I didn't think Sinclair would take kickbacks, but I didn’t know anything about the mayor. “I don’t know about that. The deputy mayor is on the farmers’ side-”
Jasper laughed. “I wouldn’t put all your eggs in that basket, Wyatt. Not a single person in the mayor’s office or board of supervisors is involved in farming. Florence Gilch was the last, but she retired last year. That means there’s no one to represent us when they’re making their laws.”
“They don’t care,” Sam added. “They want progress and jobs, and that’s what Stark is offering them.”
“I’ve been told that if we can unite, convince the town to support farmers, that we can get the mayor and supervisors on our side. We need to band together,” I explained.
“How do we do that?” Sam gave me a hard stare. “Farming is a twenty-four-seven job. When am I going to have time to make picket signs and do sit-ins?”
“Now, Sam, the boy means well. But he’s right, Wyatt. Farmers are struggling as it is to stay afloat.”
I realized that Trina’s fake marriage plan had more merit than I’d considered. Of course, I was all for it because I wanted Sinclair in my life again. But with Sinclair married to me, someone involved in farming would now be in the mayor’s office, which could give people like Sam and Jasper hope. She’d also be in a better position to help us because her bias toward our side would make sense.
It could be good for her as well. If she succeeded in keeping Stark out, she’d have the farmers on her side, which would help her when she ran for Mayor.
She’d been adamant that the idea was dumb, and yet the other night, we’d made gains in terms of our relationship. Granted, having sex didn’t mean we were an item. In fact, the way she left was a pretty clear indication that our interlude was a one-off. Still, she recognized that the crazy idea could work. Of that I was certain.
“Well, I’m not going down without a fight,” I said.
Jasper patted me on the shoulder. “Ah, to be young and strong. I support you, and if there’s something I can do, let me know.”
I paid for my items and tossed them in the back of the truck. I sat for a moment as I worked out my next step. I needed to convince Sinclair that this idea wasn’t as crazy as it seemed.
I drove home and put everything away. Then I showered, dressed in jeans and a button shirt, and hunted down my mother.
“Remember when you said I could have Grandma’s ring?”
My mother’s eyes widened. “Yes. Why?”
“I need it.”
She studied me as she led me to her room, where she pulled out the white gold ring with the half-carat diamond. It was simple and understated, just like Sinclair.
“What are you going to do with it?” she asked as she handed it to me.
“Save the farm.” I tucked the ring in my shirt and headed back out to my truck. On my way to Sinclair’s, I stopped by the road to pick some wildflowers that were growing there, hoping she’d appreciate the gesture. As much as I wanted this to be real, I had to keep in mind that for her, this would be an arrangement. I had to hope that if I convinced her to go along with marrying me, that I’d have time to prove to her I could give her everything I’d once promised.
As I pulled up her drive to the front of her home, I had a moment of nerves. What if she was eating dinner? What if her parents were there? What the hell was I going to say to convince her to marry me?
You’ve been to war, Jones, I said to myself. I’d faced death, I could face this.
I walked up the front steps and rapped on the screen door. “Here goes nothing.” Jesus, I was a fucking idiot.
The door opened a crack. I had to look down to see who opened it. She was a young girl. A kid really.
“Is Sinclair here?” I asked. This was the right house, wasn’t it?
“Hold on.” She left the door ajar as she turned and moved back into the house. “Mama!”
My heart stopped. Mama? The porch spun a little as I tried to wrap my head around what was happening. Sinclair was a mom?
Holy fuck. I stepped back, wondering what the hell I should do. If she was a mom, that meant there was a dad. Except she and I had sex a few days ago. I couldn’t imagine Sinclair cheating, although having a husband would explain how she ran off with that guilty expression when the orgasms were done.
But she didn’t wear a ring. I knew many men didn’t. Had women decided they didn’t need one either?
Then my thoughts turned to what fucker had slept with my woman. Okay, I knew she wasn’t mine. I’d left, and yet in my heart, she’d always been mine. Would always be mine.
The kid was pretty big. At least eight or nine, so it hadn’t been that long after I left that she’d been with someone else. In that moment I realized that while Sinclair had always been first and foremost in my heart, that I wasn’t first in hers. Not since I left. I couldn’t hold that against her, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
It also changed everything. Could I really ask her to go along with this idea with a kid in tow? Not that I cared. I’d be happy to have her child be with us. But I knew kids needed stability. Would Sinclair take on this arrangement and include her daughter knowing it was short term?
I blew out a breath as my world spun around me like a tornado. I finally decided the first thing I needed to do was wait until Sinclair came to the door and I could find out about the child.
As I waited, I wondered if it was time to let my infatuation with Sinclair go. If she did agree to this crazy proposal, could I abandon my effort to win her back?
The answer was a resounding no. I loved her, God dammit. The idea that she had a child didn’t bother me. In fact, there was a part of me that liked the idea. We’d be a family. Granted, I wasn’t the kid’s father, but I could be a father figure. And if I was able to get Sinclair to love me again, we could have more kids. A whole brood of them, like we’d planned.
My house was big enough. It had been added on to several times over the years, and today, along with a grandparent unit, it had five bedrooms and three baths. We could have four kids and each could have their own room.
I laughed at how far ahead of myself I was getting. At the same time, I reaffirmed my resolve to see my original plan through.
I stepped closer to the door again and waited for Sinclair.
14
Sinclair
I was in the kitchen chopping veggies for the salad when Alyssa ran in.
“There’s a man at the door with flowers asking for you, Mama.”
“Oh.” My mother’s eyes glinted, no doubt because she thought I was long overdue for a love life. There were only two people I could think of who’d show up with flowers, and both I didn’t want here. Of course, if it wasn’t Wyatt or Mo Valentine, it could be Stark. I wouldn’t put it past him to butter me up if he got wind that I was organizing opposition to his prison.
I followed Alyssa to the front door and stopped short when I saw Wyatt standing there with a friendly smile.
Oh shit. I’d hoped to keep Alyssa a secret a little while longer until I could sort out the best course of action. Maybe he didn’t know she was my daughter, which could save me from having to tell him he was the father.
“See, Mama.”
Crap. She gave me up. Still, I didn’t have to say anything now. Maybe my being a mother would make him change his mind about me and not be interested. My conscience chastised me because Wyatt had every right to know about Alyssa.
I opened the screen door. “What are you doing here?”
He held up the flowers.
“What’s that for?” Surely, they weren’t a thank you for what happened the other night. Truthfully, if that was the case, I should have been thanking him because as crazy as this situation was, he’d given me two fantastic orgasms.
He nodded his head back and then started down the stairs.
“Go do your homework, baby.”
“It’s summer.” Alyssa looked at me like I’d gone crazy.
&nb
sp; “Go help Grandma then.”
She grumbled but then ran off toward the kitchen. I walked out the door and followed Wyatt as he walked around the house. I guessed he was going to the river.
When I reached him, I asked again. “What are you doing here?”
He stopped suddenly. “You’re a mother?” His tone held an awe or reverence. It surprised me. And it told me he hadn’t guessed as to who the father was.
“Yes.”
He started walking again and I followed. When we reached the tree he said, “I don’t see a ring.”
“Her father isn’t in the picture.” That was the moment I knew I’d burn in hell.
He studied me for a moment and then nodded.
“You still haven’t said why you’re here.”
He smiled sheepishly. “I was planning to make a grand gesture to convince you to go along with this…fake…marriage.” He seemed to stumble over the word “fake.” He thrust the flowers at me. “Sorry, I was distracted by the fact that you had a daughter. She’s beautiful, Sinclair. Just like you.”
I took the flowers. “Thank you. I thought we decided the fake marriage idea was nuts.”
He shook his head. “You decided it was nuts. But now I understand why you’d be so resistant. Still, I think it’s something to consider.”
“Why?” The flowers were lovely. He’d never been romantic when we were together before. He’d never courted me, really. I’d been the one to do all the chasing back then. It was nice to see the effort he was making. A part of me wished it meant something more than just saving his family farm.
“I was at the farm store, and I heard Jasper and a man named Sam talking. Sam is thinking of selling. When I told them about what you were doing, they didn’t have any faith in the mayor’s office. In fact, they seemed to think there were kickbacks from Stark to the mayor and maybe the board of supervisors.”
That wasn’t good.
“They also believed the mayor’s office was abandoning them to pursue progress and jobs, especially since there was no one in the office any longer with ties to a farm.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Florence retired last year,” I said absently as I realized he was right.
I walked toward the water, my mind in a whirl. Things were worse than I thought. “Did you tell them how we were trying to garner support?”
“I did, but they felt like it was on them and they don’t have the time. Running a farm doesn’t allow a lot of time for protesting. With the mayor touting jobs, I think they feel the community will be behind that and willing to sacrifice farming, even for a prison, although I don’t know why anyone would want that in their backyard.”
“I hate that.”
“What?” He came to stand next to me.
“That farmers feel abandoned. Mo is always cautioning me to avoid taking sides. The mayor’s office needs to look neutral and the citizens need to decide. But from what you’re saying, the farmers feel he’s taken sides against them.”
“That’s the feeling I got. I think I could rally them, Sinclair, but they had a point about no farmers in the government. There isn’t anyone representing them.”
I looked up at him. “I am.”
“Yes. I know that. But they don’t. And you’re not a part of a farm. But you could be.”
The ridiculous idea now seemed like the only solution. “I can’t believe I’m considering this.”
“You are?” He sounded shocked.
“I like progress, but getting rid of farming would be like taking the soul out of our community. It’s our history and heritage.”
“So, what are you saying?”
I turned to him. “I’ll do it. I’ll accept your fake proposal and fake marriage.”
A flash of annoyance appeared in his eyes, but then quickly dissipated. I wondered what it was about. I was agreeing with the ridiculous plan.
“Good. I brought you this.” He pulled a ring from his pocket. “I guess that makes it fake official.”
I looked up at him in surprise. “You bought a ring?”
“It’s my grandmother’s.”
Oh Christ, I couldn’t accept that. “Wyatt, I can’t take that.”
“I get that this is fake, but it needs to look real, Sinclair. And by real, I mean you and your daughter come to live at the farm.”
Oh jeez, I hadn’t thought about that either. All of a sudden, I felt like I made a mistake. I shook my head.
“I’m not my father, Sinclair,” his voice was tight. “I won’t hurt her or you.”
I whipped around, not liking that he thought I’d think he might abuse her like his father did him. “I’m not worried about that.”
“What’s the problem then?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stiffened as if bracing for something negative.
“I just don’t want Alyssa to be uprooted and her life turned upside down by this.”
“Alyssa. That’s a pretty name.” He relaxed slightly. “Consider it a vacation or retreat. It’s summer, right?”
I nodded as I reworked all the reasoning about this fake marriage again, and the concerns about what would happen if Alyssa and Wyatt grew close, and then the guilt at thinking that would be a bad thing.
“I’ll do it, but this is a fake marriage. It only lasts until Stark is dealt with and then we get it annulled and go back to our lives.”
He flinched. “Annulled. I think that means-”
“It means to the outside world we’re married, but in the privacy of home, we’re not acting married.”
He looked disappointed, and saying it was hard. But I needed to be clear that this was an arrangement.
“Was it that bad the other night? Because personally, I thought it was spectacular. Better than I’d remembered.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was lovely, Wyatt. But what we’re talking about here is an arrangement.
He cocked his head to the side. “Are you still mad about my leaving? I explained all that-”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with that.” I paused to try and figure out the best way to explain it. “If it was just me, I might be more cavalier about this, but I have Alyssa to think about. I need the boundaries clear for us all. It’s bad enough I’m going to uproot her, I don’t want her getting an idea that this is a real family.”
Pain flared in his eyes. It made my guilt even worse, because the truth was, we were a family.
“I understand.” He held out his hand. “A marriage of convenience until Stark is run out of town.”
I looked at his extended hand and then took it in mine to shake. “Deal.”
He handed me the ring. “This will make it look real in the world. I get that it’s fake, Sinclair, but for this to work, it has to look real.”
“Sinclair?”
I turned to see my mother calling me by the house.
“I’ll be there in a minute, Mom.”
“Is that Wyatt Jones with you?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Well tell him to come join us for supper. It’s on the table getting cold.”
I looked up at him.
He grinned. “You don’t want me to stay, do you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“We’re getting married, Sinclair. Perhaps it’s time they got to know me again since I’ll be their fake son-in-law. And maybe you’ll feel better about me being a fake step-father if your daughter got to know me.”
I swallowed hard, because step-father wasn’t right.
“Okay. You can join us, but nothing about a marriage, fake or otherwise. I need time to figure out the best way to explain this.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll behave, I promise.”
I shook my head, but smiled in amusement.
We walked back to the house together.
“Mrs. Simms, it’s so good to see you,” Wyatt said as my mother hugged him.
“My, Wyatt, you’re a fierce-looking man now. And handsome too,” my mother said with a gla
nce to me.
Wyatt looked at me with his eyebrows up as if to say, your mom likes me.
Inside the house, Wyatt’s manners and charm continued as he shook my father’s hand.
“What brings you out here this evening?” my father asked.
“I had some business with the deputy mayor.”
At least he was keeping up the charade.
“Alyssa, this Wyatt Jones. He was a friend of uncle Ryder’s when we were growing up.”
“You’re the one that ran off to join the soldiers.”
Wyatt looked at me and then her. “Yes, I did. But now I’m running a cattle ranch.”
“Do you have horses?” she asked as we all sat at the table.
“I do. I have several. They help us do our work with the cattle.” He took an ear of corn from the platter my mother held for him. “Do you ride?”
“No.” She gave me a pursed-lip glare. “I want to but my mom says no.”
“Why? Your mom rode all the time growing up.”
I closed my eyes and waited for Alyssa’s wrath.
“What! You got to ride but I can’t? That’s not fair.”
I glared at Wyatt. “I got to ride a few times when Ryder and Wyatt would let me tag along. You don’t have a friend to ride with like that. And we can’t have a horse here.”
“Jasper said his daughter Julie had been offering lessons.”
I was about to throw my water on him if he kept making this hard.
“But she’s moved away,” I said tightly.
“I’ll tell you what,” Wyatt said leaning conspiratorially toward Alyssa. “You can come ride at my place. I’ll teach you.”
“Really?” Alyssa looked up at me with such hope in her eyes. “Can I, Mama? Please?”
I gave Wyatt my I’ll-get-you-for-this glare and then smiled as I turned to Alyssa. “We’ll see what we can arrange.”
15
Wyatt
Personally, I wanted to keep the fake part of this marriage plan a secret from everyone. For this to work, everyone needed to believe that Sinclair and I were in love and getting married, even if it was unbelievable. After all, our romance had been a secret ten years ago.
Fake Marriage (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 9