Page 28 of The Rancher's Amnesia Bride

Charlee-Mae didn't know whether to feel sympathetic or insulted. "Is my accent that bad?"

"I do not think you can even call yours an accent."

"Ouch."

"It is just so terrible, it sounds no different from a witch running her nails against a chalkboard."

Charlee-Mae choked back a laugh.

"And there is the lunch hour you speak of."

"Oh dear."

"And then—-" Philippe broke off when his wife suddenly rushed to his side and threw her arms around him.

"I get it," Charlee-Mae said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"You do?"

Looking up, she said softly, ""You're telling me you truly are in love with me...even if ours is a mail-order marriage."

Chapter Seven

Charlee-Mae's words had knocked him over with a feather, and Philippe struggled to find something to say. He felt her start to squirm, and he forced himself to let go even when a part of him wanted to keep her caged...in case she had decided to leave.

The silence stretched between them, and Philippe's tension grew. "Have you gotten your memories back?"

His wife shook her head, and the invisible noose around his neck eased the slightest bit. He knew he should be disappointed at her answer, but he was not. If Charlee-Mae had regained her memories, everything would have gone back to normal, and she would remember that their marriage was a business arrangement. He should have wanted that, but he didn't. And he no longer did...because everything had now changed

Philippe knew his sudden change of heart might make him appear fickle, but he didn't give a damn.

All he knew was that he wanted Charlee-Mae as she was now: a wife who believed herself in love with him. But was that even possible, when she had already figured out that both of them had not met under normal circumstances?

Philippe's gaze slid back to his wife. "How did you find out?"

"You said I gave you Charlotte's number, but earlier, when your phone lost its signal, and I had to call her back...that's when I realized you had Charlotte's work number."

Putain.

While he and Charlotte had done their best to eliminate every little thing that could trigger Charlee-Mae's memories, they had obviously ended up overlooking clues that could make Charlee-Mae realize the truth...even without gaining her memories back.

"If I had really given you her number like you said I did, I would've given you her other number. The one reserved for family and friends."

Her tone was more wry than furious, but this only made Philippe wonder if this was simply the calm before the storm. And when he saw Charlee-Mae take a deep breath, all he could do was prepare for the worst.

"I'd just like to know..."

No matter what Charlee-Mae would throw at him, he would simply take it and figure things out from there.

"Was it you or me?"

He would do whatever it took to keep her, and...what was that she had just asked?

Philippe blinked. "Pardon?"

His wife crossed her arms over her chest. "I want to know if it was you who wanted a mail-order bride or me who wanted a mail-order groom."

"Ah, bien..." Philippe struggled to overcome his bemusement. "Since I was not asked to pay any fees, I suppose it was you?"

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