Page 13 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sammie stood at their bedroom window, a blanket wrapped around her as she stared outside at the snow. The layer of white blanketed as far as her eyes could see. It was absolutely beautiful. She’d only seen snow a handful of times in her life, and it rarely stuck to the ground.

There was one time she’d seen this much, and it had been the Christmas after her mother passed. She’d been here with Caleb, but she’d only stayed for two days. There was no time to enjoy it, no spare second to play in it.

White flurries spilled from the sky, dumping like down feathers from overhead. She glanced over her shoulder at Caleb, sound asleep on the cot. Last night had been a late one. His family stayed up until midnight, watching A Christmas Story and decorating sugar cookies.

The warmth in the house didn’t just come from the fire that roared in the fireplace, but the way everyone came together for the holiday.

They’d still done their work with the animals despite the cold and the snow that had already been on the ground, but after everything was done, the festivities began.

She found herself yearning to be part of this family more and more with each passing day. There were moments she found herself in a state of dread, knowing that she’d eventually have to leave Caleb.

He turned on his side, hiding his face from her with a soft moan.

Christmas morning, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to ask him if they could just stay this way.

She’d never actually ask if maybe it would be possible for him to love her the way his dad loved his mother, though.

The truth was she wasn’t sure she had the guts to ask when she may not want to know the answer.

Her stomach knotted, and she again turned her eyes to the snow-covered ranch out the window.

It had been incredibly difficult to find him a Christmas present.

First, she didn’t have the sort of money in her account to get what she might have normally purchased—like a nice tie or pair of cufflinks.

Caleb wouldn’t have wanted something like that, anyway.

She’d wracked her mind for the last two months, just trying to figure out something he would actually use.

Caleb was the kind of guy who didn’t spend money on nonsense. Everything had a purpose. Sure, they went out on dates in order to keep up appearances, but other than that, he didn’t spend money on anything frivolous.

She was terrified that the gift she’d gotten him wouldn’t be enough. It seemed so small and insignificant. And the worst part was that she’d never felt like this before.

When they’d been in college, she’d gifted him things without a second thought. She didn’t worry if he would like it or if he’d have a use for it.

Something had changed.

She’d changed.

Her feelings for him had changed—had grown.

Sammie shot another look at him, and a gasp ripped from her throat. He sat up on his elbows, a smile on his face as he watched her.

“Merry Christmas,” he murmured.

She smiled, drawing the blanket tighter around herself. “Merry Christmas.” Her voice was small and meek. She’d planned on giving him his gift in here, not wanting it to be put on display for his whole family to see. If she didn’t retrieve it now, then that’s exactly what would end up happening.

“Smells like they’re making breakfast already.” Caleb sat up and stretched. “You hungry?”

Sammie glanced toward the door and nodded. “Yes, but…”

His gaze locked with hers, and she forced herself to breathe.

The last couple of months had felt torturous.

She’d found herself doing everything in her power to get closer to him, physically and emotionally.

There wasn’t a day when she didn’t make an excuse to sit beside him and curl into a little ball just like a needy kitten.

“Sammie,” he asked quietly, “is everything okay?”

She nodded sharply, and a blush filled her face. “I’m fine. It’s just… can we… would it be okay if we wait for a minute before we go downstairs?”

He frowned. “That doesn’t sound like you’re okay.” He stood and moved toward her.

Sammie stiffened for no other reason than her anxiety was getting the better of her. She lifted her chin when he stood in front of her and as he grasped her upper arms. “Is it your dad?”

Her eyes widened slightly. “What? No.”

“Oh,” he said quietly. “I thought you might be missing him. Or maybe he’d tried calling.”

She snorted. “Christmas was never a huge deal for him. He’d give expensive gifts, sure, but the holiday itself was just another day. I can’t remember anything he’s given me over the years. There wasn’t any thought behind them because some nameless assistant always picked them out.”

“He was the loser in that decision. But you know that, right?” His gaze was steady as she thought about what he’d said.

“I do. Sometimes he wasn’t even there. He’d be too busy working to make time to come home to be with his family. That’s one reason I stopped jumping over hoops for him.” She shrugged, the subject an old song and dance for her.

His brows furrowed, and she could feel the heat intensify so much, she was sure her cheeks were redder than the bows in the wreaths on the huge double front doors.

“He didn’t call, then?” Caleb leaned in just slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

“No, I’d never expect him to call on any special day.

Random, out of the blue, unexpected calls work better for him.

” She sighed and clenched her fists. The habit was one she still tried to stop, but she always fell back on her childhood method for coping in the moment when the subject of her dad came up.

“If your dad hasn’t stressed you out, then what is it? You seem a little off.”

The lump in her throat refused to budge. She couldn’t bring herself to say everything she wanted to—everything she’d told herself he wouldn’t want to hear. So she forced a nervous smile. “I got you a present.”

Caleb’s lifted brows made it clear he hadn’t expected her to get him anything—a fact that broke her a little inside.

Since that day at the dress shop, Caleb had gone out of his way to help her make a budget and plan for her future. He taught her a little bit about investing, too. She’d learned so much from him in such a short amount of time.

Sammie nibbled on her lower lip. “It’s just…

I want to give it to you here, without everyone watching.

” That darn blush just wouldn’t leave her alone.

The longer she stood before him, the more she felt unnerved by that stare.

He was going to hate the gift, and then he was going to laugh about it with his brothers or?—

His finger lifted her chin, and she realized she’d dropped her gaze to stare at the floor when her thoughts had escaped her. “Whatever you want to do.”

She smiled weakly then pulled away from him. “It’s nothing big.”

“Sammie,” he chuckled. “It doesn’t have to be big. That’s not what the holidays are about.”

Shooting him an eyeroll, she didn’t dare correct him. The Christmases she’d experienced as a child were all about those big gifts. But the Christmas they celebrated at Sagebrush Ranch was the opposite from what she could tell.

Last night, presents had littered the space beneath the tree, but not nearly filled the space. She wasn’t expecting that anything there would be for her. Yes, she figured Caleb would get her something, but that would be it.

Sammie retrieved a small box she’d hidden in the closet then hurried back to Caleb. She motioned for him to take a seat on the bed, then she dropped down beside him. When he reached for the box, she held it away from him. “Like I said, it’s not a big deal.”

He gave her that look, the one that could melt her from the inside out. Then he pulled her closer to him, his arm around her shoulder, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Whatever you decided to get me is more than I deserve. And that, my dear, is a very big deal to me.”

She leaned into that kiss, a whisper of a sigh slipping from her lips. Then she handed him the plain brown box.

He pulled the red ribbon from it and placed it at his side. The first thing he pulled out was a new pair of leather gloves. When he looked at her with surprise, she couldn’t help but explain.

“I noticed the ones you were wearing didn’t fit you right.

They were a little loose. I didn’t know if that’s what you like, or if it’s because they were too big.

But I ordered these online. They’re your size—since your hands aren’t as large…

as everyone else’s…” Her cheeks heated again, and she let out a laugh then made a face. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Sammie,” he whispered, looking down at the gloves. “You’re right. My gloves don’t fit me right. My mom has always said I could have been a pianist.” He shoved his hand into the first glove and grinned. “It fits perfectly.”

She grinned then motioned to the box. “There’s something else.”

He set the gloves aside and pulled out a leather-bound book. When he opened it to flip through the pages, he noticed right away what she’d gotten him. On the left side were regular lined pages. On the right were the pages made out to be a grid.

“It’s so you can keep all your research in one place. You said you wanted to patent more feed formulas for the other animals, right?”

He nodded solemnly. “That’s right.”

Her brows knit together. “You… don’t like it?”

Caleb smiled at her, emotion in his eyes. “I love it. Thank you, Sammie.”

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, the worry still racing through her. She didn’t know if she could believe him, but what other choice did she have?

Caleb pulled her in for another hug, but this time, his lips didn’t brush against her skin. He rose to his feet and cleared his throat. “I’m sure they’re going to be wondering where we are. How about we head down for breakfast?” He held out his hand to her.

She took it, and he pulled her to her feet.