The Rancher's Temporary Engagement. Stacy Henrie

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      “If you didn’t meet in England, then where—”

      “Oh, we have a shared acquaintance,” Maggy said with a nonchalant wave of her hand and a tinkling laugh as she led McCall into the hallway. “Our friend introduced us, and after that Edward and I struck up a lively correspondence.”

      Edward nearly forgot his fury as he watched her win over McCall. The poor man looked a bit in awe of Maggy. Edward had to admit himself that she’d accomplished much in the last hour and with great aplomb. She acted quickly on her feet and had successfully discovered two possible suspects.

      If only she hadn’t gone and ruined everything with this harebrained scheme of them pretending to be engaged.

      “We’ll be just a few minutes, Mr. McCall.”

      Her back was to Edward, but he could tell from her tone that Maggy had graced the foreman with another smile before she shut the parlor door. An outlandish, irrational thought had him wondering what it would be like to have the full power of that charming smile directed at him.

      It certainly wasn’t her smile that she aimed at him when she whirled around. “You are going to ruin this investigation,” she hissed. “Could you have looked any more appalled at playing the role of my fiancé?”

      “Are you mad?” Edward countered, keeping his voice equally low. “Of course I’m going to be shocked and downright annoyed when you announce such a ridiculous fiction.”

      Maggy crossed her arms and glared at him. Her eyes had turned a dark cobalt. “There wasn’t time to ask how you felt about it. Besides I told you that I was coming up with a role.”

      “Yes. But I didn’t think that would be pretending to be my fiancée. Who will believe it?”

      Her eyebrows rose in a haughty look as she motioned to the closed door. “I have no doubt that your foreman believes it.”

      “This is madness.” He threw his hands in the air, then spun to face the fireplace. “There is surely some other role for you to play.”

      He sensed her stepping toward him. “This is the best way for me to ingratiate myself into that club for the ranchers’ sweethearts and wives. If I can get them to trust me, they’ll share their secrets, which will likely include hints or knowledge of their husbands’ nefarious activities.”

      “What about playing a servant at the inn? Or my...my visiting relation?” Edward jammed his hands into his pockets, his chin dipping low. He didn’t need to hear Maggy’s rejection of those ideas—in his heart, he knew they wouldn’t work in the way they needed.

      Her voice came out surprisingly kind and placating. “It’s not enough to overhear their conversations, the way a servant would—I need to be someone they can confide in. You said it yourself, Edward. The only way I can gain access into that club is to pretend to be your wife or fiancée.”

      He had only a moment to realize he liked hearing her say his name before she went on. “Believe me, I wouldn’t choose this role if I didn’t think it absolutely necessary to this mission.”

      Edward wasn’t sure whether to be offended by that remark or not. Turning to face her, he glimpsed a touch of vulnerability on her face, as he had earlier, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Had she also been hurt in the past?

      “Care to elaborate?” he inquired.

      It was the wrong thing to ask. Maggy jutted out her chin and peered down her nose at him. “I have my reasons, which I do not need to discuss.”

      “And if I refuse to go along with this charade?” He felt compelled to ask the question, though he could feel himself relenting—against his better judgment. Maggy had effectively bested his challenge, and if he let her go, he wasn’t sure where he’d look for another detective.

      “Then I suppose I’ll drive myself back to the station. There’s nothing more I can do to help you.”

      The words themselves were spoken with clipped finality, but the flicker of desperation that entered her blue eyes belied their strength. Did she stand to gain or lose something from this case? Something beyond a paycheck for her time and efforts?

      Edward pushed out a frustrated breath as he eyed the ceiling. The intricate plasterwork was a unique fixture of his home, a nod to his English heritage. He’d been hard-pressed to find someone who could do the work and had been relieved and proud when the old chap he’d hired had finished. This place represented Edward’s hard work and ambition, not to mention his confidence in himself and his place in the world. He couldn’t imagine watching everything he’d accomplished be picked off and destroyed bit by bit.

      And that meant making a rather large concession now.

      “If I go along with this...” He emphasized the word if, though Maggy still lit up with interest. “I don’t want it to be an outright lie.”

      Her brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

      How to explain? He didn’t know if she was religious or not, but even if she wasn’t, he hoped she would honor his desire to be scrupulous. It was a way of life he’d attempted to live fully, in light of his sister’s example—a determination reinforced by Beatrice’s dishonest behavior.

      “What will we do to end this charade?” he asked, trying a different approach.

      Maggy shook her head and shrugged. “Decide we don’t suit and I go back to Colorado.”

      “Then I would like to make the engagement official.”

      Her eyes widened as a look of near panic and suspicion crossed her face. “Official how?”

      “Will you...” Edward cleared his throat—he could well relate to the alarm she felt. It was as if he stood at the top of some great mountain peak and had been commanded to jump. “Will you agree to be my fiancée, for the duration of your time here? I only ask it that way,” he hastened to add, “so that we won’t be living or telling a lie when we tell people I asked for your hand.”

      She took his measure, making him wonder what she saw. “All right then. I’ll agree to be your fiancée for as long as I’m needed here.”

      Then her lips curved upward in a dazzling smile, similar to the one she’d bestowed on McCall, leaving Edward as charmed as his foreman and thinking this temporary engagement might prove to be a decent idea after all.

      * * *

      Maggy resisted the urge to shout with triumph. Things were going splendidly and she’d only been at the Running W less than two hours. “Since we’ve already established our plan, I’d like to change.” She motioned to the tea splotches on her dress. “And then I’d like to see the rest of the ranch.”

      “One moment,” Edward said, scrutinizing her with those gray eyes. “Have you played the role of someone’s fiancée before?”

      “Well, no, but—”

      “Have you ever been engaged before?”

      The question pushed memories best forgotten into her mind and she frowned. She and Jeb СКАЧАТЬ