Bought: His Temporary Fiancée

by Lindsay, Yvonne

  A solid lump choked in Will’s throat. There was no way he could refute what Jason had said. In fact, his words spoke volumes as to the relationship brother and sister shared.

  “And because I love her,” Jason continued, “I would never deliberately do anything to hurt her—like cheat my employer. I think I have evidence as to who actually did cheat Cameron Enterprises, though. If you’re interested in the truth, that is.”

  The challenge lay between the two men. A gauntlet hovering on the air.

  “What kind of proof?” Will asked.

  He didn’t believe Jason for a minute, no matter how impassioned his speech about his love for Margaret. He knew for a fact that when there was smoke, there was generally fire.

  Jason reached into the back pocket of his pants and took out a folded sheet of paper.

  “It’s all there.”

  He handed the paper to Will and explained his neat notations on the printout. Will’s inner sense of order sprang to the fore. Jason’s notes did show that he appeared to be onto something. Even so, if he was clever enough to present the information this way, he was probably creative enough to have generated a false trail, as well. Still, it was enough to send up a flag in Will’s mind. A flag that sent the analytical side of his brain into overdrive.

  “What do you think?” Jason asked.

  “I think this is definitely worth investigating further,” Will said carefully. “Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Can I ask whether you were actually going to do that any time soon, or did our meeting precipitate it?”

  “I wanted to be certain first. When you summoned for me today I thought now was as good a time as any.”

  “Have you told anyone else about your findings?”

  “No, I needed to be sure.”

  “Good man. Give me your cell number. I might need to call you outside work for more information.”

  Jason gave Will his number. Will entered it into his phone and then told Jason he could go. He was surprised when the younger man stayed in the same position.

  “Problem?” he asked.

  “No, not exactly. Just something I need to say.”

  “Well, then, spit it out.”

  “Don’t hurt my sister.”

  The words sounded simple enough, but there was sufficient fire in Jason’s eyes for Will to know without a shadow of a doubt that Margaret’s brother meant every syllable.

  “I won’t,” he answered.

  After Jason left, Will sat for several hours at his desk, his fingers flying over the keys of his laptop or alternately tracing rows of figures. By the time he was finished, he knew the truth. A truth that should have made him rejoice, yet only served to underline what a complete and utter bastard he’d been. He’d seen only what he’d wanted to see. Seen what he could use to his own advantage. But now his blinders had been ripped off. The information he had now gathered was irrefutable.

  Jason Cole was innocent.

  Twelve

  Things had been hectic in the office since their return from New York. Margaret had begun to sense a distance in Will that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. In the office he was still the same focused and detail-oriented boss she’d come to expect. Even if they hadn’t become lovers she would have enjoyed working with him. He challenged her on many levels, lifting her own abilities so that she could now approach several different tasks with a confidence she’d never known before.

  And yet when it came to their personal time together, things were different. They didn’t go out as much in the evenings as they had in the beginning. Will seemed content to cook for her in the compact kitchen of his beachfront suite or to order in from one of the Tennis Club’s restaurants. In many ways she felt as if he was just marking time, and it bothered her.

  She forced the niggling thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on the incoming courier package that had arrived from Will’s New York office a few minutes ago. As she logged and prioritized each missive, her attention was drawn to a bound report. The date on the cover coincided with the weekend she and Will had spent in New York. Was this related to the hours he’d left her alone at the hotel? Curious, she thumbed through the pages.

  Her curiosity didn’t last long. Instead, she became filled with a deep sense of dread. The report was a clinical account of a facility in New Jersey, which in itself wasn’t so unusual. What was unusual though, was the comparative statement on productivity and costings—comparative with the Vista del Mar branch of Cameron Enterprises. Margaret’s eyes scanned the figures, every line making her stomach twist with fear, but the written testimony from Will was what horrified her the most.

  For all intents and purposes, the report read like a recommendation to close down the Vista del Mar facility and to relocate the factory work to New Jersey. Margaret closed the report with shaking hands. No wonder Will hadn’t wanted her to come along for the trip to New Jersey. He’d had another agenda all along.

  Without a second thought, Margaret got up from her chair and took the report into Will’s office, entering without even knocking on the door.

  “Could you explain this to me?” she asked as she slammed his office door behind her.

  The beginnings of a fury like nothing she’d ever known permeated every cell in her body.

  “Ah, it’s arrived,” Will commented.

  “Yes, it’s arrived. How could you do this?”

  “Margaret, it’s just a report. Calm down.”

  “Calm down? No, I won’t calm down. Do you have any idea of what this will do to the people here when you recommend to Mr. Cameron that he shut the factory down? This won’t just destroy the lives of everyone who works here, it will destroy Vista del Mar altogether.”

  Will got up from his desk and walked over to Margaret, taking the report from her and throwing it on the desk behind him before taking her hands in his.

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “No, I’m not. I thought you were better than this, Will. I thought you had begun to really have an interest in protecting the people who’ve worked here—some of them for generations! If you do this you will not only break the hearts of hundreds of people, you’ll destroy any sense of hope for the young people who live here. Cameron Enterprises is the major employer for miles around here. If we close down, communities will be ripped apart when everyone has to leave the area to find work.”

  “People move away from home all the time,” Will said, his voice unnaturally calm given her temper.

  “Not here. Not in Vista del Mar. We’re old-fashioned. We look after our own. We believe in the core of family and giving kids grandparents and extended family to grow up with. Not everyone and everything is about the mighty dollar.”

  “Worth Industries has been bleeding money for years. Why else would Cameron Enterprises have even bought them out—have you asked yourself that?”

  “Then there must be another way. A better way. You’re the brainiac in these matters. Find a solution,” she implored.

  “This is the simplest solution to offer. The simplest and the most cost effective. It’s there in black and white.”

  Margaret shook her head. “I know what’s in the report, Will. I’ve read it and, more importantly, I understand it. But there has to be another way.”

  When he didn’t respond, she yanked her hands from his.

  “I can’t believe I misjudged you so badly,” she said bitterly. “You’re not the man I thought you were. I thought you prized loyalty.”

  “I do.”

  “Then why this?”

  “Emotions are not a part of the equation.”

  “Emotions are everything in the equation. Emotions equate to people. Real people, not numbers. If you go ahead with this recommendation you’re nothing better than a cold-blooded, heartless corporate raider like Rafe Cameron. You came here, you saw nothing about the heart of Vista del Mar, and now you’ll just head on back to your structured world in New York. Where’s your compassion? Did you ever have any
?”

  Margaret stared at the man she loved and realized she didn’t know him at all. He stood there in front of her. Every inch of him familiar to her yet she still had no idea who William Tanner, the man, was.

  She watched as he pushed a hand through his hair and sighed.

  “Look, I know you’re upset about this, but you have to understand that I was brought here to do an in-depth analysis of Worth Industries’ financial position and make recommendations based on those findings. To do anything less would mean I’m not doing my job to the best of my ability.”

  “Damn your ability,” she said softly, tears now burning in the backs of her eyes.

  Will was shocked by how much it hurt to know he’d angered and upset Margaret so profoundly. Even worse was knowing how much he’d dropped in her estimation. He hadn’t understood just how much her opinion of him mattered, or how important it was to him deep down.

  He knew the results of the report wouldn’t be met with any level of joy from the Board of Directors. No one liked the prospect of making so many workers jobless, no matter the economic climate, but the bottom line was as clear as the distress on Margaret’s face.

  “It’s a preliminary report, Margaret. There’s no guarantee that Rafe will go ahead with it.”

  “But it’s more than likely, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. He couldn’t lie to her. Not about this. Not when it affected her so completely. She was shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe it. Will reached out to touch her again but she stepped just out of his reach.

  “Don’t, please,” she said, her voice trembling.

  “Don’t? I’m simply doing my job.”

  “I just don’t think I can be around you right now.”

  “Right now, or ever?”

  Her eyes flew up to meet his, surprise on her face. “I…I don’t know. I need to think about it. I need to go.”

  He watched in silence as she turned and left his office. For the balance of the day she remained aloof. Answering his questions when he posed them, yet not offering anything but the bare minimum in response.

  By the end of their working day he knew what he needed to do. It was something he’d known needed to be done since New York, yet he’d been unable to bring himself to do it—to break that link between them and give her back her life. Now, with Margaret’s opinion of him shattered, it would be so much easier to follow through. To do what was best for her. Granted, if the decision to close down the Vista del Mar location became a reality, then she’d be out of a job along with all the rest of them, including her brother. But they were both bright and intelligent individuals. He’d see to it that they were offered work elsewhere through his contacts. It was the least he could do for them both, long-term.

  Short-term, however, it was time to release Margaret from their agreement, but first he needed to make a very important call. To his dad.

  Margaret had left the office for the day by the time Will finished his call to his father. He felt completely hollow inside. While his dad had been angry with him for his deliberate deception, he’d appeared to be even more disappointed about the fact that his relationship with Margaret had not been real. Will grabbed an antacid from his top drawer and chewed it down to try and relieve the burning in his gut. He’d damaged and hurt so many people—and for what? A piece of land he personally had no intention of living on or farming? His father was probably already giving the green light to list the property to the realtor he’d kept hanging for the past year. The very idea made him feel as if his heart were being cut out. But he couldn’t have continued with the lie.

  All those generations of Tanners he’d wanted to revere and remember—the hard-working men and women whose ethics had been as strong as their dream for their land—he’d disrespected them all with his single-minded behavior.

  It would be a while before he could mend the fences with his family. Already his cell was buzzing with messages from his brothers, demanding to know if it was true. He’d sunk to his lowest ebb. There was one more thing to do and the sooner he faced it, the better.

  The drive to the quaint home where Margaret and Jason lived was short and when he pulled up outside, he waited inside his car for a few minutes. Even though he knew he had to do this, every part of him railed at having to go through with it. He couldn’t understand it. They’d had an agreement. Margaret had honored every letter of it. He was the one who had been in the wrong. Letting her go should be easy.

  With renewed resolve, Will got out of the car and crossed the pavement to the narrow path leading to her front door. He knocked firmly and waited. Inside, he heard footsteps approaching and his heart rate increased incrementally. Margaret couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes when she opened the door and saw him standing there.

  “Will? What are you doing here?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Do you want to come inside?”

  Even though she’d made the invitation, her voice lacked the warmth he’d come to associate with her.

  “No, it’s all right. I can say what I have to say here as well as anywhere.”

  She waited patiently, one hand still holding the door, the other wrapped across her stomach as if bracing for something bad. Will took a deep breath.

  “In light of your reaction this afternoon, I’m releasing you from our agreement. You no longer have to pretend to be my fiancée. I don’t think it fair or reasonable for you to have to continue with something, or someone, that you obviously find so abhorrent.”

  She paled, but remained silent. He could see the steady throb of her pulse in the smooth pale column of her throat and had to push down the urge to lean forward and kiss her right there. That was no longer his right. Finally she spoke.

  “I see. But what about the farm?”

  “I’ve spoken to my father and told him the truth. He’s not happy, but we’ll work through it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Her voice was stilted, unsure. She took a deep breath. “So, us, everything. It was all a complete waste of time. You’ve just given it all away.”

  It wasn’t like that, he wanted to tell her, but he simply nodded. “For the duration of my work here at Vista del Mar I’d like you to stay on as my assistant, if you’re okay with that.”

  Hell, why had he said that? Back in the office he’d already decided that continuing to work with her, seeing her up close every single day would be torture. He’d already written a letter of recommendation that she take on an EA role elsewhere in the firm. For as long as there remained a firm, that is. But, he faced the daunting truth, he couldn’t let her go—not entirely—no matter how good his intentions.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Margaret responded coolly. “And Jason, is his job still safe, too?”

  Of course she’d think of her brother before anything else.

  “For now. By the way, I’ve reopened the investigation into Jason’s case at work.”

  Margaret’s lips parted on a gasp and her hand fisted at her chest. “Really?”

  “He presented a very convincing argument to me and I’ve done a little more work on it. It looks as though your brother was telling the truth,” Will admitted.

  “So he’s innocent?”

  “It’s not proven yet, but it’s looking that way.”

  “That’s fantastic. How long have you known?”

  “A few days. We’ll have the true culprit identified soon, I hope.”

  “A few days? And neither of you thought to tell me?”

  “What difference would it have made?”

  Will looked at her, watching the emotions that flew across her beautiful face, clouding her dark brown eyes. Would she have been the one to renege on their agreement first, if she’d known?

  “Difference? All the difference in the world. I don’t know how you could even ask me that. You have no idea the toll this has taken on me, thinking my brother was a thief.”

  And the toll sleeping with him ha
d taken on her? What about that? Had every moment been purely for her brother’s sake? He’d never know now. Feeling unaccountably empty inside, Will took a step away from the front door. “Well, I’ll head off.”

  “Wait.”

  Will felt a small kernel of something bloom ever so briefly in his chest until he saw her working the engagement ring he’d given her off her finger.

  “Here.” She handed it to him. “I won’t need this anymore.”

  He looked at the ring in the palm of his hand and felt a cold lump expand and solidify somewhere in the region of his chest.

  “You can keep it if you like.”

  “No, I don’t want it. Really.”

  Her voice was so detached. Where was the warm and deeply affectionate woman he’d come to know? Had she lost all respect for him over that stupid report?

  He shoved the ring into his pocket, not wanting to look at it for another second and certainly not wanting to examine why he felt so suddenly bereft over her returning it. It wasn’t as if they had truly been engaged or as if his emotions had been involved.

  “I’ll see you in the office on Monday, then,” he said before turning to walk back to his car.

  Behind him the front door slammed closed, the echo of it resounding in his ears—the finality of the sound altogether too real.

  The second she shut the door behind him Margaret sank to her knees—her entire body shaking, wretched sobs ripping free from her chest. How she’d held it together while they’d talked she’d never know. It was only once the cold tile floor began to make her knees ache that she struggled upright again.

  Thank goodness Jason hadn’t been home to witness her breakdown, she thought as she headed to her bathroom to repair the damage to her makeup before he arrived in from the overtime he was so involved with.

  She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Outwardly, she looked no different, yet inside she hurt so very much.

  Margaret closed her eyes. She’d hoped against hope that Will could have really heard what she’d said to him this afternoon. That he’d have been able to look into his heart and really think about how he presented that report. But it looked as if her heartfelt plea had been in vain. As had been her ridiculous love for him.