Chapter 4

News travels fast in Texas, especially news involving money, land, and a deadline. The whisper network went into overdrive, Ethan Miller needs a wife, and fast.

Brittany Carter, of course, heard the rumors. She probably thought my little display in Dallas was just a temporary fit of pique, a desperate cry for her attention. She couldn't conceive that I might actually be done with her.

She called me, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Ethan, darling, I heard about the Governor's... suggestion. It's a lot of pressure on you, isn't it?"

"I'm managing," I said, keeping my tone flat.

"Well," she purred, "I've been thinking. Maybe this is fate. We always had something special, Ethan. I'm willing to forgive your little outburst. We can get married. I'll help you secure the ranch."

I almost laughed. "You're willing to forgive me?"

"Of course, darling. And naturally, I'll need some assurances. A pre-nup that's favorable, of course. And I'd want to start a family right away. Dylan would make a wonderful godfather, don't you think?"

The audacity was breathtaking. She was planning to marry me, keep Dylan on the side, and pass off his children as mine, all while securing a hefty piece of my inheritance.

"Britt," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Are you actually proposing to me, with conditions that include your lover?"

"Don't be crude, Ethan," she sniffed. "It's a practical arrangement for our mutual benefit."

"There will be no 'our'," I said. "And no 'mutual benefit' involving you. Goodbye, Britt." I hung up before she could respond. Her delusion was almost pitiable, if it wasn't so repulsive.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson had come through. He' d found information on Hayes AgriTech and its CEO, Avery Hayes. "She's the one, Ethan. Daughter of your father's old friend, granddaughter of your grandfather's best friend. The pact was between the families for their heirs."

Avery "Ava" Hayes. CEO of a multi-billion dollar agricultural technology firm in California. The file showed a woman of sharp intelligence, ruthless in business, a leader in her field. There were no recent photos, only older ones from industry events, always professional, always serious.

"She's agreed to honor the pact?" I asked, surprised. A woman like that, why would she agree to an arranged marriage with a Texas rancher she'd never met?

"Word is, she's a woman of her word," Mr. Thompson said. "And the Hayes family always honors its commitments. She's flying in next week."

Next week. My mind conjured an image, a stern, older businesswoman, perhaps plain, someone who saw this as a merger, not a marriage. Someone my father and grandfather might have picked for dynastic reasons, not for... well, not for anything else. I sighed. At least she wouldn't be Britt. That was something. This was about securing the ranch, nothing more.