Undercover Engagement

by Lucy McConnell

  “I was planning on driving you to your parents’ house this weekend, borrowing your company ID...”

  I raised my eyebrows. I never would have given him my ID which meant he intended to take it – to use me.

  “...sneaking out in the middle of the night, getting into Devin’s computer and getting back to Nibley before you or your parents knew I was gone.” He sighed. “Plan A is dropped. After what happened right under his nose in the parking lot, he’ll know I’m not who I said I was and there will be extra security. If I go into your office, I won’t come out.”

  “What’s plan B?”

  “We go to your parents' like we planned.”

  I could just see it: "Hey mom, here’s my fiancé. What’s your real name, Darling?"

  I snorted.

  Jason ignored my piggy-impression. “Monday, you go to work. Tell everyone how wonderful the weekend was and that your parents loved me.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  He pointed his finger at me. “You said they would.”

  I shrugged – perhaps they would. He took my hands in his.

  “I’ll spend the day getting control of security. That night, you conveniently work late, sneak into Devin’s office and hook me up to his computer. I’ll walk you through the hack-in process. Then, you get out of there and meet me in the lobby. After I turn the drive over to my boss – I’ll quit. Then we’ll get married, and take a fabulous honeymoon tour of Europe.”

  This was going too far. Not only was Jason stripping away my reality, he expected me, a small-town girl who worked in an office, to jump head-first into his cloak-and-dagger world. The idea frustrated me and suddenly I wasn't even sure I wanted to spend the next twenty-four hours with Jason. Spending the rest of my life with the man who wanted to arrest (I hoped it was arrest and not kill) my boss, pressed in on me like the locked seatbelt had earlier. It was one thing for him to get out of the business, it was a whole other thing for him to drag me into it. I needed some space.

  I shifted in my seat. “About that...”

  Jason dropped my hands and got to his feet. “Don’t.” The carpet had vacuum lines in it, except where Jason paced.

  “This is a lot to take in. I’m not even sure I have all the right questions or that you have the right answers.” I twisted the ring. “My parents, well, if I tell them we are getting married, Mom will have the reception planned before we leave Sunday afternoon. If I cancelled it later – it would break her heart.” Jason’s eyes drooped with every word of rejection. I pulled the ring from my finger.

  His puppy eyes turned me into a complete wimp. I put the ring in my pocket instead of handing it over to him. I wasn’t ready to squash all hope of being together by giving it back. Besides, this way, I maintained an invisible level of control over some part of the situation. “We’ll just say we’ve been dating for a while. A happy little couple.”

  “Plan B,” he repeated. “Will you help me?”

  I’m such a sucker for a lost puppy. “Okay.”

  Chapter 5

  “Did your third grade teacher really make you write: I will not burp at people, one hundred times?” I asked.

  Jason burst out laughing. For the last hour and a half as we rode from Utah County to Nibley in the once again pristine Viper, I grilled him on every fact and story he’d ever told me. At least the ones I could remember. It was his idea. He was trying to prove he wasn’t the lying jerk I thought he was. How he had read my mind last night I’ll never know.

  I’d slipped off to bed right after slipping off my ring and spent an exhausting night on my knees seeking direction. The most I got was a feeling of peace when I decided to help Jason with his mission.

  “Yes. I’m sorry to say, that was true.” He wiped the laughter from his eyes.

  “Graduate Summa cum Laude?”

  “Yes.”

  “In computer engineering?”

  “Yes.”

  I hesitated. The next question was soooo superficial. I had to know. “What about the money? Are you really rich?”

  Jason’s smile disappeared. “Does it matter? I mean, if I said I’m as poor as a college student would it matter to you?”

  Um, did it? If I had met and fallen in love with another man, a man like my dad who worked hard to raise specialty feeds for farmers, a man who drove dusty pickup trucks and preferred roast and potatoes for Sunday dinner, would I care that we honeymooned in Park City instead of Europe or drove a minivan instead of a Viper? If all I got out of this whole thing was Jason, without the gorgeous suites and fancy restaurants, would I still want him?

  Heck-to-the-ya I would.

  And that was the biggest problem. I would have lived in a cardboard box if it meant a life with Jason, but what kind of life could we have if he was constantly in danger and dragging me right along with him? I had to keep my wits about me and think of this as I would any other high-profile transaction. After all, it wasn't just my life I was trading here, it was my heart.

  “It only matters in reference to your character. I mean, I understand you had to play a part.”

  “The money is a perk. From my first assignment, I was given a huge expense account to play the wealthy child card. I got free investment information from the top money minds all over the world and I took their advice with my own money. It started out small, but grew with hardly any effort.”

  “Turn right, then at the bottom of the hill, take a left,” I instructed, as we drew closer to my parents’ house. He did and the ranch came into view. My dad was out on the riding lawn mower taming the half-acre of lawn. The day his last boy moved out, Dad gave away the push mower. He loves his horse power.

  My stomach did a little flip when Jason turned up the tree-lined drive. This was a huge step for me. The only other guy I’d brought home had run screaming when Dad started cleaning his guns. Really, it’s the oldest father-move in the book and the guy whimpered home. I glanced at the hiding spot where Jason had tucked a handgun earlier that day. At least he won’t be scared off by the arsenal in the basement; he might actually appreciate it.

  The lawn mower sputtered off.

  “Time for a tune-up, Dad!” I called across the lawn.

  He dismounted the mower a little slower than I remembered him moving. “What’s all this?” he asked as he wrapped me in a wonderful fatherly hug. I held on an extra moment, savoring the safety every little girl finds in her father’s arms. Holding back a sudden desire to cry, I smiled up at his weathered cheeks.

  “Dad, this is Jason Butler. Jason this is my father, Hank Eastman.”

  Dad raised his eyebrows and I gave a quick nod. They shook hands like two wrestlers about to square off, smiling with ease while they tried to crush the other’s fingers. Good. Things were going just like I'd planned.

  “How long are you two stickin’ around?” Dad kept Jason in his cat-like stare.

  “Just overnight, if you’ll have us.” I jumped in before Jason could answer.

  Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and turned me toward the house. “Let’s go find your mother. She won’t want to miss a minute with you. Bring the bags, will you Jared?”

  “Jason,” I hissed at Dad.

  “Oh, Jason.” Dad smiled down at me like he hadn’t done it on purpose. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jason moving the passenger seat to get to our bags. He didn’t look comfortable. It wasn't kind of me, but I let him squirm – this was his plan B after all.

  “Alyssa!” My mom wrapped me in her soft embrace. She complained about her extra twenty pounds, but I loved how it took the boney out of her hugs.

  “Surprise!”

  “She brought a boy,” Dad monotoned. Boy, he didn’t waste any time.

  “What?” Mom’s face lit up. She pulled back from the hug and gasped. I felt her check my ring finger. Refraining from rolling my eyes, I turned to introduce Jason as he walked through the door.

  Mom gave him a welcome hug before showing him where to put the bags. I’d grown up here with my
three brothers who periodically invaded the ranch with their families for birthdays, holidays, and getaways. Even though there was a lot of upkeep to keep them busy, my parents would never move.

  I gave Dad a nervous smile. “Be nice.”

  “I’m always nice.” Dad put his palms up in defense.

  “First date?”

  “That was not my fault.”

  “Prom?”

  “I didn’t know he couldn’t swim.”

  Sigh. “Senior Dinner Dance?”

  “What a lovely evening.”

  Grrr. “Paul?”

  “He was just chicken.”

  “Dad!”

  “Fine, I’ll be on my best behavior.” He stared out the front window. “He does drive a nice car. What does he do?”

  You wouldn't have thought it was so nice if you saw it shot full of bullet holes. I couldn't imagine how late the repair guys had to work to get it put back together in time for us to pick it up and head out. It looked as if nothing had happened and if I hadn't spent the night in Jason's secret lair, I could have convinced myself it was all a bad dream.

  “He’s an investor.” I ran a rough nail over my pants trying to smooth it out. So much for my manicure.

  “You mean he’s unemployed.”

  “No, I mean he’s wealthy.”

  “How’d you meet?”

  “Wait just a minute.” Mom bustled back into the room with Jason smiling behind. “I want to hear all about it too, so you might as well wait until I get lunch on. Then we can both hear your story.” Mom went to the kitchen knowing Dad would lay off the questions until she returned.

  Jason looked at the two of us. He pointed to the kitchen, backing away slowly. “I’m going to go help your mom.”

  I wiggled my fingers goodbye and picked a Country Living Magazine off the table.

  “I’m going to finish the lawn. Call me for lunch.” Dad looked back as he opened the door.

  I wiggled my fingers at him, too.

  He smiled and blew me a kiss. “Next time, come alone,” he said in a stage whisper before shutting the door.

  My dad and I have a great relationship, but sometimes it’s hard to tell when he’s kidding.

  Chapter 6

  Lunch was an exercise in self-censorship. “Remember, Happy Couple Plan B,” Jason whispered in my ear when he pulled my seat out. “Follow my lead.”

  Crap.

  Dad offered the prayer over the hoagie sandwiches. I’m not sure how much the potato chips were going to “nourish and strengthen” my body, but hey, I was all for it.

  “Alright, Hank, you can start your interrogation.” Mom gave Jason a wink.

  Dad started off easy enough. How’d we meet? What did Jason do? Then, he unexpectedly blindsided him. “What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”

  I had been waiting for the question. Dad dropped the same bomb on Paul from behind his 20-aught 6. I figured Jason got off lucky; all Dad had this time was a fork full of noodle salad. I made doe eyes at Jason as he coughed into his napkin. It was kind of fun to watch him squirm.

  I could have helped the poor guy, but I was just following his lead.

  “Well, Sir, I enjoy Alyssa’s company.” He glanced at me, taking in my supposed innocence. His shoulders squared. He was totally on to me. “What I really want to do is whisk her away for a romantic weekend in Cancun.”

  My dad stopped chewing. I heard the whole thing through his fatherly ears.

  Romantic weekend = I’m after your daughter’s virtue.

  I tried to kick Jason under the table, but he was enjoying watching me squirm.

  “I have ownership in a gorgeous hotel down there.” He went on to describe the color of the water, the warm sand, and the hotel amenities, until my mom interrupted with a nervous giggle.

  I jumped up from my seat. “Thanks for lunch, Mom. I’m going to take Jason out to do chores.”

  My purple father stared hard at his almost empty plate – silent. Pulling Jason from his seat, I pushed him to the front door. “What did I...?”

  “Just go.” I shoved.

  “Give Millie her medicine, it’s in the trunk,” Mom called.

  “Okay.”

  Once outside, I stomped to the garage. The keys waited in the four-wheeler. Out here, we didn’t need bullet proof glass or metal plates in our car doors. If you couldn’t find the key in the ignition, then someone left it in their jeans and it would come out in the wash.

  I started it up and backed it out, almost running over Jason’s toes.

  “Sorry.”

  He did look sorry.

  I slumped, my angst deflated.

  “I was only joking with them. I guess I got a little too comfortable too fast.”

  “Ya think?”

  He put his hand on top of mine on the gear shift. “I couldn’t tell him what my real intentions are. Plan B, remember.”

  “I know.” I wrapped my arms around my body. The afternoon was cooler than I thought. The idea of whipping around in the chill didn’t sound too fun. “I’m going to grab a jacket, do you want one?”

  “Sure.”

  My parents kept the mud room stocked with jackets, gloves, stocking caps, and boots in all sizes. I went through the garage door thinking I might as well change into some muck boots if I was going to the barn. The door opened without its usually creak. Hmm, Dad must have finally oiled it. I found two jackets and a pair of leather work gloves in Jason’s size. I slipped off my shoes and, just as I was about to don the black rubber boots, I heard my parents enter the kitchen. The door between the two rooms was open a crack, so their conversation carried straight to my waiting ears.

  “He was only joking,” Mom said.

  “It’s not something to joke about,” Dad grumbled. Dishes clattered into the sink. I crept closer to the door. “He’s too cocky. It’s all his money, he thinks it makes him invincible. I’m not impressed.”

  “Of course you aren’t, dear.”

  I bit my lip. Dad didn’t like him, shocker. He never liked any guy I brought home. However, I wanted him to like Jason and I thought at this point he’d loosen up just to get a grandbaby – after a wedding, of course.

  My thoughts on marrying the guy were still jumbled, but I felt a need to defend him to my father. A few days ago I was sure they were going to love him. He’s a man’s man – just like my dad. I'd pictured them taking fishing trips together after Dad retired. Jason was polite and kind, just like my mom. I’d hoped things would run smoother but, they might have caught on to the distance I was keeping between Jason and me. Sure, we'd laughed on the drive and come to some sort of truce, but we hadn't crossed back over to that comfortable and thrilling place where we let down our guard. Jason was trying, bless his heart; but I wasn't giving much.

  Dejected by Dad's low opinion of my taste in men, I turned to pick up the boots and bumped right into Jason.

  I swatted at his arm. “Don’t do that!” I whispered. “How’d you sneak in like that?”

  He pointed down. “Spy feet,” he whispered back. He leaned in close to my ear sending chills up my arms. “Why are we whispering?”

  Dad’s voice carried through the open door. “What do you think?”

  Mom cleared her throat. Jason and I held as still as statues waiting for her answer. “I get the feeling he’s hiding something. It’s almost like a section of him is veiled off,” she said.

  My mother was so perceptive. Jason put his finger over my lips. We were standing close enough to share body warmth. I closed my eyes, breathing in his designer cologne. He leaned in, barely touching my lips with his. I was swept right out of my level-headed determination as his lips brushed mine. I shouldn't let him kiss me, mostly because it chipped away at my defenses. As my heart rate sped up, I allowed that kissing could be part of Plan B. Really, it was just for the show – even though no one was watching.

  Dad slammed his hand on the counter, startling us apart. “Well, if you don’t like him, he’s not st
aying the night.”

  Good feeling – gone.

  “I didn’t say I don’t like him,” Mom countered. “I just said he’s not an easy read. I think he’s been through some tight spots.”

  Tight spots? Yeah you could call people wanting to kill you tight spots. Mom’s smart. I pointed to the door. Jason took the hint – and my hand – leading the way. Grabbing the boots, we left through the squeak-less door.

  “Hop on.” Jason said from the four wheeler.

  “No-” I pushed him back – “I’m driving.” I jammed the stick into reverse and gunned out of the garage. Then, I shoved it into High and warned, “Hold on, Buck-o.”

  “I’m back to being Buck-o?”

  “I like it.” I pressed my thumb down hard, sending us flying down the lane. Chores could wait, I needed some speed – country style.

  Chapter 7

  An

  half hour later we pulled into the barn. Racing through the ranch’s back trails released my pent up stress. I’d had years of fun trailing my brothers through the trees and the memories smoothed over my grown-up worries.

  The familiar smells of earth and hay brought my thoughts back to reality where I was secretly engaged to a spy who my father was ready to kick out of the house. I kicked a rock.

  I pulled Jasper out of his stall and handed Jason a shovel so he could clean it out.

  Jason moved the wheel barrow in front of the stall's open door before digging in - literally.

  “Whew! What do you feed these guys?” Jason asked over the dividing wall.

  “Horse manure does not smell.”

  Jason grunted.

  I harnessed Millie and tied her off at the shoeing post just inside the barn door.

  “Well, it does smell; but it smells like earth. It’s just part of the landscape around here.”

  I started on Millie's stall which was quite a bit cleaner than Jasper's.