The Marriage Bargain. Susan Fox P.

think to conspire against him, but how easy would it be for Hank, if he lived long enough to find out, or Candice, to make it look as though she had?

      Emotion roared up and sent a stinging fullness into her eyes. She’d been so desperate to get the ranch that she’d blinded herself to the very personal peril Wes Lansing represented. To have him state it so starkly made her feel foolish and hopelessly naive.

      She was standing between two ruthless men who placed no value on her above making her a handy target for their displeasure. And perhaps she deserved it for putting herself in range when she was too powerless to fight either of them and win.

      Hallie gripped her handbag, then looked away from him before the telling blur in her eyes could spill over and shame her. She set the handbag on the dresser, then reached up to find the hat pin that secured her hat to the mound of locks arranged so artfully atop her head. She must look as ridiculous and pretentious to him as she felt.

      She removed the pin and pulled off the hat. Her fingers were trembling as she pushed the pin into the crown to safely anchor it. She managed to keep her voice clear and steady.

      “I’ll reimburse you for the plane tickets, the room—everything. If you’ll put a dollar value on your time, I’ll pay you for that, too. I’d appreciate if you kept this confidential.” She paused. “I realize I can’t stop you if you choose to make it public.”

      “So this was a setup.” His voice had a deadly edge to it.

      Hallie made herself look over at him. His rugged face was the picture of suppressed fury.

      “It wasn’t. But you’ve just made me realize how easily I could be set up if my family finds out. I’ve survived my life so far, Mr. Lansing,” she said, then leveled what she considered the ultimate insult. “I won’t put myself at the mercy of a man no better than my grandfather.”

      Bad temper blazed in his dark eyes, but Hallie turned away to gently set the stylish hat on the dresser. She held herself with the same stiff dignity that she relied on to maintain her composure, but she wasn’t certain it would save her this time. Her insides were boiling with humiliation and her face felt on fire. It didn’t help that her legs felt heavy and her knees were weak. She’d lost her chance.

      But now that she had, she forced herself to focus on the thought that this was the beginning of her new life. There would be no Hank Corbetts in it and no Wes Lansings. She’d never have Four C’s, but she wouldn’t have to take the terrible risk of marrying a stranger—a family enemy—to get it.

      The moment Wes stepped out of the room, she could close the door and shut him out. She could recover in the privacy and solitude that were so dismally familiar to her. He would leave the suite, but she could stay here. Maybe she’d stay the night. She’d be paying for it. She always paid.

      Wes’s voice was low and rough. “We’re strangers to each other, Miz Corbett.”

      Hallie glanced warily at him and tried to read his stern expression. His face was far less harsh now, and the dark fire in his eyes had faded.

      “If I’ve misjudged you, I apologize.”

      She looked at him gravely. “I’m not smart enough or brave enough to be part of any scheme against you that I’m aware of. If my grandfather is manipulating either of us beyond what is obvious in that Will, I’m not a party to it. Nor would I be.”

      He stared at her for long moments and again, it seemed as if all the intensity he was capable of was focused on her. Those moments were almost unbearable, but she tolerated them. He was weighing her by her words, measuring what he could see in her to make up his mind. It felt as if he were examining every atom and circuit in her brain.

      It was rare to meet someone who mistrusted her almost as deeply as she mistrusted others. Strangely, it made her feel less guarded, less threatened to know that someone as powerful as Wes Lansing thought she might have the potential to injure him somehow. At last, he spoke.

      “If we marry, your loyalty belongs to me.”

      His demand didn’t really surprise her, but she felt a prickle of anger. “What about your loyalty, Lansing? Will it belong to me?”

      The firm line of his mouth went stern. He must not have expected that. And he didn’t appear happy about it, either. He wasn’t accustomed to giving an inch to anyone, and it probably rankled to contemplate the notion.

      “Because if we marry,” she went on, “I think that entitles both of us to equal expectations. If you expect loyalty from me, I expect just as much from you. The fact that the marriage is secret makes no difference.”

      He gave her a narrow look that hinted he was reassessing her in some way. He confirmed the impression with his next words.

      “You’re a surprise.” His dark gaze released hers to move slowly down the length of her. The bold stroke sent a warm shiver through her. His gaze returned to hers and she struggled to appear unaffected. “I’m not sure yet if I like it.”

      Hallie had no reply to that so she kept silent, enduring the tension between them while she fought to withstand it.

      “I do like the hat,” he said finally. “If you’ll marry me, I’d like to see you wear it.”

      His low words sent a poignant ache through her. However small a remark it was, whether he’d meant it to be or not, it was somehow a validation of the pains she’d taken to look like a bride.

      “If you’re sure.” Her voice had choked to a whisper and she cringed inwardly. She hated that she’d revealed that much.

      Wes slipped a finger into the vest pocket of his black suit and stepped toward her. Her breath caught as he reached for her left hand and lifted it between them.

      She was so surprised that she almost stepped back, but just that quickly, he lightly singled out her ring finger and slid on a diamond ring. A whirl of sensation spiraled through her. His big fingers tightened gently on her hand as she stared down at it in disbelief.

      The diamond sparkled and the gold band it was mounted on caught the suite lights. It fit perfectly.

      A huge swell of emotion surged up and left her shaken. She hadn’t thought about rings. Theirs wasn’t a true marriage where rings were called for to signify unending love and eternal commitment.

      “I can’t wear this,” she whispered. She couldn’t wear the beautiful engagement ring, she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t take her eyes from it. And she couldn’t keep her heart from breaking over the gesture. “Please…take it off.”

      “It’s tradition.”

      “This isn’t a real marriage. It’s enough of a sacrilege to marry for—for the reasons we are,” she got out hastily.

      His fingers tightened gently, prompting her to look up at him. “Does it bother you to marry to get a piece of land?”

      She couldn’t bear the new sharpness in his dark eyes and her gaze fled his as she gave a small nod. She pulled her hand from his and immediately took hold of the ring to take it off. “Of course it bothers me.”

      He caught her hands before she could remove the ring.

      “It’ll be public knowledge when he dies and it comes out that you fulfilled the Will’s requirements.”

      Hallie looked up at him urgently. “But he can’t find out before he…” Suddenly she couldn’t say the word.

      Wes’s dark brows lowered in disapproval. “I’m not much for secrets. He knows he threw down the gauntlet with that Will. If he lives, how long do you think you can keep your marriage from him? How good an actress will you have to be to quiet his suspicions?” He paused and his voice lowered. “How many lies are you capable of telling to keep him from changing the Will?”

      Hallie managed to pull her hands from the steely warmth of his. The tingly heat they generated had added a distressing dimension to his disturbing words.