LITMIR.BIZ

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Manda gazed at him and one word formed on her lips.

      “Why?”

      He glanced over her shoulder, across the patio and whispered in her ear, “To begin the charade. This was Act One for our audience.”

      “What audience?” She turned her head just enough to follow his gaze and saw Chris, Boyd and Grady on the far side of the patio, stunned expressions on their faces.

      Damn. Had Hunter kissed her to prove a point to her three overzealous admirers? Was he thumbing his nose at them, showing them that he’d already gotten to first base with the woman they wanted?

      Seething with anger, she went rigid in his arms. “I hope you enjoyed this,” she said quietly, her jaw tight. “Because it will be the only time you ever use me to—”

      He kissed her again. Nothing more than a silencing maneuver. Then he explained. “Don’t you realize that one of those three could be your letter-writing menace? If we’re going to draw him out into the open and force him to take action, then we will have to convince him that we’re serious about each other.”

      “Is that why you kissed me? Just what sort of scheme did you and Perry cook up behind my back?”

      “A pretty good scheme,” he replied. “But I think we should wait until Perry has a free minute, so the three of us can discuss this plan together.”

      “I agree. Perry had no right to drag you into this mess without my consent.”

      “I’m sure he thought that you’d never agree,” Hunter told her. “Some things about you may have changed, Manda, but one thing hasn’t—you’re still as stubborn as a mule.”

      “Hunter?”

      “Yes, dear?”

      “Go to hell!”

      She pulled out of his embrace, marched across the patio, glared at the wide-eyed threesome and went into the house. If Hunter Whitelaw thought he was going to play hero for her, then he’d better think again. He might be a tough guy, but he wasn’t invincible. He could be killed just like any ordinary man. He could die because of her. Just as Rodney and Mike had died.

      Hunter watched Manda as she nervously tapped her foot on the floor in Perry’s study. Apparently she hadn’t cooled off much in the past hour. She was practically foaming at the mouth.

      “You had no right to call Hunter and ask him to pretend to be my new boyfriend!” Manda glared at Perry. “You’re asking him to risk his life and for what? Tell me that—for what?”

      “How can you ask me such a question?” Perry slammed his fist down on top of his antique desk. “I’ve stood around and done nothing for the past twelve years, except watch you suffer. I thought that given time after Rodney’s death, you’d find love again, and you did, with Mike. But then when he was murdered, you cut yourself off from men entirely. And just when you ventured back into the dating arena, you let a freak accident—a damn food poisoning incident—determine the rest of your life.”

      “It’s my life, isn’t it? I have a right to decide how to live it. And if I choose to spend the rest of my life alone, then—”

      “I think there’s something you’re overlooking,” Hunter said.

      Settling her gaze on Hunter, she all but snarled at him. “And just what would that be?”

      “The fact that no matter what you choose to do, men aren’t going to stop coming on to you.” His lips twitched with an almost smile. “A woman who looks the way you do is always going to have men chasing after her. This nutcase who’s so determined to see that you never marry could eventually start eliminating any man who shows an interest in you.”

      “Oh, good Lord. Do you actually think that…” She shook her head as if trying to erase his words from her mind. “Oh, all right. Let me hear the rest of your plan.” She pointed her finger first at Hunter and then at Perry. “But if I don’t agree, then the whole thing is off. Is that understood?”

      A response from Manda, but not exactly an agreement. Perry nodded. Hunter grunted. After what Perry had told him, all the details of Manda’s life and the death of her second fiancé, Hunter realized that Manda could never live a normal life until the person behind the threats was exposed and ultimately, stopped.

      “I called Hunter not only because he’s an old friend and someone you knew in the past, someone you actually had a teenage crush on, but because of his background.” Perry reached out and clasped Manda’s hands in his. “For a number of years, Hunter was a member of the Delta Force, a special operations military unit. And now he’s an agent for the top security and investigation agency in the country. He’s qualified to not only protect you, but to take care of himself under fire.”

      “All right, I agree Hunter is highly qualified,” Manda said. “But that doesn’t tell me exactly what you intend for him to do. Are we supposed to date and see what happens?”

      “You’ll date,” Perry said. “Y’all will have a whirlwind courtship. Hunter’s going to sweep you off your feet. You two are going to fall madly in love and within a few weeks, we’ll be putting together the quickest planned and executed wedding in history.”

      “Wedding?” Manda’s face paled.

      “Hmm—mm.” Perry placed Manda’s hand in Hunter’s. “You two are going to get married.”

      “Married!” Manda screamed. “You can’t seriously intend for me to marry him.” She focused her gaze on Hunter. “You’re going to use yourself as bait to catch this guy. I won’t allow you to risk your life for me. Don’t you realize that— Oh, I get it. You’re so damn sure of yourself that you think once we announce our engagement, my secret admirer will make his move and you’ll not only be able protect me and yourself, but you’ll catch him, too.” She pulled away from Hunter and paced around the room. “By all means, let’s follow through with this idiotic plan. Let’s put both of our lives in danger. Let’s show everyone in Dearborn that we’re fools in love, and to hell with the consequences.”

      Hunter grabbed her, cupping her chin as he stared into her eyes. “No one outside this room is to know that we’re only pretending. As far as anyone else is concerned—your grandmother, Gwen, Mrs. Austin—this thing between us is real. We’re going to convince everyone that we can’t keep our hands off each other.”

      “I’m not sure I’m that good an actress.”

      “Just pretend you feel about me now the way you did when you were sixteen and performed your little striptease for me out by the pool.”

      Manda’s face flushed as she huffed loudly, “And what are you going to pretend?”

      “I’m a man, baby doll. With a woman who looks like you, I won’t have to pretend.”

      Chapter 3

      B arbara Finch Munroe didn’t bother to knock before she entered her grandson’s study; she swept into the room like the queen she was. Mrs. Munroe had held the title of Dearborn society’s grand dame for the past twenty-five years, and despite the fact she had to be close to eighty, Hunter would lay odds she’d be around to keep her crown for another twenty-five years. There was spirit in her step and determination in her eyes—eyes the exact same shade of blue as Manda’s. She glanced from person to person, her gaze lingering on Hunter. A barely discernable change in her facial expression warned him that she remembered who he was.

      “What are y’all doing hiding away in here when it’s time to bring out Gwen’s birthday cake? I was ready to give the caterers the nod when I noticed that you—” she glared at Perry “—were nowhere to be seen. It just so happened that Bobbie Rue saw you and Manda come into the study with a…gentleman.”

      “Grams, you remember Hunter Whitelaw, don’t you?” Perry said, a quirky grin on his face.

      Always

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