The Rancher's Temporary Engagement. Stacy Henrie

      

      Undercover Fiancée

      The Pinkerton agent that Edward Kent hired is intelligent, capable—and unexpectedly female! Though shocked to learn that Maggy Worthing will be investigating the threats to his Wyoming horse ranch, Edward needs to find the culprit. And if that means a temporary engagement to give Maggy a cover story, he’ll play along with the feisty detective.

      Maggy always gets her man—at least when it comes to solving crimes. The young widow refuses to marry again and land under another husband’s thumb. Unmasking Edward’s enemies will earn her a longed-for promotion...but the heart has its own mysteries. Could working together with the handsome English aristocrat spark a real and loving partnership?

      STACY HENRIE has always had a love for history, fiction and chocolate. She earned her BA in public relations before turning her attention to raising a family and writing inspirational historical romances. The wife of an entrepreneur husband and a mother of three, Stacy loves to live out history through her fictional characters. In addition to being an author, she is also a reader, a road-trip enthusiast and a novice interior decorator.

       Also By Stacy Henrie

      Lady Outlaw

      The Express Rider’s Lady

      The Outlaw’s Secret

      The Renegade’s Redemption

      The Rancher’s Temporary Engagement

      Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

      The Rancher’s Temporary Engagement

      Stacy Henrie

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ISBN: 978-1-474-08043-9

      THE RANCHER’S TEMPORARY ENGAGEMENT

      © 2018 Stacy Henrie

      Published in Great Britain 2018

      by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

      All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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      “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. “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. 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. 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.

      Dear Reader,

      On a research trip to Wyoming for one of my other Love Inspired Historical Westerns, I visited Sheridan and the nearby small town of Big Horn. The beautiful landscape and a lovely preserved 1890s ranch house looked like the ideal spot to set a story.

      Those weren’t the only reasons I set Edward and Maggy’s story near the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, though. Like Edward, a number of gentlemen from the United Kingdom settled in the area and established horse and polo pony ranches. The British Cavalry did, in fact, contract with ranchers in the area to supply horses for use in the Second Boer War. And though that war didn’t start until 1899, for the purposes of my story, I have the Cavalry interested in Edward’s horses the year before. Also of interesting note, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited the Sheridan area in 1984 and purchased polo ponies from there.

      The ranchers’ wives’ club is my own creation, though the Sheridan Inn is an actual building and was the hubbub of social events back in the day. Buffalo Bill Cody was part owner of the inn and was reported to have auditioned acts for his Wild West show on the inn’s front porch.

      The Pinkerton National Detective Agency opened a branch location in Denver, Colorado, in 1886. James McParland became the superintendent of the Denver office in 1888. As one of the most famous of Pinkerton’s detectives, McParland is best known for infiltrating a gang of assassins in Pennsylvania in the 1870s. And while the position of head female detective is fictional as far as I know at this time in the agency’s history, Allan Pinkerton, the agency’s founder, did employ the first female detective in the U.S., Kate Warne, in 1856.

      My hope for this story is that readers will enjoy Edward and Maggy’s adventure, their chance at love and their realization that we are all of unchangeable worth, regardless of what we do or what has happened to us.

      I love hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website at www.stacyhenrie.com.

      All the best,

      Stacy

      But if we hope for that we see not,

      then do we with patience wait for it.

      —Romans 8:25

      To my editor, Elizabeth.

      Thank you for believing in that first story and the ones that came after. I’ll