way of thinking that I would automatically marry someone they would consider my equal and not just anyone.”
An idea suddenly slammed into Jason’s head. It was a crazy one … but it would serve a purpose in the long run. In the end, she would get what she wanted and he would get what he wanted.
He reached out and took her hand in his, entwined their fingers and tried ignoring the sensations touching her caused. “Let’s sit down for a moment. I might have an idea.”
Bella allowed him to lead her over to the kitchen table and she sat down with her hands on top of the table and glanced up at him expectantly.
“Promise you’ll keep an open mind when you hear my proposal.”
“All right, I promise.”
He paused a moment and then said, “I think you should do what your parents want and get married.” “What!”
“Think about it, Bella. You can marry anyone to keep your trust fund intact.”
He could tell she was even more confused. “I don’t understand, Jason. I’m not seriously involved with anyone, so who am I supposed to marry?”
“Me.”
Four
Bella’s jaw dropped open. “You?”
“Yes.”
She stared at Jason for a long moment and then she adamantly shook her head.
“Why would you agree to marry me?” she asked, confused.
“Think about it, Bella. It will be a win-win situation for the both of us. Marriage to me will guarantee you’ll keep your trust fund rolling in without your parents’ interfering. And it will give me what I want, as well, which is your land and Hercules.”
Her