You are cordially invited

to the wedding of

Mason Blackstone

&

Gina Kennedy

Reception hosted by Megan Maitland,

founder of Maitland Maternity Hospital

In attendance will be Lily and Daisy Blackstone, soon-to-be adopted daughters of the bride and groom!

Harlequin American Romance’s

MAITLAND MATERNITY series continues with

Jacqueline Diamond’s delightful I Do! I Do!

I Do! I Do!
Jacqueline Diamond

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqueline Diamond was born in Menard, Texas, a small town in the region in which the fictional Blackstone Bar Ranch is located. Her father, Maurice, was the town’s doctor and made house calls to ranches.

In October 2000, Harlequin Duets will publish her book Designer Genes. It’s set in the fictional town of Nowhere Junction, in the same area of Texas.

Jackie now makes her home in Southern California and likes to hear from readers at P.O. Box 1315, Brea, CA 92822.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Mason Blackstone—A rancher doesn’t go from herding cows to changing diapers overnight—not without the right woman by his side.

Gina Kennedy—The virginal nurse had a crush on the sexy rancher. She’d do anything to be his wife—including agree to a temporary marriage.

Daisy and Lily Blackstone—Orphaned newborn twins, they found a good home with their uncle Mason. But would they be able to grow up in his loving care?

Margaret and Stuart Waldman—Mason’s sister and brother-in-law wanted to adopt the baby girls for the wrong reasons.

Megan Maitland—The founder of Maitland Maternity opened up her family’s home to host a very special wedding….

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter One

When she got to the clinic, he might be waiting. Or on his way, driving from his ranch in the pickup truck.

Gina Kennedy’s step quickened as she hurried down Mayfair Avenue in the early morning quiet. Her shift in the intermediate-care nursery didn’t start for half an hour. What was her hurry?

His dark eyes would warm when he came in. The other nurses would sneak glances at him, but his smile would be for Gina alone.

On a humid July day like this, Austin, Texas, felt more like the Old South than the Wild West. Gina could feel her hair wilting, even though the full heat wouldn’t hit for hours yet.

She glanced at her reflection in a shop window. The straight, light-blond hair that brushed the tops of her shoulders was a bit damp, but holding its own thanks to a heavy dose of mousse.

Critically, she examined the way the nurse’s uniform clung to her figure. Gina knew that some of her friends envied her narrow waistline and well-proportioned bust, but she’d always wished she were taller. Tall enough to measure up to a big, brooding man.

He exuded power. It wasn’t only the intensity of his gaze, but the way he dwarfed everyone around him.

Yet he handled those tiny babies with such incredible tenderness that she couldn’t help wondering what kind of lover he would be.

Gina gripped her purse strap. Why on earth was she daydreaming about Mason Blackstone? This was the first time in her twenty-nine years that she’d fantasized about a man. Why did it have to be someone beyond her reach?

From the Austin Eats Diner, the smell of bacon, pancakes and maple syrup wafted toward her. Gina smiled. She would like to see Mason tackle a meal like that. No doubt he’d make short work of it.

To maintain her trim figure, she stuck to cereal or whole-wheat toast for breakfast. Still, she liked to see a man eat, a man who earned his Texas-size appetite through old-fashioned hard work.

Mason’s ranch was a two-hour drive northwest of here, he’d told her. Most nights during the past two months, he’d made the trip back there to ensure that everything was functioning properly.

Once in a while, though, he stayed over at a hotel in Austin. He’d never suggested that they get together after hours, which, Gina told herself, was a good thing. The two of them were wildly ill-suited. Besides, it would be inappropriate as long as she was caring for his premature twin nieces.

She would like to see him polish off a steak and potatoes just once, though. The possibility that he might choose her for dessert sent a small thrill down her spine.

Foolish make-believe, that’s what she was indulging in. A rough-and-ready guy like Mason needed a sturdy ranch woman who knew one end of a horse from the other. Once he took the little orphaned girls home, he would have nothing in common with a sheltered, daydreaming neonatal nurse whose brief relationships with men always ended when she refused to hop into bed with them.

Gina walked alongside the sweeping front driveway that led to the Maitland Maternity Clinic. After graduating from nursing school at the University of Texas here in Austin, she was lucky to have landed a job at the modern, family-run facility that served rich and poor women alike.

In her half-dozen years on the staff, she’d come to think of the clinic as home. She always looked forward to coming to work each day, more than ever in the two months since Mason and his little nieces had become fixtures in the nursery.

He hadn’t arrived yet this morning, she saw. Usually, his extended pickup truck with a covered bed loomed over the other vehicles in the parking lot. Still, he might pull in at any minute.

Heading for the employee entrance, she hurried inside to tuck her purse into her locker. In the corridor, she was about to dodge by Ford Carrington, the clinic’s pediatric surgeon, when he said, “Miss Kennedy? Could I speak with you a moment?”

Although he was handsome, with a reputation as a playboy, Gina knew him as a dedicated doctor, one who rarely had occasion to speak to her. “Yes, Doctor?” she said.

“I wanted to say I think you’ve done a superb job with the Blackstone twins.” Ford paused as if mentally reviewing the case. “Daisy’s made a much faster recovery from her hernia operation than I expected. From what Katie Toper says, your TLC has helped compensate for the tragic loss of their mother.”

“Their uncle’s the one who deserves the credit.” Gina didn’t believe she deserved praise for doing what came naturally, although she appreciated the good word from Katie, a fellow nurse who often assisted Dr. Carrington. “Besides, there’s something special about those girls.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Gina,” he said. “You’ve helped give those little girls a fine start in life.”

“Thanks, Dr. Carrington.” It was almost seven, and after he turned away, she had to hurry to reach the nursery on time. It was worth it, though, to receive praise from a man she respected so highly.

For the last three years, Gina had been assigned to the intensive and intermediate-care nurseries. Due to the low staff-to-patient ratio, she had time to grow attached to her little charges, but none had affected her as much as Daisy and her twin sister, Lily.

Maybe it was the fact that their father had died in a car crash before they were born, and their mother had succumbed to her injuries less than a day after giving birth. Maybe it was because the little girls, struggling for life despite their fragility, reminded Gina in some ways of herself.

They seemed like the daughters she’d hoped someday to have but perhaps never would. Her future was a growing concern as she neared her thirtieth birthday, less than a month away, without a boyfriend in sight.

Gina pushed aside personal concerns as she entered the staff area of the nursery. Katie was already there, updating charts from the night shift.

“How is everything?” Gina asked.

“Quiet.” Her friend smiled. “Thank goodness. The Lopez girl is going home today and the Simmons boy’s temperature is back to normal.”

“By the way, thanks for putting in the good word with Dr. Carrington,” Gina said when Katie finished.

“He spoke to you?” The other nurse waited, as if hoping for more.

“He complimented me on showing affection to Daisy and Lily. It would have been hard not to!”

“How did he look?” Katie probed. “He didn’t get enough sleep night before last. Did you notice any dark circles under his eyes?”

“He looked perfect. As always.”

Katie sighed. It was well known among the nurses that she had a long-standing crush on the surgeon. His chosen companions, however, were stunning model types, not down-to-earth nurses.

Gina couldn’t help but sympathize. Not that she had a crush on Mason Blackstone. She was too practical, she told herself firmly.

Besides being her opposite in many ways, he’d never even hinted at wanting a relationship. So soon after the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law, it was unlikely he thought of her as anything more than a caretaker for his nieces.

After she pinned back her hair, scrubbed and put on a sterile gown, Gina went into the nursery. She was assigned to four patients, including Lily and Daisy.

“Good morning.” She smiled down at Daisy. “Let’s check those bandages and weigh you, shall we?”

The next half hour passed quickly, taken up with checking medications, weighing, feeding and changing all four babies. Matters were complicated by the fact that, before being handled, they had to be detached from monitors that warned if their respiration or heartbeat ran too low or too high.

As she fed Lily, Gina regarded a small bare patch on the baby’s crown, where, like Daisy, she’d been fed intravenously during her first few weeks. It seemed a shame that the girls’ earliest photos would be marred. Still, it was a minor flaw, and the hair would grow out quickly.

“You won’t even remember it by prom night,” she assured the baby.

“What won’t she remember by prom night?”

The baritone voice startled her out of her reverie. How had Mason heard her, all the way across the room?

“I was teasing her about her bald spot.” Gina tried to sound normal, although, as usual, Mason made her breath come faster.

Against the pastel decor of the nursery, he loomed large. The brawny chest and shoulders were developed as only a cowboy’s could be, strong enough to rope a calf or dig a post hole. As he reached to put on a sterile gown, she glimpsed a yoked shirt tucked into jeans, a leather belt dominated by a Mexican silver buckle, and a pair of polished dress boots.

He removed his Stetson and set it aside, crown side down. Thick black hair, a testament to his Native American heritage, sprang up defiantly.

Gina drank in every inch of his appearance. Soon, he and these precious babies would vanish from her life. Not too soon, though, she hoped.

“You’re already planning their senior prom?” Mason gave her a rueful smile as he crossed the nursery. “I can hardly think beyond how often to feed them and how many diapers to buy!”

She finished feeding Lily, noted how many ounces she had taken, then rolled the baby onto her stomach to burp her. At scarcely four and a half pounds each, the babies were still a bit fragile to hold against the shoulder.

“You’ll do fine,” she said. “Also, didn’t you say your housekeeper has experience with babies?”

“Bonita can manage, but she isn’t an expert like you.” He offered a finger to his niece, who gummed it happily. “May I take her?”

“Of course.” As Gina guided the tiny baby into his grasp, their hands touched. The brief contact sent heat flaring through her.

She struggled not to show how profoundly this man affected her. It would only embarrass them both. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t feel the same way.

Gina had vowed long ago to save herself for the man she would someday marry. As the prospect of marriage grew more and more remote, she sometimes doubted her resolve. What she didn’t need was a man like Mason tempting her.

Lily nestled into her uncle’s arms and stared up at him. Although the baby hadn’t started smiling yet, Gina knew her well enough to read the alert interest that indicated the infant was emotionally engaged. That was a technical way of saying she loved her uncle.

As for Mason, his emotions were written across his tanned, high-boned face as he returned his niece’s gaze. There was enough warmth shining there to light the dark corners of the universe.

Gina snapped back to duty as the nursery door opened and Dr. Ephraim Rogers entered. The graying pediatrician scrubbed, donned a sterile gown and came into the main nursery.

By then, she had the charts ready for him. They discussed each of the other two babies, agreed on some minor changes in their care, and then moved to Lily and Daisy.

“You certainly are a devoted uncle, Mr. Blackstone.” The doctor shook hands with him. “These girls are doing well. Have you given any thought to who will care for them when they’re released?”

“I will,” he said. “With the help of my housekeeper.”

The doctor nodded. “She should come into the hospital to learn infant CPR.” Mason had already undergone his training. “Also, we’d like to show her how to use the apnea monitors we’ll be sending home with the babies.”

“Monitors?” His forehead creased. “No one mentioned this before.”

“It’s a precaution,” Dr. Rogers said. “It’s much simpler than these devices they use in the hospital. Just a belt that wraps around their chest. I can understand your concern, Mr. Blackstone, and I know you live out on a ranch. Aren’t there any female relatives who could take these girls?”

Mason drew himself up to his full height, which gave him the advantage over the doctor. “I can take care of them. My late sister-in-law’s parents aren’t in good health, and besides, I consider Lily and Daisy to be my own daughters. I’ll bring my housekeeper here for training.”

“In that case, I’m going to write a release order for tomorrow,” the doctor said. “Congratulations, Mr. Blackstone. It’s time to take your daughters home.”

With another handshake, he departed. Mason stood staring after him.

Gina was grateful that the girls had been pronounced well enough to leave. And devastated that she would never see them, or their uncle, again.

HE’D BEEN AWAITING this good news eagerly for weeks. Now that it had come, Mason felt a shock of dismay.

How would he sustain these tiny girls without the assistance of trained medical staff? He knew his own skills and capabilities as a rancher, whether it came to managing finance, tending an injured calf or repairing anything from a bridle to a pickup truck.

But babies? What if something went wrong? He could never forgive himself.

It also meant that, after tomorrow, he would never see Gina Kennedy again. Of course, he knew she was too delicate for ranch life. And that he wasn’t husband material.

Yet he’d grown to depend on the quiet strength revealed in her blue eyes. Each day, he felt he knew her a little better, until it seemed that she had been a part of his life forever.

It made no sense. Her upbringing, as she’d described it one day while they were chatting, was so different from his that she might as well have come from another planet. He was a down-home Texas man, through and through. She had an air of sophistication that had developed as her engineer father moved the family to Kuwait, Alaska and Japan before settling in Austin.

Mason ought to be glad he was free to take the girls home. Instead, he kept longing to spend more time with Gina, to touch her soft hair, to grip that tiny waist and lift her onto his lap, to kiss her until time stood still.

She replaced Lily in her bassinet. “That’s wonderful news.”

“Is it?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Some emotion he couldn’t identify fleeted across her face and vanished almost immediately. “If you’re worried, you could arrange for a private nurse. There must be someone in the town near your ranch. What’s it called—Horseshoe Bend?”

“I wouldn’t need to go that far for help. The girls will have a ready-made family on the ranch,” Mason said, to reassure himself as much as her. “Some of my cousins live there.”

She gave him a fleeting smile. “Does your housekeeper have children?”

“Actually, no,” he admitted. “She never married. But she raised one of her nephews, and she takes care of her mother. Nana lives with her in the village.”

“In Horseshoe Bend?”

Mason shook his head. “The village is a cluster of houses on my property, just down the way from the big house. My cousin Ed—he’s the foreman—and his family have their own house. So do a couple of ranch hands, and Bonita and her mother.”

“Aren’t there other children?” she asked. “For the girls to play with when they get older?”

He hadn’t thought beyond their infancy. Certainly playmates hadn’t entered his mind. “Not at the moment,” he admitted. “I can look for a family man though. I’ll need to hire someone to take my brother’s place.”

A wave of pain hit him, one that hurt no less for having become familiar during the past two months. No one could replace his brother, not in any sense of the word.

Gina dragged him back from his dark thoughts. “Get plenty of sleep tonight.” She took out a clean crib sheet, frowned at what appeared to be a freshly changed bassinet, and put the sheet back in the cabinet. “You’ll need it.”

She was, he realized, avoiding eye contact. He wished he knew what was upsetting her.

“I can manage without sleep if I have to,” he said. “I’ve done it before.”

“Not with two premature infants to take care of, you haven’t!”

Mason caught her shoulders. It was the only way to hold her still so he could address her. “Don’t tell me that you doubt me, Gina. Not you of all people.”

Trapped, she raised her face toward his. He’d never seen the blue of her eyes so brilliant and glittery. It was, he realized, the effect of tears.

“You’re going to miss them, aren’t you?” he asked gruffly.

She swallowed hard and nodded.

“You could…come and visit.” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t feasible. “Besides, a beautiful woman like you will have babies of your own. I’m surprised you don’t already.”

“Haven’t met the right man yet, I guess.” She ducked away.

At least he understood what was bothering her. It was Lily and Daisy. She’d grown to love them, just as he had.

Did she react this way when all of her patients left? He wished he could read her moods better.

“Mr. Blackstone?” One of the other nurses signaled to him. “Eleanor Maitland wants to talk to you.”

“Much obliged.” Through the glass window of the nursery, he saw the hospital administrator waving from the corridor.

A daughter of Maitland Maternity founder Megan Maitland, Miss Elly—as he’d heard her teasingly called in a reference to the TV series Dallas—was only twenty-five, the same age as the hospital. She wore glasses and tailored suits that made her look a bit older than her age, but not by much.

“Maybe she has some words of advice about the girls,” Gina said. “After all, she’s a twin herself.”

“I guess I’ll find out.” Regretfully, he turned away. He wished Gina could come into the hall with him. Heck, he wished she could come all the way to the ranch with him.

There was no point in deluding himself. Mason couldn’t picture the doll-like blonde living on the Blackstone Bar Ranch. And why would a pretty girl like her want to tear herself away from Austin’s music clubs and, no doubt, her many admirers?

On the way out of the nursery, he shrugged off his gown and dropped it in the laundry container, then collected his hat. Elly Maitland met him at the door.

“Congratulations,” she said. “Dr. Rogers tells me the girls are going home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mason gripped the hat in both hands. Give him a stray heifer to rope any day over the need to carry on polite chitchat.

“You know, there’s a good chance the press will be here tomorrow when they’re released,” she said. “There’s been a lot of interest in the twins.”

The deaths of both parents, orphaning the little girls, had stirred the public’s curiosity. Also, there’d been interest in the fact that two sets of twins had been delivered at the clinic on the same day.

Despite his absorption with his family’s double tragedy and his nieces’ medical progress, Mason had noticed the Winston boys, Henry and Hayden, and how their mother hovered over them. He hadn’t seen the father, though, and hoped matters had improved between the couple since the boys had gone home.

Elly seemed to be waiting for a response, so he said, “I’m aware of the media interest, ma’am.”

“If you like, we can arrange for you to leave by a rear entrance,” she said.

He shrugged. “I figure I can weather a few gabby reporters.”

“That’s fine, then.” She cleared her throat. “There is one other thing, Mr. Blackstone.”

“If it’s about the bill—”

“No, no,” she said. “The paperwork’s gone through fine.”

He was glad to hear it. Every spare minute of the past two months had been spent on one form of paperwork or another.

Through the glass, he could see some other parents arriving in the nursery, asking questions of Gina. She answered them in the same kind, steady manner she used with Mason himself.

After tomorrow, he and the girls would be gone. But for Gina, everything would continue, undisturbed. For some reason, that prospect irked him.

“Mr. Blackstone?” Elly said. “Are you all right?”

“What?”

“You seem distracted.”

“I’m a mite tired.” That was the truth. “It’s a long drive between here and my ranch.”

“Well, that’s about to end, isn’t it?” she said. “One way or another.”

“Excuse me?” He didn’t like the sound of that phrase.

“I just received a phone call from Stuart Waldman,” she said. “That’s what I needed to talk to you about.”

“My brother-in-law called you?” The Dallas attorney was married to Mason’s older sister, Margaret.

After Rance and Amy’s funerals in Horseshoe Bend, Stuart had offered his legal services to deal with the couple’s estate. Neither of the Waldmans had visited Austin to see their nieces, however.

“Apparently someone notified him, as the attorney to your brother’s estate, that Lily and Daisy are being released,” she said. “He and your sister will be here tomorrow.”

“Why?” Mason hoped he didn’t sound as irritable as he felt. Eight years his senior, Marge still regarded him as her kid brother. Furthermore, since childhood she’d had a way of hogging the limelight, performing a small amount of work and expecting a large amount of credit.

“He said your sister intends to raise the babies herself.”

Mason’s gut tightened. He’d gone through so much with these little girls. What the heck did Marge think she was doing?

If she loved them even a tenth as much as he did, she’d have come to Austin long ago. She’d have camped out, as he had, unable to bear missing a single day with them.

“My sister has no right to these children,” he said.

“According to your brother-in-law, she believes she could provide them with the best home,” Elly said mildly.

“The best home is the one where they’re loved.” He couldn’t keep an edge from his voice.

“I won’t disagree with you,” the administrator said.

“Did Stuart happen to mention why they never brought this up until now?”

“According to him, your sister needed time to ‘clear the decks’ of other involvements,” she said. “Still that wouldn’t prevent her from picking up a telephone and calling you, would it?”

Mason knew quite well why his sister hadn’t contacted him directly—because she didn’t want to give him a chance to speak bluntly. Acknowledging painful truths had never been Margaret’s favorite activity.

“She wants to take charge and be the center of attention,” he said. “In a few months, she’ll get tired of playing nursemaid and turn them over to a series of nannies. That may sound uncharitable on my part, Miss Maitland, but I’ve known my sister for a long time.”

“You understand that, no matter where my sympathies lie, I can’t get involved.” She tapped a pen against her clipboard. “Mr. Waldman asked me to delay the girls’ release for another day, to give them more time to get here. However, there’s no medical reason to hold them, so I declined.”

“Much obliged,” Mason said.

“It was the least I could do.”

As the administrator departed, the full impact of this development hit him. He might lose the girls. If Margaret was determined to take Lily and Daisy, she would have the odds stacked in her favor.

A lawyer for a husband. An elegant home in Dallas. Three nearly grown kids of her own as proof that she knew how to raise children. A judge wouldn’t understand that, to Margaret, the baby girls were ornaments to show off, while Mason loved them with all his heart.

He must have been scowling when he returned to the nursery, because several people scooted out of his way. Gina didn’t budge. “What’s wrong?”

He became aware of the other nurses and parents around them. It was too personal a subject to discuss here.

“There’s a problem I’d like to discuss with you,” he said. “But not here. Could I take you out to dinner after your shift?”

Mason caught his breath, realizing that he’d just asked her on a date. Of course, she would refuse—politely and sweetly, but firmly. Why should she agree to spend time with him?

“Something’s wrong that affects the girls? Of course,” she said.

Suddenly it wasn’t a date, just a conference about the twins. He wished he didn’t feel so disappointed.

Chapter Two

Across one of the plank-style tables at Lone Star’s, a steak house down the street from Maitland Maternity, Gina studied Mason.

She hadn’t been able to finish her barbecued chicken, although it was excellent. The huge portions, however, didn’t prevent him from making short work of a platter of steak and fries, along with a salad. He ate exactly the way she’d imagined he would.

He also managed to tell her quite a bit about himself, and especially his relationship with his sister. Until now, Gina had known Mason primarily as Lily and Daisy’s uncle. It was intriguing to glimpse the larger scope of his life and his family.

Margaret, he’d explained, was eight years older than him and had already married and left the Blackstone Bar ranch when their mother died. Mason, who’d been twelve at the time, had helped raise Rance, five years his junior, and had assisted their father on the ranch.

In Dallas, Marge kept a busy schedule. She headed several social committees and ran a charity art gallery and craft shop.

“Why do you suppose she wants to go back to changing diapers and staying up half the night for two babies she’s never met?” Gina asked. “She’d have to give up most of her other activities. And it doesn’t get any easier when they’re toddlers, or teenagers, either! This is a twenty-year commitment.”

She stopped, surprised by her outburst. She didn’t usually state her opinions so boldly.

Mason spread his hands in a gesture of frustration. “Maybe because she knows she can win. What would I say to a judge? ‘Your honor, my brother and I were so close, he and his wife meant everything to me. Their children were going to be my children, too. Now that they’re gone, these girls are all I have left.’ That’s not a strong argument.”

“It ought to be!” Gina said.

“She’ll say she’s better suited in every way to raise the girls, and the judge will agree,” he concluded. “I have to come up with a counterargument. That’s where I could use your advice.”

“I can testify that they never visited the nursery,” she said. “You were there every day.”

“It might not be enough,” he said. “Before I knew for certain that Amy’s parents didn’t want the children, I talked to a lawyer about custody issues. He told me judges have a hard time weighing intangibles like bonding, so they take a by-the-numbers approach. Margaret can list a lot more advantages than I can.”

“Can’t you reason with her?” she asked. “The direct approach is sometimes the best one.”

The waitress stopped to take their dessert order, apple pie for him, sherbet for Gina. When they were alone again, he said, “Reason with her? I tried that this afternoon, on the phone. Margaret didn’t even hear what I was saying. To her, I’m still her kid brother.”

It was hard to imagine how anyone could see Mason as a kid. From across the booth, Gina could feel the heat of the man and smell the leathery fragrance he exuded.

“I wish I could help,” she said. “With all their activities, the Waldmans don’t sound like ideal parents for two medically fragile infants.”

“Medically fragile?” he repeated.

She hadn’t meant to alarm him. “I don’t mean that they’re in imminent danger. But they need extra care.”

“Like attaching the monitors.” He spoke to himself more than to her.

“Yes. Someone will need to check their weight gains, and take their temperatures, and log how much they’re eating,” she explained. “It’s not the sort of thing a person can do easily in between running a store and organizing a charity event.”

“It’s not the sort of thing a person can do while running a ranch, either.” He shook his head. “From a judge’s point of view, this looks hopeless.”

To Gina, the difference was clear. “You’ve got a full-time housekeeper, someone you’ve known for years, who’s dedicated to you. And you won’t get tired of the girls after a few months. You’ve shown you’re willing to sacrifice for them.”

Their dessert came. Mason stared at his apple pie. “You know what I want them to have?” he said.

“Love?” Gina guessed.

“Of course.” He gave her a weary smile. “Also, a sense of belonging. Memories, traditions. The kind of thing you get on a ranch or in a small community.”

She toyed with her sherbet spoon. “I wish I’d had that experience. The places we lived were fascinating, but I never truly belonged in any of them.”

“You must have been close to your parents, though,” he said.

A hollow sensation ran through her. She’d first become aware of it at her parents’ funeral, when she realized that in essential ways they’d remained strangers to her.

“We all kept so busy,” she said. “Dad worked long hours, Mom worked part-time and volunteered at church. I sang in the choir and took honors classes, and was a candy-striper in a nursing home. We hardly ever discussed anything except schedules.”

“Are they still living?” he asked.

“They died four years ago,” she said. “Their boat turned over on Lake Travis. A witness said Mom got trapped and Dad tried to save her.” Tears threatened Gina’s composure, but she held them back. “There are so many things we never discussed, so many ways I never knew them. I’d hate for Lily and Daisy to grow up like that.”

He studied her with an expression she couldn’t read. The silence stretched out before he asked, “How much would you hate it?”

“Hate what?” Lost in a swirl of memories, she could barely remember what they’d been talking about.

“How much would you hate for the twins to grow up without a sense of belonging?” he said. “How much would you hate for them to grow up as cute playthings for a couple who’ll barely have time for them?”

“I’d adopt them myself if I could, that’s how much I care,” Gina answered frankly. “Assuming, of course, that you weren’t in the picture.”

He flinched, and she realized he’d misunderstood. “I meant that of course you have the first claim on them,” she added hurriedly. “Not that I wouldn’t want you around. I mean…” To her chagrin, heat crept across her cheeks.

Mason smiled. “Good. Because I’ve got the most outrageous idea I’m ever likely to have. Want to hear it?”

“Sure,” she said, eager for a distraction from her embarrassment.

“Let’s get married,” he said.

MASON COULD HARDLY believe what he’d proposed. Or rather, that he’d proposed.

The last thing he’d had in mind when he asked Gina to dinner was marriage. Not because he wouldn’t want her. A man would be incredibly lucky to walk an angel like her down the aisle.

He simply wasn’t cut out for marriage. He belonged in the saddle or behind the wheel of a pickup. When he got into one of his black moods, he needed the open range to vent.

Three years ago, he’d fallen in love with Francine Lee, a pretty blond accountant who’d been visiting her brother, the veterinarian in Horseshoe Bend. They’d dated intensely, and she’d prolonged her stay for several weeks.

One night at the ranch, they’d cooked dinner together after giving Bonita the evening off. Mason had planned to pop the question, until Rance hurried in to tell him that a cowhand had ridden one of their horses without permission and treated it so badly the horse had suffered permanent damage.

The man had created problems before, although never anything so serious. He’d been tolerated because he was a friend of their late father’s.

At the news, something had snapped inside Mason. With Francine and Rance watching, he’d hauled the drunken cowboy out of the barn where he was cowering and punched him so hard the man flew across the yard. Mason didn’t remember much else, except that he’d fired the man amid a string of profanities.

Francine had been shocked. “You lost control of yourself!” she’d said. “How do I know you won’t do that again? Maybe next time, I’ll be the one you take it out on!”

She’d refused to listen to his protests, and demanded that he drive her to her brother’s, which he did. The next day, she’d returned to Houston, and hadn’t answered his letter of apology.

Mason knew that emotions could still run away with him under certain circumstances. There was a wildness to him that was part of his nature. He could usually keep it under control, but not always.

Over the years, he’d met rough-and-tumble women who could stand up to him, but none of them had come close to winning his heart. He had to accept the plain fact that he wasn’t suited for marriage to the kind of gracious, tenderhearted woman who appealed to him.

When Rance wed his high school sweetheart, Amy, and she became pregnant with twins, it had seemed like the answer to Mason’s prayers. The future of the ranch would be assured. He didn’t need to marry, as long as he had his brother’s family.

Yet here he was proposing to Gina Kennedy, a woman who was even more delicate than Francine. Was he out of his mind? He was doing it for the twins, though, not for himself.

“It makes perfect sense,” Mason said to the stunned nurse sitting across from him. “If I hired you to take care of the girls, even assuming you were available, it wouldn’t be enough to persuade a judge in my favor. But as my wife, you’d be unbeatable!”

She blinked a couple of times. “Mason, what are you talking about?”

“Didn’t I make myself clear?” he said. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

She swallowed hard before continuing. “So you can trump your sister and keep the twins?”

“And you can keep them, too,” he pointed out.

“That’s what you said you wanted.”

Those blue eyes regarded him levelly. “I’m going to do us both a favor, Mason. I’m going to assume you’ve suffered temporary insanity. Do you think you might wake up if I count to three and snap my fingers?”

At least she wasn’t stomping out of the restaurant. “Surely you can see the logic of it,” he persisted.

“People don’t marry just to get custody of children,” she said.

“People used to marry for all sorts of practical reasons,” he argued. “As I recall, the divorce rate back then wasn’t nearly as high as it is today.”

“That’s because people died young,” she said, then turned pale. “I didn’t mean…I guess that was kind of insensitive, under the circumstances.”

“No offense taken.” His sorrow over Rance and Amy’s premature deaths didn’t mean he couldn’t see her point. “I’ll tell you what, Gina. How about a compromise?”

“How does one compromise about getting married?” she asked.

Now 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 are worse things than being alone!” Gina teased.

“Name three,” Katie said. “And you can’t count getting ‘lassoed’ by a couple of fake ‘cowpokes.’”

“Getting married, falling in love with your husband and then having to say goodbye,” she replied, sobering. “That’s three things in one.”

“A lot can happen in a few months, though,” her friend pointed out. “Isolated on a ranch, with nothing to do on those long, summer nights…”

“I don’t know what Mason has in mind,” Gina admitted. “But he didn’t make it sound like he’s in love with me. He wasn’t the least bit romantic.”

Katie’s expression grew thoughtful as the twilight lowered around them. “You’d have the satisfaction of knowing you tried. That you got off the bench and into the game at least once.”

It wasn’t the first time the two women had discussed their similar problems. Both were twenty-nine-year-old virgins, and they both longed for marriage and children.

Until now, the main difference had been that Katie knew who she wanted, while Gina didn’t. Now Gina knew, too, but she wasn’t sure she dared accept his offer.

“It’s such a risk,” she told her friend. “I wish I were braver.”

“You’re plenty brave,” said the other nurse. “I’ve seen you give your heart to babies that you knew weren’t likely to survive. That takes courage.”

“I couldn’t help it,” she said. “I don’t deserve any credit for that.”

“And remember that tough-talking young couple who wouldn’t take their son’s medication schedule seriously? When he was released, you stood up to them and laid out every terrible thing that could happen if they got careless. The father—he had a snake tattooed on his neck, remember?—at first I thought he was going to rough you up. Then he started blubbering. I’ll never forget the way he hugged that baby and said he couldn’t bear it if anything went wrong.”

“They came to see me on their son’s first birthday,” Gina recalled. “He’s doing well. I guess my horror stories worked.”

“So don’t tell me you’re a coward,” Katie finished. “Hey, look at the time! I promised to meet some friends at a club in ten minutes. Want to come along? There’s a bluegrass band tonight.”

“No, thanks. I’ve got some heavy thinking to do.” She gave her friend a pat on the arm. “Thanks for your support.”

“Any time.”

Operating on automatic pilot, Gina strolled back to her boardinghouse and went upstairs. Entering her room was like returning to the home where she’d lived with her parents until four years ago. Her mother’s china figurines filled a display case. Dainty lace curtains hung at the window, and Victorian-style furniture gave a sense of stepping into the past. It was a refuge from disappointments, from stress, from the modern era.

Gina got a chill when she tried to picture how she would feel, returning to this room or one like it after months as Mason’s temporary wife. How could she expect to fit back into her old life?

If she didn’t care so much, perhaps she might regard the temporary marriage as an extended vacation. But she did care. She cared too much.

She wasn’t willing to chance a heartbreak that would cut so deeply. Better to live with might-have-beens than to lie here aching, night after night, for something she’d briefly possessed and could never have again.

For her own self-preservation, her answer had to be no.

Chapter Three

Was he being selfish? Mason had never asked himself that question before. He asked it a lot that night at the ranch, and the next morning on the two-hour drive to Austin.

All his life, until now, the future and his place in it had spread before him as neatly as the procession of the seasons. He and Rance would grow up to take over the ranch. They would run it together, expand their operations and leave a rich heritage for the next generation.

For years, they’d kept on course. After their father’s death, when Mason was twenty-three and Rance eighteen, the younger brother had taken over the horse-training operation while the elder focused on cattle and oil. Although both preferred working with animals, their finances depended on the pumps that worked with steady efficiency around the range.

Mason didn’t have to question why he did what he did. It was simply there, a force of nature. He was a rancher, he was his father’s son and he was Rance’s brother.

Two months ago, when he received the phone call telling him Rance was dead, he’d desperately turned his attention to saving Amy. Then she, too, had slipped away.

Now he had Daisy and Lily. He needed them more than anything. A man could only rebuild his future if there was a purpose to it.

Was he being fair in asking Gina to come to the ranch with him? For all her skill in the nursery, she looked as delicate as an orchid. How would she cope with a hardened man like him, one who might be gone all day and return exhausted and covered with dirt?

Nevertheless, Gina attracted him more than any woman he’d ever met. He hoped she would say yes, and he didn’t care if he was being selfish.

If she agreed even to a short-term union, there was hope she’d want to stay. Maybe he could win her, despite logic and everything he knew about himself.

Mason wasn’t a man to give up easily. Not with his daughters, and not with the woman he wanted.

At Maitland Maternity, he parked in the visitors’ lot and went inside. The place seemed different—something about the light. Or the dimensions. Or the fact that, after today, he would no longer be a part of its daily goings-on.

“Darn.” He stopped in the lobby. “I forgot to get going-home clothes.” When a grandmotherly woman smiled at him, he realized he’d spoken aloud.

“Try the gift shop,” she said.

“Much obliged.”

He checked inside. There was a refrigerated case full of flowers, along with shelves of paperback books, magazines and stuffed animals, almost as many as he’d already bought for the girls’ room at home. In one corner, he found baby rattles, booties, diapers and some clothing, but if the store carried little dresses, they must be sold out.

He was willing to bet Margaret would arrive with an armload of gowns and bonnets. No doubt she would count it as evidence of her superior parental fitness.

Had she and Stuart already landed in town? Mason hoped not. He wanted to complete the paperwork and whisk the girls back to the ranch before his sister could complicate the situation.

Possession might not be nine-tenths of the law when it came to children, but it would give him an edge. He intended to take any advantage he could find.

It was after eight. Gina would be on duty, fresh and bright as always. Mason speeded his footsteps.

He saw her through the nursery window, feeding one of the girls. The way she bent over the baby on her lap, he couldn’t see her expression.

Then she glanced toward one of the other nurses, and he noted the puffiness under her eyes. She’d been crying.

Chagrin filled him. A woman about to marry the man she adored wouldn’t be crying about it. Gina must have decided to give up the girls, rather than spend even a few months with him.

Mason squared his shoulders. He couldn’t make her love him, but he didn’t intend to take no for an answer. For his daughters’ sake, he had to give it his best shot.

Surely Gina wouldn’t really mind spending time at the ranch, as long as he left her strictly alone. She’d said herself that she loved the girls enough to want to adopt them.

Moving away from the window, he allowed himself a couple of deep breaths. So far, she hadn’t noticed him.

Suppressing his doubts, he assumed a confident air. Before he could talk to her, though, he needed to prepare by handling a few details at the administration office.

Once he cajoled her consent, he didn’t want anything to delay their departure.

GINA HAD SAID GOODBYE to hundreds of babies. Off they would go in their mothers’ arms, and she’d miss them for a few hours, until another newborn arrived. She’d cherish it for a few days or weeks, and then she would say goodbye to it, too.

As she changed the dressing on Daisy’s rapidly healing surgical wound, she wished she could detach herself as readily from the twins as from so many others. “What is it about you that makes you special?” she asked.

Daisy gripped her thumb and gazed intently into Gina’s eyes. A vise squeezed her heart.

How could she let them go? These girls felt like her daughters.

Their first steps. Daisy would clutch Gina’s hand and step out cautiously, her tiny feet making no sound on the floor.

Lily would tear herself from Mason’s loving grasp and plunk forward, arms waving, knees wobbling, until she plopped onto all fours. A second later, she’d be on her feet again, flinging herself into life with joyous abandon.

Before Gina could finish the daydream, a change in the air told her Mason had come into the nursery. Scarcely daring to trust her composure, she peeked at him from beneath lowered lashes.

He wore a gray three-piece suit. Sunday best, she thought. It emphasized the tan richness of his skin and the dark penetration of his gaze.

“Mason…” Her throat caught.

“For you.” He held out a bouquet of red roses. “I’m not sure if they’re allowed in here, so I sneaked them in.”

“Oh!” When she held them to her nose, their summery scent invaded her bloodstream. “They’re beautiful.”

“You should be surrounded by flowers,” he said. “My mother planted a rose garden at the ranch. I’ll make sure you have fresh flowers every day.”

But she wasn’t going to live on the ranch. If there were flowers, they’d be for someone else.

“We need to talk.” She hoped he couldn’t hear the quaver in her voice.

“Sure thing.” His expression warmed as he touched her hair lightly. The brush of his hand warmed Gina’s scalp. Did he have to make it so hard to say no?

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the parents’ lounge. We could talk there.” She was about to lead the way when, through the glass, she spotted Elly Maitland in the corridor. The administrator pointed at Mason and held up a sheaf of papers. “I wonder why she’s in such a hurry about the paperwork.”

He shrugged. “I guess she knows I want to hit the road before my sister shows up.”

“You’re in a hurry?” she asked. “Oh, dear. I have to make some final preparations for the girls.” Remembering her gift, she added, “And I brought a going-away present for them.” From a table, she produced a wrapped package.

He studied it with a bemused expression. “This wouldn’t be something for the girls to wear home, would it?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” she said. “I thought you might forget.”

His rueful grin made her head whirl. How could the man be so endearing?

“I did forget,” he acknowledged, and opened the package. “Gina, these are precious.”

“Thanks. But before you go see Miss Maitland, could we have that talk?”

Elly tapped on the glass and gestured to Mason more urgently. “What is the big deal?” Gina asked.

“I did tell her that I needed to get out as soon as possible. It appears she took me at my word. I’ll come back as fast as I can, okay?” Mason caught her hand. The pressure of his blunt fingers against her palm made her even more light-headed. “Would you put the new dresses on the girls? They’ll be knockouts.”

“Of course.” Gina stood stock-still as he strode from the room. His warmth, his obvious expectation that she would accept, and his gentle caress had made it hard to keep her resolve.

But he wasn’t offering a real marriage. And she could accept nothing less.

MASON WONDERED IF HE’D pushed her too far. Gina didn’t seem to mind when he touched her. It wasn’t part of his plan; he simply hadn’t been able to resist.

As for the flowers, and arranging for Elly Maitland to interrupt, they’d been attempts to forestall Gina from giving him a negative answer. So far, they’d worked.

From here on, he’d have to wing it. He would play on her devotion to the twins, which shouldn’t be too difficult. Her caring shone in her eyes every time she gazed at those babies.

A twinge of guilt threw Mason off stride as he accompanied Elly. It was wrong to manipulate a person who meant so much to him.

But a few months on a ranch wouldn’t harm Gina, and could mean all the difference for Daisy and Lily’s futures. “Any word from my brother-in-law?” he asked.

“He called about six o’clock last evening.” The administrator had a reputation for working fourteen-hour days, so that probably didn’t seem late to her. “When I told him we were releasing the girls today, he sounded more disappointed than angry. He said he and his wife would be here.”

“He didn’t specify a time?”

“No.”

It was almost nine-thirty, by Mason’s watch. If his sister and Stuart had caught an early morning flight, they might arrive soon.

No sense in worrying about it. The best he could do was take care of business as quickly as possible and depart, preferably with Gina.

At the office, an assistant went through a sheaf of papers with him, methodically explaining what each one was for. A hospital survey, and insurance records, and obtaining social security numbers, and on and on.

His restlessness made it hard to concentrate. Only after a while did Mason put his finger on what was bothering him.

It wasn’t just Margaret and Stuart’s impending arrival. It was the observation that Gina had been crying.

She must love those girls almost as much as he did. The situation was tearing her apart.

It tore at him, too. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Gina. Couldn’t she put up with him, even for a few months? She would gain not only more time with Lily and Daisy, but, as he’d promised, regular visitation afterward.

Of course, while they were married, he would keep his distance, especially now that he’d seen from her expression that she had no desire to become his wife. He would respect her reticence completely.

While Mason might be unpolished compared to the doctors at the clinic or to his brother-in-law, Stuart, he possessed an old-fashioned sense of honor. If Gina didn’t already know that, he would simply have to prove it to her.

He was finishing the last document when Elly Maitland returned from an errand. “As I suspected, some of the press has gathered,” she said. “There are a couple of newspaper reporters, and Chelsea Markum from Tattle Today brought a camera crew.”

“This could be awkward.” He’d almost forgotten that the media would be on hand. “I’m not used to giving press conferences.”

“If you like, I’ll ask Dr. Abby to speak to them. With your permission, she could answer questions about the babies’ medical condition.” Abigail Maitland, Elly’s older sister, was chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the clinic and had delivered Lily and Daisy.

“That would be fine,” Mason said distractedly. He’d intended to spend more time with Gina. How was he going to win her over and cope with reporters at the same time?

“I’ll get a couple of volunteers to escort the babies when they’re released,” Elly added.

“Excuse me?”

“We have a policy of not allowing the babies to be carried outside. Just imagine if a parent tripped and dropped one!” she explained. “We arrange for a volunteer to wheel the bassinet out front and wait until the parents bring the car around. Also, we can lend a car seat if they don’t have one.”

He didn’t want a volunteer to assist him. He wanted Gina. “Would you mind if Miss Kennedy was the one who escorted them?” Mason asked. “It would mean a lot to me.”

“What a lovely idea!” the administrator said. “That way, someone’s sure to take her picture with the babies. I know she’s grown fond of them these past few months. I’m sure she’d like to have a souvenir clipping.”

Mason wished he’d come up with the idea of photographing Gina with his daughters. He’d have to make sure he got a copy of whatever ran in the newspaper.

But then, he intended to have plenty of pictures taken. At their wedding.

I’M SORRY. I’ve thought your offer over carefully, but I can’t accept. I do love Lily and Daisy, and I want what’s best for them. But becoming their mother, then having to give them up—well, I’m not sure I could handle it.

No, she didn’t dare give him wiggle room. I can’t handle spending months as Lily and Daisy’s mother, and then leaving and only seeing them on rare occasions. Please, let’s not argue about it. Let’s stay friends.

Gina sighed. She’d been going over and over in her mind what she was going to say to Mason. If only he would hurry back so she could stop torturing herself!

Freshly changed and cute as kittens in their springlike dresses, the two little girls were ready to go. Each was accompanied by an apnea monitor slightly smaller than a VCR.

The Velcro chest belts didn’t need to be attached while the girls were awake, although they should be put in place for the long ride home. Mason had been instructed in their use yesterday afternoon and, unlike some parents, had mastered the correct degree of tautness right away.

As for Bonita, the housekeeper, he’d called her yesterday and she’d promised to come in for CPR training next week. Gina hoped there wouldn’t be any need for emergency resuscitation before then—or ever.

Katie stopped by, holding one of her charges. “What did you decide to do about Mason? I saw the roses on the counter, by the way. They’re gorgeous!”

On the verge of answering, Gina decided it wouldn’t be right to disclose her decision to someone else before she informed Mason. “I’d like to tell him first.”

“You always do things so discreetly!” Katie said. “You’re what people call a real lady. I aspire to be like you, Gina, although I’m not sure I’ll ever make it.”

“Please don’t use me as a shining example of anything!” she protested. At the moment, she felt more like a squashed cabbage leaf than a lady.

Eleanor Maitland’s assistant poked her head into the room. “Nurse Kennedy? They’d like you to wheel the Blackstone babies to the lobby, please.”

Gina froze. The girls were being released already? But Mason hadn’t returned to talk to her!

“She’ll need someone to push the second bassinet,” Katie pointed out. “Oh, good, Susan’s here!” Susan, a nurse assigned to the intermediate nursery, had been delayed by a flat tire. “I’m supposed to assist Dr. Carrington in half an hour, so I can spare the time to push the other one.”

“Thanks.” The assistant ducked out, then stuck her head in again. “By the way, there’s press all over the front steps, and Abby and Megan Maitland are out there, too, so make sure you’ve got lipstick on.”

Press? And Megan Maitland, the family matriarch who had founded Maitland Maternity nearly twenty-five years ago and still served as its CEO? This was getting more and more complicated.

Gina needed help. “Katie, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I need to talk to Mason.”

She was on the brink of confiding her decision to turn down his proposal when Susan bustled over. “So these cuties are leaving us, huh? We’re all going to miss them, not to mention that heartthrob uncle of theirs. How’d you let him slip through your fingers, Gina?”

She didn’t know how to answer, even though the question was meant in jest. Fortunately, Katie intervened. “Don’t make assumptions, Sue!”

“Just stating the obvious.” The nurse bustled off to take care of her own charges.

The possibility of having a private conversation with Katie had vanished, Gina saw, when Elly Maitland appeared outside the glass partition and waved to them to hurry. She would have to figure out what to say to Mason by herself.

Was it possible he assumed he already knew her answer? Last night, Gina recalled, he’d brushed away her objections and insisted that a sham marriage made perfect sense. Perhaps, overnight, he’d convinced himself that his logic was so irrefutable that she couldn’t possibly say no.

The last thing she wanted was a painful public confrontation with Mason. She preferred quiet discussions that preserved everyone’s self-respect. They simply had to find a moment together.

WALKING THROUGH THE LOBBY toward the hospital’s front entrance, Mason saw Dr. Abby standing outside talking to half a dozen reporters and a camera crew. Beside her, beaming, stood the proud figure of Dr. Abby’s mother, Megan, head of Maitland Maternity.

The press gathered around them weren’t nearly as numerous as he’d expected. He hoped they wouldn’t be as obnoxious as he’d feared, either.

“…demonstrate one of the reasons I established this clinic,” Megan was saying. At a well-publicized sixty-two years, she had a vigor and presence that dominated the scene. “Getting babies off to a healthy start is the most important job in the world.”

“Here’s Mr. Blackstone now,” Abby said. “He can tell us about the twins from his perspective.”

The moment he reached Dr. Abby’s side, an attractive woman thrust a microphone toward Mason. He didn’t watch much television, so it took a moment to place her as Chelsea Markum, a local reporter who specialized in gossip and human interest stories.

“Mr. Blackstone, who’s going to take care of the twins while you’re working on the ranch all day?” she demanded.

Did she have to ask that question right off the bat? “I’ve made arrangements for them to be well cared for, and I’ll be spending every possible moment with them,” he said.

“Taken care of by whom?” she asked.

“I’m not at liberty to…”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a taxi pulling to the curb. The instant the wheels stopped, the doors flew open and two people hurried out.

Even if she hadn’t been his sister, his attention would have gone first to Margaret. She was a striking woman, tall, with vivid dark coloring. Stuart, stockier and blander, could have been cast as a lawyer in the movies, as in real life.

“Just in time!” Marge called, striding toward him. “Where are my little darlings?”

The camera swung toward her. Chelsea Markum frowned. “Who’s this?”

“I’m Margaret Blackstone Waldman, the babies’ aunt.” The knot of reporters parted and his sister marched through their center. Her husband, who had stopped to pay the cabbie, rushed to catch up. “Stuart and I will be taking them home with us to Dallas.”

Mason struggled against a flare of anger. He loved his sister, but right now he could cheerfully have stuffed her into a box and mailed her to Siberia.

Leaning forward, he spoke into Chelsea’s microphone. “I’m afraid you’ve caught us in the middle of a family disagreement. My sister and I are both offering our homes to Lily and Daisy. But as you may be aware, I’ve been the one who’s been supervising their care and bonding with them.”

Margaret snatched the microphone from Chelsea’s hand. Mason could have taken it back, but he was loathe to stage a tug-of-war in public. This entire situation was undignified enough already.

“I’ll give my brother credit for good intentions,” she said. “But babies need a mother as well as a father. Stuart and I can provide both. Not to mention our experience in raising three children of our own.”

A stir among the press and the crunch of small wheels behind him told Mason that the babies had arrived. Turning, he saw Gina standing behind one of the bassinets, staring at Margaret and Stuart. She must have guessed who they were, even if she hadn’t heard their comments.

Her lips parted in dismay. In the sunlight, the translucent clarity of her skin made her look even younger than she was. He wanted her so much, he nearly forgot where they were.

“Mr. Blackstone?” Chelsea pressed, having reclaimed her microphone. “How do you respond to your sister’s points? She tells us she has parenting experience, which I understand you don’t. Furthermore, you never answered my question about who was going to care for the girls while you’re working on the ranch.”

“I’ll tell you who.” Marge, who had worked herself up into what Rance used to call a “bossy fit,” seized the mike again. “He’s got a housekeeper, a perfectly competent woman. She never had children of her own, though, and she’s certainly not the twins’ mother. That’s who’s going to take care of these girls if my brother has his way. Is that the mark of a man who loves his nieces? I’d say he was thinking more of himself than of them.”

The unfairness of this remark brought gasps from several people, including Dr. Abby, who had witnessed Mason’s devotion over the past two months. Megan Maitland glowered. But what could she or anyone else say?

“That’s not true.”

Gina’s sweet voice carried over the crowd with surprising strength. Before anyone else could react, and no doubt before Margaret even figured out who had spoken, Chelsea snatched back her microphone and hurried over. “What makes you say that, Nurse?”

“I’m the one who’s going to take care of Daisy and Lily,” Gina announced. “Mason and I are getting married.”

Chapter Four

She hadn’t meant to say that. Until a minute ago, Gina had had every intention of declining his offer.

However, as Katie had pointed out yesterday, she couldn’t help flying to the defense of people she cared about. And after hearing for herself how ruthless Mason’s sister was, Gina had made the only move that could preserve his right to the girls.

On Mason’s face she saw relief. If only he would put his arms around her and tell her that he cared about her, she would feel so much better. However, she reminded herself, he had proposed a practical arrangement, and she’d just agreed to it for practical reasons.

Her statement rang in her ears, through the buzz of congratulations from Katie and Abby and Megan Maitland. It took a moment to realize that Chelsea Markum was asking another question.

“When did this come about?” the reporter said.

“Very recently. We weren’t going to announce it quite yet.” Gina wasn’t exactly lying. “Mason and I got to know each other over the past two months. I’ve been the primary-care nurse for Lily and Daisy.”

She could hear reporters’ pens scratching, and besides, the camera had captured every word. There would be no going back. She swallowed hard, a little afraid of the events she’d impulsively set into motion.

“Well!” Even the imposing Margaret, who looked as if she normally brooked no opposition, seemed at a loss for words, “This is a surprise!”

“I wish someone had told us sooner,” her husband grumbled. “I’m missing an entire day’s work.”

“Stuart!” his wife reproved. “Just because—that is—we don’t know anything about this young lady. Or how qualified she is to take care of our nieces.”

“You’re doubting the qualifications of a neonatal-care nurse?” Chelsea Markum asked. “Mrs. Waldman, how much experience do you have with premature babies?”

“That isn’t the point!” Margaret blustered, and stopped, unable to define exactly what the point was.

“I’d like to know more about the upcoming nuptials,” said one of the print reporters, finally getting a word in edgewise. “When and where are you two going to be married?”

Oh, help. “We hadn’t discussed…”

Margaret butted in headfirst when Gina hesitated. “Exactly my point! Who’s going to care for the girls in the meantime? Obviously, my kid brother hasn’t thought far enough ahead to plan his wedding. Why, it could take months!”

“We don’t need anything formal. I don’t have any immediate family,” Gina said wistfully. She’d always dreamed of a big wedding, with lace and flowers and lots of friends and relatives. It was hardly appropriate under the circumstances, though.

“Nonsense!” When Megan Maitland spoke, everyone else hushed. “Since there’s no time to arrange for a facility, they’ll be married at my mansion. The grounds are beautiful, and it’s high time we used them for such a joyful purpose!”

The Maitland mansion, ten blocks from the clinic, was a stately white structure out of Gina’s dreams. She’d often strolled past the four-story house, sneaking peaks at the Southern-style building and luxurious gardens.

The prospect of having a wedding there filled her with excitement. But what about Mason? Wouldn’t he be upset, since he intended to stay married only long enough to adopt his nieces? Their marriage would be enough of a sham, without dragging so many other people into it.

He was smiling broadly, she saw through the crowd. Probably the implications of having a big splashy wedding hadn’t dawned on him. Well, he appeared to have won at least the first round against his sister, and that was reason enough for elation.

MASON WAS ALMOST GRATEFUL to Marge. If she’d spoken with more diplomacy, Gina might not have felt compelled to declare that she was marrying him.

He didn’t harbor any illusions about her being in love with him. It was the girls she cared about, and that was fair enough.

“So,” he said to the press, “where does a guy rent a tux around here?”

“I’ll tell you if you promise to invite me!” Chelsea Markum said.

He shook his head ruefully. “This isn’t a media circus, it’s a wedding. However, I’m happy to invite as many private guests as Mrs. Maitland is willing to accommodate. Including the staff of Maitland Maternity.”

“Most of them will be working, but I think we can make a few exceptions,” Megan said. “Starting with Gina, who is on paid vacation as of this moment.”

“When is this event going to take place?” his sister asked suspiciously. “Despite your generous offer, Mrs. Maitland, it could be weeks!”

“Would tomorrow be soon enough?” asked the CEO. “It’s all right with me if it’s all right with our happy couple.”

Mason heard Gina’s sharp intake of breath. Was she regretting her decision, or simply worrying over logistics? As for him, the sooner the better. It gave her less time to change her mind.

“Suits me,” he said. “How about you, Gina?”

His bride-to-be had gone pale, or perhaps it was the effect of bright sunshine on her ivory skin. “I don’t know. I’ve never been married before. I mean…don’t we need a license? And I’ll have to buy a dress. Not to mention arranging for a minister and flowers.”

“I’ll put my staff on it immediately.” Megan Maitland beamed at the prospect. “Don’t you worry about the details. Just get the papers and the gown, and we can even assist with that if you like.”

“Can I be your maid of honor?” Katie asked.

“Of course! I was just about to ask you!”

Mason had to admit he hadn’t considered how complicated weddings were. His cousin Ed, the ranch foreman, and his wife, Linda, had gotten married on the Blackstone spread twenty years ago, when Mason was fourteen. All he remembered was a lot of music and colorful clothing.

Marge, who had been unaccustomedly silent, found one more tiny point to seize on. “And where are my precious nieces going to sleep tonight?” she cried. “In some hotel room where they won’t even have proper cribs?”

Her concern might have been more touching, Mason reflected, had she gone over to see Lily and Daisy instead of remaining rooted in place. She hadn’t even held them in her arms once, or gazed into their eyes, or touched their cheeks.

“They’ll stay at my house,” Megan declared. “We’ve got plenty of baby supplies and furniture, and I’ll hire a special duty nurse for tonight. The bridal couple need to get ready!”

Suddenly the impact of what was happening flooded over Mason. These important people, virtual strangers to him, were opening their hearts to help Lily and Daisy and, of course, Gina and him.

Realizing the TV camera was still rolling, he said, “People talk about city folks as if they were cold and uncaring. I guess we can all see that in Austin, that isn’t true.”

“Certainly not! It isn’t true of Dallas, either!” Margaret was determined to squabble whether anyone wanted to argue with her or not. “Which reminds me, brother. Do you intend to invite our relatives from the ranch, or have you forgotten about them?”

“I’ll call them right away.” As soon as he could get rid of these reporters, he wanted to add. Not to mention Marge and Stuart.

What he really wanted to do was be alone with Gina, to reassure her that she’d made the right decision. But it might be awhile before he got the chance.

“A WEDDING! How wonderful!” Mrs. Parker, Gina’s landlady for the past three years, clapped her hands. “I hate to lose such a good boarder, but it couldn’t be for a better reason.”

Gina felt herself blushing. She couldn’t tell anyone but Katie the truth about this marriage, and even her friend seemed to have forgotten that this was to be a union in name only.

Gina herself was still in shock. Events had taken on a momentum of their own, carrying her relentlessly forward. All she could do was tread water to keep from drowning.

She wasn’t sure what she would say to Mason when they had a private moment. In any case, his sister and brother-in-law had dragged him off for lunch, while Megan Maitland had asked Gina to get the twins settled at her mansion. She’d waited until the private duty nurse showed up, then shopped until her feet ached. She hadn’t yet found a dress.

Even amid all the activity, Gina missed Mason. She missed their leisurely conversations in the nursery, and their casual contact. She missed watching his face as he studied the babies in a haze of love.

If only her parents were here to advise her, she might be able to figure out whether she’d made the right decision. Instead, she felt off center and a little dizzy.

“And tomorrow, so soon!” her landlady continued. “Have you found a gown yet?”

“No,” she admitted. “Nothing seemed quite special enough.” Quickly, she added, “I hope you’ll come! The ceremony’s at five o’clock.”

“Thank you, yes!” said the landlady. “Now, don’t you worry about packing, except for your personal needs. You have so many pretty things from your mother that need to be wrapped carefully. I’ll handle the china pieces myself.”

Yet another task Gina hadn’t considered! “I’d be grateful,” she said. “As for the furniture, would you mind putting it in storage?”

That way, she wouldn’t have to ship it all back when the marriage broke up, Gina reflected.

“Certainly, but there’s no hurry,” her landlady continued. “I can’t find new boarders in July, not until classes at the university start this fall, so I’ll leave your room as it is for a while. But listen, Gina! I have a special request!”

“I’d be glad to do whatever I can.”

“Come with me.” The landlady led her through the overstuffed sitting room to her cheery bedroom. From one of the closets, she reverently produced a garment bag and, after hanging it on the back of the door, unzipped it with care.

“What’s this?” Gina came closer. “Oh!”

Encased in clear plastic was a ballerina-style wedding dress. Above the layered, gauzy skirt, the elegant bodice rose to a square-cut neckline and short, lacy sleeves. From a separate case, Mrs. Parker produced a white cloche hat with an attached veil.

“It was my wedding dress, in the early sixties.” The landlady wore a wistful expression. “Such a happy time! It was inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy, who always wore such elegant clothes. I hoped to see my daughter walk down the aisle in it, but she said it was too simple for her. Would you possibly consider wearing it? I think it’s just your size.”

Of course Gina would wear the dress! She loved the design, but more importantly, the gown had special meaning. Her own parents had eloped, so there’d been no heirloom wedding dress. Now, at last, she had one.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you!” she said.

“My dry cleaner can have it pressed and freshened by tomorrow morning,” Mrs. Parker said. “I’ll take care of that. It will be my wedding present.”

Gina hugged the matronly woman. “That’s so kind of you!” She hoped her generous landlady would never find out that the marriage hadn’t been intended to last.

But since this might be the only wedding Gina would ever have, she might as well pretend, just for a while, that it was real.

THE NEXT MORNING, Mason arranged to meet his bride-to-be at the courthouse so they could fill out the appropriate forms. She gave him a quick, nervous smile, but otherwise kept her attention on business.

If he was seeking a clue to her state of mind, he couldn’t find it. To Mason, she seemed as even tempered as ever.

“How’s your sister taking the prospect of our wedding?” she asked as they waited for the clerk to issue their marriage license. “Is she angry?”

“I think her pride is hurt more than anything else,” he said. “I can’t figure out why she’s so determined to adopt the girls, unless it’s sheer competitiveness with me.”

“Yesterday, she scarcely seemed to notice them.” Gina had clipped her hair behind her ears with barrettes, and wore hardly any makeup. To Mason, she looked perfect. “Has she shown any interest in them since then?”

“She and Stuart dropped by the mansion last night,” he said. “They stayed about ten minutes, long enough to pat the girls on the head and try to figure out how to tell them apart. When I suggested Margaret hold them, she said she wasn’t dressed for it.”

Gina shook her head. “She’s totally wrong for them.”

“We haven’t heard the last of her,” Mason remarked. “My sister’s like a bulldog. Once she sinks her teeth into something, she doesn’t let go.”

“She may have to,” said his wife-to-be.

A few minutes later, they left the courthouse with the license in hand. At the afternoon ceremony, Gina’s family’s longtime pastor would officiate. Their witnesses, they’d agreed, would be the maid of honor and best man: Katie Toper and Mason’s cousin Ed, who would arrive from the ranch in early afternoon.

They’d handled an amazing number of practical details. The only matters they hadn’t dealt with were the ones that really mattered.

“Gina, could we talk for a few minutes?” Mason asked as they left the courthouse. “Let’s have coffee.”

She checked her watch. “I’m having my hair and makeup done in an hour…. Oh, of course we can talk! I’m so flustered, I hardly know what I’m saying.”

The confusion in her blue eyes brought out a fierce protective instinct that he had never felt toward anyone except his nieces. Catching Gina’s elbow, he guided her toward a nearby café. Built of red brick, it had trendy bright green trim and lots of windows.

A waitress guided them to a table by a window. When she started to hand them menus, Mason waved them away. “Black coffee, please.”

“I’ll have hot tea,” Gina said.

The woman returned with their mugs, a coffee carafe, hot water and a basket filled with tea bags. Mason hadn’t realized the beverage came in so many flavors.

“I don’t really know much about you,” he said. “I didn’t even know you drank tea.”

“That’s because you’ve seen me drinking coffee at work. I need it to keep alert,” she explained as she selected something called Peppermint Delight. “This is a strange situation, isn’t it, having a marriage without a courtship?”

“Thanks for what you did yesterday.” He’d been wanting to say that for hours. “Until you announced our engagement, Margaret was scoring all the points with the media.”

“As for my, er, announcement…” Gina hesitated. “Mason, I—I think we should be honest with each other.”

He didn’t want to let her confess that she hadn’t intended to marry him. Even at this late date, she might remember all the reasons for her decision and back down. “You hadn’t given me an answer yet, so I assumed you were still making up your mind.”

“You could put it that way,” she conceded. “Until I blurted it out, I wasn’t sure…I mean, Mason, the idea of a temporary marriage goes against everything I believe.”

“But so does abandoning the people who need you,” he added quickly.

“Yes.” She nodded. “It does.”

Reaching across the table, he cupped his hands over hers. “What you did for the girls was wonderful. Honey, I appreciate it more than I can say. I hope it’s not too much of a sacrifice.”

Her lips clamped together. After a moment, she said, “It’s as much a sacrifice for you as for me. Isn’t it?”

“Not at all,” he said.

“Oh?” She brightened a little.

“I’m not the one who has to give up my job and my home,” he explained. “I want you to know, Gina, that I’ll do everything possible to make your stay comfortable. Anything you need, just ask.”

A long, slow breath escaped her. “I see. Is that all?”

What had he left out? “You’re welcome to invite your friends to visit. Also, if there’s anything you’ve been wanting to do on a ranch—ride horses, whatever—it can be arranged.”

“Thanks.” She didn’t look happy, though.

Mason wished he understood women better. Or, more particularly, that he understood Gina. He hoped she wasn’t concerned about his taking advantage of the situation. “We’ll have separate bedrooms, in case you were worried about that.”

“That’s—a good idea,” she said. “How long do you think it will take?”

“The adoption?” he asked. “It depends on Margaret and Stuart. Once they stop seeking custody, it could be finalized quickly.”

She rested her chin in her palm. “What do you think it will take to discourage your sister?”

“An act of God?” he teased.

“If only we understood her motives,” Gina said. “Obviously, she hasn’t bonded with the babies. I don’t get the impression she needs to solidify a shaky marriage, either. Maybe she’s trying to ease the empty-nest syndrome, since her kids are getting older.”

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