And not get caught in a lie.

  Hopefully, Daniel would text her in enough time to brief her on what he’d said about her. If she was lucky, it would be easy to remember. Otherwise, she would be second-guessing her responses all night.

  Zoe gave Charming one last pat on his neck then released his lead rope and exited the corral. In about twenty minutes, her tour group would be arriving, and she needed to be ready. After the ride, she could prepare herself for the official meeting with his parents.

  She laughed to herself as she made her way back to the barn. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told him he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. If he survived a week of being in a fake relationship with her, then maybe she would have to reconsider breaking it off afterward.

  Chapter Three

  Daniel still couldn’t believe this was working in his favor. Zoe was something else. He just had to last for a week. Seven days and his family would be out of his hair. The relief over having passed this first step was short-lived.

  There was a lot he hadn’t considered, stuff that Zoe had thought of immediately.

  Like how he’d told his family some things about her that he wasn’t sure of. At least he got her job right.

  Daniel tapped his phone on his hand as he waited for Zoe to respond to his text message. They should probably meet a little before dinner so they could go over what they might be asked. He paced near the window in his bedroom, growing more antsy than before.

  “You look nervous.”

  Daniel jumped and spun around to find his brother leaning in the doorway. Confusion flitted through him. “How did you—”

  “Your roommate let me in.” Michael thumbed over his shoulder. “Though you could have made it a little easier for me to find you. Do you know how many rooms I had to knock on to find someone who knew which one was yours?”

  Michael’s gaze swept through the room then landed on Daniel. “Pretty nice digs. I didn’t realize they let you stay on site here.”

  “I take care of their horses. If there’s an emergency…” Daniel shook his head, a scowl crossing his features. “What are you doing here, Michael?”

  His brother shrugged as he entered the room. “Can’t I hang out with my big brother without the third degree?”

  “No, you can’t. There’s always a reason you show up, and most of the time, it isn’t a good one.”

  Michael smirked at him. “You think so little of me.”

  “Oh, on the contrary. I think you’re too smart for your own good.” And if anyone was going to see through his fake girlfriend, it would be Michael.

  The smile his brother wore stretched wider. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

  “That’s because it wasn’t one.”

  Michael chuckled then plopped down on the bed. “So. Zoe isn’t pretend. When I convinced Mom and Dad to come out here to see you, I thought for sure we’d get here and there wouldn’t be a girlfriend to meet.”

  Daniel’s brows shot up. “You were the one who convinced them to come?”

  “Guilty.”

  He let out a groan. “Why would you do that?”

  “What? I thought you didn’t have anything to hide. Or do you?”

  Daniel froze, his dark gaze drilling into his brother. “It shouldn’t matter if I have anything to hide or not. I don’t have to explain anything to you. But if you recall, back at the barn, Zoe wasn’t ready to be sandbagged by my whole family at Christmastime. You should have thought about her before dragging everyone out here to see if I was lying about who I was dating.”

  To Michael’s credit, he appeared chagrined. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

  “No, you didn’t. And maybe if you’d think more often, you’d realize that there’s more to life than trying to prove you’re right and I’m wrong.”

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. Michael was still young, still getting the lay of the land. He was in his senior year, but he still had a lot of growing up to do.

  Daniel almost wanted to tell him it was okay, to tell his brother—who was nearly ten years younger—that he just needed to do better next time. But doing so would only brush aside the mistake, and Michael needed to feel the guilt if he was going to change.

  Daniel’s phone buzzed, and he lifted it to take a look at the screen. The word princess popped up with a text telling Daniel that Zoe would be down at the reception desk at four and they could prepare for dinner at five.

  Michael’s interest was piqued, and he sat up a little taller. “Is that Zoe?”

  Daniel shot his brother a warning look. “Of course it’s Zoe. Who else would it be?”

  He held out his hand. “Can I see?”

  “You’re never going to let this go, are you?”

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t have anything better to do with my time. Mom and Dad are taking a nap after our trip, and they told me to find you. And if you show me proof that she’s messaging you, maybe I’ll drop it.”

  Daniel rolled his eyes and faced the phone toward his brother without unlocking it. The text appeared but nothing else.

  A small smile curled his brother’s lips. “Princess? Really? Who knew you were such a romantic?”

  “You got your proof. Now you can leave me alone.”

  “But what does that mean? Prepare? What do you guys have to prepare for? Sounds sorta sketchy.”

  Another groan mixed with a growl reverberated from Daniel’s chest.

  “I mean it, Michael,” he snapped. “You need to leave us the heck alone. She’s already having to deal with Mom and Dad. We don’t need you poking into our private lives too.”

  Michael sobered. “Fine, geez. I’ll go find the video game room or something. There has to be more than just horses and stuff around here.” He climbed off the bed and paused at the door. Without turning around, he murmured, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you found someone for real this time. I hope it works out.”

  Daniel relaxed against the door and let out a sigh. That was a great deal closer than he would have liked it to be. It wasn’t his folks he needed to be worried about. It was his brother. He should have realized that it wasn’t just his parents’ idea to stop by. No one could have convinced them to travel for the holidays except his baby brother. Great.

  Now he really needed to work with Zoe to tighten up their story. If Michael got even a whiff of proof that Zoe wasn’t who they said she was, he would stop at nothing to bring down the hammer on him in front of their parents.

  And if his parents found out, then he would have a lot more than simply explaining to do. Two years ago, he’d promised his mother he would let her hire another matchmaker if he didn’t find someone by his twenty-eighth birthday.

  He would be twenty-eight at the end of January. Time had officially run out.

  Daniel raked a hand through his hair and glanced up at the clock. Zoe would be meeting him in about an hour. He had that long to try to remember everything he’d ever told his family about her and to make a cheat sheet for her.

  Either they would get real lucky, or they would need a miracle.

  He strode toward the small desk in his room and yanked out the chair. After dragging the notepad toward him, he clicked a pen with his other hand and set to work. This was going to be harder than he’d thought.

  Zoe had been his fake girlfriend for nearly a year.

  What had he just gotten himself into?

  Chapter Four

  Zoe tapped the little bell at the reception desk and grinned when Gabriel gave her that look.

  “You know I can see you, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Then why are you ringing the bell?”

  She tapped it again. “It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” She tapped it two more times before he snatched it and placed it lower next to the computers.

  “What do you need? If it’s about time off—”

  “No time off. I just need to find Eve.” She leaned to the side in an attempt to get a look through the office door that was left adjacent behind him.

  “Is something wrong with the event planning?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s something else—personal.” She wasn’t under any assumption that Eve would keep this little tidbit of information from her husband, but all the same, Zoe wanted to tell Eve one-on-one first.

  Gabriel studied her for a second, causing her to laugh.

  “What’s that look for? You’re staring at me like I’m about to ask your wife to commit a heinous crime.”

  “To be fair, you two have been getting awfully close lately.”

  Zoe waved her hand through the air dismissively. “You know she was the event planner at the last resort where you guys worked. I’m just taking advantage and learning from the best.” She gestured toward the office. “Is she back there? I have something I’m doing at four, and I need to get this wrapped up quick.”

  More suspicious looks came from Gabriel, but when Eve’s voice called through the door, Zoe knew everything would work out.

  “For heaven’s sake, Gabriel. She’s not going to take me hostage or anything. Let her in.”

  Zoe beamed at Gabriel, noting that as much as he tried to hide his own smile, it was there, hovering just beneath the surface.

  Gabriel could pretend to be a big grump all he wanted. Eve had told Zoe all about what a sweetheart he was and how he didn’t want anyone to walk all over him now that he was in charge.

  Once Zoe was inside the office, she gently closed the door then leaned against it.

  Eve glanced up from her computer and smiled before turning her attention to her work. “Okay, what’s going on? We already went over this week’s activities, and you said you were fully confident and prepared for all of them.”

  “And I am. I just wanted to give you a heads-up on something you might see—or hear—this week.”

  Her boss stilled then shifted her attention fully to Zoe. “This doesn’t sound very good.”

  “Oh, it’s fine.” Zoe brushed off her concern. “But since we’re a little closer than most, I thought I would give you the details first.”

  Eve’s eyes narrowed. “What’s this about, Zoe?”

  She laughed. “It’s gonna sound crazy. I know you’re going to think so.”

  “Just spit it out already.”

  “You know Daniel? He’s one of—”

  “He’s a local cowboy we hired to look after the horses. Yes, I’m aware of him.”

  “So here’s the thing…”

  “You’re dating?”

  Zoe’s eyes shot wide. “No. Not really.”

  “Not really? Sweetie, there’s only two answers to that question. Either you’re dating, or you’re not.” Eve’s knowing grin and perceptive eyes drilled into Zoe, making that strange fluttery feeling reappear.

  She just needed to get this over with and dive into the story before she lost her nerve. “His family is in town. They wanted to meet his girlfriend.”

  “Okay.” The smile on Eve’s face disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion. “I don’t understand how this applies to you, though. You’re not dating him.”

  “Exactly—sort of.” Zoe let out a long, slow breath and grinned like the idiot she was. “You’re not going to believe this, but he’s been telling them he’s dating someone here, and he used my name.”

  “Zoe!” Eve exclaimed. “He shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I know, I know. But it’s not really that big of a deal—to me. He asked me if I’d pretend and keep up the pretense until they left. Then we could break up.” She used her fingers to quote around the emphasized words.

  Eve was reacting exactly as Zoe had expected. Stunned, she stared at Zoe for what felt like an eternity then finally shook her head. “And you’re okay with this?”

  Zoe shrugged. “Why not? Seems like it could be fun. And Daniel is sweet enough. If it helps him, then I’m good with it.”

  “But why would he even do something like this? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “It’d make sense if you heard the stories he told me about his folks. Those people need to let go.” Zoe dropped down into a chair that faced the desk. “Anyway, you’re the only one I’m going to tell because you’d be the only one who would get suspicious that it’s not real.”

  Eve made a face. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

  “Definitely a compliment.” Zoe laughed. “I don’t want his folks to hear my boss say something that could hurt our little show.” She tilted her head slightly as she watched Eve continue to wrap her head around Zoe’s story. “Can you help corroborate the story for me? You know, just in case they say something? I wouldn’t put it past these people to go digging for proof.”

  Her boss lifted her brows slightly higher. “Oh, they’re those kinds of parents.”

  “Yep.”

  Eve heaved a sigh then let out a soft laugh. “Okay, fine. I’ve got your back. I’m gonna have to tell Gabriel, though. He’s not the best at improv. It’s gonna be better for him to be in on this too.”

  “I figured as much.” Zoe got to her feet. “And if it makes you feel any better, I’m willing to keep you abreast of the situation as it progresses. I know no one loves to hear about this kind of drama like you do.”

  Eve gasped. “You’re making me sound like those gossipers in town.”

  “If the shoe fits.”

  Another gasp echoed through the office as Zoe opened the door. She shot Eve one more smile then waved at her as she left the room.

  Daniel was already waiting where she’d been standing moments ago. He kept looking at his phone, probably expecting her to text him because she was technically five minutes late.

  Zoe snuck up behind him and placed her hands over his eyes before leaning close to his ear and whispering, “Guess who?”

  He jumped, his hands darting up to wrap around her wrists as he turned to face her. “You’re late.”

  Zoe could feel Gabriel’s confusion emanating off of him from where he stood mere feet away from them. She was so tempted to grab Daniel’s face and press a big, exaggerated kiss on his lips just to see her other boss’s reaction.

  Then she thought better of it.

  She wasn’t sure how Daniel would have taken a public show of affection like that one. It would be better if they laid out some ground rules first. Rather than giving him a kiss, she took his hand. “Ready for that walk?”

  Daniel glanced down at their intertwined hands then back at her. “Yeah.”

  Zoe finally glanced in Gabriel’s direction and gave him a little wave. “I think your wife wants to have a word with you.”

  They got a few feet away, then Daniel finally spoke. “What was that about?”

  “What was what about?”

  “What you said to Gabriel. Is something going on?”

  She leaned into him just in case they bumped into anyone who would pay attention to the shift in how they were reacting to one another. “Oh, I just told Eve what was happening.”

  He stopped short before turning toward her. “You what?” he hissed, his face flushing bright red.

  “I told Eve. She would have noticed. Not only that, but she’s your boss. Don’t you think at some point, she’s gonna come across your parents? Who better to verify our story than the people we work for?”

  Daniel blinked a few times then nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right. That’s why you’re dating me.”

  “Very funny.”

  “I think so.”

  Chapter Five

  The second they got out of the resort and outside, Daniel dug the stack of note cards out of his pocket and handed them to Zoe. “Here. You’re going to want these. And since you took so long, I hope you’re a speed reader.”

  She stared at his offering but didn’t accept. “What are those?”

  “They’re notes. I’ve been telling my parents about you all this time, so you don’t want to accidentally tell them something that contradicts what I’ve said.” He watched her for an adverse reaction. She had every right to be upset that she would be the only one doing the studying. He braced himself for just that reaction.

  Instead, she sighed and pulled the paperwork from his hands. “Okay, so what lies do I have to remember? The big ones, not the little details that can easily be brushed off.” She gave him a pointed look. “Please tell me you didn’t give me a whole big backstory.”

  He made a face.

  “Daniel. That’s terrible.”

  “I had to make it believable. The more information, the more likely they wouldn’t demand that I bring you to meet them.”

  The flat look she wore made it clear she didn’t believe him. “But they have been asking you to bring me, haven’t they?”

  He grimaced again.

  “Figures.” She turned her attention to the cards in her hands. Once or twice, she lifted a brow, but other than that, she didn’t really react. Then she brought her gaze back to meet his. “Okay. Got it.”

  “Got it?” He stared at her. “That’s it? You just… got it?”

  She nodded. “For the most part, you got a lot right. The only place you were wrong was when you said I was an only child. I actually have an older brother and a younger brother. But that shouldn’t matter. They live out of state. As does my dad. And they’re pretty busy. So I don’t think there’s any chance you will meet them.”

  “What about your mom?”

  She flicked through the cards and shot a split-second look toward him. “My mom left us when I was younger. Haven’t heard from her since.”

  Daniel’s neutral expression faltered. He’d had no idea. “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t be. I don’t remember her at all. I was only three when she left. It’s fine. Like I said, you pretty much nailed everything else on the head. I’ve worked here since they opened, but before I worked here, I was at another ranch that did events. Pretty boring, huh?”

 

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