Free Heartstrings by Rebecca Paisley

added. “The pleasure that may result from sexual relations is unimportant to me. But even so, I should familiarize myself with proven, effective maneuvers. Don’t you agree?”
    “What? Uh…”
    Theodosia caressed the book, pondering the child she would soon bear. “I would like to conceive a male baby for Upton and Lillian,” she murmured.
    Roman felt as if his brains had been taken from his head, scrambled like an egg, then poured back inside. He held up his hand in an appeal for her to stop speaking. “Wait a minute. Upton—he’s your brother-in-law. And Lillian…she’s your sister?”
    “Yes.”
    “And the baby you make with Dr. Wallaby—you’re giving the kid to Upton and Lillian?”
    “Yes.” Thinking of how much she loved Lillian and Upton, Theodosia smiled a faraway smile. “They are unable to have a child of their own, and Lillian refuses to adopt. As her sister, I am the only person in the world able to give her a child close to her own flesh and blood. She and I are practically mirror images of each other, and Upton and Dr. Wallaby appear as if they were closely related as well. Therefore, the child I conceive with Dr. Wallaby will look very much like a child Upton and Lillian created. Not to mention the fact that Upton and Dr. Wallaby are both brilliant. The child will most likely inherit a profound thirst for higher knowledge. That, of course, is another reason why Dr. Wallaby is the perfect candidate to sire the child.”
    She hugged her book to her breast, excited over her own plans. “I am deeply indebted to Lillian and Upton, Mr. Montana. This is the sole opportunity I have ever had to repay their kindness and generosity in full measure. Of course, they know nothing whatsoever about my plans. If they did, they would never allow me to go through with them. Therefore, I shall give birth to their child here in Texas, deliver the infant to them in Boston, and then set forth for Brazil to join Dr. Wallaby. That is, if he accepts me as his assistant.”
    She glanced at her watch. “We should depart. The fifteen-minute rest has come to an end. Actually, we have been resting for exactly seventeen minutes and thirty-two seconds.”
    Roman didn’t speak for a very long while. He simply stared at her, trying to understand and accept her plans with the same casual attitude that she did.
    He failed. Maybe it was the vast differences in their cultures, hers northern, his southern. Perhaps it was because he was a man and she was a woman. Or maybe it was because she was a genius and he was of ordinary intelligence.
    Whatever it was, the thought of a woman deliberately sacrificing her virginity and nine months of her life to get a child she was going to give away was the damnedest thing he’d ever heard of.
    And the fact that she was going to do all those highly unusual lovemaking maneuvers with Dr. Wallaby to get the baby was—
    His lips quivered with the same wild laughter that had consumed him last night.
    “What do you find so amusing, Mr. Montana?” Theodosia asked coolly.
    He folded his arms across his chest. “I was picturing you and Dr. Wallaby making love. Or having coitus, as you so scientifically put it. You and the brilliant doctor will probably consult that sex-treat book before each and every move you make. ‘Page fifty-two says we aren’t doing this correctly,’ you’ll say. You’ll hold up the book, and Dr. Wallaby will read the page through the three-inch-thick lenses in his glasses. ‘How right you are,’ he’ll say. ‘We must follow the instructions precisely.’”
    Roman’s smile grew. “You’ll stop to analyze each sentence in the book, so a single kiss will take you six weeks to accomplish. Other stuff, like learning to touch each other, will require three or four years to get right, and by the time you understand lovemaking perfectly, Dr. Wallaby will be too shriveled to perform!”
    She sniffed in disdain. “And how long would you need to understand the contents