The Rancher's Hired Fiancée

She placed the key into the pocket on the inside of her purse, then fingered the card with his contact information at both the Broken M Ranch and City Hall.

“After you go shopping at The Boutique,” he added, “you can hang out and wait for me at my place. I should be home by five or five-thirty.”

“All right. I’ll be dressed and ready to go by the time you get there.”

“Good. I’ve got some snacks in the pantry and drinks in the fridge. But if there’s anything else you need, give me a call and I’ll pick it up for you.”

Anything she needed?

For the hospital benefit? Or was he talking about the duration of her acting gig?

She recalled the day Erik Carmichael had given her the key to his place, pretty much telling her the same thing, so she wasn’t sure.

“Did you bring an overnight bag?” he asked.

No, only her makeup pouch. He hadn’t said anything about spending the night.

Where are you staying? Margie had asked Ray just moments ago. And without batting an eye, he’d said, With me.

Was he expecting Catherine to actually move into his apartment while they pretended to be lovers? He hadn’t mentioned anything about that when they’d discussed the job and his expectations last night.

“We’ll probably be out late this evening,” he added, then he bent forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’ll be easier that way.”

She supposed it would be. And if they wanted everyone in town to assume they were lovers, staying together would make the whole idea a lot more believable.

They could, she supposed, talk about the sleeping arrangements later, but she assumed that she’d be using the sofa.

Of course, she wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but she’d have to deal with that when the time came. Right now, she had a job to do.

She had to convince everyone in town that she was Ray Mendez’s fiancée.

After Ray had paid the bill and left Margie a generous tip, he opened the door for Catherine and waited for her to exit. Once he’d followed her outside, they would be the talk of the diner, and that was just what he’d wanted.

Catherine had done all he’d asked of her. She’d looked at him a little starry-eyed, and she’d also used her hands when she’d talked, which had shown off the diamond his grandfather had placed upon his grandmother’s finger more than seventy-five years ago.

She’d seemed to be genuinely impressed by the ring, although he supposed that could have been part of the act. But something told him that wasn’t the case, which was more than a little surprising.

Before offering the ring to Heather, he’d had it cleaned and polished. But she’d turned up her nose at wearing something that wasn’t brand-new and expensive. So, like a fool, he’d gone into Houston and purchased her a two-carat diamond, which she’d taken with her when she’d told him she wanted a divorce and moved out of the ranch house.

He supposed he’d have to be thankful for Heather’s greed in that respect. Otherwise, he would have lost his grandmother’s ring completely—or paid through the nose to get it back, since Heather had known how much it had meant to him. And if she’d had one more thing to hold over him, they might still be in the midst of divorce negotiations.

On the other hand, Catherine seemed to have a lot more respect for the family heirloom. When she’d studied the diamond in the sunlight, she’d even asked his grandmother’s name, although Ray had been so caught up in the memory of Heather scrunching up her face at the ring that Catherine’s question had completely sideswiped him.

Now, as they stood outside the diner, in the mottled shade of one of the many elm trees that lined Main Street, Ray pointed to his right. “The Boutique is located right next to the ice cream shop. And several doors down, you’ll see the drugstore. There’s a little red door to the left of it, which is the stairway that leads to my apartment.”

“Thanks. After I buy the dress, I’ll probably do some window shopping while I’m here. If anyone asks me who I am, I’ll tell them I’m your fiancée. And that I’m staying with you.”

“That’s a good idea.” He probably ought to start the walk back to City Hall, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite tear himself away.

Outside, even in the dappled sunlight, the platinum strands of her hair glistened like white gold. And when she looked at him like that, smiling as though they were both involved in some kind of romantic secret, he noticed the green flecks in her irises that made her eyes appear to be a turquoise shade. It was an amazing color.

And she was an amazing… actress.

In fact, she was so good at what she did that he’d have to be careful not to confuse what was real and what wasn’t.

“Thanks for helping me out,” he said.

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t budge either, which meant she was waiting for him to make the first move. But there were people seated near the windows of Caroline’s Diner, people who were watching the two phony lovers through the glass.

“Well, I’d better go,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to City Hall before it gets much later. Do you have enough money to cover the dress and any incidentals you might need?”

She patted the side of her purse. “I sure do. And it’s plenty. I’ll probably have change to give you this evening when you get home.”

Change? Now, that was a surprise. Even when they’d only been dating, Heather would have spent the entire wad and then some. And once he’d slipped a ring on her finger… well, things had just gone from bad to worse.

He was just about to say goodbye and send Catherine on her way when she eased forward, rose on tiptoe and lifted her lips to kiss him goodbye.

Of course.

Great idea.

There was an audience present, and they were two people in love. A goodbye kiss was definitely in order.

Ray stepped in and lowered his mouth to hers, but as their lips met, he found himself wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, savoring the feel of her in his arms, the scent of her shampoo, the taste of her….

Oh, wow.

As he slipped into fiancé mode, the kiss seemed to take on a life of its own, deepening—although not in a sexual or inappropriate public display. In fact, to anyone who might be peering at them from inside the diner, their parting kiss would appear to be sweet and affectionate.

Yet on the inside of Ray, where no one else was privy, it caused his gut to clench and his blood to stir.

She placed her hand—the one that bore his grandmother’s ring—on his face and smiled adoringly. As she slowly dropped her left hand, her fingers trailed down his cheek, sending ripples of heat radiating to his jaw and taunting him with sexual awareness.

Damn she was good. She even had him thinking there was something going on between them. No wonder Hollywood actors and actresses were constantly switching partners.

He’d best keep that fact in mind. The last thing in the world he needed to do was to get caught up in the act and to confuse fantasy with reality.

Chapter Three

When Ray entered his apartment at a quarter to five, he found Catherine seated on the sofa, watching television.

“You’re home early,” she said, reaching for the remote. After turning off the power, she stood to greet him.

But just the sight of the tall, shapely blonde wearing a classic black dress and heels made him freeze in his tracks.

“What do you think?” She turned around, showing him the new outfit she’d chosen.

“It’s amazing,” he said. And he wasn’t just talking about the dress. Her transformation from actress to cover model had nearly thrown him for a loop.