The Soldier's E-Mail Order Bride (Heroes of Chance Creek) Read online

  Wait, Anthony was Marianne’s client? When had that happened? How had that happened? Had Marianne deliberately booked him on Myra’s show?

  Marianne continued. “I’m telling you, Ella—these scripts are the best I’ve ever gotten for you. All this notoriety has gotten you a lot of attention. Maybe Kaylee did you a favor, after all.”

  Ella nearly dropped the phone.

  “Anyway, get in touch and we’ll set up some meetings. This is some really good stuff, kiddo—better than you’ve ever been offered before. Leading lady roles in the kind of movies you’d kill for.”

  Ella clicked off the phone.

  Leading roles. She’d always wanted to play the lead in a movie.

  Now she never would.

  She grabbed a glass of lemonade from the kitchen and took it outside to the Hall’s front steps to cool off. She sat down, held the cool glass up to her overwarm cheeks and spotted the boy on the bicycle again.

  * * *

  Austin watched the boy pedal past as he made his way toward the largest of the barns. As soon as Mason got home, they would start procuring horses and cattle—and the rest of the tools of the trade—and he wanted to make sure all was ready for them. His inspection had taken him through most of the outbuildings so far. This barn was the last one, and then he’d head into the fields to check the fences Mason, Regan and the Turners had repaired.

  There were several other ranches out this way, and he wondered which one the boy belonged to. It must get lonely out here if he didn’t have any siblings, but most ranch families were bigger than that. Austin had never had a chance to get lonely when he was growing up. Between all his chores and all his brothers, he didn’t have the time.

  He had ridden a bike like that when he was that boy’s age, but he’d far preferred horses. He was glad Ella shared his interest and knew how to ride. If she hadn’t, he would have enjoyed teaching her, but this way they could enjoy the ranch together right from the start. The minute they had the mounts, he’d take her for a ride all around their borders so that she would know every inch of them.

  Austin paused, his stride hitching. He was acting as if Ella would stay here permanently.

  Resuming his pace, he decided it made sense for her to know the Hall’s boundaries even if she was only here temporarily, but the idea of her leaving made him impatient. He didn’t want to think about the future any more than he wanted to think about the past. He wanted everything to stay like it was now. Him and Ella together—alone.

  They wouldn’t be alone come tomorrow, though. Mason and Regan were due home from their honeymoon and then their presence on the ranch would change things, and not just because it would be time for all of them to get to work. He and Ella would have to act happily married at all times, although that wasn’t a hardship these days.

  Would Mason or Regan guess that they were lying, though? If so, would they agree to keep the secret until April to fool Aunt Heloise? Austin hoped so—he didn’t know what else he could do. He had a feeling if he split up with Ella now, Heloise wouldn’t accept a replacement wife. She seemed adamant that they be truly settled, with kids on the way.

  That was another thing—would he have to keep fending off Heloise’s suggestions that he and Ella have a baby? He could stand that, but he wasn’t sure Ella could. He remembered the pad of paper she’d written on, with the word mother written several times. She wanted children badly. What if she decided she couldn’t wait until spring to fall in love with another man, get married and start a family?

  He hated the idea that she could fall in love with anyone. Hated the idea of her sleeping with another man. But the thought of her having someone else’s baby—making a family with him—that was the worst of all.

  Surely this was a punishment for his part in Donovan’s death, because the day he had to watch Ella walk away—into another man’s arms—would most likely kill him.

  Chapter 16

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  Once again Ella wore her baseball cap low over her eyes. Paired with beat up jeans, tennis shoes, a cotton T-shirt and an ugly windbreaker they’d unearthed in one of the Hall’s closets, it hid her shape, but she still worried about being recognized. She’d meant not to leave the ranch at all during her year in Chance Creek, but after only seven days on the ranch she was beginning to go stir-crazy, and Austin convinced her that no one would pay any attention to them in the airport—especially not dressed like this. Milo waited for them patiently in the back seat of the truck with the windows rolled down for air. Now they stood at the baggage carousel where Austin had waited for her a week ago, and Ella kept her head down and tried hard to blend in. She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in the last seven days. Instead of obsessing over lines or her weight or what she was wearing or a thousand other details of Hollywood life, she’d spent the last week renovating a cottage, cleaning and making repairs, painting walls, scrubbing the bunkhouse’s bathroom and kitchen, helping Austin install the new appliances.

  And every night she’d been made love to until she could hardly breathe. She’d slept like a baby, woken with a spring in her step, and to top it off, she’d have horses to ride any day now. Lots of horses. She couldn’t wait.

  “There they are. Mason is the one in the black hat.” Austin touched her arm, noticed what he’d done, pulled away, then a second later took her arm again. Ella frowned. Austin was as nervous as she was, wasn’t he?

  There were a lot of hats on the men disembarking from the plane, but she spotted the one Austin meant and caught the family resemblance between the brothers. Like Austin, Mason was tall and broad-shouldered with a powerful frame that spoke of an active life. He had the same upright military bearing, as well. She saw the couple spot them back. Mason grinned to see his brother and Regan lit up, too. In fact, the newlyweds were positively glowing with happiness. A flash of jealousy surged through Ella. She wanted to be that happy. She wanted to be properly married to a man who loved her as much as Mason obviously loved his wife. No one could mistake the proprietary way he escorted her down the corridor toward them. Austin’s touch on her waist was all too awkward in comparison.

  The two couples came together in a flurry of greetings, but Mason quickly turned from Austin to look Ella over. “Who is this?”

  Ella felt weird not taking off her sunglasses. They were inside, after all, and they were meeting for the first time. She couldn’t chance it, though.

  “This is my wife, Ella. We’ll tell you the whole story on the way home.” Austin tried to usher Mason and Regan toward the baggage carousel, but Mason was having none of it.

  “Your wife?” he exclaimed in a voice loud enough to hush the crowd around them. A number of heads turned their way. “You got married? Without us? Last weekend you didn’t even have a girlfriend.”

  “Keep it down. I told you last weekend I thought I was making progress. Well, I made some progress. Come on.” Austin waved a hand at the carousel. Mason stood his ground.

  “Not until you introduce me. Where the hell are your manners?” He stuck out a hand. Ella shook it. “I’m Mason Hall. I hope Austin has told you about me, at least, since he didn’t see fit to tell us about you. This is my wife, Regan. We got married last Saturday.”

  “I know.” Ella smiled. “I heard all about the wedding. It sounds like it was beautiful.”

  “Well then you know more about us than we do about you. Ella.” He cocked his head. “What’s your maiden name? Are you from around here?”

  “Scales,” Regan said suddenly, bending near her. She’d been staring at Ella since the two couples met. “You’re Ella Scales, aren’t you?”

  More heads turned their way. Ella didn’t feel like smiling anymore. “I’ll wait in the truck,” she hissed at Austin and rushed away before Regan or Mason could draw more attention to her. The last thing she needed was for someone to snap a photo of her in this ridiculous getup. What had she been thinking, coming here? And what must Regan and Mason think of her, now that she’d dashed off in
such an awkward way? She never should have left the ranch.

  Out in the parking lot she found Austin’s truck and climbed in, pushing Milo aside. She rolled up the windows most of the way and manually locked the all the doors. A few moments later, Regan knocked on her window. “Can you let me in?”

  Ella did so, still doing her best to hide her face. Regan climbed into the bench seat in the extended cab. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were trying to be incognito.”

  “Trying and failing.”

  “And me not helping one bit! I really didn’t mean to mess things up for you.”

  Ella sighed. “Of course not. I’m sorry for my behavior. It was stupid of me to come here today. I’ve been trying to hide from the press, but when Austin invited me along, a trip off the ranch sounded good. I hoped I could get in and out of the airport without being spotted.”

  “I don’t blame you. If it makes you feel better, you’ve been sighted in Cancun with a man half your age. At least, that’s the latest from the tabloids.”

  “I’m frolicking on the beach with a fifteen-year-old? Yuck!”

  Regan laughed. “All right—half your age might be an exaggeration.”

  “The only frolicking I’ve been doing is with—” Ella cut off, realizing what she had been about to say.

  Regan’s quick grin told her she’d followed her train of thought. “How did you and Austin meet? Was it a secret romance? I thought Austin has been overseas for over a year, though, so how—?”

  Luckily for Ella the men showed up with the newlyweds’ luggage and climbed in the truck, too. She moved in back with Regan and let Mason have the front seat. She didn’t think his long legs would fold up enough for him to fit on the bench seat. Austin managed to keep the conversation squarely on Mason and Regan’s honeymoon until they reached Crescent Hall, but once the truck was unpacked and everyone had met again in the kitchen for an early lunch, there was no avoiding the topic of how they’d met.

  “Through an online ad, just like you did,” Austin said in answer to Mason’s repeated question.

  “The one I placed?”

  “No, a different one. I refined the message so I’d catch this hottie.” Austin gave her a squeeze on his way to the refrigerator to fetch the orange juice. Ella, standing at the kitchen counter chopping fruit for a salad, stiffened at the sudden gesture. This new Austin—the one who was acting for his brother’s benefit—unnerved her. Now she would have to start analyzing his every move, wondering what was fake and what was real. She didn’t like that idea.

  “How long did you know each other before you got married?” Regan asked.

  “Not too long.” Austin shrugged.

  Regan’s eyes narrowed. “How long is that?”

  Neither of them answered. Ella busied herself with the salad, wanting Austin to take the lead. Why, oh why hadn’t they settled on a story beforehand?

  “It was a whirlwind romance,” Austin said finally. “Just like yours.”

  “We both wanted the same thing, and we decided to go for it,” Ella put in. “Right, honey?”

  Austin blinked at the endearment, but recovered quickly. “That’s right.”

  Regan didn’t look convinced. “Well, I thought you were terrific in The Bride Wore Black, Ella. You should have won the Oscar.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re here on our ranch, though. What will you do next? Do you have another project lined up?” She sat back in her chair. “You two aren’t heading back to Hollywood, are you?”

  Ella heard the anxiety in the other woman’s voice. “No. I’m done with acting. I gave all that up.”

  “Ella decided she wants a quieter life now. We can give that to her here. The last thing she wants is to be hounded by the press, so none of us are going to say anything about her presence here, got it?”

  “It’s a secret?” Mason asked.

  “Of course it’s a secret,” Regan interrupted. “The last time Ella met up with Anthony she nearly knocked him out cold in front of a studio audience.” She turned to Ella. “I understand why you want to keep your location on the down-low. But what about your marriage? Is that secret, too?”

  “Aunt Heloise knows, if that’s what you’re asking,” Austin said. “And the rest of our family and friends will know when they get the invitations.”

  “Invitations to what?”

  “Our vow renewal and reception,” Ella said, setting the salad on the table. “Heloise didn’t like it one bit that we’d married on our own.”

  “I don’t like it either,” Mason put in.

  “So we decided to do it again in August.” Ella sat down. “We wanted to wait until you got home to see what you thought.”

  “About having another wedding? We’re all for it,” Mason said.

  “Of course,” Regan said. She brightened as she took hold of the idea. “It’ll be fun. I’ll get to help plan a wedding without having any of the jitters. Not that I didn’t enjoy my wedding,” she hastened to add when Mason frowned, “but I was so worried about something going wrong. This time I’ll sit back and enjoy myself.”

  “Then I’ll start making plans.” Ella tried to match Regan’s excitement, but all she could think about was the impossibility of keeping her whereabouts a secret as soon as they issued invitations to their guests. “It won’t be a large celebration. Just some family and close friends. And I really, really don’t want the press to find out about it. They’ll be all over the ranch when they find out that I’m here. They wouldn’t just write about me, either—they’d look into all of your affairs. Your money, your plans, your friends, your military careers.” She took some of the salad and passed it on.

  Mason accepted the bowl and added some to his plate. “So what? I’ve got nothing to hide.”

  “Really?” Austin challenged. “What about that Wife Wanted ad you’ve got plastered all over the Internet? You want that to be the cover story on every tabloid around? They sell those at the grocery store in town, you know.”

  Understanding dawned in Mason’s eyes. “They’d write about that?”

  “I guarantee it,” Ella said.

  “And Heloise would see it.” Mason nodded. “She’d have Darren over here in a jiffy as the new heir for Crescent Hall. Got it. We’ll keep it quiet then.”

  “But when the fuss about you and Anthony blows over, things will change, right?” Regan said, taking her turn with the salad. “You’re not going to hide forever?”

  “Not forever. Just until the reporters find someone else to write about.” Austin handed out the grilled cheese sandwiches and joined them at the table.

  “Longer than that,” Mason said firmly. “If there’s a whiff of a chance they might make a fuss about the Wife Wanted ad, then we’d better keep Ella under wraps until Aunt Heloise signs over the deed.”

  “That was my plan,” Ella said.

  “But that’s not for another nine months.” Austin settled into his seat. “What are the chances we can possibly keep her hidden for that long?”

  Mason thought about that. “We’d better keep the guest list for the vow renewal really small. Who can we trust?”

  “Some people already know.” Austin ticked them off on his fingers. “Heloise and Allen James, Mia Matheson, Camila Torres, Fila Matheson, all of the Turners.”

  “And Reverend Halpern and those two women who were our witnesses,” Ella said, wiping her mouth after a bite of her grilled cheese.

  “And none of them have told anyone else?” Mason sounded surprised. Austin didn’t blame him. Secrets were worth more than money in this town.

  “They may have, but so far we haven’t seen hide nor hair of the press.”

  “My parents will come,” Ella said.

  “I could invite mine, too,” Regan said. “They won’t tell anyone.”

  “All right, that ought to work,” Mason said. “Other than the reception, we’ll just have to keep Ella on the ranch and everyone else off of it for the next nine months.”

  All
of them were silent for a moment, and Austin knew just what they were thinking. The chances of making it through a single month were slim to none.

  “We’d better think up a backup plan. Something to tell Heloise if she hears about the ad,” Austin said.

  “We’ll just say it was a means to an end.” Mason shrugged. “Who cares how we met our wives as long as we love them, and they love us.”

  “I guess. You know Heloise, though.”

  “I know a way to convince her you two are for real.” Regan helped herself to more of the salad.

  “How’s that?”

  “Get pregnant.”

  Austin blinked. Why was everyone so set on them having a baby? “I thought you two were taking care of that.”

  “We are. We have.” Mason grinned suddenly. “I was so surprised about Ella I forgot to tell you. We’re having a baby. Regan told me on our wedding night.”

  “Well… congratulations,” Austin managed to say. “So if you two are having a baby, there’s no reason for us to.”

  “Sure there is,” Regan said. “Once Ella is pregnant, Heloise will back right off. She wants heirs for the ranch more than anything else. Besides, it would make me feel better, too, just in case anything goes wrong with my pregnancy. I’m sure nothing will,” she rushed to say. “It’s just I know the statistics. If I… miscarry…” She seemed hesitant to even say the word, her fear suddenly evident in her face. “I would be devastated to lose the ranch, too. And if you get pregnant now, Ella, our kids will be born close together!” She beamed at them, as if this final argument carried the most weight of all.

  Austin didn’t know what to say to that, but Ella leaned forward. “You’re afraid that if you lose the baby, we’ll all lose the ranch?”

  Regan nodded. “That’s about the size of it. I wouldn’t ask you to rush things just for me, but since it would get Heloise off your back, too, why not go for it?”