The Ryders: Jared, Royce and Stephanie: Seduction and the CEO. Barbara Dunlop

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СКАЧАТЬ on Sunday. He wondered if Melissa would be willing to go along with the charade. It would definitely distract Stephanie from missing their grandfather.

      “Do you need me?” Jared asked Hal. He hadn’t played cowboy in a few years, but he was ready and able if they needed an extra hand.

      Hal shook his graying head. “Should be done by dark.”

      Jared gave the man a nod of acknowledgment. Then he looked at Stephanie. “I’ll be right down.”

      She all but winked in return as she pulled the door shut.

      “What are you thinking? “ Melissa demanded as the footsteps receded down the hall.

      “That you cared about your reputation.” He stated the obvious.

      “This isn’t 1950.”

      “It’s also not Vegas. It’s Montana.”

      “People don’t kiss in Montana?”

      “They didn’t know we were just kissing.”

      “But …” Melissa took a step back.

      “Your lips,” he told her softly. “Your hair, your clothes. You look like you just tumbled out of a haystack.”

      “But we didn’t do anything.”

      “We thought about it,” he told her gruffly. “And it shows.”

      Her glance went down to her chest. “Oh.”

      “Yeah. Oh.”

      Melissa swiftly pulled her hair to the base of her neck and fastened it with the clip. “What about Stephanie? You know what she’s going to think.”

      Jared nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

      Melissa raised her brows.

      “Would you mind playing along for a few days? Have dinner with us, pretend you like me, just enough to make Stephanie think there’s a possibility we’ll fall for each other.”

      Melissa seemed genuinely astonished. “Why? Why would you do that to your own sister?”

      “You saw how excited she was,” Jared pointed out.

      “Yes. And I know how disappointed she’s going to be when she finds out the truth. Not to mention how ticked off she’s going to be at you.”

      “Who says she has to find out?”

      “I’m leaving in a few days.”

      “That’s perfect,” he said. “It’ll get us through Sunday. Then we’ll act like it didn’t work out. She’ll be disappointed, sure. But she’ll also be past the hard part of commemorating our parents’ deaths and remembering how much she misses her grandfather.”

      “I don’t think you can postpone grieving.”

      “Sure, you can.” You could postpone it. You could ignore it. And you could replace it. With, for example, anger.

      Melissa shook her head. “I’m not comfortable with this.”

      Then, he’d simply have to make her comfortable with it. “How much are we paying you?”

      “Minimum wage, why?”

      “I’ll double it.”

      “You want me to ignore my principles and fake being your girlfriend for two times minimum wage?”

      “Triple.”

      “Jared.”

      “Name your price.”

      “It’s not about money. It’s about integrity.” For some reason her voice trailed away on the final word. Her gaze focused on the window as she watched the rain streak down the pane of glass. “Do you really think it’s best for her?”

      “I do.” He moved up behind her. He couldn’t help but admire Melissa’s decision-making process. “Do you think you could pretend to like me?”

      He saw her smile in the blurry reflection of the window. “I’m a pretty good liar.”

      “Good to know.” He restrained himself from resting his hands on her shoulders, even though he longed to touch her again.

      She turned, and his desire ramped up. “What do you want me to do?”

      Jared bit his tongue over the loaded question, but his expression obviously gave him away.

      “You.” She poked him squarely in the chest. “Have to promise to behave yourself.”

      “I will. If you tell me what that means.”

      Her eyes narrowed. “It means …” She seemed to stumble. “It means not looking at me like you’re the big bad wolf and I’m carrying a basket of goodies.”

      “It’ll probably help the charade,” he reasoned.

      “It’ll make me jumpy.”

      “It should,” was his blunt answer.

      “Jared,” she warned.

      “I’ll behave myself,” he promised. “But it’ll help if you do a couple of things for me.”

      “What?”

      “Wear a gunnysack, and a veil, don’t talk in that sexy voice and, for the love of God, quit smelling so decadently delicious.”

      Back inside her cottage, Melissa was all but shaking with reaction to Jared’s words. And to his kisses. And to the overwhelming opportunity he’d unknowingly handed to her.

      She was having dinner with his family. Dinner with the Ryders—a private meal where she could ask as many questions as she liked, about growing up, their ranch, their charity trust, their businesses.

      She already knew the article would show them in a positive light. Both Jared and Stephanie were hardworking, successful people. The fact that they commemorated their parents’ deaths was admirable, and their grandfather’s recent death would add a poignancy that readers would lap up like kittens with fresh cream.

      She lowered herself into the armchair beside the cottage window, struggling to frame her thoughts. It was Friday today. She’d planned to give herself one more day, maybe two at the most, to gather facts at the ranch. Then she’d have to rush back to Chicago and write the article in time to have it sitting on Seth Strickland’s desk for Monday morning.

      But that timetable was out the window now. Her greatest interview opportunities would be in the next couple of days. Which meant there was no way to be ready Monday morning. Which meant she’d have to call Seth and confess.

      She drew a breath, squeezing the fabric-covered arms of the chair as she tried СКАЧАТЬ