Page 27 of The Rancher's Fake Fiancée

“I’m anxious to get back to normal, yes. But where would that leave you? Do you have another assignment in the offing? Do you ever get tired of moving here and there…not settling down in one place?”

“I’ve thought about that. Maybe more so now that my siblings are beginning to establish their own families and homes. I’ve basically been a wanderer for a decade or more.”

“So having roots is foreign to you?”

She smiled a half-hearted smile. “I always wanted roots. I had them with my siblings for a while. We lost our parents and then our caregiver and we all ended up in the foster system. We were luckier than most though. We had a wonderful lady who fostered and offered to take us in…all of us. So that way we could stay together. Then one by one, we all aged out. We followed our own paths then and my oldest sister keeps trying to bring us all together again. We see each other as often as we can. But yes, to answer your original question, it would be nice to have a home where I could stay longer than a couple of weeks. A family to enjoy and someone to share it all…guess I’m no different from other women.”

“I know that you would make a good mother.”

His response both surprised her and pleased her at the same time. “How do you know that for certain?”

“Because of the way you are with Emmie. You have infinite patience. You have empathy and are able to communicate with her on her level and help her navigate all the emotions of a young girl that is becoming more foreign each day to a father such as me. You are pretty amazing in ways that you might not be that aware of, so don’t sell yourself short.”

His words were nothing but sincere and they touched something deep inside her, suspiciously close to the area in the center of her chest that she had kept guarded for so long. Cole Connors was dangerous in his own right…forget his houseguests. He had found a way to creep into an area that had been off-limits for a very long time. If she weren’t careful, he might find his way into her heart and that would be against all the rules. And yet, somehow, she knew that she was kidding herself. He had already made that detour with very little protest on her part. Cole had found that crack in the slammed doorway and somehow inched it open for his entrance.

“I sense you aren’t used to anyone complimenting you on such a regular basis. Or maybe it’s just me? I may be guilty of overstepping a time or two past those invisible boundaries of yours. The problem is, I don’t know if they are boundaries because of your job or personal ones because you don’t like to have me do it at all? Or maybe a bit of both?”

He saw too much. But she would expect no different from the man who she knew from the start was a no-nonsense type of straight shooter. What she had mistook on their first meeting for arrogance was simply a man who knew who he was and expected no less from those around him. A man who cared about many people and took his role in keeping his ranch and his people who worked there safe from all outside forces no matter what or who they might be. He had earned the respect of many and she admired that.

“Both.” She looked him square in the eyes with that admission. He didn’t demand it but he did deserve the truth. “You are right in there is a line one can’t cross when on an assignment like this. Too much is at stake. And too much time and manpower has been invested in bringing this criminal down. So, I won’t…can’t…forget that.”

“But it’s also personal since you said both. I can understand and even admire your dedication to duty especially when it involves my daughter and those close to me. And I don’t mean to blur the lines between personal and duty. But there’s something about you Jesse McCord…for want of even knowing your real name…that makes me look forward to when all this is over, and we can meet under different circumstances. I think that might be very interesting indeed. So, I will be asking you out on a real date when all this is done in order to meet the real woman behind this Wonder Woman façade. I’m thinking she just might be really special.”

“Well, she’ll check her schedule and pencil you in. Until then, we both have our jobs to do. Good night.” And she managed to walk up the stairs and to the confines of her room without a look back at the man whose gaze she could feel following her. That might have been the undoing of her resolve if she had done that. The future might be very interesting, which was a thought that brought a smile to her face. But then reality reared its head and reminded her that futures could change in a blinding second. The smile faded. She had looked forward once to a future with a man she loved. But he was taken by a senseless act of violence. And she had spent the ensuing years tracking the person responsible. That was not a way to begin any relationship.

Chapter Thirteen

“Nice move, littleMiss Perfect.” The words were a growl and came from behind her as Jessie saddled her horse for a morning ride. She usually enjoyed the solitude of the beginning of another day as the sun streaked through the sky and the world began to awaken. But she wasn’t the only one up and about. She turned to find Madeleine standing a few feet in the distance. She was not happy judging by the furious glint in those heartless dark eyes.

“Isn’t it a bit early for you to be losing some beauty sleep?” Why should she pull punches with no one else around to see or hear? The woman was just as unpleasant as her first impression…more so in fact. “You have a problem with me so just get it out as I have a nice ride planned and time is wasting right now.”

“You undermined my authority with my daughter. You need to realize that the tables will soon be reversed, and she will be leaving this disgusting Hell hole of a place and living with civilized people and having manners and class. And Cole and you, if you are still interesting enough to hold his attention, will be left out in the cold.”

“Do you think it will be that easy to take Cole to court and have reversed the fact that he was granted sole custody over an absent mother devoid of any nurturing attributes or basic love and empathy for her own child? You will find yourself to be the one without recourse.”

“You know nothing of me or my life. But I am marrying a man with infinite funds and more power in his control than some poor cowboy with very little in comparison.”

“What exactly does Philippe do to earn his fortune that you keep harping about? Does he own a business? What kind and where? These are things that a judge will be finding out about.”

Madeleine laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. “Pity the poor judge who finds himself going up against Philippe and his friends. They never lose when they want something. They always get what they want in the end and pity those who stand in their way. If you want to hang on to your poor loverboy, you would do well to convince him it is healthier in the long run to see things our way. But be assured, I will leave here with my daughter and Cole Connors will be ruined. So, you have an enjoyable ride.” She turned on her heel and then hesitated. Throwing a final glance over her shoulder, she gave a chilling postscript. “Do be careful out there. All sorts of dangers can be found when you least expect them.”

*

“Have you seenJesse this morning?” Cole was filling his coffee cup once more, buying some time to see Jesse before he left the house.

Emmie shook her head. “Maybe she already left on her ride? She has her cell; did you call her?”

“I did but no answer.”

“Then she probably forgot to switch it on. Sometimes she does that if she is really into her ride. Are we going to Uncle Joe’s?”

“Yes, I’m dropping you off on my way to the feed store and my meeting at the bank.” He had almost said attorney, but did not want to give Emmie any concern about what that business might be. “Uncle Joe will bring you home before dinner. You two should get in some good fishing time.” He grinned at his daughter who was dressed in her favorite good luck fishing overalls and a blue and white checked shirt beneath them. Her sneakers were well worn from many miles along the riverbank. It was a good thing Madeleine was probably still in bed and did not see the state of her daughter’s clothing choice. “Let’s move on.”

Rowdy rode into the stable yard just as Cole and Emmie were about to depart. Cole exited the vehicle and met up with him just outside the corral.

“Morning there, boss. How goes things?” Rowdy was in character.

“Just checking to see if you might have seen Jesse this morning as you were out doing whatever you normally do that I probably don’t need to know about.” That brought a grin from the cowhand.

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