Marriage At Any Price

He made it sound so simple. She looked at Seth Masters for a long time. “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know if I agree you will give me my ranch when you get your money? How do I know if you’re a decent, honorable man? You could up and walk out and leave me with nothing. Hell, I would be worse off than I am now.”

“Mr. Rucker,” he stated. “He can attest to who I am. And I can fly my legal staff in to prepare the document. Exactly like a prenuptial agreement, in writing and completely aboveboard. You won’t lose this time, Ally.”

“What about you? What if we do this and it ends up that you don’t receive any money from the estate? I mean, do you know for sure you’ll get any funding?”

“It’s a gamble. But I’m willing to risk it.”

“That research center is really important to you, huh?” She frowned, only now realizing what Seth was willing to put on the line.

“It’s become my life. It’s worth taking the risk.”

She looked around the familiar room, the walls calling to her. “How soon would you want to do this?”

“As soon as documents can be prepared. Kathy Chisum, the real estate agent, said they have already had quite a lot of interest. If we don’t make a decision—correction, if you don’t make a decision—pretty quick, the ranch might be sold to someone else and we both lose. The probate hearing is on the eleventh, which is eight days from now.”

She thought about his offer. Without it, she knew realistically she had little to no chance she would ever come home again. Was thinking his plan might work merely a measure of desperation?

“No,” she said finally. “Thanks for the offer, I guess. But no. I’ll have to pass.”

For the longest time, there was silence in the room.

“Then, if you’re ready, I guess we should head back.”

Why did she feel as though the breath had been knocked from her lungs? As they made their way to the front door, the walls seemed to call to her. She remembered the last time she’d walked out of this house, fearing she would never see it again, leaving behind cherished childhood memories. Memories of her father. Her mother. Even her first horse. And now she had the chance to come home permanently and she’d turned it down.

It still wasn’t too late. She could have it...if she believed in Seth Masters. If she trusted him. Something she had no reason to do. He is a Masters, she reminded herself. You’re making the right decision.

Why, then, did it feel so wrong?

He dropped her at her little house without mentioning it again. There was no attempt to convince her to go along with his plan, no telling her she was making a huge mistake, no pleading with her to change her mind or give it additional thought. He bade her good-night, thanked her for her time and disappeared back down the driveway through the trees.

It occurred to her she didn’t know how to find him. But why would she want to find him? She wouldn’t let herself dwell on the answer to that question. She’d made the right decision. It was a scheme formulated by a member of the Masters family, and she was correct in turning it down flat. Was this what had happened to her father? Had Reginald Masters offered him something that meant so much to her dad that he’d gambled everything on an outcome that Mr. Masters knew would never happen? If so, in the end it had cost them everything. The ranch was taken, and her father died of a massive heart attack knowing he’d lost it all. She couldn’t go through it again. She couldn’t. Parting from the ranch a second time was more than she could deal with.

Trust had to be earned. Seth Masters had done nothing to prove himself. If he was setting her up and if she went for it, it would only confirm she was as big a fool as her father. Masters would laugh all the way back to LA.

She dropped down on her small, well-worn sofa. It was either the cruelest thing she’d ever experienced or the chance of a lifetime. Either way, it was done. She had to let it go. But why would he do such a thing if he wasn’t serious? It was a very expensive joke. She couldn’t figure out the catch, but there had to be one.

Grabbing her cell, she punched in Ben Rucker’s phone number.

“Ben,” she said when he came on the phone. “This is Ally Kincaid. What can you tell me about Seth Masters?”

All Ben would say was that Seth was an entrepreneur and sat on the boards of two large regional hospitals in Los Angeles. He couldn’t attest to the man’s nature, but he’d made a positive impression.

What did that mean? Positive. So he was a good liar?

By the end of the next day, Ally was exhausted. On the ranch, she’d made all sorts of stupid, thoughtless mistakes, and when you were working with twelve-hundred-pound horses, stupid mistakes could turn deadly in a heartbeat. But that was what happened when she didn’t get any sleep. The night before, she’d lain in bed, tossing and turning, picturing herself in her home, in her own barn. She remembered the silence of the evenings when a cooling summer breeze swept over the land. She remembered the sound of the horses eating their grain with an occasional low nicker, the smells of sweet alfalfa and leather. Those same sounds and smells were here, too, but they were somehow different. It just wasn’t the same. It never would be. She remembered the pride she’d known when a client or a buyer came to pick up their new future champion, one that she’d bred and trained.

Once back in her cabin for the night, she forced herself to eat a sandwich. Then, stepping into the shower, she relaxed under the warm spray. She had to let it go. The whole idea of marrying a stranger was unconscionable. What if he was abusive? Or had any number of undesirable qualities?

What if he didn’t?

Then she asked herself another question. What if he’d found someone else to marry? He was certainly attractive enough. Most women would probably jump into his arms and hope they stopped by a bedroom on the way to the altar. All he would have to do was show them that grin.

Just as she stepped from the shower, the lights flickered, and a long, low rumble of thunder passed overhead. Usually she loved the rain. Not tonight. It made her aware of how lonely she was. She looked at her bed then glanced around to her closet. Was it go to bed for another sleepless night or grab a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt and see if she could track down Seth Masters? There were only three hotels in Calico Springs...

An hour later the rain pelted her as she entered the front lobby of the Calico Springs Hotel and Suites. Soon she was standing in front of room 214. Without allowing herself a chance to back out, she raised her hand and knocked.

A couple of minutes later, Seth Masters pulled open the door. Bare to his waist, dressed only in formfitting jeans, he leaned one muscled arm against the door frame and looked surprised to see her.

“Ms. Kincaid?” He opened the door wider.

“Yes.” Ally swallowed hard. “And yes. I will marry you, Mr. Masters,” she said, “as long as that document conveys what you told me.”

“It will.”

“So what do we do now?”

He backed up to let her in, that sexy grin on his face. “First, let’s get you dry.”

“And then?”

“And then...tomorrow I’ll have my attorney fly in, and while you provide the information for the legal agreement, I’ll arrange to buy the property.”

“Just like that. You’re going to buy the ranch.”

“Just like that.”

Ally had never believed in fairy tales, but if this proposition was real and not some cruel joke, she was living in one.

* * *

Seth’s attorney, James Buchanan, and his legal assistant arrived by two o’clock the following day, ready to get to work. The fact that Seth let Ally set the conditions gave her added confidence in what she had agreed to do. Ally had no problem with clauses that precluded her from any claim on Seth’s current holdings. Fair was fair. The only thing she wanted was her ranch.

At some point during the afternoon, it finally hit her: she was getting married. Married to a man she didn’t know. At twenty-four years old, she’d honestly never thought about getting married. While her friends in school planned and daydreamed about that special day, Ally’s thoughts had been of horses and taking the winning trophy at quarter horse competitions. All that changed in seconds when she agreed to say “I do.”

The following day Seth picked her up and drove to the county clerk’s office, where they applied for the wedding license. In two days’ time, she’d become Ally Masters.

It was an unbelievable situation, one that would have her father rolling over in his grave if he knew. She put it out of her mind and kept telling herself that Seth wasn’t a real Masters. He was from Los Angeles and not in cahoots with the local members of the family. Sometimes it worked for a few minutes. Then at other times she would look at Seth and see shades of his father and the truth came screaming back at her of how closely Seth was related to the Masters patriarch who had betrayed them, the man who’d taken them for all they had and left her alone struggling to survive.

What was she doing?

* * *

Two days later the civil ceremony was a short, no-frills affair. Mr. Buchanan and his legal assistant served as the witnesses. The surprise came when Seth extracted a black velvet box from his pocket that contained a beautiful diamond-encrusted wedding ring and slipped it onto Ally’s finger. Then he handed her a solid gold band to be placed on his hand, and with a few words from the county judge, they were pronounced husband and wife.

When Seth took her into his arms, their eyes met and the world tipped a little. Ever so slowly Seth lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was gentle, almost soothing. Reassuring. Ally became lost in his touch, in his strong arms. The kiss felt like something more meaningful than a token kiss at a fake wedding ceremony.

Seth lost no time in taking it to the next level, his mouth closing over hers, his tongue entering and tasting, letting her taste him. When they finally drew apart, she glanced up at his face as he released her and caught a twinkle in his amber eyes. Her heart thumped a few hard beats. She hoped she saw merriment in his eyes, that the twinkle didn’t represent the dreaded gotcha.

Either way, it was done. Because land acquisitions and sales were handled by a special department in Masters International, LLC., it was not necessary for any of the Masters brothers to be present for the transfer of the deed. Seth had received a phone call that morning from Cole, welcoming him to the neighborhood. There were three days until the purchase of the ranch was finalized. Another few days until the probate hearing. A few months until he would return to his life in LA. You can handle a few months. What would happen between now and then was anyone’s guess. The only thing she was assured of was that the ranch would be hers. Nothing else mattered.

Returning the waves from Mr. Buchanan and his legal assistant, she let Seth escort her out to his car.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “It’s almost five o’clock. Care to grab a bite to eat?”

“Sure. Whatever you’d like to do.”

She saw him purse his lips to subdue a grin.

Soon they were seated across from each other at a small table in Burdall’s café. Ally couldn’t help but remember the last time they were here. Then, she didn’t even know his name. Now, his last name was hers. Masters. She eyed the glittering diamonds on her left hand.

“You went to a lot of unnecessary expense,” she commented. “The ring is beautiful.”

Seth shrugged. “I guess I’m a bit old-fashioned. I couldn’t see not giving my bride a ring for the ceremony.”

My bride.

“Well, I’ll certainly return it to you before you leave.”

“I’m not worried about it.” He sat back while the waitress placed glasses of ice water on the table and took their order. “So...where are we going to spend the night?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your place or mine?”

“Ah... I thought we would each go back to our own previous living arrangements. You at your hotel and me at the cabin.”

“Not really indicative of a newlywed couple. Remember, this has got to look as real as it is on paper. For all intents and purpose, as far as anyone knows we are in love. Any doubts someone might raise as to the legality of our union might challenge my rights to be considered in the will. In which case, all bets are off.”

Ally could feel the irritation like a slow burn inside. Regardless of what she’d agreed to on paper, she’d never given thought to having to spend the night...nights...with this man. “You never said anything about sleeping together.”

He looked at her, dumbfounded. “I didn’t think it necessary. We are, in fact, legally married. Why bother to tie the knot if you live on one side of town and I stay on the other?”

“Did you or did you not tell me we had to put up a good front when we’re out in public? That does not hold true behind closed doors.”

“Why?”

She leaned over the table toward him. “You know why,” she shot back.

“Do most married couples not stay together? Share living arrangements?”

The waitress set their plates down on the table. The steak appeared cooked to perfection, but she knew if she tried to eat at this moment, she would choke. Her throat was closing until she could barely breathe.

“Yes,” she hissed. “But we are not most couples!”

“Ally, you’re getting upset over nothing. Just because we share a home doesn’t mean something will necessarily happen between us. Don’t get me wrong—” he began to cut his steak “—I’m on board if it does. You’re a very beautiful woman. But it’s your call.”

“Share a home? You mean you intend to move into the house on the ranch?”

Seth looked at her as though she’d told a really bad joke.

“Fine. We can go to my cabin. It has a twin-size bed and a sofa.” He had to be at least six foot two, with broad shoulders. There was little doubt that if he tried to sleep on either the bed or couch, his head would hang off one end and his feet the other. “You can take your pick.”

“When do you have to be out of the cabin?”

“I have it as long as I keep my job, which I intend to do.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“What do you expect me to do? Live in a tree?”

“I expect you to give your resignation and move to your ranch. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I can’t move to the ranch until you close on the property.”

“Which is the day after tomorrow.”

“Regardless, in the meantime I need someplace to live. Plus, I need my salary. Jobs in this area are not plentiful.”

“You don’t need a job. I can supply anything you need. Which reminds me, we are going to need some furniture for the house. In the meantime, we’ll stay at the hotel. Or, if you prefer, we can go on a short honeymoon.”

“That’s ludicrous.”

“It’s expected.”

“Not by me!”

The simmer was back. He expected her to act like the blushing bride and go off to some strange place with him? Not happening.

“Look, Masters.” She quickly looked around them to ensure they weren’t being overheard then lowered her voice. “I’ll play this game only so far. I have zero intentions of getting into bed with a man I’ve known less than a week. You flatter yourself if you think I can be coerced into such a thing. If that’s what you believe, you picked the wrong woman.”

“Mrs. Masters, I never said anything about sharing a bed. That was your own idea. One I’m not opposed to but not one I suggested. We will, however, share accommodations. If you want to explain to your friends and cohorts why we spent our wedding night in a cabin that’s barely large enough for one person, so be it.”

“I had no intention of telling anyone about this sham marriage. That’s your thing, not mine.”

“I don’t care if you spread the news or not, but this is a small town. Sooner or later someone will recognize you and ask about the man you’re with. What are you going to say then?”

Why hadn’t she considered all of this before she signed that stupid contract? Suddenly the ranch didn’t seem all that important. A fleeting picture flashed in her mind of her lying on a feather-soft bed with Seth’s strong arms around her. Of snuggling there, warm and protected. A flare of heat bloomed in her lower region, and she crossed her legs to fight off the sensation. It didn’t help.

“Fine. Have it your way. We can go to your hotel and I’ll take the couch or the floor.”

He smiled and put a bite of steak in his mouth. “It’s not a very big couch.”

“I don’t care.” She sprinkled some salt over her baked potato and began to eat.

“You might after a few nights.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Just keep to your side of the room and do not come into mine.”

At that he smiled then pursed his lips as though to keep from grinning outright.

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Masters.”

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