One

      “You want me to what?“ Shock and disbelief propelled Kurt Majors to his feet.

      Jessie Stephens winced, then licked her lower lip.

      Jaw clenched, he stared at her, unable to believe he’d heard right.

      After a shaky exhalation, Jessie bravely looked at him. “I realize this comes as a surprise to you—”

      “Surprise?” he interrupted, shock now turning to anger. “Lady, surprise doesn’t come close.”

      “Please, just hear me out.”

      He raised his hand to stop her, but she ignored him, tipping back her chin to unflinchingly meet his gaze.

      “I’ve thought about this a lot, Kurt. I know it seems sudden, but I promise you, I’ve looked at all the angles and considered all the options. This isn’t a spur of the moment decision.”

      Jessie blinked several times, then hurried on. “You’re the perfect man to father my child.”

      “The answer’s no, Jessie.”

      “Kurt, you once told me that if I needed anything, anything, you’d be there for me, no questions asked.”

      “For God’s sake, Jessie, the offer didn’t include getting you pregnant.”

      She twirled her thumbs together. From years of knowing her, he recognized the nervousness in the gesture. After long moments, she looked at him again, pleading eyes connecting with the hardness of his stare.

      A lesser man might have folded right then.

      After stilling her motions, she spoke quietly, “I believed you were a man of your word.”

      A pulse ticked in his temple. “Are you questioning my integrity?”

      Wisely she took a step backward and shook her head vehemently. “No. Never.”

      The fire crackled, punctuating the quiet. Jessie jumped.

      “Won’t work, Jessie. I’m not into manipulation. You should know better.”

      “I’m making a mess of this.” Obviously trying to gather her thoughts, she stalled for time, pushing dark blond bangs back from her forehead. “I don’t want you to think this is all about me, that I’m expecting you to do this for free.”

      She’d lost her mind.

      He’d always admired her bravery and the way she thought things through. That was, until right now.

      The ticking in his temple became an all-out throb.

      “I’m willing to do your books for the next five years at no charge if you’ll do me this one favor.”

      “You’re going to pay me to get you pregnant?”

      Silence thundered and tension sparked.

      “I wouldn’t put it that way, exactly.”

      Keeping time with the fury flashing through him, Kurt drummed his fingers on the mantel in an ominous staccato. Then, as tension tightened to a snapping point, he stopped. “How would you put it, Jessie?”

      She spoke slowly, as if measuring her words. “I see it more like we’re helping each other, you know, mutual benefit.”

      “Stud service for bookkeeping.” He pounded his fist on the mantel. “Nice ring to it.”

      She retreated farther, until her back connected with the windowsill. The width of the ranch house’s large living room separated them, and it wasn’t enough space.

      Her fingers were laced, and her knuckles had whitened. “That’s not how it is.”

      He debated whether or not he should throw her out. Before he reached a decision, she plowed ahead once more, her tenacity matched only by her insanity.

      “This is a smart business arrangement for you,” she insisted, her words wavering.

      Tears thickened her voice. He watched her choke them back as he’d seen her do so many times in childhood.

      “You’ve been paying me to do the ranch’s books for a couple of years. We both know that in order for you to grow and meet your projections, you need to hire at least one more hand. I make enough money from my other customers, so I can afford to do yours free. If you don’t have to pay me, you’ll have extra money to achieve your goals.”

      “You’ve got it all figured out,” he all but snarled.

      “This is perfect. Don’t you see, Kurt?”

      “No, I don’t.” He started drumming his fingers again. She’d been right about one thing. She had thought through all the angles. Didn’t matter. Wrong was wrong. Nothing would make him change the moral beliefs encoded in his DNA. “Dress it up any way you want, Jessie. Disguise it and try and make it more palatable. All you want from me is stud service.”

      “Okay, Kurt. If that’s what you want to call it.”

      His eyes narrowed. She actually thought she could convince him to reduce the act of lovemaking to a business decision, as if bringing a baby into the world was a commodity to be bought and sold, balanced on some ledger.

      Damn her and her determination.

      Jessie, the girl he’d looked out for, the teen he’d protected, the woman he did volunteer work with, wanted to take their years of friendship and working together and smash them, making them something cheap and tawdry, something she could get from any man.

      “Will you do it?” Her whisper was soft, hopeful. “For me?”

      Fury licked at his insides, the same way the fire licked at the log it greedily consumed in the grate. “Assuming I was foolish enough to agree to this lunacy, Jessie, how did you plan on us going about the act? Inviting me over for coffee and sex?”

      Color rushed into her face, then drained, leaving her pale.

      “Were you planning to slip into something comfortable and asking me to join you in the bedroom? How about a glass of wine first, to settle your nerves? No, probably not. That might not be good for the baby.”

      “Kurt—”

      She’d pushed him beyond reason. Demolishing the distance between them, he locked his hands around her shoulders. He captured her gaze and refused to let it go.

      “Were you going to undress me or was I going to have to take off my own clothes? And how about you, Jessie? As part of the bargain would I at least get to watch you strip?” His gaze flicked to the top button on her blouse. “Or maybe you’d figured I’d get to take your clothes off. After all, I should get some enjoyment out of it, shouldn’t I?”

      He moved one of his hands to the place where a pulse wildly beat in her throat. Then, with his finger, he circled the button he’d looked at. “Time is money, everything is money, isn’t it, Jessie?”

      “Kurt, you’re being ridiculous,” she said breathlessly. For a moment, her gaze hypnotically rested on his hand.

      “So maybe you were just going to be naked when I arrived so we could get on with the show.”

      He unfastened the button and allowed the silk shirt to slip apart. Intention clear, he placed his fingertip in the opening. “Is this what you want? Tell me, Jess. You’ve supposedly thought everything through. Clue me in.”

      The rush of their heartbeats roared over the fireplace.

      “Kurt,