Page 11 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TEN

Sammie had lost count how many times she’d averted her gaze from Caleb’s muscled torso. She’d known he was strong—witnessed him with the horses and the cattle. She’d seen him toss a bale of hay like it was nothing.

It was just the impropriety of it all.

He wasn’t feeling well, and she felt like she was invading his privacy.

Her skin warmed just thinking about how he looked shirtless. Now, as she watched him sleep at her side, snuggled under the covers, her thoughts shifted to earlier in the day when she’d fretted and worried about whether he was going to be okay.

She’d never had to take care of someone before. She was an only child. And the last time she’d been sick? It wasn’t this bad.

He moaned in his sleep and turned over, his handsome face toward her.

She nearly reached out to caress it, loving the feel of scruff along his strong jawline.

His lashes looked longer when his eyes were closed, sweeping across his cheeks in a way that would make any girl jealous.

His hair occasionally fell over his forehead, making him appear almost childlike.

She hummed a sigh and picked up the book she’d found. Sammie had skipped lunch and dinner while she waited for him to stir. She hadn’t wanted him to wake up alone and wonder where she’d gone. Tana had been kind enough to bring her a sandwich and ask her if she’d needed anything.

That was the extent of her day, and she didn’t regret a second of it. For everything Caleb had ever done for her, this was a drop in the bucket. She’d sit by his bedside a thousand times over, and she’d never come close to paying him back for everything he’d done for her.

Sammie lost track of time as she read by the light of the lamp to her side. Eventually, she must have nodded off, because when she woke up again, the light was shining through the blinds on the other side of the room.

She shot up on the bed, and the first thing she’d noticed was that someone had put a blanket over her body. The second thing she realized was that someone was watching her.

Sammie turned her head and found Caleb’s clear gaze taking her in. He blinked at her, the only indication that he was lucid.

“Good morning.” His voice was a warm timbre in an otherwise chilled room. It felt like fall had officially set in.

She clutched the blanket on her lap with both hands. Then, without giving him any warning, she lunged for him and threw her arms around his neck.

His muffled chuckled mingled with his groan. “Missed me that bad, huh? I was only out for a day.”

“It felt like forever,” Sammie said into his neck.

“I was worried sick.” The hug was awkward due to the position they were in.

The longer she sat there, the more aware she became that they were in the same bed, and he still wasn’t fully clothed.

She pulled back, placing a hand to his cheek.

“I’d demand that you never get sick like that again, but… ”

He chuckled again then winced.

She frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Just a lingering headache, but I’ll be fine. I’ll have to be for this weekend.”

Her brows furrowed. “This weekend?”

“We’re going to a wedding.”

“Oh! That’s right. I completely forgot.”

The awkwardness returned, likely stemming from her growing attraction to him. She climbed off the bed and looked away, reaching for her braid. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Caleb.”

He rose up on both elbows. “Me too.”

She motioned to the door. “I’m going to shower and try to get some work in.

I don’t think they’re expecting you over there today, though.

You should probably work on getting back your strength.

I’ll tell your mother you’d like something to eat.

” She left without saying a word and prayed he’d put on a dang shirt before she got back.

The wedding was one of those scenarios where Sammie and Caleb had to play the roles they’d agreed to back in the spring. They would need to hold hands and look as though they were still very much in love.

It was a lot less difficult than it had been even a few weeks ago.

Surrounded by at least a hundred people she didn’t know, Sammie clung to Caleb’s side the entire night. She lost track of how many times she’d caught him looking at her and how often he’d caught her gaze as well.

The second he’d helped her out of his truck and placed his hand in her own, he didn’t release it. They were stuck together.

Together until death parted them.

Her heart thundered and thrashed with that sentiment. Of course that wasn’t the truth, but tonight, she was going to pretend. She’d give herself this one gift: to play along and let herself believe that someone as amazing as Caleb could really care for her— love her, even.

There were countless times in college when she’d take his hand and lean into him as they walked through campus. But those had been platonic touches between friends. They hadn’t meant anything.

The way she leaned into Caleb now? It was different. Her heart practically sang when he’d lean down to whisper something near her ear. Goosebumps would rally, and chills would sweep through her. Why hadn’t she ever felt these things before?

It almost didn’t seem fair.

The ceremony was beautiful. Sammie couldn’t take her eyes off of the bride as she stood before her groom and they said their vows.

The love in their eyes rivaled anything Sammie had experienced herself.

A fresh wave of longing tugged at her erratic heart as she rested her cheek against Caleb’s shoulder, and she sighed.

The brush of his lips in her hair triggered more goosebumps.

It was the wedding. It had to be. Why else would she be feeling such strong emotions around Caleb? They were only getting worse.

After the ceremony, everyone lingered for the reception. Ninety percent of those present were clearly cowboys. Hats were atop nearly every male head. But it was the cowboy boots she saw in spades.

Sammie found herself watching the dance floor as men and women alike moved across it with grace she wouldn’t have expected from those wearing such footwear. Rocky Ridge was like a different world compared to what she’d grown up with in Alabama.

While she adored the whole southern charm and neighborliness, the folks out in Montana had something special, too. It hadn’t taken much time at all for her to decide she’d like to settle down right here—or somewhere nearby—after she’d gotten her inheritance.

Seated at one of the many round tables covered in white linen, she picked up her cup and took a sip of water.

Her legs were crossed at the ankles, and she sat nice and tall in her seat—the epitome of grace and beauty that had been ingrained in her as a child.

Caleb had gone off somewhere to speak to someone else, leaving her alone for the first time this evening.

She couldn’t shake how alone she suddenly felt, though it wasn’t for lack of company. Katrina sat at her table chatting with her husband. And Tana was close by as well.

It was Caleb.

With him gone, she felt like a piece of her was missing.

A hand came into view, and a low voice purred, “Dance with me.”

Her eyes followed the hand up his arm, shoulders, and to his face. Caleb’s eyes flashed with something familiar. Teasing, perhaps. She’d seen the look before, but she just couldn’t place it.

Smiling, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor.

Much like the last two times they’d danced, Caleb held her close. He kept his mouth near her ear so he could speak without being overheard. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Those dang goosebumps wouldn’t give her a moment’s rest. “Thank you,” she breathed. “So do you—handsome, I mean.”

She could sense his smile without looking at him.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you… for taking care of me.”

This time, it was her turn to smile. “You said that already.”

“Did I?” He tilted his head, his face coming into view. “Then I suppose I’m really grateful.”

She snickered. “It was nothing.”

Caleb’s eyes grew serious. “No, Sammie. It wasn’t.”

Sammie could feel her muscles growing taut at his statement, wary, even. She swallowed but didn’t dare take her eyes off him.

He grasped her chin with his finger and thumb, as if he expected she’d do just that.

The hand he’d been holding slipped to his shoulder so she could steady herself—a wise move considering what he said next.

“What you did for me was…” He shook his head.

“No one has ever done that for me—except my mother, of course. I need you to know how much I appreciate it.”

Her breath grew heavy at his words. It felt like there was more he wasn’t saying to her—like he was holding something back. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to tell him that she had done it because she cared for him—that he was the only person in her life she could count on.

That she was falling in love with him.

Sammie snapped her mouth shut and blushed as if she’d actually said such a thing out loud. He dropped his hand, and she found she missed the pressure he’d put there. He reached up and grasped her hand once more but pressed a kiss to it before he put it back into position.

They danced without speaking, swirling around the dance platform. A cool breeze eased the warmer temperatures from earlier in the day. Sammie lost track of how many dances she’d spent in his arms.

One thing had been made perfectly clear. She wasn’t falling for him.

She’d indeed fallen already.

At the end of the evening, Caleb put his suit jacket over her shoulders to protect her from the nip in the air that had come an hour or so later.

Their hands were intertwined as they walked to his truck.

Tonight had been perfect. She couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend her evening. She was only sad that it was ending.

That was probably how the bride had felt as well.

They stopped at the truck, and Caleb pulled out his keys, but he didn’t immediately use them. His eyes were shadowed beneath his Stetson hat, unable to be found by the light of the moon. She could see his mouth, however, and it had been pressed into a thin line.

Caleb fiddled with the keys in one hand and brushed his thumb over her left. It grazed the ring she wore, and she glanced down. Unlike the rings the happy couple today exchanged, hers was a symbol of their arrangement.

She couldn’t help the sour sensation that swirled in her stomach. It had been a foolish plan. What she’d thought wouldn’t be complicated had definitely taken a left turn and become precisely that.

“Sammie,” Caleb whispered. His voice was husky, and it caressed that innermost desire she hid within her heart.

Lifting her eyes to meet his, she found his eyes just as intense as before, if not more so.

“I—” He cut himself off and let out a heavy breath. “What I mean to say, is…” He shook his head. “It’s getting late.”

She’d hung on every single word he’d stumbled over.

There was a huge part of her that wanted him to tell her he had feelings for her.

That he’d fallen for her without realizing it was happening, and he didn’t want her to walk away when this was all over.

If he’d swept her up in his arms and pleaded with her to stay, she would have said yes.

But he didn’t.

And she was too much of a coward to ask him to finish his thought.

Sammie nodded, and he opened the door for her. She pulled her phone out of her purse while she waited for him to climb in behind the wheel. Then it lit up with a notification. Before she had a chance to see what it was, Caleb grabbed the phone from her.

“Hey! Caleb?—”

He stared at the screen, his expression grim. “It’s from your dad.”

She stiffened.

Caleb dragged his eyes over to her. “Do you want to read it? Or should I just delete it?”

“Is it really that bad?” she asked with a small voice.

His expression said it all.

Sammie shut her eyes tight. She didn’t usually respond to her father’s messages, but he could see when she’d read them. She swallowed hard. “What do you think?”

When she opened her eyes, he was holding the phone out to her again. “It’s gone,” he muttered gruffly.

“What did it say?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

That hole inside her threatened to open again.

What once had been healing, filling with the care and love Caleb’s family offered her without reciprocation, cracked again.

She hated that there was a part of her that needed to know—that craved the communication from her father.

Even after everything he’d done to hurt her emotionally, she still needed it for some reason.

Sammie dug her fingers into her palms and nodded.

The whole ride home, they were silent.

No words were spoken as they climbed the stairs or prepared for bed.

It was only when she was lying under the covers, and Caleb was on his cot, that she felt she owed him something—a confession of her love, perhaps? A piece of her heart?

“Caleb?”

“Yeah?”

They were in the dark. It should have been easier to admit that she’d let herself grow attached to him. But it wasn’t. No matter how hard she tugged at those words, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

“Thanks… for helping with my dad, I mean.”

He was quiet for a beat. Then his low voice flickered through the room. “I’d do anything for you, Sammie.”