The Rancher's Fake Girlfriend - Leslie North Page 0,61

she walked. Somehow, she wasn’t what he expected from a mayor’s assistant in a small town. They’d emailed and spoken on the phone to make his travel arrangements, so he’d known that she’d be intelligent and friendly. He just hadn’t expected her to be so appealing.

As soon as she was seated, she reached for a glass of water and he could see that her hand still trembled. She put it back down without taking a sip before dropping her hands out of sight.

“Well, first let me thank you again for agreeing to be part of our rodeo.” Her tone was crisp. “I can assure you that the proceeds are going to a good cause.”

“Rafael said a fire took your community center.”

“Yes, a few months ago.” A twinge went across her face, but it was gone before he could be sure of what it meant. “Unfortunately, the building was a total loss, but we hope to rebuild quickly. And a rodeo seemed like a good way to raise interest in the project and collect the needed funds.”

“I’m happy to help,” Cal said.

“Nice of you.” Her tone and expression softened, and despite himself Cal felt an attraction to her. Then he remembered the ring. She was somebody else’s wife, and he’d never been that kind of man. “Okay, so I’ve worked out a schedule with what I’m told is the usual sort of promo if you’d like to take a look.”

He studied the paper she placed in front of him. Promotional tours were nothing new and he didn’t see anything on the list that he objected to. “Seems good.” He met her gaze and saw the haunted look again. She cleared her throat and looked away.

He thought about letting it drop, pretending that everything was normal—but he was going to be here for a solid month, and that was a real long time to ignore an elephant in the room. “Amy, I sure wish you’d tell me what’s wrong. Do you not want me here?” He thought that would be odd, but you never knew. Maybe she had another rider in mind for the rodeo.

“Of course, Darby Crossing wants you,” she said with another pleasant, but quite sincere smile. “You’ll be a huge draw for the rodeo, and we’ll be rebuilding in no time.”

“Maybe you just don’t like us rodeo types,” he suggested, trying to get to the heart of the matter.

She sighed and sat back in her seat, the forced cheerfulness fading. “It’s not that either. It’s nothing to do with you or the rodeo at all, truly. I’m sorry if my behavior isn’t welcoming.”

“I didn’t say that,” Cal said cautiously. “You just seem uncomfortable with me.”

She glanced toward the only window in her office and seemed to focus on the pine tree outside it. Silence hung in the air until she spoke in a low tone. “It’s just that you look so much like my husband. He died in a car accident four years ago. It was a shock seeing you. That’s all. Nothing personal.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your husband.” And he was. He didn’t like the idea of her suffering, and she clearly had. Her words also explained the strange reaction of the folks out on the street. “Maybe it would be better if I left town. I’ve got plenty of connections in the rodeo world to find a replacement rider for you.”

“No, no.” She straightened. “You’re a great choice for us.” Her smile returned. It was still a little uncertain, but brighter than it had been. “Such a strange coincidence though, isn’t it? The kind of thing that happens in movies.”

“I guess so,” he said, but a thought formed in his head that nagged at him.

Before wrapping up, he agreed to meet her for a welcome to town dinner. Since he had some time, Cal made his way to where he’d be staying. The mayor’s office had found him a locally owned bed and breakfast. The owner personally escorted him to a suite that was a little old-fashioned, but was still bigger and nicer than many of the places Cal had stayed.

Once he was alone, he sank down on the couch and placed his phone on the coffee table in front of him. He was considering calling his parents. He was going to call them, but he wasn’t sure of the conversation he’d start. Since he was a little kid, his folks had been honest with him about his adoption. They’d gotten him as a baby, and