The Lone Star Cinderella. Maureen Child

know the game.”

      “I spent a lot of time in arcades as a kid,” she said and let it go at that. No reason to tell him that while her father was earning a living playing poker in bars and casinos, she was left to her own devices and had become a champion at video games.

      A flicker of admiration shone in his eyes. “We’ll have to have a match sometime.”

      They passed through the foyer and Mia glanced at the clear panes of glass arranged in a wide arch around the double front door. It was dark out, naturally, but there were solar lights lining the walkway to the circular driveway. When she’d arrived, she had noticed the number of outbuildings. There was a barn, a paddock and several smaller houses all at a distance from the main house. The Royal Round Up was a prosperous, working ranch that no doubt required dozens of employees.

      The whole place was huge. Dave was even more wealthy than she had guessed him to be. Which explained how he could offer to pay off her school loans without so much as blinking. She had no idea how to live like this. Not even how to pretend to live like this. Yes, she worked for Alex and he was wealthy, too, but in his house, she was the housekeeper. She wasn’t expected to act as though it was her own home. To act as though living like this was second nature to her. The more she saw, the more anxious Mia became. What had she gotten herself into?

      “This hall takes you back around to the kitchen,” Dave said, and she glanced where he pointed. More art on the walls. More miles of gleaming tiles. She would never be able to find her way around this house. Plus, she didn’t even have the kind of wardrobe the fiancée of a wealthy man would wear. She didn’t fit into this world and she knew it. How could she possibly pull this off and convince anyone? Maybe, she told herself, it would be best if she just backed out of this deal right now. It wouldn’t be a complete waste; she had gotten a terrific steak dinner out of it.

      An inner voice complained that without Dave, she’d be paying back college loans for the rest of her life. But surely that was the saner approach to take. Nodding, she braced herself to tell Dave that she simply couldn’t do it. She’d thank him and get out fast before she could change her mind.

      Just then, he stopped in front of another door and threw it open. “This is the library.”

      If he continued speaking, she didn’t hear him. All she could think was books. Acres of books. Floor to ceiling shelves lined with thousands of books ringed the cavernous room. There were couches, chairs, tables and reading lamps. There was a fireplace and giant windows overlooking the front lawn. With sunlight streaming through that glass, the room would be beautiful. The spines of the books lining the shelves must shine like rainbows, she thought, moving into the room and turning in a slow circle to take it all in.