Page 3 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TWO

The library felt quieter than usual. It probably had a lot to do with finals coming up.

The place had more people in it than usual, but everyone was studying.

Sammie couldn’t believe she was graduating.

It had been a year since she lost her mother and it was heartbreaking that she’d be walking across the stage to accept her diploma without her biggest fan with her.

Sometimes the grief seemed too heavy. But she was determined to make her way in the world and honor her mom as she did.

Part of graduation was that she’d have to Auburn University behind.

She’d loved her years here. She was so fortunate to have attended college in a place she felt like she belonged.

And now she thought about her future and her heart sank just a little bit.

Her life after college wasn’t going to be what she’d expected.

Everything changed after her mother passed away.

A sense of dread filled her chest. Sammie’s father had made it perfectly clear what he expected from her.

She’d been given the bare essentials in terms of money after her mom’s funeral.

It was all just a powerplay, and Sammie knew it.

Her father wanted to control her, to form her and mold her into the person he wanted her to be.

She had never been enough for him. Their relationship had almost always been like this.

Sammie put her head in her hands. It had been made perfectly clear that she would receive her full inheritance until after college graduation.

Her mother had seen to that. But in the last year, her father had added strings and she had no idea when—or if—she’d get the inheritance that would make her life much easier.

He didn’t trust her with that amount of money. Joe Michaels was the kind of man who demanded control over everything. He didn’t want to see the trust he’d worked so hard to fund squandered away by his irresponsible daughter.

He’d said as much numerous times. To get her trust released, she had to fulfill one of two requirements. Marriage was option one.

Sammie snorted, earning herself a few dark glares from those nearby.

She ducked her head with an apologetic smile then turned back to the email on her computer.

The other option was to work with her father and train to be a real estate agent.

He’d made a name for himself, and most people would kill to be part of his firm.

She was not most people.

That dread snaked through her body, twisting and writhing, stealing her appetite and making her palms sweat.

Sammie couldn’t live in that house without her mother to be a buffer.

Her father had made it perfectly clear he didn’t approve of anything she did.

Never enough . Those words had been pounded into her skull at a very young age.

A chair across the small table was pulled out, and Caleb collapsed onto it. He grinned at her, but it quickly slipped away. He leaned forward and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Sammie settled back in her seat with a sigh. “It’s my dad.”

Immediately, his features clouded over. There was only one person who disliked her dad more than she did, and Caleb hadn’t even interacted with the man for more than a weekend. “What does he want?”

She spun the computer around to let him read the email. “He says he wants me to earn my keep and come work for him for a year before he gives me my inheritance.”

“Can he do that?” Caleb asked, pulling the computer closer for inspection.

“Apparently, he can make whatever demands he wants. He can keep that money from me until I’m married if he wants to.” She could feel the emotion rising up her chest, burning into her throat, but she swallowed it back. She would not cry here. Not over this.

Caleb’s eyes scanned the email, the disgust in his eyes growing with every second. “There has to be something illegal about this. That money is yours. Your mother left it to you.”

She lifted a shoulder and dropped it. When her father had given her these stipulations a few months after her mother had passed, she’d thrown a fit. She’d argued, yelled, thrown things. It was not one of her finer moments.

But then she’d looked into it. Her father could do anything he wanted to when it came to that money. Technically, it wasn’t hers until it was released. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Caleb pushed the computer back to her, and she shut it.

Sammie groaned. “My parents demanded that I not work while I was going to school. They both agreed that my education was more important. Straight A’s. Nothing less. They paid for everything, Caleb.”

“I know,” he murmured. His voice was low, and not just because they were in the library. The tick in his jaw said more than anything.

She blushed. “I’m so sorry.” Sammie reached across the table and took his hand.

“You probably think I’m acting like a spoiled rich girl.

” Caleb had been lucky enough to get a full-ride scholarship.

She didn’t know the details, but it had something to do with his upbringing, his intelligence, and an essay he’d been required to write.

It wasn’t a secret that he was frugal. Getting him to finally enjoy going out to dinner from time to time had been a huge issue. It wasn’t what he was used to and he wasn’t willing to change, at least at first.

“This all probably sounds so stupid, huh? Here I am worried about rent and getting a job when there are other people without?—”

“It’s not stupid,” he whispered, his tone genuine. Those brows of his creased as he took both her hands in his. “You were raised different than I was. You don’t know anything else. And that money was set aside for you . You have a right to it. I don’t think your dad is being fair.”

She huffed. “Yeah, I know.”

His frown deepened. “So, what are you going to do? You’re not going to move home and work for him, are you?” The concern in his voice was palpable.

“What choice do I have? I can’t find an apartment without putting a down payment for rent.

I won’t have money for rent without a job.

And I can’t get a job if I don’t have a place to stay.

” She withdrew her hands from his and dug them into her hair.

The usual signs of a migraine were coming on. She could feel it in her skull.

Caleb remained quiet. Her friend had to be the best listener on the planet.

He’d been there for her in the aftermath of her mother’s death.

In the days following the football game, he’d held her every time she cried.

He’d wiped away her tears and made sure she ate enough.

Not even her roommates had shown so much concern for her.

She didn’t know what she was going to do without him.

Sammie pushed her chair out from the table and shot to her feet, disrupting a few students who were studying and causing Caleb to jump with surprise. “Come on,” she whispered.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t care. But I need to get out of here.”

He grabbed his backpack and slipped it onto his shoulder. She didn’t watch to make sure he followed her as she wove through the chairs and tables of those studying then down the long hall toward the entrance of the library.

Once outside in the spring air, Sammie breathed in deep. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun. If these were going to be her final days of freedom, then she’d enjoy them for what they were.

“What are you planning?” Caleb murmured, and she opened her eyes to find him staring at her. He was taller than her, built like the cowboy he was. Most of the girls in her dorm building practically drooled over him, but for the last couple of years, he’d never shown an interest in dating.

Sammie turned, digging into her purse before she found what she was looking for. Holding the black AMEX out, she grinned wickedly. “Senior year isn’t over yet. We’re going to have some fun before I’m locked away.”

He didn’t smile. That concern she was so used to knit his brows deeper.

Rolling her eyes, Sammie groaned. “Come on. In a few weeks, we’re going to have graduated. You’re going off to the ranch, and I’m going home. Real life will hit us hard. Humor me. Let’s go have some fun before it’s all ripped from us.”

Finally, he nodded, and a faint smile filled his face. “Okay. But I have a better idea.”

Sammie watched out the truck window for a good hour before she realized where Caleb was taking her. When she realized they were headed south to the gulf, she couldn’t hide her delight. Four and a half hours was a long way to go for their last hurrah, but it was the perfect choice.

The second Caleb shut off the engine, Sammie darted toward the beach. The sun already hung low in the sky, and they’d either have to find a place to stay the night or leave in the next couple of hours.

Either way, she didn’t care.

This was her paradise—her favorite place in the world.

Sammie kicked off her shoes and dug her toes into the white sand, not startled in the least when Caleb came up beside her. For the first time in a year, the smile she wore felt natural. She breathed in the salty air and listened to the waves that crashed against the beach.

Was she spending a chunk of her father’s money to spite him? No. But this was better.

So much better.

“Come on,” Caleb murmured.

She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Where are you going?”

He held out his elbow. “For a walk on the beach.”

She threw back her head and laughed. He knew her so well—probably better than she knew herself. Sammie hadn’t needed to gorge herself on things and fancy meals to feel better. She’d only needed to come to this beach and remember what it felt like to be free.

Sammie looped her hand into the crook of his arm, her shoes dangling from her fingers.

She leaned into him, allowing herself this small bit of happiness.

When she looked down, she noted that he’d removed his cowboy boots and socks.

His jeans were rolled up to his calves, and he still sported his hat.

A smile touched her lips. If they weren’t so different, she might have seriously considered dating him. But back when they’d first met, he’d annoyed her right off the bat—calling her Sammie.

“It’s your initials. SAM. Sarah Ann Michaels. I just added a twist. It suits you. What’s wrong with that?” He’d explained how he came up with nickname and at the beginning she didn’t like it at all. She’d asked him to call her by her given name, but he said it was too formal.

Now she loved his nickname for her. The name suited her far more than Sarah Ann. No, she far preferred Caleb’s name for her. It made her feel special, loved . It was the simple, innocent love between friends. Unconditional, unyielding. And now all her friends called her Sammie, too.

Sammie leaned into him and allowed herself to revel in the sounds of the ocean and the beat of her own heart.

In a few weeks, she’d be willingly imprisoning herself at the home where she grew up.

Under the roof where her mother had passed from a brain aneurysm.

It didn’t matter that she hadn’t experienced any pain—just the thought of returning to that empty house made her feel sick to her stomach.

Her hold on Caleb’s arm tightened, and he slowed his steps.

When she looked up at him, she wasn’t surprised to find him watching her with worry lining his face. Sammie forced a smile. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

He gave her a curt nod. That was it. She expected him to say something more, but he didn’t.

About an hour later, they were both seated in the sand. She had her legs sprawled out in front of her with her arms propping her up.

He sat cross-legged at her side, fiddling with the sand before him. “I think we should get married,” he said quietly.

Sammie laughed. “Yeah, and then we’ll run away into the sunset?—”

“I mean it, Sammie.”

She swiveled her head around to look at him, and her heart skipped. “What?”

He turned to face her, propping one leg up and resting his forearm on it. “Think about it. You can’t go back there. Your dad—” He cut himself off and bit down hard. His jaw twitched. “You can’t go home, Sammie. It’s not a good idea.”

“Of course it’s not.” She sat up, her eyes searching his. “But that doesn’t mean?—”

“Just marry me. The email said you only had to be married for a year to ensure it was legitimate. We can divorce after your trust is released.”

She tilted her head, her face scrunched. “Caleb…” she murmured, shaking her head. “We’re not in love.”

“So? I’m not ready to be married.”

Another laugh fell from her lips. “So, you think getting married to me is a good idea? Do you even hear yourself?”

His voice was firm, harder than before. “I’m not going to let you go back home and have to deal with him alone.”

The churning in her stomach intensified. “You’re serious.”

Caleb didn’t move. He didn’t waver.

Her eyes darted toward the beach. She couldn’t deny how much she wanted to take him up on his offer.

It would be so easy to just do what he said.

She wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay.

She wouldn’t have to feel like she was being crushed by her father’s unreachable expectations.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “You would do that for me?”

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’d do anything for you. You’re my best friend.”