Page 5 of The Rancher's Fake Fiancée

“I got your report.” Howard Fox rarely wasted time or words. He ran his division with a firm hand reminiscent of his stint as a colonel in the Army. “Things looked like they were falling into place for you.”

Her ears picked up and he had her full attention. “You said ‘looked like they were’…past tense, sir. Is there a problem I don’t know about?”

“A courier will arrive tomorrow with background on what I am about to tell you now. We may need to readjust. A much bigger shark is circling our nets suddenly.”

“Who is bigger than El PaPa? It’s taken us seventeen months to get this close to him, sir. He is almost in our grasp.” She couldn’t lose the man now. She had eaten, slept, thought of nothing else but the criminal. There was a score to settle.

“Listen to me, Agent. I am aware of what effort has been expended on that man. However, things change, and we change with them. There’s intelligence that indicates the man who has bankrolled El PaPa’s illegal activities for the last five years may be planning to meet with him…in your backyard. Two birds for the price of one. You’ll get the details tomorrow. You need to be prepared to move quickly to place yourself in position.”

“I understand.”

“Good hunting.” The line clicked off.

A dull throb was beginning at her temple. Cassie rubbed the area as she moved to her bed, reaching out with her other hand to turn off the lights. Dropping onto the covers, she allowed the events of the day and the news from the phone call to settle as best they could. It was going to be a long night.

*

“This view isbeginning to grow on me,” Randall said, attempting to deflect the mood that exited the Jeep with Cassie. “Would be nice to meet a little later in the day maybe. This sunrise stuff is…”

“Do you have the information or not? I’ve had a sleepless night and now having wasted the last two years of my life thanks to a phone call last night does not make for a good morning.” She grabbed the folder from the other agent’s hands and pushed the sunglasses up to the top of her head. “This better be worth it.”

Randall stuck to the business at hand. “The subject’s name is Philippe J. Desmonde, a Frenchman from Aruba and Brazil.”

She skimmed over the list of his crimes…most of which he had never been charged with. “So, this mastermind has chosen Red Cliffs, Texas, to meet up with his ‘associate’? That’s hard to believe. He had to know he would stand out by a country mile here.”

“Maybe because he is coming here with a perfect cover…with his fiancée who has a daughter who lives here. And he will be the guest of one of the most prominent ranch families in the area.”

“Really?” She was intrigued. “Who’s the family?”

“Connors. Cole Connors’s ex-wife is engaged to Philippe Desmonde. Cozy, isn’t it?”

Chapter Three

Cozy. Real cozy.Too cozy.Cassie had those words circling like a group of buzzards on a warm Texas afternoon in her brain. She had read and reread the folder of information. Then she and Randy walked through the scenarios at least two dozen times. The fly in the ointment, or perhaps one of the dozens of flies that could go out of control at any given moment, was that they had had to scrap the plans that had brought them to Red Cliffs in the first place. She had to invent a reason for Candy at the saloon to explain her sudden leaving that was plausible and then put it into play overnight.

“At least we aren’t meeting at dawn in some cold canyon,” Randy interjected into her thoughts as he handed her a cup of coffee before they parted ways.

“No. We will bemeetingwhen possible, on a few thousand-acre ranch with lots of moving parts and people to be wary of,” she responded. “So much better.” She couldn’t help the heavy sarcasm dripping from her voice. “You are now a lowly cowhand. You do know how to ride a horse, right? Or even which side to mount from?”

“I rode a few ponies in my life.”

“Ponies?”

“Okay. So, they were miniature horses and at a kiddie park on Saturdays. But it is the same premise. Hold on tight and do not fall off.”

She slowly shook her head. “This can go so wrong in so many ways. With each person we involve in this scenario, the more avenues for trouble to run amok.”

“Well, while I’m in the bunkhouse and probably knee-deep cleaning horse stalls, you’ll be the presumptive lady of the manor…so to speak. Tough job.”

Jessie gave him a look that was meant to speak volumes of what she thought about his comparison. “The sooner this cast of characters gets here and we find out that our time was probably wasted, the sooner we get back to the real work of the case. Just remember we met when you came to work for my family, and you are here to observe operations. It would be natural that we would be seen now and then chatting. You are the eyes and ears out on the ranch. And I will do my best to be the perfect ‘acting’ hostess in the headquarters.”

“I believe the word fiancée was used…not hostess.” His correction was meant to tease but it didn’t register as such by the look she gave him.

“As I said, the sooner this is over, the better for all our sakes. So, I will see you when I arrive precisely at nine a.m. We will make the introductions and make sure we are all on the same page.”

“Yes ma’am, boss lady.”

*

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