Page 25 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sammie was so upset with herself about how she was treating Caleb.

He’d done so much for her already, she knew she should have just been happy with his answers. If he was promising to take care of her, then that should have been enough.

Except it wasn’t.

Caleb wasn’t telling her what she needed to hear. He wasn’t taking away her fears that her father was right. He wasn’t validating in a big way that she was lovable.

There’s only one thing a guy like him wants from a girl like you . She could practically hear those words. He might not have said it exactly like that, but it was close enough.

According to her father, it didn’t matter how good of a man Caleb was, he was still a man.

And he was still a man who had to deal with financial struggles.

People these days were always willing to do whatever it took to ensure they had money.

She’d only recently realized what it would mean to have to get a job and make a career for herself. She knew she wouldn’t mind that at all.

She could admit to herself that having her inheritance would make life easier. But as she laid curled up pretending to be asleep when Caleb entered the room, she’d also been honest when she said she could walk away from it.

The question was, would Caleb walk away from her without it?

Her stomach turned as she thought of the state of her marriage and her life right now. She remained frozen until Caleb left the room. The second the door clicked shut, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling with tears in her eyes.

If her father had been part of the conversation she’d had with Caleb, he would have told her he was right.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. The way Caleb had stared at her like he was terrified of saying the wrong thing had said it all.

He hadn’t had to speak for her to know that he wasn’t comfortable with discussing money.

And for some reason, it was enough to break her.

As much as Sammie wanted to believe that Caleb loved her for her, she couldn’t deny that part of the draw had to be her inheritance. Their main focus for the last several months had been to prepare for her to get the money. After they did, what would be next? He could file for divorce and take it.

Sammie shut her eyes tight and let the tears slide out of the corners of her eyes into her hairline.

She didn’t think she could go through with it.

She couldn’t sign the paperwork if that was going to be the outcome.

She couldn’t divorce him before she got the money.

And she couldn’t get the money without the risk he’d take it.

All this worry made her question if she was truly in love with him at all.

Wouldn’t someone in love trust him more? Wouldn’t someone who loved him want him to be happy even if that meant taking the risk?

She brushed at the tears with rough hands then pressed her palms into her eyes. Happiness wasn’t built on wealth. It was nice to have, but she’d learned to live without it. She’d learned how to find purpose without all the high-end things she could buy from a store.

And maybe she didn’t want to be the spoiled rich girl anymore.

“What are you going to do when you have your inheritance?”

Sammie groaned and rolled her eyes at Hallie’s question. “I wish people would stop asking me that.”

Katrina snickered. “Yeah, what do you think she’s going to do? She’s gonna take us all on a big fat shopping spree.”

Though Sammie could hear the teasing in her friend’s voice, she hated how much those words grated against her. Even her cousins-in-law were intrigued with the idea of so much wealth.

Katrina’s smile faltered, and she nudged Sammie. “Everything okay?”

They were having a girls’ night. Sammie had wanted an evening to regroup, to figure out how she wanted to go about backing out of receiving her inheritance.

She’d avoided her father’s calls, which had started up again.

She’d even done her best to steer clear of Caleb after he’d gotten done with work.

Tonight, she wanted to sit back and watch a movie with her friends, eat some junk food, and just pretend that her future wasn’t so uncertain.

“I’m fine,” she murmured, her eyes pinned to the television.

“No, she’s not,” Hallie interjected. “If she was, she wouldn’t be avoiding the question. And she definitely wouldn’t be eating her weight in gummy worms.”

Sammie’s hand paused, a gummy worm poised at her lips. She scowled at Hallie, who only laughed.

“Come on, girl. What’s bothering you?”

They’d already been interviewed. Apparently, the interactions were short, and the girls hadn’t even hesitated to tell the woman asking questions how much Caleb and Sammie were in love.

From what Sammie could tell, there was only one interview left.

She’d had an individual interview, as had Caleb.

They had one more that they’d do together.

It felt like overkill, but at this point, Sammie couldn’t say she was upset about how long it had been dragged out.

She had a feeling her father was to blame for how long it was taking, and she almost wanted to thank him for it.

Another nudge from her friend caused her to shift her focus to Hallie.

Sammie dropped the worm back into the bowl.

She sighed as she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Resting her chin atop her knees, she took in both women and hesitated.

They could know the truth now. There was nothing they could really do—and something deep down told Sammie that this wouldn’t jeopardize the friendship they had.

“I didn’t marry Caleb because I loved him.”

The women froze. It was almost comedic the way they looked as though they could no longer breathe. Curiosity, shock, confusion, it was all written on their faces. Katrina was the first to speak.

“Then why did you marry him?” she whispered.

Sammie buried her face in her knees and groaned. “Because my dad was threatening not to give me my inheritance. After college graduation, he was going to cut me off. I didn’t have anything.”

Hallie gasped. Or maybe it was Katrina. Both of them remained eerily silent for a few moments, and Sammie had no choice but to continue.

She peeked at her friends. “He said I could get the money by being married for a year or by working for him for a year to show my maturity .” She spit the last word out with bitterness.

Katrina scowled. “That’s ridiculous.”

Hallie nodded. “So stupid. It’s your money. There shouldn’t be rules on how you can get it.”

Sammie shrugged. “He’s always been a little controlling. It got worse after my mom passed away.”

“So, you married Caleb…” Katrina breathed out. It wasn’t a question. They all knew the reasons.

“He offered,” Sammie murmured.

Her friends exchanged looks, and a small smile crept on Hallie’s lips. “Are you sure he didn’t just want to marry you because he had secret feelings for you?”

Sammie flushed. “He never had feelings for me… at least not until recently.” She let out another groan. “It’s all such a big disaster, now.”

“Why?” the women asked in unison.

“Because I don’t even know if he really has feelings for me. My dad said that he might have only married me for the money. We’d always planned on getting a divorce after I got my inheritance, but my dad pointed out that we’d never gotten a prenup. He could take half of it.”

Hallie’s mouth fell open. Her eyes cut to Katrina’s, and Katrina shook her head.

“Nope. Caleb wouldn’t do that. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“How can you be certain?” Sammie demanded.

“Even good people do bad things when they need money. You’ve seen how frugal he is.

He doesn’t spend money unless he has a good reason to.

He never wants to talk about money—except when he asks me about what I want to do with my inheritance.

” Sammie’s face flushed hot, and she covered it with her hands.

Now that she was saying it out loud, she hated how she was presenting Caleb like he was a bad guy.

“And you… didn’t sign a prenup…” Hallie murmured. The tone in her voice only made Sammie’s fears a bigger reality. She’d been na?ve and stupid when she’d agreed to get married without that document. The marriage was all about money. Why hadn’t she thought to protect herself?

Because you trusted him. Caleb was your friend, and he still is .

Her gut clenched.

“That shouldn’t matter,” Katrina snapped, drawing Sammie’s focus. “They’re in love now. There’s no doubt about that. You saw it just like I did. The way Caleb looks at her… how can anyone question it?”

Those words brought a degree of warmth to Sammie’s midsection. Maybe she was overthinking this a little.

“But there are no guarantees…” Hallie hedged, earning a sharp look from her cousin.

She held up her hands defensively. “All I’m saying is that Caleb’s smart.

Don’t you think he would have thought about a prenup before saying their vows?

Sammie’s right. He’s super frugal. I heard Mack say that Caleb had invested quite a bit of the tuition money his parents gave him since he had a full ride.

I bet you anything he’s got something to protect, too.

Don’t you think he’d want to protect what he has? ”

Sammie stared at Hallie with surprise. She hadn’t known that Caleb had invested anything. Hallie could be mistaken. People lost money through investing all the time. She’d seen it a lot growing up in her father’s social circles. Was it possible that Caleb was trying to recoup what he’d lost?

At that moment, her phone rang, and she looked down to find Caleb was calling. The girls watched her with interest when she declined the call. At their curious stares, she shrugged, “I don’t think I can see him right now.”

“Because you’re scared he isn’t being honest?” Hallie murmured.

Sammie nodded.

Katrina tilted her head, “That’s not a good idea. You should probably tell him what you’re worried about.”

Sammie’s face burst with heat. They probably thought she was being ridiculous. Well, at least Katrina did. The way she lifted a brow but didn’t say a word made that perfectly clear. Hallie placed a hand on Sammie’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Katrina made a harumph sound and shook her head before her own phone buzzed. She picked it up and groaned. “I have to get going. Simon’s truck is having issues, and he needs a ride back from town.”

She got to her feet, and Sammie wasn’t sure what prompted her to ask, but she blurted, “Would you mind if I stayed over with you guys tonight?”

Both women stared at her like she’d sprouted horns.

Sammie flushed deeper. “It’s just… I…” Katrina didn’t live here.

She and Simon had a house a few miles away.

If she could put some distance between herself and Caleb, she’d be able to see why Katrina was so insistent about Caleb’s love for her.

It might have seemed a little backward, but she was feeling suffocated at the house.

Caleb was hovering. And being around his family made matters harder when she thought about the possibility of ending their relationship.

Her phone pinged this time, and she expected to see Caleb’s number, but it was her father’s. Her stomach dropped when she read his words.

Dad: If you admit that you were wrong to marry that boy and get him to sign a post-nup agreement, then I’ll release the inheritance to you as a compromise after the divorce papers are finalized.

Sammie stared at the text, wishing she could say it felt like an answer to her problems. But it wasn’t. She didn’t feel any better. If anything, she felt even worse. Her stomach churned, and her head spun.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Katrina murmured, drawing Sammie back to the present. “I really think you should talk to Caleb.” She gave them a wave. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Sammie nodded. Katrina was probably right. But Sammie wasn’t sure she could do that. He’d be hurt if she brought up that he might only want her money. Or he’d get defensive, and she’d be the one hurt.

Once Katrina was gone, Hallie nudged Sammie. “You can stay here. I won’t tell Caleb where you’re at. But she’s got a good point. You can’t just not talk to him. It’s better to know, right?”

Sammie forced a smile and nodded. She received a text from Caleb at that moment, as if he was aware of what she was about to do.

Caleb : Where are you? Mack said he saw you talking to Katrina earlier. Everyone’s wondering why you weren’t at dinner. Please call me back.