“Not exactly dream date material,” Noelle said.

  “Not even close,” Hannah replied.

  But Chad, on the other hand … Chad Radford was another story entirely. He’d been so smooth with the Tripp situation. He’d used his brain to get Tripp to back down instead of puffing up like a tough guy and turning it into the kind of confrontation that would have made Tripp dig in his heels. And the way he looked while he did it! Everyone said his older brother Shane was the heartthrob thanks to his rodeo career, but when you got down to it, Hannah thought that Chad was the one who looked like a model. Sandy hair that managed to look styled but not fussy, and a profile that belonged on a statue. And his eyes … as bright blue as a Texas sky.

  Hannah had been watching him since the first time he came into Magpie for his coffee and morning roll. When she found out he was Noelle’s brother-in-law, she hopped onto Noelle’s Facebook page to see if she could learn more about him, and she was rewarded with a series of photos of him with a variety of pretty women. He wore the same devilish grin in every photo, with his arm draped casually around the women. Chad Radford was undeniably hot, but the evidence said that he was also a ladies’ man through and through. Not like it mattered what he was like because she wasn’t even close to being ready for a relationship—and Tripp had taught her the dangers of trying for anything casual.

  “I don’t like that he’s going to be sniffing around here on Friday night,” Noelle said as she grabbed a paper towel and cleaned some smudges off the front of the display case. “Is he getting worse, or am I imagining it?”

  “I feel like it’s escalating,” Hannah said glumly, leaning against the door.

  “You got lucky today, but it’s not like Chad will always be around to step in,” Tania added. “Though wouldn’t it be nice if he could?” She waggled her eyebrows. Tania didn’t make a secret of the fact that she thought Chad was hot.

  “Yeah …” Noelle said, polishing the glass in rhythmic circles. She stopped abruptly. “But wait a second!”

  Hannah and Tania perked up at the excitement in Noelle’s voice.

  “What if he was always around?” Noelle asked.

  Hannah laughed. “I can’t imagine Chad frosting cupcakes with me!”

  Tania snorted.

  “No, no, that’s not what I mean. Hear me out. Obviously, you need someone to help you deal with the Tripp situation, and Chad needs an image makeover. He wants to run for chairman of the Cattlemen’s Association, but people don’t think he has the right background for the job. He could use some new optics, as they say, and you might be just the person to provide them!”

  Hannah froze. Had Noelle figured out who she was? Did she use the word optics on purpose? It was the go-to buzzword of her old life, the life she’d moved to Kingsley to escape.

  But she couldn’t get away from the shame she felt.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” Hannah said haltingly, her heart racing.

  Noelle beamed at her. “You’re a marketing wiz! The funny sayings you put on the chalkboard sign get people to walk in the door, and your suggestions for Instagram posts always get the most attention. I think you’d be the perfect person to help rehab Chad’s image.” She paused. “Subtly, of course. We can’t make it look like he’s a product.”

  Hannah inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Her secret was still safe.

  “How would that work? I’d be his campaign manager?”

  “No, even better.” Noelle laughed. “I think you should be his fake girlfriend!”

  “Yes, love it,” Tania cheered.

  Hannah was dumbfounded. Fake girlfriend?

  “It’s perfect!” Noelle continued. “You guys pretend to be in a committed relationship and you’ll both benefit. Tripp will see that you’re off the market and move on, and people will start to realize that Chad is a stable, dependable guy. I think half of his problem is that people don’t see him as committed. He’s worked in a bunch of different places, traveled around a lot. Most of the ranchers around here are more … set in their ways. Moving around and trying different things seems flighty to them, so they don’t take Chad seriously.”

  Noelle didn’t bring up Chad’s personal life … but Hannah was pretty sure that that was part of the problem, too, since “moving around and trying different things” also seemed to be his dating strategy. When viewed by a bunch of older, conservative ranchers, his playboy lifestyle was probably another strike against him.

  “You can take over his social media and help change the public’s view of him,” Noelle continued. “And at the same time post all sorts of cute stuff of the two of you together to get Tripp off your case.”

  A fake relationship with Chad Radford? Hannah already had too many secrets she was keeping—did she want to balance a lie on top of that?

  But on the other hand, the Tripp situation really did seem to be getting worse all the time. She wanted the obnoxious rancher out of her life … and she didn’t mind the thought of getting to know Chad a little better. Nope, she didn’t mind that part at all. Maybe this could even be good for her—baby steps to help her figure out what she wanted in a relationship, once she was ready for a real one again.

  And she could rehab his image in her sleep. That part might even be fun.

  So all in all, she had to say that it was not the worst idea ever. As long as her own face wasn’t too clear in the photos on his feed, she’d be fine.

  “But would Chad want to do it? He seems to enjoy his, uh … freedom. Is he willing to give that up?”

  “He’s changed lately,” Noelle assured her. “I think seeing Jett and Shane in happy relationships is making him rethink what’s important. Besides, he’s had too much fun for too long. He knows it’s time to grow up.”

  “Yeah, but with me?”

  Noelle laughed. “Girl, he’s been watching you like a bird dog on the hunt. I practically had to wipe the drool off his chin this morning!”

  Hannah blushed.

  “I’m liking this,” Tania said from her perch. “I think the two of you would be good for each other. You’ll get him on track, and he’ll pull you out of your shell.” Tania’s words were blunt, but her smile was kind. Hannah flushed. Tania and Noelle had both been wonderfully supportive—and very tactful in not prying into her backstory—but she knew that it concerned both of them that she was so shy and easily rattled.

  “And I happen to know firsthand that the fake relationship thing is a good plan. I’ll just leave it at that,” Noelle said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

  Hannah quickly weighed her options. Instead of fighting off Tripp at every pass, she could let Chad step in to be her white knight when needed. And in return, she knew she could provide Chad with the right kind of spin for his Cattlemen’s campaign, so it would be an even exchange, more or less.

  “Does Chad have any clue you suggested this?”

  “Nope!” Noelle said. “We’ll spring it on him together. Dinner. Tonight. Radford Ranch. Can you make it?”

  “I … I guess. Aria can come too?”

  “Of course, she’s part of the package! Chad needs to get to know his fake girlfriend’s real daughter. Can’t you just see the photos of her little hand in his big one?” Noelle pretended to swoon. “This is so perfect.”

  Hannah envisioned how the plot would unfold and let herself hope that for once, everything would work out.

  As long as she stayed “Hannah” and not “Amanda,” everything would be fine.

  3

  “Drew, please put the napkins out for me, sweetie.”

  Matilda handed her seven-year-old stepson the pile of napkins, and he carefully placed them next to each plate. Chad noticed the table looked a little more crowded than usual as he headed into the kitchen.

  “Hope you’re hungry,” Jett said as he stirred a massive vat of barbeque sauce.

  “Always,” Chad replied. “Noelle roped you into making sauce?”

  Jett nodded. “She had a crazy day at the bakery, and she asked me to pitch in. Besides, my sweet honey recipe can’t be beat.”

  “You made the sweet one? That’s a rookie sauce. I like the tangy smoked version better.”

  “Sometimes the ladies and little ones prefer something sweet,” he said with a shrug.

  Chad frowned, growing more and more suspicious. “What ladies? The Radford women like it hot.” Baby Lucy—toddler Lucy, at this point—didn’t usually eat the same thing as them for dinner, so she didn’t count. And the only other kid was his nephew Drew, who was growing like a weed and basically ate anything that didn’t run away from him first. A picky eater, he was not.

  Jett shrugged again.

  Matilda finished arranging a vase of flowers and placed it on the table while Noelle swept into the kitchen with a berry-topped cheesecake that she tucked away in the fridge.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Chad asked. “This isn’t a regular dinner. Did you invite someone from the Cattlemen’s board to suck up to them?”

  “Nope, better.” Noelle grinned at him.

  Shane came in through the screen door and let it bang shut behind him.

  “No slamming,” Drew reminded his father. “Auntie Noelle thinks it sounds angry!”

  “Sorry Drew-bie,” Shane said, ruffling his hair. “Hey, guys, they’re here.”

  “Who’s here?” Chad asked as he walked to the window.

  He doesn’t recognize the white minivan, but when the driver got it out, it hit him that his sister-in-law was up to something.

  “You invited Hannah to dinner? Why?”

  Noelle shrugged with clearly faked innocence as she fussed over the table settings. “She’s new in town, and she could use some friends.”

  “I remember what that was like,” Matilda said as she scooped up her niece Lucy and tickled her under the chin. “Your momma was my first friend! Yes, she was! And you were my second!”

  “Hey,” Shane called out. “What about me?”

  “I’d say we skipped the ‘friends’ part. We jumped from enemies to something more fast.” She grinned at him, and they shared a moment from across the room.

  Chad watched Hannah take a little girl out of her car seat and head for the house. Suddenly, none of the playful bickering behind him registered. All he could focus on was the beautiful young mother carrying her adorable daughter up the front stairs.

  Noelle met her at the door with Lucy on her hip and introduced Hannah to the family while Chad hovered in the background like a nervous high schooler, offering her a little wave from the doorway to the kitchen. Something about Hannah made him feel … different. Shy, even though he was usually known for being the center of attention. He had no idea why she affected him this way.

  “Hey, we’re almost done with dinner, so would y’all mind heading out to the porch and having a drink while we finish up?” Noelle said, pointing to the door, giving them little choice. She’d stepped into the role of Radford matriarch with ease, and everyone in the family knew it was in their best interest to listen when she spoke. They served up lemonade for the kids and beers for the grown-ups, passed off Lucy from Noelle to Matilda, and headed outside.

  “Does Aria want to come to the swing with us?” Matilda asked, pointing to the tire on a rope just off the wraparound porch. Shane was already headed that way with his son.

  “Aria?” Hannah asked the mischievous four-year-old. “Would you like to?”

  The words were barely out of Matilda’s mouth before the little girl let go of her mom’s hand and skipped off to join them, leaving Chad and Hannah alone on the porch. They watched the kids playing together in silence even though Chad itched to say something to her.

  “What a wonderful family,” Hannah said wistfully, watching Shane push Drew on the swing while Matilda picked dandelions with Lucy and Aria.

  “We got lucky,” Chad agreed. “Everyone gets along, but even better, we all like each other.”

  “Hm.” She smiled and rocked in the old white rocker.

  Chad watched her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed nervous, pulling off the label on the beer bottle and folding it up into tiny pieces. Hannah looked especially pretty that night, in a pale pink sundress and brown cowboy boots. He smiled at the sight of them; Hannah wasn’t a local, but she was picking up Kingsley dress code quickly. Chad was happy to have a chance to get to know her a little better without everyone hovering around them.

  “What do you think of Kingsley?” he asked, hoping to get her to open up a bit.

  She jumped a little. “What?”

  “I asked what you think of our beautiful town. I like getting an outsider’s perspective of Kingsley since I’ve spent almost my whole life here.”

  Her face clouded for an instant before she managed to smile. “Oh, I love it here. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to us.” She paused. “Some people too much so.”

  Chad nodded. She didn’t even have to say Tripp’s name. “Yep, he’s definitely got some issues.”

  They rocked in silence.

  “Where did you move from again? What’s your background?”

  “Oh, we’re nomads,” Hannah answered quickly. “And like I said, we’re really excited to be in Kingsley now.”

  He noted that she seemed to want to move on from the topic, so he obliged her. “My favorite part of Kingsley is how vast it is.” He used his hand to trace along the skyline. “A beautiful patchwork of ranches bound together by the strength of our community.”

  Hannah stopped rocking and stared at him with an intensity that surprised him. “That’s a really beautiful sentiment. Quotable, even.”

  “Well, thank you, ma’am,” Chad replied with a grin, tipping his hat at her. His cheeks reddened, half from the compliment and half from the fact that he’d let his fun guy façade slip for a moment. “No one realizes that I’m Kingsley’s unofficial poet. But don’t tell anyone!”

  She laughed and her face transformed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  There was something about Hannah that made him want to keep talking and rocking forever. Every time she looked at him it was like she was actually seeing him. Sure, he was used to women watching and admiring him, but it felt different with Hannah. And that smile of hers! Noelle was right, Hannah seemed to be carrying some baggage, but Chad could tell that there was sunshine in her soul.

  Suddenly, all he wanted to do was make her laugh again.

  The dinner was joyful chaos, as usual. Noelle seated Chad and Hannah at the far end of the table across from one another. While she definitely made for pretty scenery, it meant that conversation between them was limited. Even though he wanted to keep talking with her, Hannah’s attention was divided by Matilda on one side and Aria on the other. But it gave him plenty of time to study her and decide that he needed to know more about her.

  “Since when do you leave food on your plate?” Chad asked Matilda, pointing at the mountain of barbeque, greens, and biscuits in front of her. “Your appetite usually puts mine to shame!”

  “Maybe because I work harder than you,” she teased back.

  “Seriously, you gonna eat that?” he asked, eyeing her plate.

  Matilda shot a quick glance at Shane and smiled, then shook her head and handed the plate to Chad. “I’m not really hungry tonight.”

  “Everything was delicious,” Hannah said as the conversation lulled. “Aria and I really appreciate the invitation to eat with you.”

  “Thank you, Hannah,” Noelle said in an overloud voice, drawing all eyes to her. “And we’re so happy to have you here.” She paused to make sure everyone was paying attention to her. “Because I had an idea that concerns you that I wanted to pitch to the grown-ups. Drew, please go find Willie and give him his dinner. Aria, would you like to help feed our dog?”

  “Yes, please!” Aria didn’t even glance at her mother as she hopped off her chair.

  “Chad …” Noelle continued once the kids were happily tending to the farm dog.

  He stopped with the fork halfway to his mouth as he felt the room’s gaze land on him.

  “Yes?”

  “I have a proposition for you. Or should I say, we have a proposition for you.”

  “Who’s ‘we’?” he asked, setting the fork down carefully.

  Jett chuckled from his spot at the head of the table, wearing a smile that seemed to be matched by Noelle, Matilda, and Shane. It seemed like everyone was in on the big secret but him.

  Noelle took back over explaining. “Today you saw for yourself how bad Tripp has gotten with Hannah. Now, she’s not only my employee, she’s also new to our community, and we have to step up to help keep her safe. You agree, right?”

  Everyone shifted to stare at Chad.

  He fought the urge to fidget or fiddle with his collar, feeling like he’d been called into the principal’s office. “Well, yes, of course. I stepped in today, and I’ll continue to do it every chance I get. Tripp doesn’t intimidate me.”

  He glanced at Hannah and she was looking at everyone but Chad.

  “What if you had more opportunities to help Hannah? And what if it could benefit both of you?”

  “Would someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Chad exclaimed. “You sound like you’re doing an infomercial.”

  Hannah let out a giggle, seemingly in spite of herself.

  “Okay, here’s my idea.” She paused. “What if you pretend to be Hannah’s boyfriend?”

  “Her what?”

  Chad leaned over the sink in the kitchen, refilled his glass, and gulped it dry. He wished it were beer, but he needed to be sober for the conversations to come.

  Noelle’s explanation of the fake boyfriend scenario made sense, but it also made zero sense. No one would believe it! Chad’s reputation as a ladies’ man stretched into the next county, so the idea that he’d be willing to settle down would get more laughs than his attempt to run for the Cattlemen’s chairman. The last damn thing he wanted was to give everyone another excuse to laugh at him. Not when he was dead set on finally getting people to take him seriously.