Page 33 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The fact that Caleb hadn’t worn a hole in his carpet was a testament to how durable those fibers were. He’d been marching in his room countless hours since he’d discovered that Sammie was still in town.

She was avoiding him.

While his brother had caught sight of her, he hadn’t managed to figure out for certain if she actually worked at the restaurant. He’d sent her a message yesterday asking how she was—he even told her he missed her, for heaven’s sake.

Sammie hadn’t responded.

He had half a mind to go over to The Steer House and camp out if he needed to. He’d get a tent and wait for her to show if he had to. Then she wouldn’t be able to ignore him.

She was the one who had left without a goodbye. She was the one who signed the divorce papers and made sure he found them in her absence.

Up until Mack confirmed that he’d seen Sammie, Caleb had assumed that all of Sammie’s actions were a way for her to stick it to him one last time after they’d broken things off.

He rubbed his jaw as he kept his eyes trained on the documents he’d tossed onto his bed.

It was too bad they couldn’t just burst into flame.

Then the ball wouldn’t be in his court any longer.

He could tell Sammie that he didn’t have a chance to make the divorce official.

At that point, she’d have to decide if she wanted to stay married to him.

Caleb stopped and faced the bed, pressing his fists into the mattress as he glowered at the documents before him. Sammie had left. She’d signed the dang thing and left without a word. But she hadn’t gone far. There had to be a reason for that.

He pushed himself off the bed and resumed his pacing.

The more he thought it over, the harder it got to sit still.

He needed to talk to her and find out why she was still in Rocky Ridge.

If he could get her to admit that she didn’t have anywhere else to go, then would there be a chance that she’d come home?

Home .

That’s what he really wanted.

If he could have Sammie back, he’d do so many things differently—starting with being more upfront about his finances. He could do that. He had to believe she’d accept the offering, and they could open a dialogue on something that shouldn’t have been an issue before.

A knock sounded at his open bedroom door, and Mack leaned against it, amusement coating his expression. “So I talked to someone at the restaurant. At first, they said that they didn’t have a Sammie working for them. But then they admitted they hired a Sarah Ann recently.”

Caleb froze. “You’re sure it’s her?”

“I don’t know many Sarah Ann Michaels, do you? This town is pretty small. I doubt we’ll run into another one.” Mack nodded to the paperwork on the bed. “Still haven’t signed it yet, have you.”

“No, and I won’t.”

“I hate to break it to you, but if she wants out, you can’t stop her.”

“She’ll have to take me to court first.”

His brother snorted. “So romantic.”

Caleb glared at him. “I’m not trying to be romantic. I’m trying to…” He didn’t know what he was trying to do.

“Well, whatever it is, you’re nailing it.”

He shot another disgruntled look at his brother. “I can’t wait until you find someone that makes you crazy.”

Mack chuckled, withdrawing as he did. His laughter followed him down the hallway, only adding to Caleb’s irritation.

He was right about one thing, though. Neither one of them knew anyone in town who shared Sammie’s name.

There couldn’t be anyone else at the restaurant who would have been hired recently.

Tonight, he’d have the chance to confront her.

He wasn’t going to bother her at work, but he wasn’t against following her home to find out where she was staying.

Caleb bit down on his knuckle. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to do this. His behavior bordered on stalking. A rational person would have just called her over and over until she finally picked up.

But he didn’t want to wait that long. He needed to see her now.

Caleb stood outside of the apartment complex. To say he was surprised was a drastic understatement. He’d sat outside the restaurant until he saw Sammie emerge. She hadn’t been alone. When she’d followed Lacey to get into her car, his jaw had dropped.

He thought Lacey was fake. She always flirted with the guys to get better tips, and most of the girls in town hated it.

Leave it to Sammie to find a friendship with one of the biggest gossip targets in town.

The drive to Lacey’s apartment wasn’t too bad, and now that he was so close to speaking to Sammie again, he was second guessing his decision to follow her. What would she say when he knocked on her door?

He sucked in a deep breath, his chest expanding with effort. As long as she didn’t slam the door in his face, he had a chance. He had to believe that.

Caleb pressed forward, heading to the apartment he’d seen them enter. Each step felt like he was moving toward the end—the end of his life as he knew it. He couldn’t recall a single moment in his life that was as terrifying as the one he currently was experiencing.

The knock sounded hollow to his ears. Three raps, and he took a step backward. The manilla packet in his hand was heavy, threatening to slip from his fingers. His heart thrummed so fast, he probably could pass out right then and there from the anticipation alone.

She was here.

She’d stayed.

No, she hadn’t stayed with him, but she’d stayed in Rocky Ridge, and that had to mean something.

The door opened, revealing Lacey Tipton. Her eyes swept over him before her lips curled into a smirk. She folded her arms and tapped her perfectly manicured nails atop them. “If it isn’t Caleb Reese.” She tilted her head. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“You… what?” He attempted to peek past her into the apartment. “What are you talking about?”

She shifted when he did, and her grin spread wider. “Granted, it did take you a little longer to show your face than I had predicted, but I guess what matters is that you’re here.”

He brushed off what she was saying. He didn’t have the time to decipher what it meant. Caleb was here to see Sammie, and he needed to do so before he lost his nerve. “Is she here? Can I see her?”

Lacey’s eyes danced with amusement. “Of course you can. Just…” She glanced over her shoulder briefly before leaning forward and lowering her voice. “If you hurt her, you’re going to have to deal with me.”

Caleb froze and looked at her like he was seeing a stranger.

He didn’t know her, not really. But her statement had him reeling, nevertheless.

“Okay…” he drawled. Never mind that he had been Sammie’s friend before anyone in town even knew she existed.

He wasn’t going to hurt her. He’d give her exactly what she wanted. He just needed to speak to her first.

The woman blocking his way stepped aside and allowed him to enter. The apartment was small. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Sammie was sleeping on the couch. She didn’t have her own space.

His heart twinged with pain. She could have still had her own bed at home. If he hadn’t pushed her away, she would have had a better home. She chose living here rather than staying with him. What did that say about their relationship?

Hope was quickly dwindling. He didn’t know what he was going to do if she turned him away.

Caleb swallowed hard, fiddling with the paperwork in his hands.

Lacey moved toward the back of the apartment, then slipped through a door that likely led to the bedroom.

There were hushed voices. Then a louder, younger voice.

“Who’s Caleb?” It could only belong to a child.

The kid was hushed, and there was more muffled speaking.

Then she appeared.

Sammie hovered in the doorway, her eyes guarded.

She didn’t move toward him at first. Rather, her eyes scanned him from head to toe, lingering on the paperwork in his hands.

Then they widened. She strode toward him and reached for the paperwork.

“Why do you still have that? I thought it was submitted. I told my father—” She stopped abruptly when he held the paperwork out of reach.

Her eyes darted to his and stayed there, swimming in hurt and confusion.

“We have to talk,” Caleb rasped. “Can we… go outside?” The last thing he wanted was for Lacey to eavesdrop.

The hesitation hurt just as much as the accusation he’d caught briefly in her gaze when she’d caught sight of the documents. Then she nodded.

Caleb reached for the door and pulled it open, allowing her to exit first.

They stayed near the door. He didn’t want to make her feel cornered or trapped by him. Caleb fidgeted. Where to start? There were so many things he wanted to say, but the most important thing seemed to be an explanation.

“I know you were concerned that I was only interested in you for your money, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

” Caleb rubbed the back of his neck and peeked at her, heat licking up the back of his neck.

“The truth is, I have plenty of money in savings. It’s a good chunk of money to get me ready for retirement.

” He almost mentioned that it was enough to get the both of them prepared for retirement, but they might not be married after this conversation.

Her only reaction was a lift of her brows.