The Rancher's Surprise Marriage

Maggie laid a hand on his, resting on the counter, and met his gaze. “I’ve already figured out you’re trustworthy. I need someone who can keep a secret, and I believe you’re that man. You didn’t boast about us sleeping together. A lot of men would’ve.”

“Okay,” he said.

She went still. “Really? You’re saying yes?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Like you, my answers wouldn’t be logical,” he said. “And so I’m keeping ’em to myself. Does it matter, anyway?”

“I told you my secrets.”

“You also flat-out told me you needed someone who can keep secrets.”

After a moment she laughed.

“I’m chivalrous,” he said. “That’s all you need to know.”

Her cell phone rang, and she jumped. She’d left the phone on the coffee table behind her. “That could be Scott,” she said haltingly. “I should answer it. We need to—”

“Get the details worked out,” Tony said, finishing her sentence as she took a step back. He picked up his glass and took a sip. “Go right ahead.”

She answered the phone then mouthed Scott’s name. Tony took his glass and wandered to the window again, listening to her talk to her ex-fiancé, figuring out a game plan, which involved agents, managers, publicists, trusted journalists and others, as if they were making a big business deal.

He heard her say, “The less you know about him, the better,” which made Tony make eye contact with her. “I’m marrying him. That’s all you need to know. Hey, you’re coming out the good guy here, so just drop it, okay?”

Tony lifted his glass to her then took a sip.

His gut reaction to her proposal had been to say no. He’d changed his mind because he never backed away from conflict or controversy. After turning forty last month, he’d come to realize how dissatisfied he was, had always been. As the youngest of four, he’d forever been playing catch-up to his brothers, always pushing to match or surpass their success, even back in his rodeo days. Expectations had been high for him, the pressure enormous.

Instead of falling in step, however, he’d bucked the system—and his family—and had become the black sheep, rebellious, even antisocial to a degree.

The second he’d graduated from high school, he’d hit the rodeo circuit, avoiding going home to visit or even calling. He’d gone into it angry, because his father hadn’t believed in him, so Tony had focused on winning and little else. It was no wonder his marriage had failed. He’d needed to create a new family for himself. He failed at it. Yeah, way to prove to his father he was a winner.

Not that women still hadn’t been drawn to him, but he never kept any of them around for long, sometimes their choice, most times his.

So he’d decided he needed to make a change in his life, even before Maggie McShane had come along. He wasn’t sure he could’ve asked for a bigger change than marrying her. And since it wasn’t going to be a real commitment, the plan was exactly suited to him, something to jump-start his new life. Maybe this famous, beautiful movie star wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind as a change, but she’d do.

“That’s done, then,” Maggie said, snapping her phone shut. “I need to talk with my publicist. She’ll take care of the details. Will you be available for a press conference tomorrow? I think we should do this in person and let people see us together making goo-goo eyes at each other, rather than issuing a statement for someone else to read.”

“Goo-goo eyes?”

She laughed. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m supposed to look like I’m sweet on you. Got it.” He paused. “I’ve got one condition to this whole business, Margaret.”

She lost her smile. Wariness dulled her eyes. “What’s that?”

“I’ll be the one to decide when to end the marriage, not you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re running this entire show, otherwise. Doesn’t sit well with me.”

“It’s a big condition.”

“Take it or leave it.” He needed control over something in this whole business, especially the right to end things if it all turned sour sooner than expected.

She stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

“And a prenup,” he added.

“Also a deal.”

He took her hand and pulled her close. He’d never really answered her question about them sharing a bed, only she had. He had no intention of having a sexless marriage to this sexy woman, but he knew he needed to woo her. She’d acted out of hurt last night. He didn’t want her again unless it was him she was wanting.