Must-Have Husband

outdoors. Plainly, that wasn’t going to be one of these two.
    Mac was glad it was Connie who needed the groom instead of her sister. Not that Linda wasn’t pretty as well. It was more like instinct told him he’d have a much easier time pretending with Connie. She was smart and funny, and there was something extra appealing about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was there when the two of them were together. He’d never forget the panicked look in her eyes when she’d run straight into him in the woods during her late-night toilet expedition. She’d been half crazed with fear in a way that was unbearably cute. It was all he could do to keep from teasing her into believing there really was a predator in those woods. That would have given him an excuse to hold her longer. And something told Mac that keeping Connie’s lean, athletic body pressed up against his for an extra moment more would have meant sheer pleasure. Mac imagined her pretty blue eyes gazing up at him as he brought his mouth to her kissable lips, then pulled himself up short. Per Connie’s instruction, there was to be no kissing during these next few days. They had a business arrangement, pure and simple. All Mac was there to do was give the illusion of someone desperately interested in Connie.
    And that was what he’d do too. Play the politely respectful fiancé, wow Connie’s family, and convince her grandfather that he was Constance Oliver’s one true love. Then he could go back to rebuilding his life, and Connie would find a way to carry on with hers. Despite his initial reservations, Mac was starting to believe that everything would work out fine. In a way, he was being a gentleman. Merely assisting a damsel in distress. So what if his help came with a price tag? When that cash could ultimately help so many people, charging for his time didn’t seem all bad. Life wasn’t perfect, and sometimes you had to make sacrifices in order to achieve your goals. Connie and he were in agreement on that.

    Connie hoped Mac hadn’t seen her peeking at him in her vanity mirror, but she thought he’d spied her looking just the same. She put on a dab of lipstick, then shut the mirror flap and flipped up her visor. Linda was right. If she hadn’t been such a big chicken, Connie never would have gotten herself into this mess. But she’d been afraid of upsetting her whole family’s plans, and most particularly of breaking her grandpa’s heart. His health was failing, and she didn’t know how well he could withstand another emotional blow. When she’d lost her last fiancé, her grandpa had been hospitalized a whole week! She’d gone to visit and had overheard him begging the priest, “Please ask God to let me live long enough to see my last granddaughter married.” On one hand, Connie had felt upset his expectations put so much pressure on her. On the other, she understood he came from a traditional background where he wanted to feel as if the women in the family were taken care of. Naturally, Connie could take care of herself. But at nearly eighty years old, her grandfather couldn’t be convinced. There wasn’t much point in trying.
    Connie sighed and looked out at the rolling hills around them. They’d be approaching their vineyard soon. Linda hadn’t said much during their long drive. She’d just sat there wearing dark glasses, with that baseball cap on her head and the radio turned up high, blasting out some funky Brazilian tunes. She didn’t appear to be having second thoughts about their plan. In fact, she seemed uncannily relaxed, sitting there thumping her fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the music, a mildly distracted expression on her face. She was probably thinking about Beau and being back in his arms. They had such a great marriage, those two. It was a hard enough act to follow with a genuine fiancé. Connie wasn’t one hundred percent sure she’d be able to pull it off with a fake one. She’d have to try, though. Her grandpa’s happiness during his big birthday celebration depended on it. The deal she’d struck with Mac would ultimately help a lot of other people too. How hard could it be? Pretending she was about to get married? She’d played that role three times already. By now, she should have it down pat.

    Mac had to keep his jaw from dropping when they pulled up the broad circular drive. No sooner had they arrived under the huge portico when three staff members popped