The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page B

whatsoever.”
    “I’m also going to insist you accept child support.”
    “But, Rich, that really isn’t necessary. I make a decent wage and—” She stopped abruptly at the way his eyes hardened.
    “Then the deal’s off.”
    She took a moment to compose herself. “Since that’s clearly an important issue to you,” she said carefully. “I’ll be willing to accept whatever monetary support you deem necessary.”
    “Emotional support, as well. I don’t want you walking the floors at night with a colicky baby.”
    “What do you expect me to do?”
    “Phone me.”
    He was making everything so much more complicated than it needed to be. “You don’t expect me to call you over every little thing, do you?”
    “Yes,” he said emphatically. “I want all the arrangements between us clear as glass before the blessed event. We’ll share the responsibilities.”
    When she didn’t respond, he asked, “Having second thoughts yet?”
    “Not…really. Is this everything?”
    “It isn’t.” He stood and opened the oven, checking the casserole that was baking inside. He let the door close slowly.
    “You mean there’s more?”
    “One small item.”
    “One small item,” Jamie repeated, assuming she wouldn’t have any more trouble with this than his other demands.
    “If we do decide to go ahead and have a child together…”
    “And I think we should,” she said, smiling over at him.
    “Fine. Great. Wonderful. If you’re sure.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Good. In that case, I insist we get married.”

Four
    J amie was too confused to think clearly. Surely Rich didn’t mean what he’d just said. It made no sense. “Married…but…you can’t be serious.”
    “I’ve rarely been more serious in my life,” Rich answered, stalking to the far side of her kitchen. He removed two dinner plates from her cupboard and set them on the table. “Naturally, this wouldn’t be a conventional marriage.”
    “Naturally,” Jamie echoed, still too bewildered to understand his reasoning. “Then…why are you insisting on a wedding?”
    “I want the child to have my name. I don’t care if that no longer matters to most people. It matters to me.”
    “Oh.”
    “We’ll continue to maintain our separate residences. For all intents and purposes, nothing will change, at least not outwardly. Except that we’ll be sharing the care and custody of a child.”
    Jamie stood in front of the silverware drawer and closed her eyes, trying to force her heart to stop pounding so hard. Rich had made it plain this wasn’t any love match—not that she’d ever suspected it would be. Nevertheless, her heart had reacted fiercely to his insistence on a wedding. Because she couldn’t help associating marriage with love, despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary.
    “What about the pregnancy? I mean…how do you think I should get pregnant?” By the time the question was complete, her voice had dwindled to a whisper.
    “You could always seduce me.”
    Furious, Jamie whirled around and glared at Rich. She could feel the hot blush warming her cheeks, “I should never have admitted that. You’re going to throw it in my face at every opportunity, aren’t you?”
    “No,” he denied, but his eyes were sparkling with the blue light of laughter. “I agree with you. Sex between us would ruin everything. I don’t want to risk our friendship any more than you do.”
    The tension eased from between Jamie’s shoulder blades.
    “We’ll need to keep the marriage a secret.”
    “For how long?” If their child was to have his name, they’d eventually have to tell their families. Jamie wasn’t keen on facing her mother with a surprise marriage to go along with a pregnancy. Doris Warren wouldn’t take kindly to being cheated out of a wedding any more than Rich’s mother would.
    “We’d only stay married until the baby’s born,” Rich explained, revealing no hint of indecision, and certainly no doubts. He apparently had the