But before he could answer her, there was a knock on his front door. The next minute, it was being opened.
The dark-haired woman with the snapping brown eyes and the easy smile who entered was obviously not worried about standing on ceremony, Greer thought as she turned to see her walk in. She had a baby with her comfortably resting on her hip. The baby had dark hair, like she did.
The familiar way the woman looked at Rafe made Greer think they had an intimate relationship. Was she his girlfriend? His mistress? And why was he asking her to pose as his fiancée when this spit-fire was part of his life?
Greer squared her shoulders, feeling suddenly dowdy and lifeless despite the designer suit she had so carefully selected for her trip out here.
The woman flashed a smile at him, then at her. “Sorry, Rafe, I didn’t realize you had company.”
To Greer’s surprise, she saw him reaching for the woman’s baby. Was the little girl his? Why hadn’t Mrs. Maitland mentioned that he had a child? It didn’t seem like the type of oversight she’d make, given how she felt about children.
Maybe Mrs. Maitland hadn’t known, she realized.
Greer had the feeling that she was slipping deeper down the rabbit hole. What she needed right now was a rabbit with answers.
He could almost see the questions in Greer’s eyes. She was chewing on her lower lip, as if to bite them back.
“This isn’t company,” he told the woman as he took Bethany into his arms. “This is Greer.” He figured it was enough of an explanation. Rafe brushed a kiss against the top of the baby’s head. “So, how’re you doing, honey? Did you have a good day?”
In response, the baby made a cooing noise and he smiled as if she’d answered him. He tucked her against him comfortably. The little girl contented herself with playing with the buttons on his shirt.
Taking the initiative, the woman stepped forward and took Greer’s hand in hers. Her smile was genuine even as she swept her eyes over Greer, making a quick appraisal.
“Hello, I’m Alyssa Martinez.” She inclined her head to indicate somewhere beyond the small ranch house. “I help my father with the cooking at the main house, when I’m not watching Bethany. She’s a regular pistol, this one.”
Greer returned the handshake before dropping her hand to her side. For a second, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Women like Alyssa Martinez had been making her feel inferior all of her life. Not deliberately, they did it just by existing. They were bold, vital, and everything looked good on them. So did nothing. Alyssa’s obvious curves, even beneath the peasant blouse and wide skirt she wore, made Greer acutely aware of her almost boyish figure.
Oh, sure, she worked out when she could find the time and that kept her body lean and toned, but it never coaxed forward any curves. For that miracle to occur, she would have had to have submitted to a surgeon’s scalpel and she wasn’t about to do that.
Besides, there was no one to do it for, so the point, even if she had been inclined to consider it, was a moot one. There was no one to make herself pretty for, no one to keep in mind when she shopped for clothes. The items in her closet were all tasteful and from the best stores, but they lacked imagination and color. She didn’t see the need for it.
“Can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” Mrs. Malone had told her more than once while she was growing up. Mrs. Malone had run the children’s shelter where she had spent most of her youth, and the message had stuck that much more because Mrs. Malone had meant it to be kind. To prevent her from being set up for any future disappointments. “A girl has to know her limits, you know,” she’d firmly asserted.
And Greer knew hers.
“I’m Greer Lawford,” Greer finally said, retreating to the persona she was most comfortable with, the one she had created when she’d forged out into the corporate world. That Greer was strong and confident, good at whatever she did no matter what it was she chose to do.
In high school she’d discovered that she had an aptitude for learning, and ever since, she had made a point of acquainting herself with whatever world she ventured into. Not just learning about it but mastering it. Like a person deprived of one sense, she made the others that much more sensitive and acute in order to compensate. In her case, she figured that what she lacked was looks. She was determined to make up for it with brains.
And by making herself indispensable to the person she worked for. Which was why she was here when she would much rather be behind a desk, manning phones and pulling together the two hundred and twenty-nine different strings that were involved in making this holiday reunion a success.
She forced herself to return Alyssa’s smile. “I work for Mrs. Megan Maitland.”
Alyssa looked at Rafe. “Maitland. Is that your mother?”
Bethany was trying to chew on one of his buttons. Rafe drew it away from her mouth. “My aunt, according to Greer.”
Why was it that every time he said her name, she had the impression he was going to follow it with a full-bellied laugh? Greer wasn’t that ridiculous a name, she thought defensively.
Alyssa looked surprised and oddly tickled. “Hey, I didn’t know you had a family.”
Rafe shrugged dismissively. He didn’t really like talking about any of his family.
“A very large family,” Greer said before Rafe had the opportunity to say anything. She had a feeling there was a disclaimer on his lips and she didn’t want to give him a chance to utter it. “And Mrs. Maitland wants to gather everyone together in Texas for a big family celebration this year.”
Her arms devoid of the baby, Alyssa smoothed down her shirt and looked at Rafe with what appeared to be a touch of hope. “Sounds like fun. You going to go?”
Afraid he was going to say no, Greer jumped in to answer. “Yes, he is.”
Dark brows drew together over a nose that could almost be called delicate. Greer wondered if he resembled his mother or his father.
“Don’t get carried away with this engagement thing,” he warned her. “I can still do my own talking and my own answering.”
“Engagement?” Alyssa echoed. Curiosity quickly painted itself across her fine features along with more than a touch of disappointment. “When did all this happen?”
“It didn’t,” Rafe told her, switching Bethany to his other side. The area around half his buttons was wet from the toddler’s questing mouth and grasping fingers. “I figured an ‘engagement’ was the best way to keep Bethany and my word to Rory and Lil.”
“But it’s not real.” Alyssa sounded as if she wanted to make perfectly certain of that fact.
“No, it’s not real,” Rafe assured her.
“Oh.” Alyssa nodded, obviously understanding what he was saying.
But she didn’t, Greer thought, and she decided it was time someone filled her in. She turned, looking at Rafe. “I think we’ve come full circle, Mr. Maitland.”
“I think
