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He hated the complacent tone of her voice, as though he was an acquaintance she had happened across
and now felt compelled to make polite conversation.
"No."
How would he explain why he was here? And why he had lied to her? Now she would think he was
telling her only because he d been caught. Somehow, he had to make her believe he had already intended
to own up this evening.
He gestured toward the doorway he d just left. "Why don t you come into my office and I ll explain?"
Her eyebrows quirked upward. "Your office?"
"Oh, Jeremy, there you are." Claire Jenson stepped off the elevator and walked toward them, then stood
beside Gill, sending her a quick smile of acknowledgment. "Good. I see you ve met Gill. I brought her up
to meet you."
Why would the manager of personnel bring Gill to meet him? Gill certainly wasn t dressed for a job
interview.
A weird thought twisted through his brain. What did a woman wear to an interview for a position as
bride? He glanced at Gill s attire. Certainly a snug pair of jeans that accentuated her long legs, and the
highly flattering turquoise sweater would be a better choice than a stuffy business suit.
But that was a crazy idea. Gill couldn t be the bridal candidate his father had said would arrive
momentarily.
"Jeremy?" Gill s eyes narrowed. "As in, Jeremy Farraday?"
"Jeremy Kincaid Farraday," he admitted.
"You & lied to me." She glanced at the piece of paper hanging from his left hand. "That ad& ." Her gaze
darted back to his face. "You re the virgin hunter?"
"You came about the ad?" His eyebrows lifted in a doubtful pose.
Gill s chest tightened along with the fingers of her hands. She barely suppressed the urge to pummel him
into nonexistence. This man had been lying to her ever since she met him. About his money. About his
job. About his identity. For heavens sake, the man was loaded and he d made her pay every time they did
anything together. Except when he d brought dinner to her house, then after they d made love& .
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Damn the man. She had believed everything he d told her. Had fallen for the whole charade like a total
fool.
And he must think she was a total fool because now he actually believed she d answer an advertisement
for a virgin sacrifice. Did he also think--good heavens, could it be that he d lied to her because he thought
she might go after his money otherwise? Well, if that s what he believed, fine, let him.
She stood a little straighter, folding her arms across her chest. "Why are you surprised? You re the one
who thought it was a good idea to find a rich husband to support me."
Her mother glanced from Gill to Cade and back again as though watching a tennis match.
He scowled. "So you decided you ll just marry any old stranger who has money?"
She shrugged. "Sure, why not? It s too bad I hadn t known who you were earlier. Then I could have
accepted your proposal right off and beat the red tape."
His stormy features flared, then settled into a cold, calm arrangement. "You re right, you should have,
because now it s too late." He held the ad facing her. "You no longer meet the qualifications."
The word virgin seemed to blink at her in neon red.
Her chest tightened at the reminder she d given this man her virginity. A man who advertised for virgins
in the newspaper.
"In fact, it seems you re as much a liar as I am," he went on. "If it hadn t been me, the man you came to
see today wouldn t know you re no longer a virgin."
"Gill?" her mother interjected. "Did you and Jeremy& ?"
Gill felt her face grow scarlet. Damn him. How would she face her mother after this? She spun around
and raced for the door.
"Gill, wait!"
She heard her mother s words as she scooted through the outer office to the stairs.
Cade stared after Gill, anger still burning through him. He hadn t meant to embarrass her in front of
Claire, but she d get over it. He wasn t sure about himself. Obviously, he hadn t known her as well as
he d thought. The Gill he thought he knew would never even consider answering an ad like the one his
father and Claire had composed.
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"Jeremy Farraday." Claire s voice cut though his thoughts. Her finger jabbed him sharply in the chest.
"You go and apologize to her right now."
He stared at Claire in complete shock. She had always been so mild mannered. Professional, but sweet.
Now she sounded like a mother bear protecting her cub.
"Claire, I don t think you fully understand--"
"Oh, I understand, young man. Far better than you think." She stepped toward him, her fierce expression
driving him back a step. "You see, I m her mother." She jabbed again. "And you re an idiot."
"Her mother?" He felt his face pale.
"She didn t come here because of the ad. I ve been trying to get you two to meet for two years now and I
coaxed her up here because--"
"Excuse me." A female voice cut in. They both turned to stare at a woman in a sophisticated, white
tailored suit with her blond hair carefully coiled at the side of her head. "I m here to meet Jeremy
Farraday. I have an appointment."
Jeremy stared at the woman who was obviously the bridal candidate his father had scheduled an
appointment for. Gill hadn t been here to answer the ad after all. Fool. How could he have believed she
would? He had to go after her.
But first& .
He turned back to Claire. "I m sorry. When I thought Gill was here because--well, sometimes she makes
me crazy. Yesterday she threw my proposal of marriage back in my face and told me she didn t love me."
Claire patted Cade s shoulder and sent him a sympathetic smile. "Believe me, Jeremy, I understand. I ve
known that girl for twenty-seven years and I know all about crazy." Her smile changed to a grin. "So you
proposed to my daughter? Do you still want to marry her?"
He smiled back, pleased to have Gill s mother on his side. "Absolutely. So tell me, Gill says she doesn t
believe in love. Why?"
Claire shook her head. "Her stepfather. The damage that man did to Gill s self-esteem& ." She grasped his
sleeve and locked gazes with him. "Jeremy, she s afraid to believe. Because she s afraid to fail. She has
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