“You do realize that Ty wants to stay here.”
Maggie was off guard, unprepared for this statement, so she reacted sharply. “It doesn’t matter what he wants. He’s coming home with me.”
There was something lazy
and dangerous about the way he looked at her. “Do you honestly think I’m going to let you take him?”
The coffee cup was shoved onto the table as Maggie rose. It was the very thing she had been afraid of—that if Chase ever knew he had a son, he would try to take him from her. She crossed her arms, rubbing them, as if fighting off a chill.
“I’ll fight you before I’ll ever let you take him from me, Chase Calder,” she warned. “I’m not Maggie O’Rourke anymore, a nobody. I’m Elizabeth Gordon, a wealthy widow whose husband had a lot of influential friends. We’re on equal terms now, so you can’t just brush me aside.”
“Is that what you want, Maggie? An ugly custody battle?” he challenged in a voice that held the ragged edge of anger. “Shall we fight over which of us would be the better parent? Which has more to offer him? Do you want to play a cruel game of tug-of-war with Ty?”
“No, it isn’t what I want, but I have very little choice in the matter if you choose to make an issue of it!”
“I’m not making an issue of it. You are, by insisting that he return home with you,” Chase replied, once again in control.
“You don’t think I’m going to let him stay?”
“He’ll run away again if you take him back,” he warned her quite calmly. “Eventually you’ll alienate him. In three more years, he’ll be eighteen—free to live where he wants.”
“You surely don’t think I’ll give him up? Just walk away and let you have him?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Marry me.”
Maggie stared at him in open-mouthed shock. “You can’t be serious!” She finally managed to laugh at the idea.
“But I am. Don’t worry.” His mouth quirked dryly. “I’m not nursing any grand passion for you. My interest in marrying you is solely based on Ty. First, it will legitimize his birth. I want no son of mine being called a bastard.”
“It’s a little late for that,” Maggie suggested sarcastically.
“Since I wasn’t informed of his existence—or even his expected existence—it is as timely as I can make it,” Chase countered. “Secondly, I want to ensure that Ty is legally recognized as my heir. The Triple C is his birthright, and I intend to take whatever steps are necessary to see that he gets it.”
“You haven’t given me one reason why I should agree to this preposterous marriage.” She was motionless and strained, still listening to the run of his voice, and its repressed feelings.
“You want your son, don’t you? If we fight over him, Maggie, we’ll both lose. And Ty will be the biggest loser of all, because he will be confused, torn between the two of us. By marrying me, you will maintain your role as his mother, live here in this house with him, and be an integral part of his life. In addition, you will be the mistress of this house and have all the attached importance of the name Calder.”
“I’m not interested in your name, or your bed.” She didn’t argue about the part concerning Ty.
“I don’t care whether or not you share my bed. That’s entirely up to you. I would suggest that you live here without the benefit of marriage, except for the first two reasons I gave you, and … the gossip it would create. And you know people would talk if you came back to live in the area, let alone in this house. It wouldn’t matter whether there was any truth to the stories; the talk would get back to Ty. I don’t think you’d like that. The marriage is a formality. As soon as it has accomplished its objective of establishing Ty as my legitimate heir, you can file for a divorce. I only make one stipulation—Ty stays with me.”
“That isn’t fair,” she said shortly.
“Sooner or later, you’d have to let him go, anyway … when he marries or goes off to see the world. You can stay here as long as you like—until he’s eighteen, twenty-one—or you can divide your time between here and California. Or stay in California and come here to visit. It’s immaterial to me. If you have a better solution, I’ll gladly listen.”
His statement mocked her. There was no other solution that would meet his terms. And if his terms weren’t met, he’d take her to court to get Ty. It didn’t matter if she eventually won the case. He made that clear. She could well imagine Ty’s reaction to this ranch. It would seem the fulfillment of any boy’s romantic dreams about the West, complete with a hero figure as a father. She could never win against a boy’s dreams, even if she could win legal custody.
“Ty has a natural affinity for the land, a feeling for this country,” Chase went on when she failed to fill the silence. “You couldn’t repress it, although I know you tried. It’s something he inherited from both of us, Maggie. I’m appealing to your maternal instinct. We are both interested in the same thing—Ty. At least our marriage can start out with that as a common ground.” He studied her quietly. “I don’t expect you to give me an answer now. You’ll want to talk to Ty. Tomorrow will be soon enough.”
Tomorrow? She was stung. “How generous of you to give me so much time!”
“Enough time has already been wasted.” He pushed out of his chair. “I’ll take your luggage to your room.”
“I haven’t said I’ll stay,” Maggie reminded him.