“That is a question about my personal life,” I muttered as I shifted in my seat. It irked me to know that he was right. “And it brings me to my final rule. There will be no more intimate moments between us.”
“Intimate moments,” he mused, those blue eyes almost piercing right through me. “You may have to elaborate on that. We will have to play a couple, Jillian. In front of people, I expect you to act like I’m the man who makes all your dreams come true at night. That shouldn’t be too hard, should it? Based on your reaction yesterday, I’d say that you still enjoy my touch.” He leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. “Did you spend the night with that purple toy I bought you?”
I squeezed the paper cup so hard that the hot liquid spilled over the top and burned my hand. With a hiss, I jerked away.
“Easy.” He grabbed my hands and dabbed some napkins in his water glass. Pressing the cold compress against my skin, he locked eyes on me. “I can see that you plan on treating me like a stranger, but we’re not strangers, Jillian. You have a role to play, and it won’t work if you’re so cold to me. Feel better?”
His touch soothed me. Nodding, I pulled away. “Last rule. Don’t bring it up, okay. Please. I won’t be able to handle it.”
Inhaling sharply, he immediately looked away. I thought I was going to cry right there at the table, but he finally nodded. “That’s one rule I definitely won’t be breaking. I assume that you need to give your boss notice. Let me know when you can get away. I’ll give you directions to the ranch. I’ll be expecting you.”
He could barely even look at me as he got up and walked out. For all his teasing and charms, he still hadn’t forgiven me.
The next few months were going to be hell.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Brendan
The early morning birds sang their hearts out as I hauled the bale of hay off the tractor. It was the last load, and my manager cut the engine. Leaping out of the seat, Ben stretched and rubbed his eyes. I’d known Ben most of my life. He’d been a ranch hand as a teenager when I was a kid. He lived for the horses here, and I’d never known the man to show up to work tired.
“Late night?” I teased as I plunged the pitchfork into the ground and hopped up to the bed of the trailer. Off in the distance, a few mares were already heading our way.
“Not exactly,” Ben grumbled. “I went out for a drink last night, and Debra was already there. She was getting into trouble again, as usual.”
It was all I could do not to laugh. Debra was a new hire. She’d been working for us for six months, and she was the most talented horse trainer I’d ever seen. She spoke their language, and they listened to her. She could read their strengths to make sure that we worked with the horse’s natural talents.
She was also a knockout beauty. In her late twenties, she knew how to fill out a pair of jeans and made flannel look sexy. Every man on my payroll lusted after her, and it made Ben’s job that much harder, but for all of his bluster, I could read the man. He wanted her just as badly as everyone else, and she wanted him too.
It’d make my life easier if they’d both just admit it, but Ben was in his forties, and he just couldn’t get over the fifteen-year age difference.
“So, her getting into trouble explains why you’re yawning so much?” Lana, one of my favorite retired American Quarter broodmares, nosed at my pockets for treats before snorting in disappointment and meandering over to inspect the bale of hay. She was the leader of my girls, and I’d forced my father to retire her two years ago. He wasn’t happy about it. She’d produced some great foals, but she deserved to relax.
“Someone had to bale her out of trouble. You’d be pissed if she couldn’t come in today, especially with your secretive meeting. Want to tell me what it’s about?”
“I will.” Glancing at my watch, I grimaced. “But it’ll have to be with everyone else because we’re going to be late. Take the tractor back to the barn. I’ll make sure that the contractors have started on the new stables, and I’ll meet you back at the house.”
With another yawn, Ben nodded and hopped back on the tractor. Yesterday, the contractors were almost two hours late, and I’d been furious. Jillian was supposed to be arriving today, and I wanted all major work to be well underhand when she got here so I could focus on her.
Getting her to agree to come here after her finals were complete had been the first hurdle, but I had no idea if she was going to play well with others.
Thankfully, the construction workers were already at the stable when I arrived, although they were slow to get moving. My presence lit a fire under them, and I studied how far they’d come. With any luck, they’d be finished in a week, which was good because I had a major auction I wanted to attend at the end of the month, and I wanted this stable ready.
Kim, Ben, Gordon, and Debra were already at the kitchen table as well as Mickie, my horse groom. As usual, Mickie was flirting with Debra, and she wasn’t doing anything to deflect him. I could see the anger welling up inside Ben, and I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry to ask you guys up to the house this early, but there is a full pot of coffee ready for you if you need it. There’s a conversation that we need to have, and we need to have it today.”
I avoided my sister’s sleepy look of curiosity. She was especially not going to like this and would be furious that I’d waited over a week before sharing my news.
“You all know that I’ve been trying to buy Harry Blackwell’s estate. Things aren’t going as well as I’d hoped. It turns out that in Harry’s advanced years, he has regrets about his personal choices. In short, he’s reluctant to sell to me because he’s concerned that I can’t handle his ranch and still balance a personal life.”
Gordon snorted. “Obviously, he isn’t all that aware of your personal life. You always make plenty of time for—”
I raised my hand. “Okay. That’s not the point. He’s got another buyer in mind, presumably someone who is happily married with a loving family, but if he doesn’t sell to them, then we risk the land falling into Dennis’s hands, and we all know what will happen then.”
“So, what? You want to get married?” Ben asked curiously.
“Oh no,” Gordon murmured.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Not exactly. I actually am already married. To make a long story short, I have an estranged wife, and I’ve enlisted her help.”
Kim choked on her coffee. “I’m sorry. Estranged? What do you mean by estranged?”
Reluctantly, I met her gaze. “It means the divorce wasn’t legal.”
She gaped at me. “So, you’re still married to that psycho bitch?”
“Kim, now is not the time. Her name is Jillian, and she’s arriving today. She has agreed to play the role of the doting wife for a few months until I can convince Harry that I have a stable future. In return, I’ve promised her a quiet and clean divorce. What I want from you is to play along as well when Harry or Dennis or any of his employees come to visit. From what you know, Jillian and I have been estranged, but we’re recommitting ourselves to our marriage and things are going well.”
“She’s what?!” Kim hissed. “You have got to be kidding me! How long have you known about this?”
“Not long,” I tried to reassure her. Kim and I might have our issues, but she’s always the first to defend me. I knew that she wasn’t going to like my plan. “Kim, I need you on board with this.”
“On board? That woman destroyed your life, and now you’re just going to let her back in? To live with us? Are you out of your mind? How do you know that she’s not playing you? You’ve put her in the perfect position to destroy us, Brendan. One word from her to Harry, and he’ll never sell to you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, already tired of the argument. “She’s not out to destroy us. It’s not like that.”
Crossing her arms, she glared at me. “Then what is it like, Brendan?”
“Look, she’s no happier about this than I am, but she wants her divorce, s
o she won’t cause any problems. This is for our ranch, Kim. Do you really want the land to go to Dennis?”
Kim glared at me. “No, but there has to be another answer than her. She’s… Satan!”
Clearing her throat, Debra stood. “I’m not really sure what’s going on here, but I’ve got a full day. I’ll be sure to say nothing but great things about the happy couple if someone asks. Kim, I believe you told me you wanted to help with Starlight today?”
My sister was obviously torn. She’d been wanting to participate more in the horse training, but my father had always forbidden it. I hoped that with Debra, Kim would at least be distracted from Jillian.
Mickie and Ben also stood and gave hesitant nods, partly in confusion, and headed back out. Only Gordon remained with a smirk on his face. “So you actually went through with it. What happens when Jillian actually gets here? You two could barely be in the same room together during your sham of a divorce. Now you’re planning on having her live with you and pretend that you two are still so in love?”
Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I leaned against the counter and shrugged. “I’d like to say that we’re older and wiser. Things have changed. She has changed, and not necessarily in a good way. She’s colder.”
“What?” He made a sound that was half snort and half scoff. “She didn’t immediately melt into your arms like you hoped? Please tell me this isn’t about your pride.”
“This is about my land and nothing more,” I growled as I sipped the liquid. “You just make sure that if Harry or Dennis hires a private investigator, you leave enough evidence to show that we’ve been reconnecting for a while.”
“It’s already in the works. I’m scheduled to speak with her roommate tomorrow.”
“Great.” I shoved a hand through my hair. “Be sure to tell Danielle that I said hi. She just adores me. If you plan on sticking around today, I’ve got some work for you. You still remember how to muck out stalls, right?”
Gordon rolled his eyes as he adjusted the sleeves of his very expensive shirt. “As exciting as that sounds, you’re not my only client. I’ll be in my office most of the day if your plan blows up in your face before you can even get it off the ground.”
I was confident in my plan, but the reactions of my audience weren’t what I had hoped. I could only pray that Kim’s desire to see the ranch succeed overrode her hatred for Jillian.
Or not.
A little concerned that Kim might blow the whole thing, I chugged the rest of my coffee and hurried out after them.
Starlight was a beautiful male thoroughbred. He had a speckling of white on his chest, and he was bred from an excellent racehorse. My father had every intention of selling Starlight as a racehorse, but after Debra started working with him, she argued his use as a show horse instead. My father resisted, but I could see Debra’s point. He was quite the show-off and a little bit of a prancer.
Kim was seated atop the eighteen-month-old while Debra had his harness. Not wanting to interrupt the lesson, I watched as she hesitantly guided the pony through a series of commands, but the mischievous horse had other ideas. He tested his limits and played a little until Debra scolded him.
I studied Kim. She was rarely hesitant during anything, but I knew how much she wanted to train, and when she really wanted something, she had a tendency to overthink things.
“You need to relax,” Debra said as she gestured for Kim to dismount. Debra obviously knew Kim’s problems. “The horse can sense when you aren’t in charge, and they’ll take advantage. Always be firm. Gentle and calm, but firm.”
Kim sighed. “He wasn’t so anxious yesterday.”
“Yeah, I think it’s all the construction making him nervous. We can run him through the hurdles today since it’s a little farther away.” Debra looked over her shoulder at me. “Why don’t you meet me over there?”
Kim frowned. “All right. Thanks, Debra.”
As Debra led Starlight away, Kim slowly walked toward me with crossed arms and an annoyed look on her face. “Checking up on me?”
“No.”
“I’m just a little off today. You don’t have to keep me from training just because Starlight is a little stubborn,” she insisted.
“Kim, stop. I’m not Dad. I want you to be happy. I want you to learn from Debra and work with the horses if that’s what you want to do. I still need your help with the books and around the ranch, but I’m not your boss. I’m your brother. We’re in this together.”
She sighed. “I know. And I also know why you’re here, and it’s not about the horses. It’s about Ms. Evil Incarnate, right?”
I blinked. “Yes, and since she’s technically married to me, that would be Mrs. Evil Incarnate and make me Mr. Evil Incarnate.”
She looked down. “If the shoe fits…”
“Kim, there are things about my marriage that you don’t know about. I convinced her to marry me. It certainly wasn’t her idea, and when things ended—”
“She broke your heart,” Kim argued. “It scared me, Brendan. The way you were when you came home, I’d never seen you like that before, and I don’t want to see you like that again. She made you that way.”
It wasn’t just her, but I didn’t talk to Kim about the miscarriage. It wasn’t really something that I wanted spread around, and I didn’t think Kim was old enough to understand. Now I certainly didn’t want to reopen those wounds right before Jillian showed up. “A lot of things made me that way, Kim, not the least is the month I spent with Gordon before I came home.”
“Oh.” Kim wrinkled her nose. “A month with him would make anyone insane. But that’s beside the point.”
“It is beside the point. We’re talking about something that happened years ago, Kim. And this is for the ranch. Remember the ranch? The land that you love and adore to the point of insanity?”
“Yes,” she grumbled.
“I’m doing this for the ranch, and you can as well. Look, I’m not asking you to like her. I’m just asking you to try and endure her for the next few months. Don’t make her stay here any harder than it has to be, and if the Blackwells come around, then—”
“I know, I know.” She waved her hand. “You act like she’s going to hate being here. Who would hate being here?”
“She’s spent her whole life in the city, Kim. I don’t really think ranch life will agree with her,” I pointed out. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. I was definitely going to take some pleasure in seeing this new buttoned-up version of Jillian trying to navigate a ranch.
“Boss,” Mickie interrupted us. “A taxi just pulled up and a rather fetching blonde got out with lots and lots of luggage. She’s also wearing what appears to be stiletto heels. Would this be your wife? Because if not, I’d like a crack at seeing what she’s hiding under that pantsuit.”
Jealousy immediately reared its head. “Off-limits,” I snapped. Both Mickie and Kim gaped at me, and I quickly got my temper under control. “An estranged wife screwing my ranch hand won’t exactly look good. Kim, care to meet your sister-in-law before you head back to Starlight?”
“Would love to,” Kim snarled, bearing her teeth.
“And you’ll be nice,” I warned.
“For now.” She plastered a huge fake smile on her face, and when she turned around, that smile turned even bigger. It surprised me when she outright laughed.
Turning around, I saw what she found so hysterical.
My wife was standing in the middle of the field, frozen, and with a horrified look on her face.
She had stepped in a huge pile of horse manure.
“Welcome home, sweetheart.”
She closed her eyes. “Oh, god. What have I done?”
CHAPTER NINE
Jillian
Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.
I tried desperately to focus on anything other than the substance splattered on the top of my foot and ruining my favorite pair of shoes. Vomit rose in my throat, but I w
ould not make this situation worse. I would face this with as much dignity as possible.
“Are you referring to the horse shit on your feet or the fact that you have to live here?” the young woman asked with a crooked smile.
Damn it. I’d definitely said that out loud, and the smile on Brendan’s face was humiliating.
Identical smirks. Identical eyes. Even the shape of their lips were the same. “You must be Kim,” I said as I stepped out of the shit and held out my hand. “I’m Jillian.”
“With those legs and that ass? I’d assume so. Nothing short of perfection would lure this one down the aisle,” she said sharply. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“Kimberly Ward,” Brendan snapped. “Unless you want to be so buried in paperwork that you don’t see another horse for a fucking year, I suggest you try that greeting again.”
After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath and stretched out her hand. “Yes, I’m Kim, your loving sister-in-law. Welcome to our home. I hope you take a shower before dinner.”
Unable to help myself, I chuckled as I shook her hand. “It’s nice to know that I’ll have such a warm soul to chat with while I’m here.”
She immediately let go of my hand. “You can chat with my ass,” she muttered as she walked away.
“Oh good,” I said with fake cheerfulness. “I can already see that this is going to work out splendidly.”
I always told my groups that trying to face adverse situations with a positive outlook would go a long way, and it was time that I took my own advice.
“It’ll be fine,” Brendan said. “Just remember the end game.”
End game. Right. A nice, quiet divorce and financial freedom.
I cleared my throat. “My bags are in the middle of the driveway. If you’ll show me my room, I’ll get them put away.”
“Sure,” he drawled. “Please tell me that you at least brought some tennis shoes.”
“Of course I did. I just wanted to try and make a good impression,” I said as I struggled not to snap. It would be a long stay if I lost it in the first few minutes of being here.
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