The Lone Star Cinderella. Maureen Child

think you heard me.”

      “You can’t be serious.” This was, hands down, the most bizarre conversation she’d ever had. A wife? He wanted to pay her to marry him?

      “I don’t joke when I’m making a deal.”

      He stood there, tall and gorgeous and completely at ease, as if he owned the world—and from what she knew of him, he did own a good chunk of it. But his attitude was so confident, so...superior. As if he knew absolutely that she would agree. Well, he had a surprise coming.

      “No deal,” she said and instantly felt a sense of righteous satisfaction. Sure she was out of money and eating Top Ramen and daydreaming about hamburgers. But she wasn’t so desperate that she was willing to sell herself to a man who already thought far too highly of himself. “I’m not interested in being your wife...real, temporary or fantasy.”

      “Sure you are,” he said easily and gave her a half smile that tipped up one corner of his mouth and flashed a dimple at her. “You don’t want to be interested but you are. Why wouldn’t you be? Mia, this is a good deal for both of us.”

      She hated that he was right. She didn’t want to be interested but she was. The whole situation was too strange. His offer was crazy. And yet...she looked around the empty living room. This place had been her first real home in too many years to count. She had cared for it and watched over it in Alex’s absence. But the truth was, if he didn’t come home soon, she didn’t know what she would do.

      The money was almost gone. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to pay the monthly bills. She had no idea what she’d do then.

      People in town were already speculating about Alex’s disappearance. This couldn’t possibly help the situation.

      “What about the local gossips?” She shook her head. “Don’t you think they’ll be a little suspicious of your sudden engagement plan?”

      He frowned. “Hadn’t considered that,” he mumbled. “But it doesn’t matter. In this town, the gossips love a good romantic story better than anything else. They’ll glom on to our whirlwind romance and let go of suspicion.”

      He was probably right, she told herself. The main gossip chain in Royal was female and they were more interested in fairy-tale romantic stories than anything else. This might actually take the heat off them where Alex’s disappearance was concerned.

      Oh, God, she didn’t know what to do.

      “Think about it, Mia,” he said and she could only imagine the snake in the Garden of Eden had sounded just as convincing. “This would solve both of our problems.”

      “I don’t think so,” she said, though her grumbling stomach disagreed. Still, she wasn’t starving. She had a roof over her head and noodles in the pantry. And she had her pride, right?

      Oh, God. Her pride was already shattered. Dave Firestone knew she was out of money. Knew how desperate she was. And he knew just what kind of temptation to use against her.

      “You’re considering it.”

      “I’m considering lots of things,” she told him. “Like throwing you out, finishing my lunch and then maybe polishing the kitchen floor. Lots of options.”

      “So I see,” he said, a slow, knowing smile curving his mouth. “Any idea which one you’re going to go with?”

      “I haven’t decided yet,” she said on a sigh.

      “Let me make it easy for you, then.” He moved in closer and Mia felt caught in the steady gaze of his eyes. “I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars to pretend to be my fiancée until I get that deal with TexCat.”

      “Ten thousand—” She broke off, stunned at the offer. Just the thought of that much money made her head swim. She could pay the bills. Take care of Alex’s house until he got back. She could make a payment on her tuition and finish her counseling degree.

      She could buy meat.

      “And,” he said.

      “There’s more?”

      “Yeah. Along with the ten thousand,” he said, voice dropping to a low, seductive level, “I’ll pay off your college loans. You could start your career out fresh. No debt.”

      Staggered, Mia actually swayed on her feet. That was a tremendous offer. If she didn’t have to pay back school loans, she could build a life for herself much more quickly. Glaring at him, she said, “You’re really evil, aren’t you?”

      He grinned, fast and wicked. “Just a master negotiator.”

      He was that, she told herself.

      “Still want to polish the kitchen floor?”

      She frowned at him. “Ten thousand dollars.”

      “That’s right.”

      “And my loans paid off.”

      “You got it.”

      “How long would we have to pretend?”

      He shrugged. “Shouldn’t take more than a month.”

      Nodding, she tried to think clearly despite the racing, churning thoughts in her brain. “A month as your fiancée.”

      “Yeah.”

      Her eyes narrowed on him. “And what does this ‘pretending’ entail?”

      It took a second for him to get what she meant and then he laughed shortly. “Trust me, your virtue is safe. When I want sex, I don’t have to pay for it.”

      She could believe that. Heck, just standing next to him had her skin buzzing. He probably had women throwing themselves in his path all the time. Which made her wonder why he hadn’t asked one of the no doubt legions of women littering his bed to be his pretend fiancée.

      Maybe, she thought, none of them needed money as much as she did. Well, that was depressing.

      Just to be sure of where she stood, Mia said, “Then we agree. No sex.”

      “Agreed.”

      She kept talking. “No touching of any kind. No kissing—”

      “Hold on,” he stopped her in midstream. “We have to convince this guy we’re a real couple. So there will be touching. And kissing. And there will be you looking at me with adoration.”

      She laughed.

      He frowned.

      “Fine, fine,” she said, waving a hand at him. “I’ll be a good fiancée and the occasional touch or kiss—in public—is okay.”

      “Then we have a deal.” He held out one hand to her and waited for her to take it. “You should come to the ranch for dinner tonight. We can work out the details there.”

      Nodding, Mia slid her hand into his and couldn’t help feeling that just maybe she was swimming in waters way too deep for her.

      Three

      Dave pulled the collar of his dark brown leather jacket up higher on his neck and squinted as he climbed out of his 4x4. He took a deep breath, dragging the cold air into his lungs with a smile. Just being on his ranch settled him like nothing else could.

      Land swept out to the horizon. He took a long look around, taking in the wooded area crowded with wild oaks. The stock watering pond shimmered a dark blue beneath the lowering sun and the grassland was dotted with Black Angus cattle. He tossed a glance at the dark, cloud-studded Texas sky. October was rolling in cold, signaling a rough winter to come.

      But he was prepared. No matter what Mother Nature threw at him, Dave was ready. He had the ranch he’d always wanted, more money than he knew what to do with and the future was looking good—except for one small fly in his proverbial ointment. But, he reminded himself, he’d found a way