that he’d had a few minutes to think about it, Mason could see that a marriage for the children’s sake, while it might suit him, wasn’t going to be enough for Gina. Sooner or later, she would weary of the grueling ranch life. Or worse, she’d become disgusted with his temper and walk out.
To make Gina unhappy and watch her lose respect for him would be agony. There was no need to put them both through such an experience.
“Let’s at least do what we can for the girls,” he said. “We could marry long enough for me to adopt them, then quietly divorce.”
“You’re kidding, right?” she said.
He ought to stop, but Mason couldn’t. If he did, he knew with sickening certainty that he would lose his nieces.
Without them he couldn’t face going back to the ranch. There would be no future, nothing to hope for. He needed a reason to go on living.
“Do this for Lily and Daisy, and for me,” he said. “Please. They could use your care for the first few months, anyway. You know that would be the safest thing for them.”
“I suppose so,” she conceded.
“I know it would be a sacrifice,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much it would mean—”
A thickness in his throat cut off the words. For a man who hated to display emotions, Mason had revealed more than he intended.
“I—I wish I could, Mason….”
He could hear the “no” in her tone. She might change her mind, though. “Don’t give me an answer yet. Of course, in the divorce settlement, I’ll compensate you for lost income and arrange for regular visitation with the girls. Please, at least give it some thought.”
“It won’t make…” She stopped. “I would enjoy taking care of the girls, but…”
He didn’t want to discuss this any further tonight. He might easily say too much. About how he ached to touch the spun-gold of her hair, for instance, and to tip her chin upward and explore her mouth with his own.
That would scare her off for certain. “Sleep on it, all right?” he said.
She nodded in reluctant agreement.
WHY HADN’T SHE just said no? Gina wondered as she parted with Mason outside the restaurant. Politely refusing his offer to escort her home, she chose to walk alone and clear her head.
To devote a few more months to the twins would help ensure them a safe start. Maybe she owed them that much. And what about herself? She might never again get a chance at motherhood.
Gina deliberately chose a roundabout route back to Mrs. Parker’s Inn. Although it was dinnertime, lingering July sunlight lured quite a few window-shoppers to browse along Mayfair Avenue. She tried to focus on the mix of tourists and casually dressed students, and on the city’s pleasing mixture of modern, Victorian and classic Southern architecture.
If she didn’t care for Mason, it would have been easy to refuse him, she acknowledged. But now…
Her thirtieth birthday was next month, in mid-August. Although these days women often married and had children late, to Gina that anniversary loomed like a deadline.
Now that she’d met a man she might actually want to marry, how could she refuse him? Yet how could she agree to spend months with him and then walk away? Her marriage of convenience would surely end in heartbreak.
Gina’s footsteps carried her toward the Oh, Baby! shop on Kings Avenue. Popular with the Maitland Maternity staff and clients, it featured baby clothes, toys and accessories. From half a block away, she thought she could detect the scent of baby powder.
It wouldn’t hurt to buy a going-away gift for the girls, she decided. At least they’d have something to remember her by.
In the ribbon-bedecked window, she spotted two yellow gowns trimmed with white lace and dotted with red hearts. They’d be perfect for Lily and Daisy to wear tomorrow when they were released. What were the chances that Mason would remember to buy going-home outfits?
Inside, Gina found the shop nearly empty at this hour and quickly made her purchases. When she emerged, she saw two friends from the clinic staring at the window display, and wondered what they were doing here. Neither Katie Toper nor Hope Logan, who ran the hospital’s gift shop, had children.
Of course, they might be wondering the same thing about her. “I was picking out something for the twins.” Gina indicated her packaged gift. “They’re going home tomorrow.”
“How sweet!” Katie said. “I know you’ll miss them.”
Wistfully, Hope spared one more glance into the window. “I’ve got to be getting home myself. I just…well, I’ll see you both later.” With a small wave, she hurried away.
It didn’t take a detective to note the distressed under-currents. “What’s going on?” Gina asked as she and Katie fell into step.
“Hope and her husband can’t agree about having children,” her friend said. “Kids are so precious, it’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting them.”
“Some people want them for the wrong reasons,” Gina muttered.
Her friend cocked an eyebrow. “You mean Mason’s sister? I heard she’s trying to claim the girls. She isn’t going to go through with it, is she? I mean, she hasn’t even seen them!”
“Yes, she is, and Mason thinks she might succeed.” If she didn’t open up to someone, Gina might explode, so she plunged on. “He’s got this crazy idea that we ought to get married until he can persuade a judge to let him adopt Lily and Daisy! Have you ever heard of such a thing?”
“Marriage isn’t something to be taken lightly,” the other nurse said.
“You’re not kidding!”
They wandered past a French bakery and were enveloped by tantalizing aromas. From a nearby club drifted the rolling beat of country music.
How could she consider leaving Austin? Gina wondered. She’d never lived outside a city, and, since her early teen years, had rarely traveled far from this one. It had so much to offer.
Including loneliness, when Mason wasn’t there.
“The scary part is that I keep thinking of reasons why I ought to do it,” she admitted. “For the girls’ sake. And because it might be my only chance to experience marriage and motherhood.”
“Experience marriage?” Katie asked. “As in experience Europe on your summer vacation?”
“I didn’t mean it that way!” she protested.
“Is this supposed to be a real marriage or a platonic relationship?” her friend demanded.
Mason hadn’t specified, Gina conceded. “I assume it’s a marriage in name only. I mean, he’s never…well, tried to get physical.”
“He’s a man, isn’t he? He can’t spend that much time with you and not eventually want more!” Katie halted, then made a clucking sound. “Would you listen to me? Ford Carrington’s a man, too, but no matter how long I’ve worked with him, he considers me a robot in a nurse’s uniform. It’s a lost cause.”
Gina hoped her friend was wrong. To her, the doctor and the nurse seemed ideally suited. “He might wake up one of these days….”
A couple of passing men broke stride to speak to them. Judging by their brand-new jeans, fake-looking buckles and stiff cowboy hats, the pair were tourists pretending to be Texans. The impression was confirmed when one of them said, “Howdy, ladies. Could y’all use some company?” It sounded like a line from a movie.
“Get real,” said Katie, and the two of them hurried on. They waited at least half a block before indulging in giggles.
“There