Marriage At Any Price. Lauren Canan

to be a real marriage. One on paper for a few months. With the proper prenup, it shouldn’t be a problem. He had developed a knack for reading people, and Ally did not fit the particulars of a gold digger. She had given no sign of wanting to know him better. In fact, she seemed to hate him, as much as someone could hate a person they didn’t know. But she’d also impressed him as an honest person who only wanted what, in her mind, she was entitled to: her ranch.

      * * *

      When Ally got home the next day, Seth was waiting for her on the tiny front porch of her small cabin. It hadn’t been hard to find; in fact, Ben Rucker had told him where she lived and provided directions. Seth had also confirmed since yesterday that the ranch Kathy had shown him used to belong to Ally’s family. He’d been right about that.

      She looked exhausted, surprised and anything but happy to see him. Admittedly not a reaction he was accustomed to.

      She pulled up next to the convertible and hopped out of her old truck. “Did you get lost?” she asked as she approached where he sat. “’Cause I can tell you this isn’t where you want to be.”

      “It’s exactly where I want to be,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you.”

      “Talk? Talk about what?”

      “I think I found a place I want. I would like you to go with me tomorrow and look at it.” She sighed and resolutely shook her head, so he jumped in before she could say no. “Look, I know we got off to a bad start. But I really do need your expertise. I’ve ridden horses off and on most of my life. But I’ve never had a ranch. I don’t know the first thing about stocking a barn for the winter, so I can’t know if there is adequate space. I know nothing about the equipment required. You said you grew up in this environment. I’m asking you to help me decide if this is the place I want to invest in.”

      “Why don’t you ask your relatives?”

      “They’re out of town.”

      “What about Ben?”

      “Rucker? I have a feeling he knows about as much as I do with regards to ranching. No. I assure you, I need you. Frankly, you’re the only one who fits the bill.” An understatement.

      She was quiet a long time. Then, “Where is this place?”

      “West of town. I can’t remember the road names, but I’m sure I can take us there.”

      In the dim glow from the lamppost next to the driveway, he saw her lower her head. Was she thinking about her former home? Should he have just told her his plan here and now? He’d given it serious thought last night and decided that she might be more tempted to say yes if she were at her home when he hit her up with the idea. He could now see that might be taking unfair advantage. He drew in a breath, intending to explain, when she raised her head and looked at him.

      “I guess I can do it. I have to work three horses in the morning, but I can skip the ones scheduled in the afternoon. How about one o’clock?”

      “One o’clock is perfect. I’ll pick you up here tomorrow?”

      “In that?” She nodded toward the pricey sports car. “I wish you had a truck.”

      “Maybe I’ll get one after I find a ranch.”

      “You’d better hurry. That’s a rental unless I miss my guess. You’ll tear out the undercarriage driving these rocky roads, not to mention the damage they will cause to the body and the paint job. You’ll end up buying a trashed car.” She stepped up onto the porch. “It’s a shame. Nice car.” She shook her head. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

      “I’ll be here. Thanks for doing this, Ally.”

      “No problem,” she said as she walked to the front door.

      “Good night.”

      She turned and looked at him as she opened the front door but didn’t answer. Instead she disappeared inside the small house.

      Seth followed the winding road from the Triple Bar Ranch with his spirits high, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Part of it was hope that this crazy idea would somehow come to pass. But another big factor was that he would get to spend some time with Ally Kincaid. He liked everything about her: the way she moved, the silky shoulder-length hair that swirled about the fine features of her face. He could get lost in the brilliance of her sparkling green eyes, the sensuous full mouth.

      Best of all was her personality, even if she had given him a lot of grief. She knew who she was. She wasn’t coy. She didn’t try to cover her true nature with any kind of facade. Whether she liked him or not, that persnickety nature made him want to see more.

      He caught the direction of where his mind was going and brought it to a stop. Even if she agreed to this crazy plan, it would be a marriage in name only. There would be no getting close to her, no hope of becoming more to her than a man who shared the same house. Unless...

      He arrived at the hotel and fell onto the bed. There were some things he needed to do the next morning before he picked her up. Get a key to the house from Kathy, for one. Look at trucks, for another. Ally was right about the car and the gravel roads.

      He stood up and pulled off his shirt and pants before heading for the shower. Tomorrow would be a turning point for the research center. His mother had died of leukemia, and he was as determined as he’d ever been about anything to help fund the center. He would still get it built—no doubts there—but the inheritance would speed up the process tenfold. He hoped a miracle happened and Ally said yes.

      He knew he was putting a lot of trust in his gut reaction to her, but his gut had never let him down yet. He’d met more than a few self-serving society types who were willing to go so far as fake a pregnancy in order to marry a multimillionaire. He’d been played by the best and so far had kept his bachelor standing intact.

      But it was hard to regard Ally as a money-grubber when she’d made it clear she didn’t like him at all. Or any of his family. Ironically, that thought was comforting.

       Three

      Ally was sitting on the small front porch of her cabin when Seth Masters drove up the next afternoon. It was another beautiful day, and he had the top down on the car. She climbed in, fastened her seat belt and they were off.

      She leaned back and looked at the sky, eventually putting her hands above her head, feeling the wind whip through her fingers like a child on her first outing on a merry-go-round. Even though she still didn’t trust this man, riding in a car like this on such a perfect day made her feel free.

      But as they traveled farther west of Calico Springs, she grew tense. He couldn’t possibly be taking her where she thought he was taking her. Could he?

      When he turned the car into the long drive between the rows of white fences, she had her answer.

      He stopped the car in front of the house and killed the motor. Ally felt his eyes on her, but she sat frozen, staring at her childhood home. Seth exited the car and walked around and opened her door. She accepted his hand as she got out.

      “You knew, didn’t you?” she said after a long silence.

      “I guessed. I saw three ranches yesterday. This was the last one. I liked it a lot and ask who the sellers were. That pretty much gave me the answer.” He held up the key. “I thought you might like to see it again.”

      Ally turned to the house. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and elation battled overwhelming grief in her stomach. She came to a stop at the front steps, not sure if she should go any farther. As though sensing what she was feeling, Seth walked past her and unlocked the door then pushed it open. Stepping inside, she paused and looked around. Everything was as it had been, except several pieces of furniture were gone. Step by step, room by room, she made her way through the house, stopping on occasion to touch an object or the mantel of the fireplace that meant