Chapter Seven

Rebecca

The next morning, I wake to a knock at the door and a servant enters with a vase of roses. She sets them on the table and leaves with nothing more than a smile. I toss back the blankets and cross the room to admire the large bouquet. An envelope lies beside the vase.

I pick it up and finger the gold trim wondering how Will Branson will surprise me today.

Yesterday’s ride on the four-wheeler was exhilarating. I loved wrapping my arms around him and the way his powerful body felt against mine.

I’d returned covered in mud, but I didn’t care. When I’d gotten home, Ben greeted me on the steps. He’d giggled at my appearance. I’d teased him by stretching my muddy hands out to him, threatening to tickle him. Those were the first words I spoke to Will’s nephew, but he’d grinned with delight when I told him I had ridden the four-wheeler with Will.

I suppose four-year-old boys think women covered head-to-toe in mud must be all right.

And then, Margie told me he’d told the staff he was sending off for a bride. I couldn’t have been more astonished. When he’d slipped the ring on my finger, I’d barely been able to breathe, much less respond.

I’m not sure if he thinks I came to the ranch as part of an arrangement with Atkinson and Wainwright. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they are behind all this, but how exactly would I phrase that question? I feel like a fool. And I have no one to blame but myself.

Last night at dinner, we spoke very little. I was in shock and I think he noticed. He’d smile at me every so often, with a tenderness in his eyes that melted my heart and made me regret the promise of no touching. Often my thoughts strayed to the morning’s swim. My skin prickled and slick arousal shimmered along my senses.

My mind was in such turmoil, I couldn’t imagine how to tell him I wasn’t who he thought I was. After the meal, I’d gone to my room to try to recover my senses. I’d taken a bath and collapsed into my bed not waking until the servant came to the door with the flowers.

I opened the envelope and read the letter.

My sweet Rebecca,

I wanted to see you last night. I imagined you lying in bed wearing a delicate, lacy gown. Of course, I didn’t enter your room. I didn’t want to frighten you and I knew how much you would tempt me.

I never imagined a woman who would make my heart beat once again. I will agree to any promise, give you anything you want and protect you from any harm. In return, all I ask is that you take my scarred heart and always be by my side.

I am yours,

Will.

My hands shake as I read the letter. The words make my heart squeeze with a mix of tenderness and shock. Will told me plainly that he’d contracted with a bridal agency. Margie knew too and I wonder if Davy did as well. Of course. He must have. He’d made several comments on the way to the ranch and they made perfect sense now.

Will doesn’t know I work in the accounting department for Atkinson and Wainwright. Somehow my assignment got mixed up with one of the special requests some clients make. My mind drifts back to the underwear model I had to research and hire to escort one of our clients to a gala in New York.

I fall back onto the bed and try to imagine how I can possibly explain any of this to Will. Something tells me he’ll be furious with me. The ring on my hand is gorgeous, glinting in the morning sun. He bought it for a woman who would travel to the ranch for the sole purpose of marrying him. And he gave it to me, the accountant who came to help set up a nonprofit.

With mail order brides, don’t men usually pick a woman from some sort of selection? How could he not know?

Not only will he be furious but I’ll be fired. Disgraced.

While I get dressed, I pause every so often to admire the beautiful ring. I should give it back to him, but if I take it off, I’ll be breaking his rule and then he might break mine. A shiver of worry rolls up my spine.

I dress in a skirt, silk blouse and heels. After I apply a little makeup, I straighten my hair and leave it loose, hanging down my back. With my heart in my throat, I head downstairs, passing the kitchen. Margie looks up from the stove. Her furrowed brow and down-turned lips make me wonder what’s wrong. I’m about to ask what’s the matter when I hear Will speaking to a woman in the dining room.

As I walk down the hallway I take note of the sound of his voice. Clipped. Angry.

The woman’s voice is sultry and edged with a foreign accent.

“You will still have to pay,” she says.

“It makes no difference to me.”

“I can spend night. Maybe you like me better.”

My hand flies to my mouth and I stop, my courage failing me entirely.

“I am very good,” she murmurs. “I can show you many things.”

“I doubt that.”

“Arrogant American.”

The floor creaks beneath my feet. Will appears in the doorway, a scowl etched deep into his features.

“Why don’t you come into my office, Rebecca?”

His voice is a snarl, and he emphasizes my name in a way that makes my blood run cold.

“Okay,” I breathe. “I can do that.”

When I step into the office, I’m faced with a gorgeous redhead, her voluptuous body crammed into a tight blue dress. Her neckline shows off her cleavage, a necklace with a diamond hangs between her enormous breasts. She gives me a sneer and a once-over. When her gaze lands on my ring, she looks furious.

“This is Sofia. She’s from the agency.” Will sits at his desk. “I told her I was already engaged.”

The woman grunts and turns away.

“Do you suppose they sent two women?” Will asks me, his tone quiet, but dangerous. “On accident.”

I sink into a chair and try my best to find some sort of response. Of course, they didn’t, but if I admit that, he’ll want to know who I am and why am I at the ranch.

“You need to pick,” Sofia snaps at him.

“I already have,” he shoots back.

For an instant, I wonder if he means he’s picking her over me. My mind is churning with confusion and I don’t think that’s what he means, but I can’t say for sure. Sofia looks like a model. Like an actress. She’s probably a head taller than me. She’s all boobs and hips. Any man would be crazy not to want her.

I twist the ring on my finger and Will glares at me, shaking his head imperceptibly. Sofia watches too, with a great deal of interest. She’s practically drooling over the rock Will gave me. I’m sure she’s thinking it should be on her finger, not mine. She might be right. I feel like such a fraud.

“Are you pleading the fifth?” Will asks me.

I nod vigorously. “That’s it. The fifth.”

“What’s that?” Sofia asks, eyeing us suspiciously, like we’re talking in code. “Five what?”

Will shakes his head and gets up from his chair. “Come with me, Sofia. I’m going to have one of my men run you back to the airport.”

A flurry of foreign words spill from her mouth as she jerks up from the chair and storms from the room.

Will narrows his eyes at me. “Don’t you go anywhere.”

I nod, but the moment I hear the door close, I jump to my feet and fly upstairs. Yanking my suitcase from the closet I curse all the things I’ve brought. A week’s worth of professional clothing. It will take me too long to pack and there’s no way I’ll be able to catch a ride with Sofia. I’ll have to beg Will to call for another ranch hand to run me to the airport.

He looked so mad at me, I could hardly bear it. This morning I’d woken to a sweet, heartfelt note, the most romantic thing I’ve ever read, and now I’m trying to steal away like a thief in the night.

Only I’m a mistaken bride.

And it’s ten in the morning.

I want to take the ring off, I swear I do, but I have this crazy notion that I need to have his permission. This entire thing is crazy. I yank the zipper down on my suitcase and throw open the lid. Standing in the back of my walk-in closet, I hear a noise. Footsteps, I think.

And then Will appears in the doorway of the closet, filling the frame with his immense body. Standing in the opening, he lifts his hands to grip the doorframe above him. The stance makes him look huge and the dark expression on his face makes him look more than a little intimidating.

Clutching a stack of cardigans, I try to coax air into my lungs.

“Rebecca,” he says softly. “You didn’t come here to be my bride, did you?”

He’s got me trapped and while I don’t feel threatened, I’m positive he won’t let me leave until he gets answers.

“No.”

“Who do you work for?”

There’s no way I can tell him this. It’s impossible. He’s toying with me, some sort of cat and mouse game. As soon as this is over, I’ll have to go back to my real life. One that includes bills and loans. A man like him could never comprehend my existence, how I live paycheck to paycheck.

“I’m not telling you.”

His lips tilt with a smile that is more menace than amusement. “Are you under contract with someone?”

Gripping my sweaters, I nod. “Pretty much.”

His gaze drifts down my body, igniting a trail of sparks across my skin. Thank goodness, I left the ring on my hand. I’m certain he wouldn’t ever harm me, but I know he wants me in his bed. His whole body tenses with anger and his eyes burn with lust.

“This week was part of an assignment?” he asks.

I consider the question which is hard to do with him looming over me. It’s a question I can answer without giving away anything. “Yes.”

“Did you sign a nondisclosure agreement?”

“No.”

“I gave you free rein to look at all my personal documents.”

“Will, I would never compromise that kind of information.”

He closes in on me, stalking the length of the narrow space. “Who are you?”

“Rebecca,” I whisper. “Rebecca Bloom.”

He glances down at the clothes in my arms and his mouth twists into a cruel smile. “You think you’re leaving?”

“I thought you would want me to go.”

Bumping into the wall, I let out a small yelp. I wasn’t aware that I’d been retreating from him and now I’m pressed against the wall. He sets a hand on either side of my body, caging me.

“You can’t touch me, Will.”

“Not until we’re married.” His breath fans across my skin, making me shiver.

A gasp falls from my lips. “You can’t mean that.”

“I always mean what I say, Rebecca.”

“I think you’re messing with me. You have been since I got here. I should go. I need a ride to the airport, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It is too much trouble.”

“I suppose I’ll hitchhike.”

I’ve never actually done that before because hitchhiking would definitely be filed in the part of my brain under “Things That Aren’t Prudent.”

“If you leave, I’ll hunt you down. I’ll find you.”

A shimmer of wicked arousal heats my senses. His tone is soft, but his words pure threat. I should be indignant, maybe even afraid, but I’m anything but afraid.

“And… what?” I whisper.

“I’ll bring you back here.”

“I thought you never leave the ranch.”

“For you I would.”

The idea that he’d do something he hates to do, just to track me down, makes my heart beat even faster. I’ve never imagined anyone looking at me with such savage possessiveness. His eyes glint with feral need.

“I’m expected back next week,” I tell him. “They know where I am. They’ll come looking for me.”

He laughs softly. “That’s fine. I’d like to talk to them. By then we’ll be married so it won’t matter.”

“Will, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say a thing, darlin’. I’ll find a way to get you to tell me everything I want to know.”