Page 29 of Reclaiming My Wife

“I’m sorry to ask you guys up to the house this early, but there is a full pot of coffee ready for you if you need it. There’s a conversation that we need to have, and we need to have it today.”

I avoided my sister’s sleepy look of curiosity. She was especially not going to like this and would be furious that I’d waited over a week before sharing my news.

“You all know that I’ve been trying to buy Harry Blackwell’s estate. Things aren’t going as well as I’d hoped. It turns out that in Harry’s advanced years, he has regrets about his personal choices. In short, he’s reluctant to sell to me because he’s concerned that I can’t handle his ranch and still balance a personal life.”

Gordon snorted. “Obviously, he isn’t all that aware of your personal life. You always make plenty of time for—”

I raised my hand. “Okay. That’s not the point. He’s got another buyer in mind, presumably someone who is happily married with a loving family, but if he doesn’t sell to them, then we risk the land falling into Dennis’s hands, and we all know what will happen then.”

“So, what? You want to get married?” Ben asked curiously.

“Oh no,” Gordon murmured.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Not exactly. I actually am already married. To make a long story short, I have an estranged wife, and I’ve enlisted her help.”

Kim choked on her coffee. “I’m sorry. Estranged? What do you mean by estranged?”

Reluctantly, I met her gaze. “It means the divorce wasn’t legal.”

She gaped at me. “So, you’re still married to that psycho bitch?”

“Kim, now is not the time. Her name is Jillian, and she’s arriving today. She has agreed to play the role of the doting wife for a few months until I can convince Harry that I have a stable future. In return, I’ve promised her a quiet and clean divorce. What I want from you is to play along as well when Harry or Dennis or any of his employees come to visit. From what you know, Jillian and I have been estranged, but we’re recommitting ourselves to our marriage and things are going well.”

“She’s what?!” Kim hissed. “You have got to be kidding me! How long have you known about this?”

“Not long,” I tried to reassure her. Kim and I might have our issues, but she’s always the first to defend me. I knew that she wasn’t going to like my plan. “Kim, I need you on board with this.”

“On board? That woman destroyed your life, and now you’re just going to let her back in? To live with us? Are you out of your mind? How do you know that she’s not playing you? You’ve put her in the perfect position to destroy us, Brendan. One word from her to Harry, and he’ll never sell to you.”

I ran a hand through my hair, already tired of the argument. “She’s not out to destroy us. It’s not like that.”

Crossing her arms, she glared at me. “Then what is it like, Brendan?”

“Look, she’s no happier about this than I am, but she wants her divorce, so she won’t cause any problems. This is for our ranch, Kim. Do you really want the land to go to Dennis?”

Kim glared at me. “No, but there has to be another answer than her. She’s… Satan!”

Clearing her throat, Debra stood. “I’m not really sure what’s going on here, but I’ve got a full day. I’ll be sure to say nothing but great things about the happy couple if someone asks. Kim, I believe you told me you wanted to help with Starlight today?”

My sister was obviously torn. She’d been wanting to participate more in the horse training, but my father had always forbidden it. I hoped that with Debra, Kim would at least be distracted from Jillian.

Mickie and Ben also stood and gave hesitant nods, partly in confusion, and headed back out. Only Gordon remained with a smirk on his face. “So you actually went through with it. What happens when Jillian actually gets here? You two could barely be in the same room together during your sham of a divorce. Now you’re planning on having her live with you and pretend that you two are still so in love?”

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I leaned against the counter and shrugged. “I’d like to say that we’re older and wiser. Things have changed. She has changed, and not necessarily in a good way. She’s colder.”

“What?” He made a sound that was half snort and half scoff. “She didn’t immediately melt into your arms like you hoped? Please tell me this isn’t about your pride.”

“This is about my land and nothing more,” I growled as I sipped the liquid. “You just make sure that if Harry or Dennis hires a private investigator, you leave enough evidence to show that we’ve been reconnecting for a while.”