by Cindy Stark
The corner she’d backed herself into threatened to swallow her. What the hell had she been thinking?
She exhaled a deep breath. “I have one last question. Do I have to allow Franklin to stay in the house during these two months? I mean, after all, it’s my place for now, correct?” She couldn’t very well plan anything with him underfoot.
Conway tipped his head again. “That is correct. For the next two months, you are the owner of Blackwater Canyon Ranch. If you marry, it will continue to be your property. If not…” He shrugged. “Until then, Franklin, it would be wise if you’d find other suitable living arrangements. Since it’s not your primary residence, I think three days is a fair amount of time to relocate. Of course, you’re welcome to dispute my advice with the local police. I do believe, however, they will agree with me.”
Franklin shot her a nasty look. “Whatever. I can stay at my apartment for two months, but take notice, dear cousin.” He jabbed his pointer finger toward her. “When the place is mine, I’ll have you removed from the premises immediately.”
Scum-sucking bottom dweller. She gritted her teeth to keep from losing the upper hand.
Franklin stared long enough for her to physically sense his hatred. Then he turned and strode from the room, slamming the wooden door hard enough to rattle the frosted glass window.
Tension in the room dropped thirty degrees the moment he was gone.
She sagged as the defeat of the day overwhelmed her.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. This is more than you deserve. Your Uncle Walt loved you more than life itself, and he only wanted what was best for you.”
So he’d said. “Why did he think he had the right to decide what’s best for me? Shouldn’t that be my choice?” Anger over him leaving her resurfaced and multiplied because of the current predicament he’d placed her in.
Conway patted her shoulder. “It still is your choice, Rachel.”
“Yeah, except I have to choose between my freedom and the ranch. What kind of choice is that?”
He shrugged. “Lucky for you, I guess, that you already have a man you love enough to marry.”
She wanted to argue his point, but couldn’t. “Yeah, lucky me.”
Chapter Two
Rachel sat in her uncle’s favorite old chair in front of a cold fireplace, staring at page after page of eligible men on a popular dating website. Some were cute. Some were funny. None seemed capable of completing the job she had in mind.
The clock on the mantle ticked, leaving her edgy and anxiously aware of each minute that passed. She had to find someone.
The chill of winter still haunted most days, and it certainly did tonight. Touches of sunshine earlier that afternoon had promised warmer weather to come, but she couldn’t feel it now.
Earlier, she’d caught sight of a few dark green pointy leaves pushing through the soil in the front garden. Soon, yellow and purple crocus would emerge, followed by a bright array of colorful tulips and sunny yellow daffodils, reminding her life would go on.
At least life around the ranch would go on. It wouldn’t be the same without her jovial uncle helping with the large amount of tasks. She’d have to hire someone to help with duties.
Or find a suitable husband. Dammit.
She swallowed, trying to relieve the hard lump of reality lodged in her throat, and clicked to the next webpage. She’d already wasted three of her precious days with no prospects in sight.
Which of the men in front of her was capable of helping her pull off the deception of the century? None. She had nearly half a million dollars to use as a bribe. She’d gladly give it all up to keep her beloved home, but, first, she’d have to find the right man.
She snapped the laptop shut. This was a stupid, stupid idea. She’d be risking everything on someone she didn’t know, and she was too terrified to take that chance. She had to find another way.
She’d call Elle like she should have done days ago and confess her embarrassing situation. Her friend had an uncanny ability to find solutions to impossible problems. Rachel had little hope she could do the same this time, but she’d left desperation in the dust hours ago and was quickly catching up to panic.
“Elle, how the hell are you?”
Her friend laughed, the sound bringing a hint of peace to her soul. “The question is, Miss Rachel, how the hell are you? I haven’t heard from you since you called to say your uncle had passed. I’ve been worried.” Her friend lived a state away in the middle of Colorado, but hearing her voice was like she’d never left their small town. She could picture her lounging on her back porch looking up at the hills of Argent Springs, her curly blond hair tamed by clips or a headband.
Emotion thickened Rachel’s throat as her worries and sadness tumbled down upon her. “Oh, God, Elle. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Tough funeral?”
She wished that were her only problem. “No, the service was lovely. It’s what came after, at the reading of his will.”
Elle groaned. “Tell me he didn’t give the ranch to his conniving, pathetic excuse for a son.” Elle had grown up in Moose Meadows along with Rachel and knew of the strained relationship between her uncle and Franklin.
“Not exactly. He willed it to me, but brace yourself.” She paused as she sought the best way to tell her friend. Nothing eloquent or even snarky came to mind. “My uncle has given me the ranch upon the condition that I get married to a man who will help me run it, and…he gave me two months to find him. Should have been two years, but someone screwed up, and now I’m paying the price.”
“Seriously?” Elle’s shock came over the line loud and clear. “You need to find a man in two months? That’s crazy.”
“I need a man who will marry me, and I’m willing to forgo the love part of that relationship to keep my home. To make things worse, I allowed Franklin to push me into telling him and Conway that I was already dating and had a prospect on the horizon.”
“And do you? Have a prospect on the horizon?”
Rachel shifted the phone to her other ear. “What do you think?”
“Hmm… Knowing you, I think you haven’t given a man the time of day in…well…forever.”
“You make it sound like that’s my fault. Like there are tons waiting to beat down my door if I’d only let them.”
“Ah, honey. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Plenty of guys would love to date you. You have all that dark gorgeous hair that you hide in a ponytail.”
Guilty, Rachel lifted her hand and slid the band from her hair, letting it tumble around her shoulders. “I don’t always wear it up.”
“You’re funny,” Elle continued, ignoring her comment. “And you have the best boobs in town.”
Rachel glanced downward appreciating that she did actually have pretty good breasts.
“You just need to pull your head out of the horse trough and look around, Rachel. Heck, I’ll bet there are several eligible guys who might even be working for you.”
She straightened her spine. “I can’t date my employees.”
“Why not?” Elle challenged.
“Because…I see them every day. They’re like brothers.” Joe was awfully cute and Bill wasn’t bad looking even if he was too old for her, but they respected her status enough not to approach her. She was also old-fashioned enough that she wouldn’t make the first move. “Besides, it can’t be anyone from the ranch.”
“Was that a stipulation as well?”
“Actually…I may have spoken without thinking and told Conway and Franklin said prospect on the horizon was someone I’d met online.” Those few words might be enough to strangle her.
Elle paused and then laughed. “That’s a good one, Rach.”
“I couldn’t sit there and let Franklin rub it in my face that he was going to get my ranch because no man on the face of the earth had asked to marry me. Online dating was the first thing that came to my mind because I knew they couldn’t verify it. I was too upset to realize my husband would
have to show up in order for me to meet the conditions of my uncle’s will. I’m already three days into my two months and things aren’t looking good.”
“That’s…a hell of a mess. What you need is a miracle of epic proportions.”
“Tell me about it. No, what I really need is someone capable of working miracles. I’m going to lose everything, Elle.” Her stomach flopped again like a fish on the line, knowing its time was up.
“Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“What can you do? You’re half a day away with your own life to worry about.” Anxiety dug its claws in deeper.
“I’m never too far away to help you. You should know that.”
“I do. But I don’t see any way out of this impossible situation short of finding an actual man. Maybe I should frequent some bars in the outlying areas.”
“That sounds like a bad idea at best.”
“Well, I’m all out of good ideas. I’d be happy to pay someone well, but he’d have to be someone I can trust to lie for me.” She snorted a sarcastic laugh. “If that’s not the world’s best oxymoron.”
Elle stayed quiet long enough to make Rachel wonder if she’d lost their connection.
“I might know someone,” she finally said.
Her friend’s claim tied her stomach in knots all over again. “Really? Someone who’ll move here, claim to be my husband long enough for me to gain legal ownership of Blackwater Canyon Ranch, who will then hightail it out of here without giving away my secret? He has to be completely trustworthy. Because you do realize, if word gets out, Franklin will have the perfect case to sue for legal ownership, and I’ll lose everything. My home, my livelihood, and my reputation.”
“You could always come live with me in Argent Springs.”
“That’s not funny, Elle.”
“I know. I know. I do have a person in mind, though. One of Harry’s friends that I met recently at a horse auction. Interesting guy, actually. When I asked him what he did for a living, he told me he was a man for hire. At the time, I laughed, because he was also a big flirt, but he explained he’s been working for different ranches doing consulting work and manual labor on the side. He seemed like a straightforward kind of guy, and I know Harry really likes him.” She paused for a long moment. “He might be perfect.”
She felt like she’d been granted a stay of execution. “I’ll take him.”
Elle laughed. “Let me ask Harry about him just to be sure, and I’ll get back to you.”
Chapter Three
Rachel paced across the wooden floor in her kitchen, out to the living room, and then back again. Mr. Caleb Dawson, Man-For-Hire was due to arrive at her place any moment now. All Rachel could think was inviting him to Blackwater was a huge mistake that would come back to bite her in a big way.
The eerie howl of a wolf in the distance punctuated her fears. She was about to gamble her future on an unknown.
But what choice had her uncle left her? He, and an unfortunate clerical error, had forced her hand. Giving her two years was bad enough, but maybe a possibility. Two months? No way in hell.
Still, what if she took one look at Caleb Dawson and knew their subterfuge wouldn’t work?
Then again, that’s why she’d insisted he arrive after dark, after all the hands had left for the evening, and no one would see him coming. She’d made Elle promise to make him promise he wouldn’t stop in town for anything. Not a soda. Not gas. He was to come straight to her house first.
Dammit.
This thing would end her before she ended it. Maybe she should save herself the trouble and voluntarily commit herself to a psychiatric institution. Then she wouldn’t need a place to live.
Or she could join a nunnery. Except for one guy a couple of years ago, her innocence was intact.
Could she repent for that and still join the nunnery? She wasn’t tarnished forever for one small indiscretion, right?
Lights in her drive shut down her crazy thoughts and sent her pulse into overdrive. She was, quite literally, about to meet her so-called husband. Good God. So much rested on a stranger’s shoulders. The thought scared her worse than coming upon that mountain lion near the edge of the canyon last fall.
She drew shallow breaths as she listened to the vehicle’s engine draw closer. Then stop. Then a few seconds later, a door slammed shut.
“Oh, God.” What had she done? Maybe it wasn’t too late to back out.
The doorbell rang, and she squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn’t really happening.
By the time she made it to the door, she’d decided to pay the man a couple hundred dollars for his trouble and send him on his way. If he left now, he’d make it to their neighboring town. She could give him extra to pay for a night’s stay in a motel before he headed the rest of the way back to Colorado.
She forced a calming breath that didn’t work and then turned the doorknob.
Whoa.
She wasn’t sure who’d she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t the dark-haired cowboy who stood on her porch. Her body came alive at the sight of him, igniting the age-old need to want a man to hold her.
His tall, muscular frame filled her doorway as cold air snuck in around him. He was a mountain of a man with intense green eyes that reminded her of sunlight hitting the deepest part of the Shoshone River. If there was a silver lining in the travesty her uncle had foisted upon her, Caleb was it.
He removed his hat, revealing short, dark hair. “Miss Halsted?”
She opened the door wider and stuck out her hand, remembering that she needed to speak to the man, not just stare. “Yes, and you must be Elle’s friend, Mr. Dawson.”
He wrapped a large, warm hand around hers, enveloping her in strength as an engaging smile turned his sensuous lips. “My friends call me Caleb.”
“Caleb.” She worked to tamp down the nervous jitters banging around inside her. “I’m Rachel.”
His hug came out of nowhere followed by a kiss on her cheek. “I’m very happy to meet you, Rachel.”
She stepped back, overwhelmed by his friendliness.
****
Caleb slid his gaze down the intriguing woman who stood before him. Rachel was nothing like he’d pictured. Elle had said she was pretty, but there was pretty, meaning nice looking, and then there was pretty. A long, loose braid of dark hair hung over one shoulder as soft brown eyes full of wariness regarded him. She was an interesting mixture of vulnerable and strength that tickled his curiosity.
“Elle said you needed to hire a man for a short while.”
She blinked a couple of times and then moved back. “Why don’t you come inside?”
He stepped into the cozy house and immediately caught the enticing scent of burning logs. “Nothing like a fire on a chilly evening.”
“Are you cold? We could sit in the living room.” She lifted her brows, nervous tension radiating from her like heat from the sun in the middle of summer.
“Sure. That would be nice.” He wasn’t particularly cold, but he wouldn’t mind sitting by the fire. Maybe the ambience would put Rachel at ease.
He let her lead him into a comfortable room decorated with browns and greens that echoed the peace of a quiet forest. Flames danced in the fireplace at the opposite end, and he headed for a spot on the inviting brown suede couch.
As he sat and stretched his legs out in front of him, he continued to survey the room. “Nice place you have here.” It really was. Warm and inviting, and he could see himself living comfortably while he helped Rachel.
“Thank you. My grandfather built it many years ago.”
The rock fireplace alone hinted at the high level of craftsmanship. “He did a nice job.”
Rachel folded her hands in her lap as she pinned her gaze on him. “We should discuss business. Did Elle explain what kind of job this was?”
He grinned. The girl couldn’t have been more nervous or more charming, and he always appreciated getting right down to business. Doing so allowed him to begin formulating a
plan of action. Normally, his strategy would include a review of finances and the current operating blueprint.
This would be much, much different, and he liked it. He wouldn’t be earning his usual fee, but…he could also consider this something of a vacation, not to mention he enjoyed rescuing a damsel in distress.
Rachel Halsted was a hell of a damsel. Elle had described her as a tough, determined woman. He’d conjured in his mind a sturdy, maybe even weathered rancher, not this petite, almost shy lady. The loose flannel shirt she wore concealed most of her curves, but he had a feeling he’d like what she had underneath. “Elle told me some about your specific needs, but why don’t you give me the spiel?”
“The spiel?” She laughed. “Um, okay. The short story. My uncle died and left me his ranch on the condition that I’m married within two months. If I don’t produce a husband, I lose absolutely everything.”
“I see.” He’d heard of some weird shit in his life, but nothing like this. “Was this his way of getting even with you for something?”
She frowned, and he didn’t miss the flash of hurt that went along with it. “No, we always got along great.”
She lifted her hands and let them drop in a show of defeat. “I believe this is his way of trying to parent from the grave. He’s a stubborn man, and he thinks he knows what’s best for me.”
“Meaning a husband?” The fire popped as though to punctuate his question.
“Yes.”
He smiled when she wouldn’t quite meet his gaze. “So what’s your proposal?”
She choked in response. “I’m not asking you to actually marry me.”
Which was good because he had no intention of ever marrying again. “Didn’t think you were. I was just trying to get things clear in my mind.” He hadn’t had this much fun teasing a woman in a long time.
She widened her eyes. “Not marriage in the traditional sense of the word. No.” She paused for a moment as she straightened in her seat, and he caught a hint of the fire Elle had mentioned. “What I’m proposing is that we disappear for a couple of days, pretending to elope, and you act like my husband until I’m granted the permanent title to my ranch, at which point we will part ways. I will pay you well for your acquiescence and your silence. If you breach our agreement in any way, you won’t receive a dime.”
