by Vivian Arend
He grabbed a couple cups and a sugar pot, pushing them and the thermos her direction. “Pour me one as well. Black.”
Then he tucked into his own food and ignored her. Allison fixed him a cup and eased back in her chair to sip the dark liquid and figure out what she was going to tell him. Her past forty-eight panicked hours had come to a head, and now, with food in her stomach and safety at hand, exhaustion overtook her.
When he pushed aside his plate a few minutes later and looked up at her with interest, she still hadn’t managed to do more than mentally rumble through the same thoughts again and again. She was tired enough to be stupid. Tired enough to throw all caution to the wind and simply blurt out the words.
“I need you to be my fiancé.”
Chapter Two
Gabe was thankful he’d already swallowed his mouthful of coffee or he would have spewed it all over.
“What the hell…?”
Allison leaned her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. “Oh Lord, don’t make me laugh or I’m going to get hysterical.”
“Trust me. That wasn’t an attempt to make you laugh. It was an honest-to-God question.” Still, Gabe smiled. “You feeling okay?”
She dragged her hands over her head and straightened her tangled hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and securing it in place. “Seriously? I’m exhausted, but I need to talk to you. This wasn’t how I planned it. That’s why I was riding Patches. I was going to leave you a note to contact me, and then—”
“Never heard of a phone?” Gabe pulled out his cell and tossed it on the table. “You’ve got my number. Voice mail, email. Haven’t changed since the last time we used them.”
“I’m sorry.”
Allison bit her lower lip, and Gabe had the sudden urge to lean over and smooth his hand over her cheek, to force her to relax. Actually the stronger urge was to take her in his arms and hug her because she looked so damn miserable. He’d tried to give her a little room while she ate, allow her time to get more comfortable. They had enough of a history together that he was concerned, but after that insane comment?
He was going bat-shit crazy with curiosity.
“I don’t mean to push, but you think you can get back to the fiancé thing? Because you lost me.”
Allison nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair. My…” She swayed from side to side for a second then growled with frustration. “I cannot figure out the best way to say this. I’ve been going for two days straight, and I thought I would have all the right words by the time I got here, but every time I start thinking everything rolls in circles and gets all muddled together.”
“I’m not going to throw you out for misspeaking. You don’t have to get it perfect. Just tell me. You want us to get married?”
Allison’s eyes grew wide. “No.”
“But that’s what a fiancé usually means.”
“I need you to pretend to be my fiancé, so that my mom will think I’m coming back to Rocky Mountain House to be with you.”
This wasn’t getting any easier. Gabe didn’t mind puzzles—he played a damn good game of chess, but it looked as if he was going to have to pull information out of her one bit at a time and assemble the pieces on his own. “You want to come back to Rocky. Why do you need an excuse? Just come back.”
“Can’t. My mom would never accept it. It’s not like I hated Rocky, but I was pretty vocal about not wanting to run the family restaurant. She’d know something was fishy if I just show up and announce I’m here to help take care of things.”
“But you don’t want to… Allison, you’re not making any damn sense. You don’t want to work at Parker’s Timberline Grill. You’ve got a good job you enjoy in Red Deer, or at least you were having a blast the last time I talked to you. Why the hell are you trying to set up some elaborate hoax to fool your mother?”
Allison leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her. Her tired expression made her look lost, like a little girl, sad and hopeless. “She’s dying, Gabe.”
Shit.
He went with his earlier instinct, reached forward and pulled her into his lap. She was stiff for a moment before she tucked her face against his neck, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. He pressed one hand to her back and rubbed slowly, cradling her as he let her cry.
Surreal. He’d gone from worrying about the ranch to comforting a grieving woman in less than three hours, and the day wasn’t half over.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Gabe had never had a ton of dealings with the Parkers, but he knew of them, including seeing Elle and Paul, Allison’s siblings, around town. Their father’s death years ago had been long and horrid, even watching from the outside. “Your family must be devastated.”
She sniffled then leaned her cheek against his shoulder to speak quietly. “They don’t know. Mom hasn’t told them.”
He sucked in air. “That’s harsh, having to keep that kind of a secret from them.”
“It gets worse. Mom didn’t tell anyone. I found out—oh damn.” Allison sat up straight, her tension returning in a rush. “You can’t tell anyone this, or she’ll get fired.”
“Your mom?” Gabe reached behind him and nabbed the Kleenex box from the window ledge, dropping the box on the table for when she wanted it.
“My snitch.”
Hell. “Someone spilt the beans to you about your mom being sick?”
Allison nodded, that bottom lip of hers back between her teeth.
“That’s probably wrong in all kinds of ways.”
She nodded again.
Gabe thought quickly. “How about for now you don’t name no names, just, are you positive they got the details right?”
He let her go when she reached for the tissues. “This isn’t some clerical error or wild idea, I saw paperwork. Even without that, it’s someone I trust completely, someone who would know. She only told me because it’s serious, and she’s worried about us losing Mom without any warning.”
Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. “Mothers don’t always need much more of a reason than they think it’s best for us. Maybe she doesn’t want you guys to remember how hard it was to lose your dad.”
Allison sniffed. “I think that’s it. She’s wrong, but…she’s right. Losing her is going to be painful. I don’t know how Elle and Paul will take it.”
“So you need an excuse to come back. Your suggestion to fake an engagement seems extreme.”
“I know my mom. I’m pretty sure she’s doing this for our good and all, and yet—the fact she’s keeping it a secret allows her to hold on to her dignity. To remain in charge of her life. How can I barge in and rip that from her? I’ll confront her when necessary, but if she’s only got three to six months left, and I have to lie my ass off during that time to make her happy, I’m willing.”
Allison paced the space between his kitchen and sofa. Half her dilemma made sense to him now, but there were a hell of a lot more answers he needed. He spoke slowly. “So you’ll willingly lie to make her happy. But…and don’t take this the wrong way, but why would I lie to everyone I know? I like your mom plenty, Allison, and I’m damn sorry you have to face this, but…”
Even thinking that it wasn’t really his issue made him feel like all kinds of an asshole for not wanting to go the extra mile for Allison. Yet putting on that kind of a charade in front of the entire clan? What would his ma think when they called it off down the road? What kind of grief would his cousins give him, and how difficult was it going to be in the duration to actually pull it off?
She was right. The situation was tangling his brain into knots, and he’d only been dealing with it for a few minutes.
He sighed. “I’m wondering if you thought this through beyond making your mom’s last days easier. What about your brother and sister? How are they going to like finding out you’ve lied to them?”
Allison paused in the middle of wearing a hole in his hardwood floor. “The plan is to let them k
now eventually, but the most important part is making sure my mom is all right. I have gone over this again and again. I know you’d have to lie as well, and while I feel terrible about it, I don’t feel bad enough to give up asking. I’ll make it worth your while to help me.”
Gabe pulled his jaw off the floor. “Did you just offer to pay me to pretend to be your fiancé?”
Allison snorted and leaned back on the fridge. “I’m so about to pass out, I couldn’t be doing a worse job explaining this if I were drunk. No. No money, but if you’re still interested in making your section of the Coleman ranch turn organic? I promise that I will do everything I can to help you. I know regs, I know who works the front lines and can fast-track inspections. I will advise and work with you, and save you time and money. Nothing illegal, but very valuable if you’re serious about going green.”
It was the one thing she could offer that was more valuable than money. The one thing that could render him speechless. He sat without saying a word because suddenly his brain was flooded with all the ideas and information he’d researched over the past two years. All the things he’d longed to put into place to make the Angel section of the Coleman ranch a success.
He’d have to convince his father.
But…not even Ben could turn down this kind of help. The realization that the fake relationship between him and Allison might help move them past the current stalemate hit like a load of bricks.
Ben didn’t accept advice easily from anyone, especially not a woman, but if Gabe was getting what came down to valuable expert advice for free from a family member? His tight-fingered father would have a difficult time turning away that kind of an offer.
“Gabe?”
Allison stared at him in concern, and he realized he’d been silent for a lot longer than he planned.
He shook his head slowly. “You said you weren’t sure how to tell your story, and I’ll toss that right back at you. I’m not exactly sure how to respond.”
“You still interested in making changes?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Allison nodded. “I can’t guarantee anything, Gabe. I don’t know the specific details of your land’s history or anything yet, so I can’t tell you timelines or even if you can successfully make the switch. But if you do this for me, I promise to work with you until you’re happy with the results, or you say you’ve had enough trying. I’ll even add a contract for you to provide as much as we can use at the restaurant. Standard prices for standard product for five years. No matter how long our fake engagement lasts, you’ll have that.”
Gabe rose to stare out the window over the nearest section of Coleman land. He imagined it producing enough to support his family, no worries if this was the year they’d have to beg for a handout. He swung to examine Allison again, taking in the sadness and frustration that clung to her like a thick coat. “You’re not a very good bargainer. That’s far too open-ended and generous an offer, and now I feel like a shit for needing to be convinced to help you.”
She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. “Then you’ll do it?”
He was closer to an answer than he should be, but he wasn’t going to let her rush either of them into something they’d regret. “Hang on a minute. I ain’t saying no. I’m still not a hundred percent sure I should say yes, but you’ve made it damn tempting.”
She shot across the room to grab his hands. “I know it’s crazy, but Mom’s been everything to us, Gabe. She kept us together after Dad died, and she’s always been there for us. Losing her is going to be so hard but…” her voice hitched once before she pulled it back together, “…but making her last days extra special is what I want to give to her. Please?”
Great. She’d been reduced to begging. That hadn’t been part of the original plan, or at least she was pretty sure it wasn’t on her list. Exhaustion poured over her in waves, and she was barely keeping vertical. This first step had to be finished now, though, if she was going to pull off the entire ploy.
Sneaking out on horseback to Gabe’s had been a bit of a wild impulse. He was right, she could have called him, but calling wouldn’t have let her double-check that he really had a place of his own like she’d heard through the grapevine. That was a vital discovery to make, because while she liked him, and their background interests overlapped so well, no way she would have asked him to join her in the facade if living next door to his parents for any length of time had been part of the deal.
Overall, the four Coleman clans were well respected in Rocky. Some more than others—some of the boys had earned a reputation for troublemaking. Like any big family they had their black sheep, and to Allison, that phrase conjured up images of Ben Coleman. Ben Coleman in a devil suit carrying a pitchfork. He had always scared her a little. That Gabe was related to the rough man made her shake her head and think even better of the son for making his own decisions and marching to his own beat.
Allison glanced around the cabin, her second reason for wanting an up-close-and-personal peek coming to the fore. “You’re not seeing anyone, are you?”
His hand cupped her face, his touch surprisingly gentle and warm, and it felt so good she was tempted to nuzzle in tighter. She sighed softly.
Gabe’s wicked, low laugh raced over her. “You’re asleep on your feet, girl. No, I’m not seeing anyone. How long since you had eight hours of shuteye?”
“Tamara stopped in Tuesday to tell me the news. I started packing my stuff that night, and gave notice when I went into work Wednesday.”
“So now it’s Thursday and you haven’t taken any time to rest, have you?”
She had no time to waste. “Gabe? Are you going to help me?”
“More than you know. Where’s your car? At your mom’s house?”
She nodded, embarrassed to find she was still clutching his hand. When she attempted to let go, he chuckled again and tugged her after him.
“I’ll take care of your car while you take a nice, long nap.”
There was some reason she should be saying no to this, but damn if she could figure out what it was. “But, Gabe…”
“No complaining. I’m not giving you any kind of answer until I know your brain is working as well as your heart.” He led her back into the bedroom and pushed her toward the oversized mattress that looked far too comfortable. “When you wake up we’ll talk through more details, but in the meantime I’ll nab your stuff and bring it here, just so there’s no bridges burned until you’re sure what you want.”
She was sure. Allison sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress giving slightly under her hips. “Keys are under the floor mat.”
“That’s what I figured.”
She must have already been falling asleep, because she swore he helped arrange her on the bed, a light quilt pulled up to her chin. He brushed a hand over her forehead, which was awfully nice.
“Night, Gabe.”
That addictive laugh stroked her again, and she decided if he did agree to the charade? That sound was going to be what kept her sane through the entire chaotic situation, because the low rumble made all sorts of interesting reactions happen inside her.
Comforting, yet dangerous.
Sleep wrapped itself around her, and her eyes were so damn heavy. “I like your laugh.”
“You talk a lot when you’re sleep-deprived. What’re you like when you’re drunk?”
“I sing. Badly.”
Something warm caressed her face again. “Stop talking and go to sleep.”
Fighting to stay awake seemed like far more work than she could manage at the moment, so she listened.
Chapter Three
Considering everything else that had happened that day, Gabe was surprised his cautious switch went off without a snag. The Parkers must have all been working at the Timberline Grill, giving him the opportunity to sneak over on Allison’s horse, exchange the low-speed steed for her stuffed-to-the-gills Toyota, and slip back to his cabin without being stopped for grand-theft auto.
/> While he traveled, he got hold of the idiot truck driver’s mom and informed her that her baby had been driving fast and loose that morning. It might have been wrong to gloat over the punishment coming he heard in her voice, but hell if the kid didn’t deserve it.
He parked Allison’s vehicle directly behind his cabin where it couldn’t easily be spotted unless a person was right in the yard. Once she’d gotten enough rest to straighten out her brain, she could reconsider and no one would even have to know she’d been over. And if they did go forward with the ploy, he could move whatever stuff she needed into the house…
Hell. He was as bad as her, jumping ahead, totally obsessed with the one idea that up and filled his brain.
Turning around the family circumstances was a powerful incentive, but the offer she’d made to help needed to be weighed against the downside of this ruse. How did he really feel about helping her pull off a con that would deceive a shit-ton of people? Or did it matter what people thought when her motivation was driven by the singular goal of giving to her mom?
Yeah, if it were his mom, he’d willing to do just about anything to make her final days happier.
Gabe debated staying home until Allison woke, but that was akin to twiddling his thumbs and worrying like a granny. Instead, he tossed a few things into the Crock-Pot before spending a couple minutes straightening up his shit that had taken over the extra bed in the spare room. He wrote her a note in case she woke before he returned then headed back out to complete his chores. If she’d been burning the candle at both ends for two straight days, she should sleep until at least dinnertime.
Watching her snuggling up against his pillow, all soft as she fell asleep, had caused uncalled-for reactions in his body. It was a damn good thing he had the tiny extra room—he’d built it as an office space, but Rafe had argued long and hard until he’d given in and let the kid bring over a single bed. Rafe escaped as often as possible for some time away from home.
