Page 23 of Fake Christmas Date Cowboy

Haileigh dropped the powder compact back into a large handbag. “I must say that I’m very surprised that you were able to snag any guy to join you this weekend, let alone one so…well-equipped.” She flicked her tongue over her teeth.

The action had Belle’s own teeth gnashing together. Declan wasn’treallyhers, but she still didn’t like this woman having an opinion about him.

Haileigh leaned away from the mirror, straightening with a toss of highlighted blonde hair. “You’re so boring. It’s why Ethan let you go.”

“I dumped hiiim!” she sang out in her sweetest tone.

Haileigh faced her. Belle turned too, holding her stare.

A smile stretched over the woman’s face. “Oh, honey, you shouldn’t be wearing that red top at all with your complexion and hair.”

Anger rippled through her. She preferred comfortable clothes, typically in neutral colors. But when Sarah insisted on helping her pack for this trip she booked for her in the first place, she insisted that the holly-red sweater was perfect for a casual look.

She drew her shoulders back. Who even cared about clothes anyway? Not her. She was more than looks. She wasn’t here to bag herself a rich husband either—something her parents got excited about when she told them about the trip.

Haileigh had changed from her riding clothes into a deep red dress that hugged her cinched, liposuctioned waist. Belle gave her a smooth once-over. “It looks as if we’re both wearing red. Didn’t that happen to you back at senior prom? You and Sadie McMahon wore the same emerald-green sequined mermaid gown. Everyone loved how it looked on Sadie. You just didn’t have the curves for it.”

She dropped her stare to Haileigh’s surgically enhanced bust and then pointedly fixed on her face again.

“Ugh!” Haileigh grabbed her purse and marched to the door, high heels clacking.

As soon as she sailed out in a cloud of designer perfume, Belle let her shoulders droop.

God, she hated that woman. And she hated Ethan even more. Their presence at the event was making Belle’s stay less than perfect, but more than that, it was tripping her inner alarms.

The very ones that warned her that Ethan had more than a screw loose.

He’d doanythingfor that adrenaline rush.

Even rob banks.

He liked money. His lifestyle demanded that he go out and get more and more of it by any means possible.

Whatever they were up to, it was clear to her that they weren’t here for the kids or an authentic cowboy Christmas on the ranch. He could be robbing the guests.

Or the Wyntons.

ChapterSix

Declan’s bodyguard instinct was to position himself near the door of the ladies’ room to watch over Belle. A rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas”projected from the main room. Even though the upbeat song always made him throw up in his mouth a little, right now it wasn’t getting on his nerves so much. Maybe his mood was a little lighter after spending the morning with an amazing woman who made him laugh?

He started to tap his foot but just then the restroom door opened and Haileigh stormed out. His gut clenched.

It probably was no coincidence that the couple ended up in the restrooms with both him and Belle. Which made themmuchmore dangerous in Declan’s eyes.

That asshole Ethan took enough pleasure in getting a few jabs in with him, but women could be so much crueler. He could only imagine the things that Haileigh said to Belle in there.

With his glare fixed on the woman stalking away from him, her red dress flouncing around her calves, he inched closer to the restroom door.

A second later, Belle walked out. His gaze shot to hers. In a blink, he assessed her.

It was a reflex; he was trained to gauge his ward’s moods. Only she wasn’t his ward. She was his fake date, and her personal life wasn’t any of his business.

But if he spotted even the hint of a tear in the depths of those eyes, he was going to make the lives of that power couple a living hell for the rest of the weekend. Christmas trees up the ass, ornaments and all, was just the tip of the North Pole.

He searched Belle’s deep brown eyes. No trace of tears, but she didn’t look happy either.

Actually, she looked upset.

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