The Rancher's Fake Fiancée. Amy Vastine

Jon scolded.

      The sweet girl titled her head to the side. “What’s mononolize?”

      “It means you have to give your sister a turn,” Jon explained.

      “Hey, Gen, I bet Uncle Tyler would love to flip one of you around,” Ben said from the couch. He had an arm wrapped around Rachel’s shoulders while her sweet baby girl sat on her lap. On the other side of Rachel sat Grace and her baby bump. Tyler watched as both women gave Hadley a good once-over.

      “Can you help me flip?” Gen stood in front of Tyler and stared up at him with her big blue eyes.

      Tyler wasn’t used to being around kids. He certainly didn’t know how to help them flip. “I’m not sure I know how to do that.”

      “It’s easy,” Gen said with confidence. “Hold my hands. And then hold me tight so I can flip.” She put her bare feet on his jean-clad shins and scaled him like a tiny ninja. She flipped over and beamed up at him. “I did it!”

      Abby ran over. “My turn with Uncle Tyler. You can flip with Uncle Ethan.”

      “No! I get to play with Uncle Tyler and you get Uncle Ethan.”

      It was an all-out battle and the prize was Tyler’s attention. Ethan’s face fell. He went from the favorite uncle to chopped liver in two seconds flat.

      “How about the two of you go wash up for dinner and give your uncle Tyler a chance to talk to the adults for a couple minutes,” Jon said. The girls groaned but with a little more coaxing went to clean up.

      “Don’t worry, Ethan,” Ben said. “Once they get to know Tyler, you’ll be their favorite again.”

      His comment stung even though he was probably right. No one ever chose him when there were so many Blackwells to pick from.

      * * *

      HADLEY WRESTLED WITH her nerves as they stood in Jon’s family room. Hadley Sullivan, Brand Strategist for 2K Marketing. It had such a wonderful ring to it. She kept repeating her new title over and over in her head. She was here to get that job. All she had to do was convince Tyler’s family they were in love.

      The word love made her stomach turn. Tyler had placed his hand on the small of her back as they made their way to where the rest of the family was waiting. It had sent a tingle up her spine.

      “I think once they get to know him, they’ll fall head over heels and it won’t have anything to do with the flips he helped them do,” Hadley said in her fake fiancée’s defense.