A South Texas Christmas by Stella Bagwell

Author:Stella Bagwell [Bagwell, Stella]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises
Published: 2011-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

The other woman smiled gently as her gaze encompassed the couple sitting closely together on the couch. “I hope you’ll accept my offer, Neil. Even though I am prejudiced, the ranch is a pretty place and we serve some of the best food around. I promise I’ll see to it personally that your wedding is one to remember.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Saddler. You’re very generous,” Neil told her.

She looked at him with keen interest. “Lex tells me you’re a financial advisor. Have you been doing that type of job long?”

At least the advisor part was true enough, Neil thought. “About thirteen years.”

The older woman nodded her head in an approving way. “Then you’re firmly established. That’s good. It makes me happy to know that Raine won’t have to struggle for things she needs. Back when Paul and I first married, the ranch was prosperous, but we went through some very rough patches over the years. Especially back in the seventies when the bottom fell out of the cattle market. We had to claw our way out of debt. But then—you deal in keeping finances straight— I don’t need to tell you anything about providing security for your wife.”

With a fond smile, he reached over and patted the top of Raine’s hand. “I’ll see that Raine gets whatever she wants. Within reason.”

As soon as Neil spoke the words, it struck him that he was actually telling Geraldine Saddler the truth. He wanted to give Raine what she wanted the very most—her father’s identity. He realized he’d made this whole trip and agreed to go along with her charade because he didn’t want to disappoint her. Simply put, he wanted to make the beautiful woman sitting next to him, happy. So what did that make him, a shadow of his father? he asked himself. No. He wasn’t about to fall into the hopeless existence his father, James, had fallen into. He wasn’t going to love a woman so incessantly that he would sacrifice everything to make her smile.

“Geraldine, my needs are small,” Raine said. “You don’t have to worry about Neil providing for me.”

Raine’s voice tugged his thoughts back to the moment and he glanced over to see pink color on her cheeks, but whether it was from annoyance or embarrassment, he didn’t know. He was beginning to see, however, that she wasn’t a spoiled young woman who’d been coddled as an only child. She wasn’t out to have her way at other’s expense, especially where her mother was concerned. In his opinion, she’d taken drastic lengths not to upset the woman. And that selflessness he saw in her only made him want to help her more.

“I’m not in the least bit worried,” Geraldine said with a smile. “The only thing that does concern me is eventually losing you as our bookkeeper. The families have always trusted you implicitly and that’s something that will be very hard to replace.”

Raine awkwardly cleared her throat and Neil could feel her body tense next to his.

“I—wouldn’t be worried about that, Geraldine.

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