Secrets of a Fake Fiancée

by Yahrah St. John

  He had no problem doing the interview and hoped the feature would help to give more respect to the profession of truckers on the road and their importance to a thriving economy. He figured most people didn’t think about how much businesses depended on the trucking industry to deliver their products to consumers.

  “When I talked to Chloe last month, she mentioned that Delphine Ryland would be doing the interview with you,” Nikki said, breaking into his thoughts.

  Delphine Ryland.

  At some point Chloe had given him the woman’s name and number, and he’d put the contact into his phone list. “Do you know her?”

  “Delphine? Yes, I know her.”

  Gannon shouldn’t have been surprised since he knew of Nikki and Chloe’s past working relationship and current friendship. Before Nikki’s marriage to Jonas, she had freelanced as a photographer for Simply Irresistible on occasion. It stood to reason that she would also know some of the people who worked for the magazine.

  “I just missed a call from Ms. Ryland.”

  Nikki nodded. “She was probably calling to remind you about the interview. Making sure you didn’t forget since she was to arrive in town this weekend.”

  “No problem. I’ll return her call tomorrow.”

  “Delphine’s a nice person and a great journalist. You’re going to like her, Gannon.”

  He decided not to say anything to that because he was a man who liked all women, and he figured his feelings for Delphine Ryland would be no different.

  * * *

  Glancing at her cell phone, Delphine released a huge sigh. She had placed two calls to Gannon Steele over the weekend and he had yet to get back in touch with her. It was important that she do a good job on this project and Gannon Steele was the last CEO to interview.

  So far, she’d done interviews with Ron Paulus, the pizza CEO who often dropped into his stores to make deliveries, Jack Zelle, the owner of a huge manufacturing company who had no problem rolling up his sleeves to help get orders out of his warehouse, and Nathan Beam, who owned a slew of restaurants and often worked as a waiter. All those CEOs had something in common. They believed connecting with their employees was empowering and that the best leadership style was to not ask their employees to do anything that they themselves wouldn’t do.

  From her research, she knew Gannon Steele was no different. Since taking over at Steele Trucking Company when his father retired close to five years ago, the thirty-three-year-old CEO had transformed the company. Steele Trucking Company was already a multimillion-dollar enterprise, and he’d not only grown the wealth tenfold, but had also made it into a family-oriented business.

  Gannon had listened to his employees, and he himself had traveled the routes they’d driven when he’d occasionally left the office to get behind the steering wheel of a rig. Doing so had given him firsthand knowledge of truckers’ challenges.

  As a result, he had implemented a number of changes that made life better for the truckers and their families whenever the drivers were away. He had opened several schools for the children of his employees and made sure a support system was in place to assist the families when the long-distance truckers were on the road. He’d even offered a tuition-paid program, where his truckers could go back to school to get their GED, professional certifications or even bachelor’s degrees. The tuition program extended to the truckers’ families, as well, eliminating a big source of stress. Then, on top of everything else, he’d raised the salary for his workers, making them the highest paid in the industry and making Steele Trucking Company one of the most sought-after employers in the state of Arizona. Already Gannon had graced the covers of a number of professional magazines as the boy wonder of the trucking industry.

  Simply Irresistible was a magazine that catered to today’s up-and-coming woman. The magazine’s most popular edition still remained the annual Irresistible Man issue. The feature included a cover shoot and an in-depth story about a man who the magazine felt deserved special recognition because he was simply irresistible in both looks and how he’d made a positive impact on society.

  In the past, many notables had graced the cover, including sports figure LeBron James, wealthy rancher Ramsey Westmoreland, professional motorcycle racer Thorn Westmoreland and former movie star turned rancher Walker Rafferty. A few months ago, the board chose Gannon Steele for this year, not only because of his accomplishments, but also because of his sexiness. The staff at Simply Irresistible knew the man featured on the cover needed to be thought of by their readers as a fantasy lover.

  From the research Delphine had done and all the photographs she’d collected of Gannon Steele, he could definitely be a woman’s fantasy lover. He certainly got her vote. The man’s green eyes would make any woman drool. So here she was in Phoenix, ready to do the interview, and yet she couldn’t get in touch with the guy.

  Her boss, Lucia Westmoreland, who knew Gannon personally because of family connections, had given Delphine his cell-phone number and told her that Chloe Westmoreland, the CEO of Simply Irresistible, had already given Gannon Delphine’s. That made her wonder why he wasn’t accepting her calls. Had he changed his mind about doing the interview?

  That thought sent nervous chills down her body. The last thing she wanted was to let down Chloe or Lucia when they’d been so good to her. They’d given her a chance because they’d seen the same ambition in her that they’d seen in each other at the start of the magazine. Chloe had launched it right out of college, and when she expanded the business to Colorado, she’d called on her best friend from college, Lucia, to manage the Denver office. Chloe hadn’t intended to remain in Denver, but she and Lucia ended up marrying two brothers, and now Lucia mostly ran the business full-time, while Chloe worked from home while raising her family and assisting her husband in his sheep-ranching business. Like Lucia, Chloe also knew Gannon personally because of family connections.

  Delphine would always be indebted to both Chloe and Lucia for giving her a job as a journalist. After her breakup with Liddell Bartley, it had been her plan never to return to Denver. She’d been heartbroken when the man she loved—the man she thought loved her in return—had sent her a Dear Jane letter a month before the wedding, letting her know he’d fallen in love with someone else.

  But her mother’s health made it necessary for Delphine to move back to Denver. She hadn’t known just how ill her mother had been until Lucia had written to tell her. Lucia’s mother and Delphine’s own had been best friends while growing up in Denver. Although Delphine’s mother hadn’t wanted her daughter to find out just how bad her condition was and had sworn Lucia’s mother to secrecy, Lucia hadn’t felt that secrecy extended to her. She’d been compelled to let Delphine know the true nature of her mother’s health.

  No longer caring that returning to Colorado would place her in an awkward position when it came to Liddell, Delphine had quit her job in New York to return to Denver to become her mother’s sole caretaker. Knowing the time and attention Delphine would need to give her mother, Chloe and Lucia had offered her a job as a freelance journalist so she could work from home while contributing to the magazine. That was what she’d done for three years.

  After her mother passed away last year, Delphine took a full-time position at Simply Irresistible. She enjoyed her work and the assignments she’d been given. The thing she liked the most was that her assignments, more often than not, took her away from Denver for weeks at a time. That helped with the grieving process.

  The two of them had been close ever since her father had left her mother for another woman and hadn’t once looked back. Delphine had been six years old at the time. She honestly didn’t know now if he was alive or dead, and frankly, she didn’t care. That seemed to be the story of the Ryland women’s lives.

  The men they loved left them for other women.

  The unexpected ringing of her cell phone made Delphine jump. The caller ID indicated it
was Gannon Steele, returning her call. “Yes?”

  “Ms. Ryland, this is Gannon Steele. I apologize for not returning your calls earlier, but we had a wedding in my family this weekend and I’ve been quite busy.”

  She suddenly recalled that Lucia had mentioned there would be a Steele wedding, but Delphine hadn’t known it would be happening this particular weekend. “No need to apologize, Mr. Steele. I understand.” She inhaled deeply to get past the sound of his voice, a deep, rich baritone that reminded her of Barry White. Unexpected tremors flowed through her.

  “So when can we get together?” he asked her.

  She knew his question wasn’t personal. They had both agreed to meet for the interview. But at that moment the sound of his voice had her imagining other possible scenarios, too. She shook her head, knowing none were realistic. During her research she’d discovered more about Gannon Steele than just his business accomplishments. She also knew he was the last of what the women in Phoenix referred to as the Bad News Steeles. With another brother married off, he was the only single one left. His and his brothers’ reputations with women were legendary. Now she wondered if Gannon Steele intended to carry the banner proudly as the last remaining one of the sexy Steeles.

  “I’m available whenever you are.” Too late, she wondered if her response had come off as unprofessional. Before he could answer, she added, “I’m available to meet with you to discuss the magazine’s interview whenever you are, Mr. Steele.”

  “Okay, what about tonight over dinner.”

  Dinner? He wanted to meet over dinner? She swallowed deeply, reminding herself that the offer was only business. There was no need to freak out. Too bad he was the first man who’d gotten her attention since her breakup with Liddell five years ago. And he had grabbed her attention just from the photographs she’d seen and the research she’d done. A lot of women considered him a charmer.

  “Ms. Ryland?”

  Hearing him say her name made her realize she hadn’t agreed to meet him for dinner. “Yes, Mr. Steele, just tell me where to meet you and—”

  “Sorry, but thanks to my mother, I’m old-fashioned. Business or otherwise, if I invite a woman out, then I’m responsible for making sure she gets there and back. Just tell me the name of your hotel and I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven, if that time is acceptable to you.”

  She also knew all about his mother, the beautiful and vivacious Eden Tyson Steele, a former international model whose face had graced the covers of such magazines as Vogue, Cosmo and Elle. She could see the woman teaching her six sons about the value of respecting women, even if their philandering behavior would tempt them to do otherwise.

  “I’m staying at the St. Laurent.”

  “I know exactly where that is. I will see you at seven, Ms. Ryland.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  Delphine hung up the phone and wondered what it would be like to sit across from Gannon Steele and talk business. Of course, she would thank him for agreeing to do the interview. She’d heard it was often hard to get their subjects to agree to be on the cover of their Irresistible Man issue. It seemed Gannon Steele hadn’t balked at the idea. Instead, according to Lucia, he had even been flattered that she’d asked. That would certainly make Delphine’s job of interviewing him easier.

  A lot of women considered truckers hot, and Delphine was curious about them, as well. Was it true that a trucker had a girl waiting for him at every truck stop? And that the truck was often used for more than just hauling merchandise? Of course, she wouldn’t ask Mr. Steele those specific questions, but she couldn’t help wondering.

  Glancing at her watch, she saw that she had five hours to kill before he arrived, and she intended to put them to good use. This would be the first time in nearly five years that she’d gone out with a man. Even if the evening was nothing more than a business dinner, she intended to look her best.

  * * *

  Gannon parked his car, quickly got out and headed for the entrance of the hotel. A traffic jam on the interstate had made getting here on time a challenge, but he’d arrived with ten minutes to spare. When he entered the lobby, he recalled that he’d been here a number of times before, with several women. All of whom had known the score and been well aware that he was not looking for a lasting relationship. He was a between-the-sheets sort of guy and the women he slept with knew it. Most weren’t looking for anything more serious than he was.

  Of course, there were always women with love and marriage on their minds. Those were usually the ones who were one-and-done. Rarely did he repeat an evening with them. Only three that he recalled could make that claim. Gannon knew that when he got married it would be because he was ready to settle down. Like he’d told his brother Galen yesterday, he didn’t see that happening anytime soon. He was sticking to his ten-year plan.

  According to his watch, he still had five minutes, so he let his mind wander to his upcoming plans. He was looking forward to getting on the road and out of the office for a couple of weeks. He knew his right-hand man, Ozzie Hazouri, would handle things in his absence. Gannon would be heading south to Florida. Once he parked his rig, he would get a rental car and drive to Miami to his beach house. A week there would definitely revitalize him. With this being the end of April, he was two months from the halfway mark of the year. There were still goals he wanted to achieve in his thriving business. He intended to...

  “Mr. Steele?”

  He blinked, going temporarily speechless when a woman stepped in front of him. Granted, he’d never met Delphine Ryland and hadn’t really thought about what to expect, but he definitely hadn’t expected the woman standing in front of him. Damn, she looked absolutely, positively beautiful. So beautiful that all he could do was stand there and stare. Or was he gawking?

  She had large, expressive eyes that were chestnut brown, shoulder-length curly brown hair with streaks of golden blond, styled to complement her oval face, and strikingly high cheekbones. But what really had him spellbound were lips that looked so indisputably enticing that he was tempted to lean in and give them one hell of a kiss. He was what his brothers often called a “lips” man.

  Her lips were perfectly shaped, appealing to everything male within him. Just looking at her mouth made it impossible for him to think straight. Hell, he honestly couldn’t think at all.

  “Mr. Steele?”

  Her repeating his name made him quickly grab control of his senses. No woman had ever captured his attention like this before. “Yes, I’m Gannon Steele. Sorry for staring, but you remind me of someone,” he lied, hoping that excuse would cover his initial reaction to seeing her.

  “I do?”

  At that moment, he appreciated his ability to think on his feet. “Yes, and the resemblance is uncanny.”

  He was satisfied with his response. If she ever caught him staring at her again, she would assume he was thinking of her look-alike, who didn’t really exist, instead of being fascinated with her. And he would admit to being fascinated by her, but then, he was a man and, quite frankly, any man would be taken with her.

  Even if her looks hadn’t captivated him, the outfit she was wearing would have certainly done so. On any other woman the dress would probably have looked okay, but with her small waist, curvy hips and shapely legs, “just okay” wasn’t even close. “A vision of mouthwatering lusciousness” would be more appropriate.

  He extended his hand to her. “And you’re Delphine Ryland, right?”

  She smiled, and when she did, it seemed the lights in the hotel’s lobby shone brighter. “Yes, I’m Delphine Ryland. I knew who you were the moment I saw your green eyes.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks to my mom, my brothers and I are easily recognized.”

  Gannon released her hand even as he thought it felt too good encased in his. “Ready?” he asked her.

  “Yes.”

  “I hope you’re hungry
. The restaurant I selected serves the best steaks in town.”

  She chuckled and the sound was warm and inviting. “Yes, I’m hungry. I skipped lunch.”

  “Well, I didn’t skip lunch but I’m still hungry,” he said, walking beside her out of the hotel and toward his parked car. “I have quite a hearty appetite. According to my mother, it’s because I’m still growing.”

  Copyright © 2020 by Brenda Streater Jackson

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  ISBN: 9781488062919

  Secrets of a Fake Fiancée

  Copyright © 2020 by Yahrah Yisrael

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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