Jacqueline Diamond – I Do! I Do! (страница 10)

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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