The Rancher's Fake Fiancée

The first time Loukas Karalis slides a diamond on my finger, there’s a contract on the table and a clock ticking down.

One week. One borrowed ring. One very expensive lie.

At forty, I know exactly where I stand in a crowded room: pressed against a wall, holding everyone’s coats. I’m broke, tired, and invisible enough to be useful. Which is exactly why a billionaire rancher with ice in his veins calls me out to his sprawling Texas spread and makes me an offer that sounds a lot like salvation.

Play the part of the adoring fiancée on a luxury train that cuts across Texas under chandeliers and crystal glass. Wear his name, laugh at the right moments, tuck my hand into the crook of his arm while he charms a car full of investors. Pretend I’m crazy about a man I can barely stand.

Easy money, I tell myself. I can fake anything for seven days.

But Loukas keeps slipping. A lingering touch when no one’s watching. A quiet confession over whiskey at midnight as the train hums through the dark. The way his hand tightens at my waist like he’s holding on to more than the lie we sold.

I promised myself I’d never let another man turn my life upside down. He’s sworn, in more ways than one, that love is a luxury he will never buy.

The closer we get to the last stop, the harder it is to remember that the ring in my jewelry case is only on loan—and that the man who put it there intends to walk away with every piece of himself still locked up tight.

A slow-burn, later-in-life, enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement romance. No cheating. HEA guaranteed.