Marry Me for Real, Cowboy - Valerie Comer Page 0,12

my mom, Kathryn.”

The woman showed no signs of rising, so Riley tugged her hand out of Adam’s, crossed the space, and knelt by the chair. “I’m so pleased to meet you.”

“And I, you.” Kathryn patted Riley’s arm before looking up at Adam. “You’ve been keeping secrets, son.”

Adam chuckled and drew Riley to sitting on the modern sofa nearby. “I guess I have been.”

Riley leaned back. He could take it from here.

“It may seem kind of sudden, but I fell for Riley the minute I met her. It’s like we fell for each other at just the right instant in our lives. Right, honey?”

She batted her eyelashes up at him. “For sure.” And he hadn’t fallen, no matter how hard she’d run into him.

“When was that?” Kathryn’s dog curled up in her lap, and she stroked his messy hair.

Adam hesitated. “A few months ago, when the rodeo was in New Mexico.”

They’d beefed up their story on the drive up to the ranch and found a time and place where they could have connected. He’d told Riley how much he hated lying, but all this had been his idea, not hers. Everything after Scotty had stomped out of the Golden Grill was on him. She’d just agreed because of the money he dangled in front of her... and the fresh start he offered. And, okay, hiding out for a few months.

“How have you been doing, Mom? Did Cook bring down a plate for you?”

Kathryn’s face clouded. “I wasn’t hungry.” By her thin frame, lack of appetite was a common occurrence.

“I’m sorry to hear you had a bad headache,” Riley commented. “Was it a migraine?”

The other woman rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. “No. Just a tight band around my head.”

A tension headache, then. Adam had said his mom and stepdad’s marriage wasn’t that great. Riley glanced surreptitiously around and noticed a door ajar to a bedroom with dusty pink bedding. Yeah, there was no way Declan would be at home down here. Suddenly, the basement made sense. She’d bet her bottom dollar he’d kept the master suite on the main level when they’d decided to give each other space. Someone had done a fine job decorating this suite, though.

Wait. Was Kathryn a prisoner? No. Couldn’t be. Riley had just read Jane Eyre too recently. If Declan was trying to hide Kathryn, he’d no doubt do a much better job.

“We’re planning a spring wedding.”

Riley jerked against Adam’s arm, but his fingers squeezed hers.

“Maybe we could have it in your garden?”

What garden? Riley’d thought they’d discussed the details. She’d been wrong.

“I’d like my boys to be married in the church.”

“It will just be a small wedding. I... we thought the garden would be perfect.”

We hadn’t discussed a thing, but it was Riley’s job to smile and nod. The wedding would never happen, anyway, so he could just go ahead and have his fun planning a phantom event.

“You told me a few weeks ago that you’d come back to your faith.” Kathryn looked between them. “How about you, Riley? Are you a believer?”

“I...” Riley opened her mouth and closed it again. So much for thinking Kathryn didn’t have a backbone. “Yes.” Riley just hadn’t given it enough thought lately, or she’d never have become embroiled with Raul.

“I’m glad to hear that. When did you make that decision?”

She’d squirm if that wouldn’t give away her discomfort. Even the dog was looking at her. “When I was a child. A neighbor took my sister and me to Sunday school every week, and we went to youth group as teens later.”

“Thank the Lord for godly neighbors who cared about you.”

Riley’d always thought her parents had encouraged it just to have Jodie and her out of the house for a few hours, but maybe it had been God’s hand. If so, she could sure use that intervention again.

Although, maybe God didn’t have any use for liars. She and Adam might say they were Christians, but didn’t that mean they shouldn’t be pretending to be in love and engaged?

Relief swept Adam at Riley’s basic confession of faith. That was definitely a question he should have asked her before — but why? The engagement was as fake as fake could be. He’d be sure to marry a believer when the time came, but that’s not what his deal with Riley was all about. This was a temporary business situation. In a few months, they’d have a public fight and break up. Then they’d shake hands in private, he’d slip her a