Page 4 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER THREE

Caleb pulled up in front of his parents’ house.

It was situated among three others that belonged to the siblings of his uncle and aunt, Eli and Jennifer Reese.

It’d been completed two years ago when his aunt and uncle had invited their extended family to move to Sagebrush.

He’d once joked that the place felt more like a compound than a ranch, to which his mother gave him a dirty look.

But it really was a compound in the best way possible.

They lived life together and the set up worked amazingly well for their family.

It was a great opportunity for all of them. They were close to where they worked. They were close to family. He wasn’t going to be one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially since their family had grown up clipping coupons and only focused on purchasing only the essentials.

He glanced over to Sammie, who was seated beside him. She’d been here only a year earlier. It had been a rough summer, to say the least—a memory he would be happy to rid himself of.

Her gaze swept over to him, and he flashed her a smile. “Ready?”

She grimaced. “Are you sure you want to do this? I hate that you’re going to be lying to your folks?—”

“It’s not a lie, Sammie. We’re engaged. We’re going to get married. They just don’t have to know that we’re already planning to get divorced.”

The doubt was written all over her face. They’d agreed to keep the whole plan a secret not only to ensure that her father thought it was real, but because his family might disapprove of the arrangement. Caleb wanted to shield Sammie from any pain he could. She’d already been through enough.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Am I?” she whispered, her eyes darting to his parents’ home. “Because I can?—”

Caleb turned to face her fully and placed a hand to her cheek.

“Don’t worry about any of it. As far as I am concerned, that money is yours.

You graduated. You’re an adult. If your dad wants to hold it over your head until you’re married, then let him make a fool of himself.

The second you have that check in hand, we can file the paperwork. Okay?”

“But your family?—”

“My family loves you.” He gave her a crooked grin. “They might not be expecting me to announce our engagement to you, but they’ll be thrilled.”

Sammie gave him a weak smile then a nod.

He’d been furious when he’d read the email from Joe Michaels. But he couldn’t say he expected anything different. The man still wanted to control his daughter’s life, and it didn’t sit right with him at all.

Sammie deserved better, and he was happy to help.

Caleb climbed out of the truck and walked around to the other side to open the door for her.

She stepped out, and he offered her his hand.

She took it, holding onto him tight. While she’d been here before, this would be different.

His brothers and his parents were expecting him—but not the guest he’d brought with him.

He probably should have told them ahead of time, but he didn’t want them calling him and asking a thousand questions when he could just answer everyone when he got to town.

They walked up the long driveway toward the beautiful, two-story house.

It was painted pale blue with white accents.

There were windows all over. A wooden porch wrapped around the whole thing, painted white to match.

It had six bedrooms and three full bathrooms, a large living room, and an even bigger entertaining space complete with a kitchen and dining room.

His parents had insisted that their children could stay here with their spouses until they started having children of their own. Perhaps one day Caleb would see about building something on the Sagebrush land. He liked the idea of staying close.

Sammie’s hand tugged on his, and he slowed, realizing she was hanging back. Her eyes were wide with worry.

“What’s the matter?” he murmured. “I told you?—”

“I just need a second.” Her eyes darted to the house and back to him. “This is different. I know they like me, but that was when I was your friend. This time…” She shook her head. “I’m sure your parents had a very specific idea of what they wanted for you when you were to get married.”

He could see it in her eyes. The discomfort from feeling like she wasn’t enough for her father.

“My parents aren’t like your dad.” It was the only thing he could think of to say.

“They aren’t going to tell us what to do or who to marry.

If we walk into that house right now and told them we eloped, the only thing they’d be upset about is that I didn’t invite them to the wedding. ”

She didn’t look convinced.

Caleb sighed. “Sammie… everything will be okay.” He stared at her long and hard. “Do you trust me?”

Sammie nodded.

“Good. Now, let’s go give them the news.”

Voices filtered through the house, bouncing off the wall and dancing down the hallway as Caleb pulled Sammie with him toward the kitchen.

The aroma of supper hung in the air—fried chicken, from the smell of it.

His stomach growled. They’d left before six this morning in order to make it for dinner, stopping only for bathroom breaks and the occasional snack.

He stopped right inside the kitchen and smiled.

His mother was at the stove, his father hovering nearby and stealing bits of mashed potatoes from the pan on the stove.

His younger brother, Mack, leaned against the counter, his phone in his hand, and his youngest brother sat atop it.

His grandfather was seated at the table, and they were discussing the upcoming rodeo.

“I don’t think Chip is ready. He’s fast, but I doubt he’ll be able to get around those barrels like you think he will. He’s too stubborn.” Caleb’s father stuck a potato laden finger into his mouth.

Mack glanced up from his phone. “He’s just as good as any of these horses. I’ve been working with him. I’m telling you he’s going to place.”

Noah laughed. “Maybe you should stick to breakaway roping. At least that requires skill you can control.”

Mack shot his younger brother a disgruntled look.

“If you want to enter Chip into the barrel race, you’re going to have to make up your mind.

The deadline is next week.” His mother turned, and her eyes locked with Caleb.

Then they darted to Sammie. She let out a squeal and hurried around the island toward them.

“Caleb! You’re home. And you brought Sammie!

” She gave Caleb a quick hug then pulled Sammie into a tighter one.

When she pulled back, she continued to hold Sammie at the shoulders as she looked her over.

“How are you doing, dear?” Her eyes scanned Sammie’s body. “You’re far too thin!”

Sammie let out a soft laugh. “I’m doing well, thank you, Tana.”

His mother slipped an arm around Sammie’s waist and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Caleb didn’t tell us you’d be visiting. How long are you staying?”

Sammie glanced at Caleb over her shoulder, a call for help.

Caleb pulled his hat off his head just as Noah jumped down from the counter.

He let out a low chuckle and said, “We actually have something to tell you—all of you.” It hadn’t felt quiet until he said those words.

Then it felt like a chill had ripped through the air and settled on all of them.

His mother spun to face him. His father stared at him hard.

Even his grandfather had looked up from the Sudoku he was working on.

Patting his hat against his leg, he offered them all a nervous smile.

Suddenly, his palms were sweating. His heart galloped faster than any horse he’d ridden.

Maybe Sammie had a good point after all.

He hadn’t expected it to be this hard to tell his family that he was fake engaged.

His throat closed off, and he let out a cough.

“Sarah Ann and I—Sammie, we… well, we’re engaged. ”

For a moment, the world stood still. No one moved.

He couldn’t tell if his parents were thrilled with this announcement or disappointed that he’d thrown the news at them so suddenly.

Then his mother released a surprised laugh, and she placed both of her hands on either side of Sammie’s face. “That’s wonderful!”

Sammie’s nervous smile spread a little wider as his mother pulled her in for another hug.

His father grinned broadly and moved across the room to gather him in for a hug and a pat on the back. “Congratulations, son.”

Then his brothers did the same.

Caleb released a breath and shifted his gaze from each of his family members to Sammie. She was staring back at him, and he winked. This was the hardest part. After this, it would be smooth sailing.

After supper, they were all seated in the family room.

Sammie sat beside him, curling her body against him like she’d done several times before.

It felt… different somehow. Before today, he wouldn’t have noticed.

But now, under his parents’ watchful eyes, it wasn’t quite the same. It wasn’t bad, per se, just different.

He kept his arm around her as the conversation shifted to his wedding.

“Of course, Sammie can stay in the guest room while she’s here—we can probably get a great deal of the wedding plans out of the way?—”

“We don’t want to waste any time, Mom. We want to get married quickly.”

His mother stared at him in surprise. “ How quickly?”

Sammie stiffened. She hadn’t said much since their arrival. It probably had something to do with the shock of it all.

Caleb shrugged. “We don’t want anything big or fancy. And Sagebrush is beautiful this time of year. Just some close friends and family is all we want to include.”

“How quickly, dear?” This time, his mother’s attention turned to Sammie. Caleb could tell by her tone that his mother wasn’t enthused about their news. He could almost hear her thoughts. Was Sammie pregnant? Was something odd going on?

Caleb bristled slightly. “By the end of the month if possible. You know how long we’ve been friends. We’ve just decided that we don’t want to wait to start our lives together.”

His mother and father exchanged glances. Caleb wouldn’t say they looked upset—it was more of a concern. If Sammie wasn’t present, they’d probably even ask him if he thought it was possible they were moving too quickly.

As if in answer to that unspoken question, Caleb trailed his fingertips up and down Sammie’s bare arm. She let out a sigh. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by either of his parents.

“Then I suppose we should start thinking about the future,” his mother offered.

When his mother took Sammie to get her situated in her room, Caleb was left alone with his brothers and his father. His grandfather had retired early.

The look on his father’s face said more than words ever could. He was concerned, suspicious, but most of all, accepting. “You’re ready to get to work on Monday?”

“I’m ready tomorrow.” Caleb brushed nonexistent lint from his jeans. “I’ve already discussed it with Uncle Eli and Bo. I’ll be the new feed manager. With my degree, it’s the perfect fit for the ranch and for me.”

“I guess that’s always been your goal,” Mack murmured more to himself than anyone else.

Caleb nodded. “It has been. It’s what I went to college in Auburn for. I’m going to try formulating a special feed for the cattle this summer. I have a lot of ideas, and I want to apply for patents.”

His father lifted his brows. “That’s an admirable goal.”

The smile on Caleb’s lips stretched. “I’m going to take things to the next level around here. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m excited for the challenge.”

“What about your wife?” The way Mack asked made Caleb turn his eyes to his brother with slight surprise.

“We’re not married yet.”

His brother rolled his eyes. “I mean, after . Is she going to get a job?”

Caleb shot him an incredulous look. “If she wants to.”

“Because if you’re going to be really busy, then she’s going to need something to do.”

Caleb didn’t know what to say to that. What business was it of Mack’s what his fiancée wanted to do in her free time? Rather than entertain this conversation, Caleb turned to his father. “You’ve always worked with the cattle, right?”

His father nodded.

“I want to talk about a few things when you get a chance. I have some questions. I need to figure out if there’s anything missing from their diet and how their behavior is affected.”

Again, his father nodded. “I have some time on Sunday.”

“Thanks.”

Their conversation died down shortly after that, and his father left the room with Noah on his heels. Caleb got to his feet as well, but Mack stopped him with a hand gripping his forearm. Caleb’s eyes dipped to where his brother held onto him then lifted to meet his gaze.

“What’s going on, really?” Mack demanded.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Caleb murmured.

Mack jutted his chin toward the stairs that led upstairs. “Sammie.”

“What about her?”

Mack’s flat look only added to the tension surrounding his next question. “Why are you marrying her?”

The words were like a punch to the gut. He’d never lied to his brother.

Telling him he loved Sammie would get shot down.

While he did have love for her, he wasn’t in love with her.

He swallowed hard. Mack was definitely the only one out of his family who would have recognized this marriage for what it was.

Convenience.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “She needs to marry someone to get her inheritance.”

Mack’s brows lifted. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Caleb muttered. “Her dad is a real piece of work. So we’re getting married. We have to make it look real so she doesn’t get denied her trust. If her dad smells even one thing wrong, then it’s a lost cause.”

“So, you don’t love her.”

“I mean…” He rubbed the back of his neck, unable to put a label on it.

“I get it,” Mack muttered. “She needed you. And you wanted to help.”

Caleb nodded. “Yeah.”

His brother clapped him on the back with a nod. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks.”