Her Fairy-Tale Life

*****

Maggie woke up alone, hugging the teddy bear she had received the night before, and rolled over expecting to see Kaeden asleep and finding nothing. She looked at the clock; she had slept in, and she remembered that she had turned her phone off so the alarm couldn't have woken her. He probably left already, she decided, feeling a pang of disappointment, and went to have a shower, berating herself for having been taken in by his charm again.

She tried not to think of last night as anything more than a nice guy checking up on her when she had been obviously upset after talking with her family. He was a nice guy, she admitted. He hadn't taken advantage of her as she slept, nor forced himself on her, aside of those few kisses they had shared. She let herself remember the earth shattering initial kiss when she opened the door and found him standing there instead of Ravi.

"Don't be silly, Maggie," she told herself, "He's just a nice guy, and a few kisses meant nothing, he was just trying to make you feel better with that talk about wanting a date." She gave a derisive snort. She'd never been on a real date in her life. And why? Because she wasn't the type of girl men wanted to date. She knew it. It had been pointed out to her for her whole life. He was just being nice and trying to make her feel better, despite being the one with the injuries.

Once dressed, she went into the kitchen and found the balloons in the middle of the table, making her smile. Kaeden had helped himself to half of the last muffin for breakfast and some damper, leaving her half of a thick slice buttered with Jam, making her laugh as she remembered the food he had sent last night and the note about food tasting better if it was shared. She ate the damper and put the plate in the sink, taking the muffin with her as she walked down to the greenhouse to start work.

She could see someone working in the greenhouse and, assuming it was Bob, smiled and went in, grabbing her gloves and preparing to start the clean up since they had saved most of the viable plants yesterday.

"Good morning, Angel," Kaeden smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling into his body before kissing her.

The retort about calling her Angel died on her lips as she melted into his kiss and her body responded to his arms and lips. "What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly as he broke the kiss.

"Helping Bob clean up my mess," he shrugged. "Did you eat something?"

"Funnily enough, I had half a muffin and half a piece of damper," she laughed lightly. "You like sharing food it seems."

"I like sharing a lot of things, including your bed," he waggled his eyebrows at her and gave her his crooked smile. "I was going to try and convince you to spend the day with me, but I'm guessing you would just argue with me about the mess I made and probably made worse, despite my best intentions."

She pursed her lips and nodded, admitting that he was right.

"So I have a proposal for you. I will call Ravi and leave you to your work, if..." he paused. "You answer your phone today. I put it on charge last night so there can't be any excuses, and that you consider having sharing food with me again tonight."

"I'll consider your proposal," she nodded.

"Great, let me know when you have an answer, I'll just be over there making more mess," he chuckled.

"Okay, I will answer my phone today," she gave in. "Now call Ravi, please."

"And?" he prompted.

"And consider sharing food with you again," she agreed reluctantly. She was still suspicious of his motives for wanting to spend time with her.

"Your wish is my command, Angel," he grinned and dug his phone out of his pocket.

Chapter 6.

Three days later, Kaeden sat on a comfortable couch in his penthouse as Elena Dorian was shown into the room. As soon as he'd left Maggie's farm, he'd called in a few favours and found out all about the Dorian family and the Dorian Corporation. He'd spoken to Maggie constantly over the last three days, but she had steadfastly refused a date on a weeknight as well as any assistance he offered her with the farm repairs. She was stubbornly waiting for the insurance to come through, despite being broke and needing all the help she could get.

"This is highly unusual, Mr McConnell, but I am glad you decided to consider my offer in such a timely manner," Elena said smoothly as he stood to shake her hand.

"Of course," he returned her false smile with one of his own. "Rest assured, I intend to make amends for any inconvenience I may have caused in Miss Harris's life." He immediately took away the line in the sand she had mentally drawn, thinking he would want to negotiate her demands. "This is my brother and family Lawyer, Wade McConnell," he introduced the pair. "Please, have a seat so we can discuss your proposal further."

Kaeden was charming, and he knew it. He knew how to handle people like the Dorian's, Maggie Harris, on the other hand, was a different matter. He had never met anyone like her, and he found himself inexplicably drawn to her on a number levels. He wanted to know more about her, and this woman may well be the key to some of that information.

"Thank you," Elena said stiffly, taking the offered chair and sizing up the men before her. Kaeden was handsome and charming, and Elena could see why Maggie had not wanted her to go after him for more than the insurance assessors report had quoted. She was young and impressionable though, and, unlike Elena, would have fallen for the charming man's platitudes. Elena was not so easily swayed though, and she was determined that she would leave here with everything she had asked for.

"Would you like some coffee?" he asked, as his assistant stood by waiting for the greetings to be dispensed with.

"I've already had my quota this morning, thanks, but some water would be lovely," she said sweetly. She could be just as charming as Kaeden when she needed to. "You seem to be recovering quite quickly," she observed.

"I am," he agreed. "I am forever in Miss Harris's debt for rescuing me and treating me so well immediately after the crash."

"She's a solid, dependable girl, you were fortunate that she was awake and able to get to you so quickly," Elena nodded wisely. While the investigation was still ongoing, Elena had read the reports from when Maggie had been interviewed by the doctors and investigators. Those experts had explained that, had he remained slumped as he was in the cockpit, the bruising and damage to his chest and torso could have caused very serious complications for him. She had also spoken to some experts to ensure that Maggie had not done anything wrong and would not be culpable in anyway for Kaeden's injuries.

"I was indeed," he said easily. "Maggie was an angel of mercy that night." He paused while his assistant placed a tray bearing a jug of cooled still water and bottle sparkling water on the small table between them, along with crystal glassware. "Do you mind if my assistant stays to take notes?" He asked solicitously.

"I insist," Elena inclined her head. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Wade stepped in at that point, and they danced around each of the demands in her proposal for over an hour. Despite the fact that Kaeden had already decided to give Elena everything she had asked for, Wade didn't want to make it seem too easy for her and had a few conditions of his own that he could tell she was not impressed with, but they were minor in her eyes and he had agreed to all her other terms.

"That about does it," Elena said smugly, gathering up the paperwork in front of her, "Now, if you will just sign off on those small changes we can settle this without any further unpleasantness for my daughter, and she can get on with rebuilding her clientele after this setback."

Kaeden sat back in his chair and studied the woman for a long moment before speaking again. "I would like a meeting with Maggie and to offer a further proposal," he said cautiously.

"Maggie doesn't want to be involved in the legal side of this incident, she just wants it all resolved so she can move on with her business," Elena said narrowing her eyes. "What did you want to propose? I will take that to her and see if she is amenable to meeting with you."

He spent time outlining an excessively generous proposal that would make Maggie a wealthy and independent woman in her own right, and at the end handed her the proposal documentation to peruse and take to Maggie. He could see the shock mixed with confusion on the older woman's face and he smiled. Offering a sizable bonus for her if she brokered the deal with Maggie was risky, but he had warned Maggie that he intended to offer her more than what she was asking for. He just hadn't told her the full reason for doing this.

"I'm having dinner with Maggie and Alecks tonight. I will present your very generous offer in the best possible light and get back to you tomorrow," Elena said coming to her feet. "It's been a pleasure, Mr McConnell."

"The pleasure has been mine, I assure you," he stood with her, walking her to the door.

Kaeden didn't like being underhanded, but he knew from their recent conversations that the only way Maggie would let him save her home and business from the financial hole it was in was through the woman sitting before him. The settlement for the damages his crash had caused was barely a drop in the bucket compared to the financial aid she truly needed if she got it without her step-mother syphoning off most of the funds as she had done with Maggie's inheritance.

Kaeden intended to help her, if only he could convince her to let him. So far anything outside of the insurance assessors report had been rejected by the stubborn woman. Despite finding her infuriating at times, he knew he was falling for Maggie, but he also knew it would take patience and time for her to accept that he could love her.

Now, after meeting Elena Dorian, he knew she would accept his help, albeit begrudgingly. Elena wouldn't be able to resist the money she would have access to with the bonus as well as her daughter's wealth. He just didn't want Maggie to hate him for going behind her back and involving Elena even further in her life after Maggie had confided her history with Elena to him.

"I hope you know what you're doing, little brother," Wade said, his displeasure over the meeting clear in his voice. "If that's your future mother in law, I'm not sure you haven't got a residual brain injury from that crash.

"Maggies nothing like that, I assure you," Kaeden laughed.

Chapter 7.

Maggie had been sitting in the greenhouse, misting the damaged roses, willing them to grow and listening to one of her favourite pieces of music when she saw the blur of a red car turn off the road and make its way up the gravel drive to her house through the fibreglass panels of the greenhouse.

"What now?" she grumbled out loud. She'd spent the last week brooding and fighting off the gifts and apologies from Kaeden, who had gone behind her back to offer a deal to Elena to help her out, over and above the insurance. Elena had told her it was a sizable amount, but he wanted a percentage of the flower farm business, and final say in her business plans. Not that she had any great plan, aside from selling what stock she had left to the clients who remained loyal to her because of her father's good name.

"Fuck!" she swore, losing the tranquil moment she was having with the plants and music. "What the hell does this person want from me?" She got to her feet and shook her head. If Kaeden had sent her something else, she was going to scream! That stupid man had crashed into her life and turned it upside down and inside out. She was still mad at him for offering the proposal she had immediately turned down, even if Elena hadn't told her it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.

She didn't think she could handle anything else at the moment. Especially with Alecks engagement party happening tonight and Elena ordering her to attend and sit quietly in a corner as repayment for all her legal work in the lawsuit. She had thought the last person Alecks would want there was her, but Elena had insisted the family were required to show a united and happy front to the McMahon family, whose daughter, Suzie, was the bride to be.

"Hello?" She called out loudly enough for the woman who had gotten out of the car to hear and turn toward her with a wide smile.

"Hi!" the woman called back, walking a few steps over the gravel slowly. "Stay there, I'll come to you! I'd love to see your roses!" She hurried towards Maggie, wearing sensible leather boots, which, for some reason, made her feel more amenable towards the woman.

"Are you sure you're in the right place?" Maggie asked, taking in the designer labels of the woman's accessories and seeing the design of what she had thought, from a distance, were sensible boots.

"Of course, silly. I'm Claire McConnell, and we are going to be such good friends," she grinned that thousand watt smile again and propelled Maggie toward the greenhouse.

Maggie wanted to scream. My God, was it not enough that Kaeden was putting pressure on her to accept his stupid rescue package and let him become a partner in this business, but now he sends his sister here to interfere in her life as well! She knew if she were a cartoon character in this debacle she would have steam coming out of her ears at that moment.

"You're Kaeden's sister," Maggie stated looking at the woman. "He sent you here?"

"Yes and no," Claire said, entering the greenhouse and looking around at the greenery and tiny new buds appearing just in time for Valentine's Day. "Yes, I am Kaeden's sister, no, he didn't send me. In fact, he told me to stay away from you entirely."

"And yet, here you are," Maggie gave a derisive laugh.

"Don't be mad. You have no idea what I had to go through just to find out your name and where you lived," she rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to thank you personally for saving the nicest of my siblings. Plus, he's the youngest, so we're all a bit protective of him."

"I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't have done. Honestly, it's not a big deal. I just want to get the greenhouse fixed and salvage as much as I can for my local buyers for Valentine's day. It's an awful time of year to have your supplier bail on you," she explained, common courtesy over-ruling her anger.

"Oh, I don't know, Kaeden makes you sound pretty heroic, he calls you his angel," she smiled wistfully.

"Did he also tell you that he got knocked out and nothing he remembers from that night is reliable?" Maggie laughed. "The way I remember it he accused me of being a terrorist and torturing him, which seemed to have completely slipped his mind." She sighed, knowing she sounded waspish. "Look, the insurance will cover everything, he doesn't owe me anything else, so if he sent you here to be my friend and talk me into accepting his proposal..." she paused as the other woman's eyes grew wide. "Business proposal, I mean, then he can forget it."

"I don't know anything about that. You see, my husband's brother-law, Neil, happens to work with your brother's fiancée, and we all started hanging out together a couple of years ago when Alecks and Suzie first started dating. Anyway, we were all out for drinks the other night and Kaeden's name came up, so I paid attention for once. I don't particularly like that particular group of friends." She paused as if embarressed by the admission. "It seems your brother doesn't like the amount of attention you are getting from Kaeden, which I thought was weird because you're a hero and all. So, I listened more and asked some questions," she continued to walk through the greenhouse, gently stroking the plants until she came to the damaged section which Maggie was still in the process of cleaning up, and stopped in her tracks.

"So, this is it, huh?" she surveyed the debris. "Where Kaeden crashed and almost died." There was a catch to her voice.

"Would you like me to give you a moment?" Maggie asked, concerned by the change in the effervescent woman. "He was never going to die here," she said confidently.

"No, I'm here for you, the woman who saved him from dying, not for me," she seemed to take hold of herself and smile. "And I don't want to give you the time to rush off and yell at Kaeden because I'm here interfering in your life. He doesn't know I'm here, honestly."

"So why don't you get to the point of your visit?" Maggie asked. She was angry, but she could hear the sincerity in Claire's voice and somehow knew there was more to this visit than a simple thank you. "If you tell me the real reason you came all this way, then there won't be any need for me to call Kaeden and accuse him of sending you here, further embarrassing myself," she sighed.

"Straight talking, no bullshit, I get why Kaeden likes you so much. Okay, I will be straight up with you as well. I guess I don't know the history or the ins and outs of your family dynamic, but I am here with a plan for you shock the bejeezus out of your step brother and rub his nose in the way he and his future bride treat you," she saw the look of alarm on Maggie's face. "You just have to trust me, and I am really hoping you will!" she said in a slightly pleading tone.

"What do you mean, the way they treat me?" Maggie said indignantly.

"I'm not beautiful or smart or career driven. My one claim to fame is my family connections and the fact that I know people because of that and they talk to me because I'm the least threatening person in the world. I'm their friend and confidante because I never tell secrets unless there is no choice, and even then I am careful about what I divulge and who to. I can charm most people into what I want, the only one I have seen do it better is Kaeden, and he says you're immune," she raised an eyebrow speculatively. "I hear stuff, and you'll get the straight up honest version of what I heard about you as soon as you offer me a cool drink and a seat on a comfortable chair."

Neither spoke as they left the greenhouse and walked around to the back door of her home. Once in the kitchen Maggie took juice and two glasses from the refrigerator and took a seat opposite Claire McConnell.

"You pour, and I'll talk," Claire said conversationally. She waited for Maggie to pick up the juice before speaking again. "Okay, here's what I have found out about you and your family, and you can feel free to correct me if I am wrong and I will name my source so you can rectify that situation. Agreed?" Claire had become all business-like suddenly. Maggie was grateful for the change in the woman's demeanour. This version of Claire McConnell was easier to deal with than the charmingly elegant woman who had arrived and attempted to win her over with flattery.

"Agreed," Maggie said in a strong, confident voice that belied her misgivings.

"Your full name is Magnolia Rose Harris, not Margaret, like most people assume. Your mother was a hardworking country girl from out west where your father met her and fell instantly in love. He married her within weeks of meeting her. He brought her back here, they had you, and during the process discovered ovarian cancer, which she fought and won. No siblings for you, but you had your mother until you were seven when she succumbed to a recurrence of the disease. Your father met your step-mother a few years later through his business contacts, and they married when you were twelve. You gained two stepbrothers from that marriage, Ruslan, who not only left home, but the country, as soon as he could after graduating, and Alecks, who is a slave to his mother's wishes. Have I got it right so far?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"More or less," Maggie shrugged, appalled by how much this woman knew about her.