Hanna tried her best not to collapse on the floor laughing when she took the magazine from Lilith.
Will seemed like he was in a good mood at breakfast since his eye was finally looking a bit better, a big change over the last two days when he’d been a grouch and a half, so he obviously hadn’t seen the tabloid.
She was surprised that it had hit the press this soon. They must have needed a big story and inserted it at the last minute. His picture had already made the rounds on social media, but they had determined just to ignore it at this point.
But this. Oh goodness. Will was going to be ticked off big-time.
Maybe she could just hide it….
“Have you shown this to Will yet?”
Lilith’s sheepish grin smelled of guilt. “No. I thought since you’re engaged to him, you could do the honors.”
Hanna let out a hefty breath. “Thanks a lot.” Although Hanna’s vote was that giving birth to him was the higher honor at the moment and much more deserving of such a task.
But before she could protest, Lilith skittered off, muttering about some chores in the barn she was late for.
Hanna had seen that barn in the tour yesterday. They had a small handful of laying chickens and one very old horse. The chores were definitely not dire.
“What do you have there?”
She whirled around at the sound of William’s voice. He stood in the entryway of the kitchen, his shoulder resting on the doorjamb. “I, um, just a magazine. What are you up to today? I haven’t seen you since breakfast.”
“Helped Dad fix a fence. You know, macho stuff like that.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize CEOs were so handy.”
He winked at her, and her heart rebelled with its gleeful skipping. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
She knew much more lately, actually. The few nights they’d been there, he’d taken up the habit of sneaking upstairs after everyone was asleep. At first, it scared the crazy out of her. But except for that one moment the first night, he’d been super respectful and kept his distance. Even pulled the chair a little farther from the bed.
And she’d taken to wearing a T-shirt and shorts to bed instead of her normal nightgowns.
As much as she loved being here, she felt a little cornered during the day. Harrison or Lilith were always with them or taking them somewhere. There had been no time to discuss a plan for the interview or anything.
Not that they’d talked about all that in their midnight chats. Oddly, they’d discussed Hanna’s mom and Claire mostly. Even talked a little about God.
Which scared Hanna the most.
Will’s feelings ran deep on the subject, much past her own theological IQ. While she missed her mom and had prayed for her recovery, she knew where her mom was. And as much as it hurt, her mom had made it clear she was at peace with God taking her home, and that made Hanna at peace, too. Most days anyway.
But she had no idea how to combat Will’s anger at God.
And it scared her more than a little that she’d almost married a guy who hated God.
She’d known he wasn’t where she was spiritually, but on the show, they’d talked about it very little. He’d grown up in church. He knew there was a God. It just seemed natural that he was a believer as well.
The blame rested on her shoulders for that, though. Deep down, she’d known. She just hadn’t wanted to accept it.
And marrying a guy who didn’t love Jesus was not an option.
She’d already done enough to catch God’s ire. She’d had the oxen and yoke analogy buried into her brain in Sunday school for as long as she could remember.
Yet here she was, engaged to a guy who thought God was evil.
Lovely.
Will cleared his throat. “Hello! Hanna? What world did you escape to?”
She snapped her gaze up to his, his eyes crinkled at each corner in a smile. A smile that wouldn’t last very long. “I’m sorry. My thoughts ran away with me.”
“I asked what was so interesting about the magazine that you had a death grip on it.”
Hanna took a deep breath. Best get it over with. “You might want to sit down.”
Smile: gone. Frown: returned. “What’s it say?”
She pointed to the couch in the living room behind him. “Seriously. Sit.”
He snatched the magazine from her fingers before she could readjust her grip. His eyes scanned the page, widening the longer he scanned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He flipped to the detailed pages like a madman on a mission.
She hadn’t even gotten that far. Was afraid to look.
After a minute of reading, he shoved the magazine back into her hands and pounded into the living room to stand in front of the fireplace, a hand on the mantel and his face turned downward.
“Will…”
He turned and looked at her, eyes narrowed. “You don’t even seem upset. Finally glad to have the tables turned, right?”
Guilt nipped at her heels as she remembered her moment of humor when she’d first seen it. But it was a wee bit of a vindication. In all past articles, she’d taken the brunt of the ire from the media. It was nice not to be the one on the front page.
But she felt bad for him. This was a pretty low blow to his male ego. “I’m sorry, Will. I really am. I guess—maybe I’m getting used to brushing it off or something.”
As she said it, the truth of the statement hit her.
The crazy stories still stung, but not as much as they had. She was beginning to roll her eyes and recognize it as the trash it was.
She just hoped others reading it would do the same.
“Well, we knew they’d run something. I just didn’t expect this.”
“Me either. What do you want to do?”
He turned around and took a breath, his body a little more relaxed. “Actually, I just got off the phone with Emma. They’ve rescheduled the ALIVE interview for Monday. My eye should be close to normal by then. We’re going to skip the late-night one though, if that’s okay with you. They couldn’t reschedule until next Wednesday, and I need to get back to Nashville.”
“So we’ve got the weekend here, right?”
“Yup.”
Her eyes met his, and she tried to read his thoughts. A futile effort. “What then, Will?”
“What do you mean?”
She sank onto the couch and curled her legs underneath her. At some point, she’d started acting like this was home and not caring about things like putting her feet on the couch. That was so not like her. “I mean, what do we do after the interview? Do we go back to Nashville? Do I go home to Dad? What do we tell them? We’ve only really talked about it far enough to announce our engagement and explain ourselves to the media. I’ve put my life on hold for this, Will.”
He settled next to her in his typical in-charge, elbows-on-knees stance. “I know. We’re doing this to help each other, remember?”
The man was a master at spinning things to look “good.” Hanna was a master at seeing things at face value. “No, we’re doing this to help ourselves. It will help clear my name and help keep your job. This is a lot of things, but selfless and benevolent aren’t any of them.”
“You don’t think I’d do this if my job wasn’t on the line?”
“Not a chance on earth.”
He sat back and stared at her for a moment. Unable to handle the scrutiny, Hanna reached for her bracelet, a gift from Carly, and twirled it around her wrist.
Will reached over and grabbed her hand, and the silver bracelet fell off to the hardwood floor with a clatter. “I would, Hanna. I know you don’t believe me now, and maybe it wasn’t always true. But right now, I’d give up my job in a heartbeat if I thought it’d help you.”
He sounded so sincere. So honest. Contrite.
But the only problem was…
She didn’t believe him farther than she could throw a hundred-dollar bill.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dress nice,�
� Will had said.
What in the world did that mean? Nice as in slacks or evening wear?
She didn’t own anything formal, so she hoped that wasn’t what he expected.
Instead, she threw on what hopefully would be tolerable in either case. A knee-length, black skirt that had the potential for a fantastic twirl and a ruffled blouse to go with it. It was one of two options she had for Monday, so this would leave her with only one. But the other outfit included dress slacks, which would probably be best for the interview anyway. It would avoid the worry about making sure her legs were crossed just right.
Their “deep” discussion in the past and the tabloid thrown out in the trash, Will had resumed his midnight excursion to the bonus room last night like nothing was amiss.
Hanna had decided that, for now, it was best to let the sleeping monsters get their rest. No need waking them until absolutely necessary.
He’d announced that they were going out tonight, and she was to look her beautiful self.
His words, not hers.
She assumed he wanted to face the cameras head-on, show that they were still together and that Wild Will was intact and in one piece, not almost hospitalized by a girl who beat him up.
Was it horrible that she could barely squelch a giggle every time she thought about it? Probably.
After dotting on a minimal amount of makeup so it didn’t look like she was trying too hard, she slipped on her dreaded heels and headed downstairs.
She’d give her last rifle to wear a pair of tennis shoes tonight.
Will sat in the living room, like he had come courting and was waiting to whisk her away on a date. It almost felt like she was back on the set of The Price of Love, except instead of a handful of other women seething with jealousy, she had Will’s parents smiling like they’d just won the daughter-in-law lottery.
Not that she was “lottery” status. But knowing their thoughts made this ruse even more difficult.
She was betraying two very kind, loving people. And the fact that it didn’t even seem to faze Will was just confirmation that their relationship would never have lasted.
She couldn’t stand liars.
Now she was one of them.
And wow. One look at Will made her need to sit down.
While she was used to him in a suit, he was usually clean shaven and all proper looking.
She hadn’t realized how scruffy he’d gotten the last few days. But in his sports coat and slim black tie with a dark black shadow on his face…
He had gone from professional handsome to rugged sexy.
Her palms suddenly felt sweaty, and her heart tripled its pace. Since when did Will have that effect on her? Maybe she should turn and run back upstairs.
Before she could, Will spotted her and stood, and in a move that made blood rush to her already flushed cheeks, he let out a low whistle. “You look fantastic.”
Yeah right. She looked like a frumpy schoolgirl compared to him. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure where we were going so—”
He took two strides and held out his elbow for her, ever the gentleman, and looked her in the eyes, the heat in his gaze melting her. “You are gorgeous.”
Hanna lectured her heart to slow down to at least a trot instead of its current full-on gallop. The man was putting on a fine show for his parents. That was all. And she’d do best to remember that. “Thanks. You ready to go?”
He escorted her to the rental car, and twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a swanky looking restaurant, the kind that has high, even numbers for prices instead of $9.99 specials.
Instead of parking, William pulled to the curb where a man in a suit opened her door. “Welcome, ma’am.”
Oh, this was rich. Literally.
Determined not to be rude, she took the valet’s offered hand and stepped from the car. “Thank you.”
Will tossed the keys to him and, in a possessive hold, put a hand on the opposite side of her waist and pulled her flush to his side. He leaned down to her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. “Gawkers at ten o’clock.”
Reality filtered into her rattled head. Yes. Right. Cameras.
Flipping into actress mode, she laid her head on his shoulder as they walked, and wrapped an arm around his back as well. She could see the picture now. They would make a cozy pair.
Inside the restaurant, the scents of flame-grilled meat mixed with the tart smell of seafood, both of which made her put a hand on her belly, hoping it wouldn’t give a starved growl. She’d only had half a sandwich for lunch earlier to make sure she saved room.
Will gave their name, and they were immediately seated at a private booth in the back of the dining area.
She was fairly certain she’d seen him wet the palm of the hostess’s hand with a few green bills.
“Today’s special is smoked salmon with pea soup. May I start you off with a bottle of wine?”
Will eyed her.
Hanna smiled at the waitress and shook her head. “I’m fine with water, thank you.”
“Same for me.”
The waitress nodded and left, and Hanna took her napkin and spread it over her skirt. “You could have had wine if you wanted.”
He just shrugged. “Water sounded good.”
She didn’t buy that for a second. He’d told her a long time ago that he was a bit of a wine connoisseur, but still, it was sweet that he tried to make her at ease, even though she had no problem if he had a drink. It just wasn’t her thing.
Picking up the one-page menu, Hanna glanced over the options.
This wasn’t just a “no cents” establishment.
Half of the items displayed “Market Price” next to them. Maybe that was better. She would be blissfully unaware of the amount of money she was putting into her mouth.
Will put down his menu. “So what sounds good?”
Hanna peered over the sheet of paper. “Do you recommend anything?”
“The sushi is to die for.”
She tried not to snort when she laughed. “I think if I ate sushi, I might actually die for real. I was thinking about the filet, actually.”
“Good choice.”
After their orders were taken, Will slid a red envelope across the table, her name printed in boxy, decidedly male handwriting.
“What’s this?”
He smiled and nodded. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Open it.”
Happy what?
A moment later it dawned on her.
Today was February fourteenth.
They’d been rather secluded the past few days, so it hadn’t even occurred to her.
Their little date made more sense now.
Fingering the card, she glanced up. “I forgot. I don’t have a card for you.”
“I didn’t expect you to. Now open it.”
She slid a nail under the paper flap, pulled out the card, and suppressed a grin.
The cover sported Mickey and Minnie Mouse looking like they were flirting, with hearts dotted above their heads.
Inside was a corny little verse she didn’t even read.
Her eyes skipped to the handwritten note below. “Will you be my valentine? –Will.”
Not able to keep the smile from her lips, she glanced up at him and the small square box he held in his hand. “Will, you didn’t have to.”
“You have to say yes in order to get the present.” His eyebrows wiggled as he teased her with the petite velvet package.
Cameras, cameras, cameras. It was just for the cameras. She had to remember that. Turning on the charm, she accessed her inner drama queen and laid it on thick, complete with a hand clap of glee and a mini squeal. “Oh, I’d be happy to be your valentine, my sweet.”
He winked and slid it across the table.
Opening the gift, she sucked in her gasp. A pair of shiny, dangly diamond earrings stared back at her.
Like, real diamonds. Not the fake stuff for $19.99 she usually splurged on.
She hoped he didn’t expect th
em back when this thing was over.
As if he could read her thoughts, he reached across the table and squeezed her hands. “They’re yours, Hanna. To keep forever. A token of how thankful I am for you.”
She swallowed the lump that was preventing her reply and nodded. “I—I don’t know what to say. They’re beautiful.”
He withdrew his hand and took a sip of water. “Now, if you behave the rest of the night, I might have one more surprise for you back at the house.”
She couldn’t imagine anything more surprising than this.
The flash from a camera phone a few tables over where two women were whispering barely registered in her brain.
Yeah. Nothing surprised her anymore.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Hanna gripped Will’s arm to keep from falling in shock as they walked toward the house.
There, in a rocking chair on the front porch beside Harrison and Lilith, sat Carly.
Will beamed from ear to handsome ear. “Surprised?”
She could only nod. He leaned down and whispered for her ears only. “Carly is going to be sharing your room for the weekend, so I guess this means no more midnight chats.”
Oddly, the thought made her sad.
But only for a moment because she found herself squeezed in a hug by her best friend.
“Carly! What in the world are you doing here?”
Her friend punched Will in the arm playfully. “Your man here flew me in to surprise you. Thought you’d like to see a familiar face before the big day.”
The big day?
As in—wedding day?
Confused, Hanna looked from beaming Carly to proud Will and narrowed her eyes. “The big day?”
Will rubbed a hand up her arm. “Yeah, you know, the interview Monday? The whole reason we’re here?”
Oh, yeah. That big day. Duh.
She really needed to get “wedding” off her mind.
Hanna moved from Will’s side and linked arms with Carly. “Have they shown you around yet?”
“Yeah, I put my bags in the bonus room with you. It’s okay if we bunk together?”
“I’d be mad if we didn’t. I’m in desperate need of girl talk.”
They started toward the house, and Will cleared his throat.
The Engagement Plot Page 13