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we wed, you won’t hurt him. Think about how much easier it would be to inform them.”

      For just a moment she did consider his offer again, and she was tempted. What a burden that would lift, to announce her marriage to Ryan and then tell her family about the baby. She looked at him and shook her head. “That’s the best argument you’ve presented, but I still say no. I want full command of my life.”

      “I don’t think I’m the only control freak here. You’re just as take-charge as I am, and you have a job where you’re the authority all the time.”

      She nodded. “I hadn’t ever thought about it, but I suppose you’re right. I’m the oldest child in my family, just as you are in yours, and I think it makes a difference. I had to care for my brother a lot of the time.”

      “I just browbeat mine into doing what I wanted, if they didn’t go along in the first place.”

      She laughed, easing the tension, and they talked about growing up. Yet she had a feeling he was mulling over what he was going to do next. Finally, there was a moment of silence when he leaned away to look at her. He ran his finger along her knee, and she wondered what he was thinking.

      “Ashley, I think you and the baby would both be better off if you’d marry me,” he said, abruptly changing topics again.

      “I don’t happen to agree,” she retorted, wondering how many times they would argue over their future. She looked at his well-shaped hands, which too often brought memories about him.

      “You’ve said you fear my take-charge ways, but you’re just as strong in that department, and I have no doubt you can hold your own with me. I think marriage is definitely in your best interest.”

      “That’s not for you to decide, and we’re not getting anywhere arguing about it,” she said, impatient with his high-handed determination to get his way.

      “No, we’re not, so I intend to do something, since I feel marriage is best for all concerned.”

      Her heart pumped faster while she wondered what he planned, terrified he was going to tell her that he would try to take the baby from her. “Don’t do something you’ll regret later,” she warned.

      “I won’t,” he stated, with so much confidence she braced herself for what was coming. “You marry me, and I’ll pay off your family’s mortgage, the debts your father has and take care of his insurance. You can’t turn down my offer and hurt your family.”

      Four

      Filled with disbelief, she came to her feet. “Ryan Warner, you’ll force me into marriage when you know I don’t want to marry you. That’s despicable!” she exclaimed, glaring at him in fury. Her fists clenched and white-hot anger shot through her.

      “Calm down,” he ordered quietly, but with a firmness in his voice and a commanding look in his eye that made her take a deep breath and sit down again. “I’m doing exactly that,” he assured her. “You have to accept my offer for your family’s sake.”

      Knowing he was right, she stared at Ryan while the implications of his offer both dazzled and angered her.

      “I can afford to pay off the mortgage on the farm completely, as well as repair all the damage from the flood. Frankly, your father might want to buy a new place where he won’t have to worry about floods, which I’m willing to finance. I can hire some hands to help him, and I can afford to pay for your brother’s college education if he wants to go.”

      “This is blackmail of sorts!” she snapped, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

      “I can also see to it that your father has health-insurance coverage. I’ve got good lawyers who can look into the matter,” Ryan continued, speaking as calmly as if he were discussing the weather.

      “My family and I don’t want charity!” she said tightly.

      “It won’t be charity,” he said patiently, “if we marry. I’ll be taking care of things because, if we’re married, your family is part of mine and vice versa. I take care of my father, and I’ll take care of yours.”

      “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” she whispered. She shook her head and tears threatened, because she knew she had no choice in the matter.

      “You have to accept my proposal and you know it,” he said.

      Dismayed again, she stared at him. “You want to go into this forced marriage?”

      He nodded. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. You can save a lot of pain and heartache for you and your family. It should prolong your father’s life and give your brother opportunities he would never have otherwise.”

      Shaking, she gasped for breath. “Damn you and your high-handed ways, Ryan Warner!”

      He looked up at her calmly. “Marry me, Ashley, and solve your problems.”

      “Under conditions like that, what kind of marriage would it be?”

      “A damn good one when you get over your anger.” He stood to face her, and for the first time, fire flashed in the depths of his green eyes. “This is what’s best for you, our baby and your whole family, and you know it.”

      “If you think I’m going to be filled with gratitude, you’re wrong. I’ll never forgive you.”

      “Yes, you will,” he replied with that damnable arrogance that increased her fury. He reached down to grasp her shoulders. As she watched him, her heart pounded. The determined gleam in his eyes added to the sparks flying between them. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head.

      “No!” she exclaimed, her anger growing over his despicable tactics. But his arms tightened, his mouth covered hers, and he kissed her hard.

      Standing stiffly in his embrace, she resisted for seconds, but then it was impossible. Demanding and fiery, his kiss conveyed such obvious passion for her that she was shaken. His need stunned her, and the volatile chemistry between them flared.

      Overpowered by his kiss, she momentarily forgot her thoughts and arguments. With her heart racing, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, kissing him in return. Never before in her life had she felt that a man wanted her as badly as Ryan did now.

      Abruptly, he released her, his arms still wrapped around her waist while he looked down at her. “There! You know what we have is spectacular, and now there’s a baby to consider.”

      With a racing pulse, she struggled to gather her wits. When she did, her anger seethed once again. “Sex is sensational, you mean. And for your information, I am considering my baby. You’re a dirty fighter,” she declared.

      “I just intend to win,” he answered coolly. “I’ve made a damn good offer.”

      She wiggled away and paced across the room to put distance between them. When she turned, he stood with his hands on his hips, his coat pushed open. His whole being conveyed a stubborn determination to get his way. Only the muscle working in his jaw indicated his frayed emotions.

      While her fury burned, she felt boxed in, unable to battle him. “I’ll think about it.”

      He shook his head. “No, you decide now. This is something you don’t have to think a long time about.”

      “That’s even worse!” she snapped, her rage mushrooming. “It’s a monumental, life-changing proposal and you’re demanding that I decide right now?”

      “We’ve hashed it over already. We could argue over it for the rest of the year, but we’re not going to,” he said with absolute certainty.

      “You’re being ruthless about this!” she protested.

      “No, I’m not,” he replied with a maddening calm. “I’m being generous and considerate and practical.”

      “You’re no such things! You want

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