Hannah looked out into the crowd nervously. A few people laughed … but there was more support and cheering than judgement. She sighed in relief and clapped along with everyone.

  Chad beamed, handed over the mic then took a few steps over to grab Hannah’s hand and bring her up to the edge of the stage next to him. Suddenly she was back in the official capacity of arm candy, a role she played so well. The thought left a slightly sour taste in her mouth, but she swallowed it back as she smiled shyly and waved.

  Chad took the mic back from the race organizer again. “Hey, everyone, this is Hannah! She’s new in town, so let’s give her a warm Kingsley welcome.” The crowd cheered even louder, and Chad grinned at her.

  Then, in a move she didn’t see coming, Chad placed his hand on her cheek, leaned over and kissed her, and the crowd went wild.

  5

  Chad strode into the barn and saw his brothers huddled over a laptop. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, framed the image, and quickly snapped a photo without them knowing.

  “Well, look at you two!” Chad said as shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Suddenly, my cattle management program doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, huh?”

  He’d suggested purchasing the expensive program a few years prior, and for the longest time he was the only one of the three that used it. But changes in the weather, Shane’s busy new horse breeding business, and fine tuning the ranch’s new drainage system lead to fuller workdays for all of them, and they had quickly discovered that relying on a computer for help made more sense than sticking to the traditional cattle management techniques their father had used.

  “You were right,” Jett said, pretending that it was an effort to admit it. “This program is incredible.”

  “Told ya!” He took off his hat, tossed it in the air, and angled himself so it landed perfectly on his head.

  “What’s got you all goofy? Or should I say, goofier than normal?” Shane asked, eyeing his brother.

  He shrugged. “Just lovin’ life.”

  “So, it’s not your fake girlfriend that’s got you acting like this?” Shane asked. “The one you kissed in front of everyone?”

  “That was part of the act.” He hopped up on the stall gate. “But she’s actually not bad. I like hanging with her. Kinda caught me off guard, to be honest.”

  “Enjoying a woman’s company caught you off guard? Chad, that’s basically all you do when you’re not here,” Jett said with a laugh.

  Chad considered his point for a minute. “Yeah, but this feels different. Sure, I’ve ‘spent time’ with plenty of women.” He winked. “But with Hannah it’s more, I don’t know, real, I guess? Usually my time with women involves a bar, lots of drinking, a very good time, then a quick getaway in the morning. But running a 5k together? Never done that before.”

  “Clearly. That’s why she kicked your ass. I saw how hard you were struggling at the end!” Shane teased.

  “Shut up! That’s not what I mean.”

  “You mean Hannah is a woman you can actually have a conversation with that goes beyond favorite beers and turn-ons,” Jett said gently, ever the big brother peacekeeper.

  “Exactly. And hey, don’t forget that you two didn’t exactly have the best track records prior to settling down. Jett, you were a lone wolf after you got your heart broken. And Shane, Susanna screwed you up for a long time until you met Matilda.”

  They both nodded.

  “Are you saying that this fake relationship could become something more?” Shane asked.

  “No, no, not at all,” Chad hastened to say. He wasn’t looking for a relationship—would have no idea what to do with one. Hannah deserved better than some guy fumbling through commitment. “But for now, it’s working. It looked really good having her beside me on the podium. I think I scored some major points with the Cattlemen’s Association members. Plus, I like keeping her safe from Tripp. He was at the race staring her down like a chicken hawk.”

  “Be careful with him,” Jett warned. “He can get ugly.”

  Chad nodded. “I know. But my side of this fake relationship bargain is keeping him away from her, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I need to make sure Hannah and her daughter stay safe. I’m heading to her place for lunch in a bit so we can figure everything out together.”

  Jett watched Chad for a few seconds with a smile on his face. “This definitely feels like it could be something more. I think you’re already sweet on her.”

  “What? No, absolutely not.” What on earth had given his brother that idea? Just because he said he liked her? He liked plenty of women! “I need to keep my head on straight so there’s not going to be any monkey business with Hannah.”

  “Which head are you talking about?” Shane laughed.

  Chad pretended like he was about to punch his brother.

  But it was true. He knew that if he wanted to win the position, he had to prove that he could be taken seriously. And that meant no scandals or gossip of any kind. He had to keep the relationship stable and drama-free—and the fastest way to screw that up would be to get involved with Hannah in any way other than what they’d agreed to. Anything more than the quick kiss they’d shared at the race could lead to … complications. Horizontal complications. Before he eased back on getting serious with anyone, he’d endured fights in public, Facebook rants about him, and one time, a long, angry scratch etched into the paint on his truck. It made more sense to him to keep things casual and drama-free with women. Some guys were good at long-term relationships, but he just wasn’t one of them. Whenever he tried, it ended badly. So he’d decided that a night or two was all he needed.

  But that had nothing to do with the situation with Hannah. They both had specific goals that didn’t require anything more of them than being seen together in public. Looking happy. And maybe holding hands. Like they were courting at church. Definitely nothing more than that.

  Shame that the little, tiny, no-big-deal kiss they’d shared was all Chad could think about.

  Chad pulled up in front of Hannah’s yellow cottage and was impressed that it already looked like a home. Blooming planters flanked the door, a cheerful wind chime hung on the corner of the house, and an adorable little face peeked out the window, waving at him.

  “Hi, Aria,” he mouthed and waved hello as he walked up the brick path.

  She disappeared from the window and Hannah met him at the door.

  “We need to talk.” Her face looked pinched, and Chad immediately wondered if it was because of the kiss. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about it afterwards since Aria started fussing about lunch, and they had to say quick goodbyes. And they weren’t at the point where they were casually texting yet.

  She stood aside and let him walk in without another word.

  Aria ran over and stopped short a few feet away with her fist in her mouth. She was still too shy to say anything, but the fact that she came over to greet him, even wordlessly, meant that Chad was slowly making inroads.

  “Bzz!” he said, waving his fingers like bee wings.

  Aria screamed and ran away laughing.

  Chad turned to Hannah. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

  “Yeah, something happened!” she hissed. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction Aria had just run off. “Come into the kitchen.”

  Chad followed Hannah in and tried not to stare at her ass. But the perkiness … he was always a fool for a woman with a round rear.

  “Excuse me,” Hannah said when she whipped around and caught him. “Have you been on the Kingsley community Facebook page lately?”

  “Nope, I try to avoid social media. Never been good for me.” Chad cleared his throat and tried not to think about all of the women who’d trashed him online after getting their hearts broken. Even after all this time, he still didn’t understand why. He was always honest with them about his intentions. He never promised forever; his only guarantee was for a good time. And they always agreed. But when a few months went by, a lot of them decided they were ready to get serious—and they’d be furious that he didn’t feel the same way. He was painted as the bad guy just for saying no to something he’d clearly stated he didn’t want. It was why he’d decided sticking to one-night stands was safer. Fewer expectations that way.

  Hannah grabbed her phone and rage-scrolled. “Look,” she said, showing it to him.

  Chad smiled when he saw the lead photo of the two of them. It looked so … real. He was holding his medal up with one hand while leaning over to kiss Hannah. You couldn’t see much of his face, but Hannah’s lovely profile was clear, and based on her expression, it looked like she enjoyed the moment as much as he did.

  He stopped smiling when he looked up and saw her red face in real life. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done that without discussing it with you first, but I was caught up in the moment, and we had everyone’s attention, so why not use it to our advantage? I know Tripp saw it too, so I think it helped us both.”

  She heaved a sigh. “Read the post.”

  He sped through the accompanying text and realized that Belinda, one of his exes, had written it. In the piece, she blasted him for being a womanizer. Hannah was described as his hapless next “victim” in a way that didn’t give her much credit for intelligence or common sense—but most of the vitriol was aimed at Chad as Belinda complained that it wasn’t fair that Kingsley was being represented by him.

  “What does she mean ‘represented’?” he asked.

  “The link at the end of what she wrote is from Runner’s World Magazine. A reporter that’s covering small-town races was in the crowd, and they published our photo on their website and all of their social media. It’s everywhere.”

  “Huh!” Chad paused. “Isn’t that good? Don’t we want everyone to think we’re together?”

  “Everyone in Kinsley, sure, but not the world! I didn’t sign on to have my face plastered on every social media platform.” She looked like she was about to cry.

  Chad was stumped. Most women loved attention, especially when they looked as pretty as Hannah did in the photo. So why was she so freaked out by it? Was it because she was embarrassed to be associated with him, or was it something bigger?

  Despite the small sting of rejection he felt, he stayed focused on her. He hated seeing her so upset. “I’m sorry, Hannah, you have to know I had no idea this would happen. I thought I was doing something good for my campaign, and for dealing with Tripp. Looking like we’re a couple is supposed to be part of that.”

  “I’m not so sure anymore,” she replied with her arms crossed. She looked as angry as he’d ever seen her. “Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe we should call it off.”

  Chad was shocked by the suggestion. Partly because it didn’t make sense and partly because … well, he couldn’t quite put his finger on why it unnerved him.

  “I’m not sure that’s the right way to go, Hannah. Tripp will probably double down if I bow out now, and then there’s the way it’ll look for my campaign. Breaking up proves my ex-girlfriend’s point, that I’m still just a womanizer.” He didn’t add that breaking up would make him look like a fool in front of his family again.

  She was quiet for a few minutes and even though he barely knew her, Chad could see that she was weighing her options.

  “Fine. We’ll keep up the act. But from now on I decide how we present ourselves to the world, okay? No more surprise kisses.”

  Her cheeks went bright pink and Chad bit back a smile.

  “You got it. Deal. So, we’re done here?”

  Hannah gave him an incredulous look. “No, we’re not done. We’re just getting started! We have to start planning the next steps of your campaign. We have a lot of work to do if we want this ridiculous arrangement to do what it’s supposed to.”

  From their interactions in the bakery and the things Noelle had said, Chad had assumed Hannah was the shy, retiring type, but seeing her acting all bossy added a new layer. She was a puzzle that he looked forward to figuring out.

  “Sit,” she said, pulling out a kitchen chair. “Let’s get to work.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Chad said with a grin and a quick salute.

  6

  “You want to get a picture of this to post?” Chad asked Hannah as he hoisted a heavy bag of mulch over his head, so that his biceps strained the sleeves of his T-shirt.

  She shook her head at him in exasperation but couldn’t help the corner of her mouth turning up when he made a noise like a powerlifter. Yes, Chad was ridiculous, but he was also sort of adorable.

  Chad laughed and tossed the bag into the wheelbarrow next to Hannah. “Just teasin’. I know I have to keep it professional.”

  Hannah nodded. “Exactly. And that’s why we’re here today.”

  He leaned in closer to her so no one around them could overhear him. “I always used to skip these Cattlemen community events, especially the ones put on by the wives. If it wasn’t directly about ranching, I didn’t see the point.” He shrugged. “But did you see Hank Greeley’s face when we showed up? Worth it!”

  “You need to understand that if you really want the position, you’re going to have to keep coming to community events. You’ll really need to commit. This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Hannah said quietly.

  “Running analogy.” He squinted at her and hid a smile. “Ouch. But I get it. And the good news is I’m having fun. I’ve never planted flowers before, and it turns out I’m excellent at it!”

  Chad might not usually be a joiner—at least, not in events that didn’t seem to be in his sphere—but he was a natural at diving in with enthusiasm and keeping spirits high. Seeing him interacting with the people of Kingsley during the library greenscaping event gave Hannah more insight into the man he was beneath the swagger and jokiness. Everyone seemed to gravitate to him, and his ability to charm his neighbors, from the toddlers to the seniors, pointed to the fact that he was a natural for the chairman position.

  Now she just needed the rest of the community to believe that Chad had real substance underneath the charming, magnetic exterior. She still wasn’t sure there was, but it didn’t matter. Her part of the bargain was helping Chad get elected, and she was going to see it through. She was good at painting a pretty picture no matter what the real story was behind the scenes.

  Hannah glanced over at the children’s garden, where Aria was clumsily digging holes with her hands alongside the assistant librarian, Mrs. O’Neill. There was more dirt on her lap than the ground next to her, but it didn’t matter. What was more important was that Aria was making connections to her new community, too, especially to someone who seemed kind and grandmotherly.

  “You’re Amanda, right?” A pretty young woman holding a tray of flowers asked.

  Hannah’s heart froze. She pushed her sunglasses up her nose, hoping they’d provide enough of a disguise. “Excuse me?”

  “I asked if your name is Hannah. I saw a post about Chad and his new girlfriend, and I assumed it was you since he can’t stop staring at you. I’m Nina Blackstone, I organize these events. My husband Tyler is on the board.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry, I misheard you. Yes, I’m Hannah. Nice to meet you. Chad and I are happy to be here today, and my daughter Aria, too.” She pointed to the little girl.

  “Aw, what a great little helper!” Nina paused. “I have to tell you, I was sort of shocked to hear that Chad is, uh, how should I put this? Slowing down a little. Actually making a commitment for a change. Lucky you, he’s quite a catch!”

  Hannah studied the woman to try to decipher if she was being sarcastic, but her smile seemed genuine.

  “My husband mentioned that Chad is interested in the chairman position,” she continued. “Between you and me, I think they could use some new blood. Keep coming to this stuff and he’ll be a shoo-in.”

  “That’s great to hear—thanks for your support,” Hannah replied, feeling even more confident about her early campaign progress. “Chad’s really enjoying helping out today. We all are.”

  They both looked over to where Chad was moving a wheelbarrow overfilled with bags of mulch. Cowboy hat on, sleeves rolled up, tanned arms popping from the exertion, he was a sight to behold. Even though it was a struggle to keep the heavy thing upright, he was still laughing and joking with everyone he passed.

  “Wow.” Nina sighed quietly. She seemed shocked to realize that she’d said it out loud and quickly cleared her throat. “And of course, we’re delighted that you’re getting involved, too. Why don’t you join us for the wives’ weekly brunch?”

  “Oh!” Hannah certainly hadn’t expected that. “A-are you sure that would be alright? Chad and I … I mean, it’s going well, but we’re certainly not married yet,” she stammered, feeling awkward.

  Nina waved away her concerns. “No one will mind—they’ll just be pleased to have more company.”

  “In that case, that would be lovely, thank you for the invitation,” Hannah said. She and Nina exchanged contact information, and then the other woman drifted away.

  She kneeled and pulled the tray in front of her, ready to begin the next round of planting along the long brick walkway that they were lining with flowers. It was looking cheerful already, but there was still loads more to do. She glanced over at Aria and Mrs. O’Neill and went cold when she saw Tripp wandering over to them. She still seethed over the way that Tripp had tried to use Aria to get to her, leaving little presents on their porch thinking it would endear him to Hannah.

  “No way,” she muttered to herself as she jumped up and headed over to them, despite the anxiety churning in the pit of her stomach. She scanned the crowd for Chad, but he was on the other side of the lawn talking and laughing with a bunch of the men. Doing exactly what he needed to do to help secure his spot as chairman, but not there to help her when she needed him. However, just knowing that he’d have her back if something went wrong gave Hannah the confidence to storm over to Tripp.