Page 5 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER FOUR

Three weeks. It had been three weeks, and suddenly the wedding was upon them.

Sammie wrung her hands tightly in front of her.

When Tana had asked about inviting anyone from her family to the wedding, Sammie had declined.

She didn’t want her father there—not even to walk her down the aisle.

In fact, she couldn’t stand the thought of him acting like a doting father when he’d been anything but that.

Today was only for show, anyway. There were less than fifty people in attendance—Caleb’s family and some of his parents’ closest friends. They were getting married on the hill near the big house, under a large oak tree.

And she was terrified.

It didn’t matter how many times she told herself that it was going to work out, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was doing something wrong.

Guilt snaked through her body at the thought of her father finding out he’d missed her wedding. He’d find out when they sent the paperwork regarding her trust, and not a day before.

Did this make her a bad daughter?

Probably.

She turned toward the full-length mirror to take a good, long look at herself.

The dress was simple. It had capped sleeves, and it clung to her form all the way to the floor.

Made out of silk and lace with intricate floral designs, it looked like it could have been pulled out of a magazine from the 1990s.

It was probably something her mother would have liked.

A sharp pain ripped into her chest, and she gasped, clutching at her dress as if that would help. It wasn’t just missing her mother that hurt. It was the whole situation.

Caleb was out there somewhere, getting dressed in his tux and preparing to say his vows to a girl who had no intention of staying with him. They were to stand before witnesses and God and lie .

Her breaths came out in sharp puffs, and she shut her eyes tight. Caleb was too good for this. He deserved to be married to a girl who adored him and wanted to be the mother of his children.

When she opened her eyes, she glared at the reflection. She was just as bad as her father had made her out to be. How could she be so selfish as to drag Caleb into her mess of a life?

Without thinking about what she was doing, she hurried to the door and pulled it open.

This house wasn’t familiar to her. It belonged to the family who owned the ranch.

Eli Reese was Caleb’s uncle and Will’s brother.

They’d so graciously offered their home for some of the wedding preparations, since it was closer to where the wedding was to take place.

Sammie darted out into the hallway and collided with a young woman with a bright smile. She clung to her memories of when she’d met everyone. Kat-something. She was one of Caleb’s cousins.

Kat held up her hands with a startled laugh. “Are you okay?”

Sammie nodded then let out a breath and shook her head. “I have to see Caleb. Do you know where he is?”

Concern marred the beautiful woman’s features. “It’s bad luck?—”

“I just really need to see him.”

Caleb’s cousin nodded. “Sure. He’s down this way.” She motioned down the long hallway. “Last door on the right.”

“Thank you,” Sammie wheezed. She picked up the skirts of her dress and moved in that direction. Without knocking, she pushed the door open a crack. “Caleb?” she whispered.

“Sammie?” He came into view and pulled the door open. His eyes traced over her face then dipped to the rest of her. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, fighting back the tears. She’d been such a mess ever since her mother passed away. There were good days, sure. But there were also days when she questioned every decision she’d ever made.

He pulled her into his room and shut the door. His hands trailed up and down her arms as he stared at her, studied her. “What’s the matter?”

“We can’t—This is a mistake.” She didn’t dare look at him in the face. They’d dragged this whole thing out for too long already. “Don’t you think we should call it off?” Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

Caleb’s smile nearly made her forget every doubt that she’d allowed to fester inside her. He brought a hand to her face and traced his thumb over her cheek. “No. I think there’s nothing I’d rather be doing today than marrying my best friend.”

She let out a laugh and tilted her head to the ceiling, blinking rapidly to keep from crying. “You’re ridiculous.”

He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

It was the most brotherly, chaste kiss he could have given her.

They’d already gone over the fact that they’d be expected to show love and affection to everyone in attendance today.

And throughout the next year. She wasn’t worried about it in the slightest. She only wished things were different and Caleb didn’t have to feel obligated to help her.

He'd never admit to it, but she knew.

Caleb pulled back and offered her a warm smile. “After today, we just have to play the waiting game. That’s it. Easy.”

“Speak for yourself,” she muttered.

He chuckled again then chucked her under the chin. “You’re stronger than you think, Sammie. You’ll get through this.”

She lifted her eyes to meet his, wondering how on earth she’d lucked out this much and found a guy who could be so sweet and caring without expecting a single thing in return. One day, she’d have to repay him for his kindness.

Caleb tugged her over to the edge of the bed and had her sit beside him. “You know, it could be worse.”

She laughed again, this time sounding more weary than anything. “How’s that?”

“At least the girl I’m marrying is hot.”

Sammie laughed again and gave him a shove.

Caleb nearly fell off the bed from the gesture.

He chuckled for a moment longer, then both of them grew quiet.

She rested her cheek against his shoulder and sighed.

“I guess it doesn’t get any harder than this, huh?

Are you sure you can put up with me for a year? ”

“I’ve done harder things before.”

Sammie clung to Will’s arm as he guided her along the path to where Caleb stood.

What better person to give her away than her future father-in-law.

Will was the kind of father she would have loved having.

He was a strong, quiet presence in an otherwise terrible world.

She felt safe with him. If this had been real and she was to be with Caleb for the rest of her life, she would have gladly accepted the opportunity to call Will her father.

Her eyes locked with Caleb the second he turned around.

And that was it. Everything from that moment to when the pastor gave Caleb permission to kiss the bride was a blur.

All she’d been able to see were Caleb’s eyes, his smile, his confident nature.

He had saved her from a life she had been terrified to return home to.

The kiss was quick—a brush of his lips against hers. She’d smelled the mint on his breath, but it didn’t last long enough to leave a lasting impression. He wasn’t her husband. He wasn’t the love of her life.

He was Caleb.

Just… Caleb.

They both turned to the crowd of people that stood and cheered. She blushed, her eyes tearing up once more. Happy tears.

The party was moved to a barn that had been cleared out for occasions such as this one. Music, food, laughter, and dancing ensued. Every single moment of it, Caleb was at her side, his hand at her waist.

Sammie did her best to remember everyone’s names. Eli and Jennifer were the heads of this ranch, and they had five children, but Sammie could only remember the two oldest and the youngest. Bo and Jack did most of the running of Sagebrush. Their youngest sibling and only sister was Katrina.

Eli had two siblings. Will and Sonya.

Sammie didn’t have a problem remembering Caleb’s brothers. She’d spent enough time at the house with Mack and Noah to start to see just how different and similar they were to their older brother.

But she couldn’t recall the names of Sonya’s two sons or her husband’s name.

Jennifer also had two siblings now living at the ranch.

A sister and a brother. But the only name Sammie could remember was that of Jennifer’s niece.

Hallie was the only other woman around Sammie’s age that seemed interested in developing a friendship besides Katrina.

The three of them had spent a great deal more time together than Sammie had originally anticipated.

It was nice to have some other friends for when Caleb was busy with work.

Katrina was pregnant and not always on the property, but whenever she was, they made it a point to spend time together.

Hallie’s happy face popped into view. She pulled Sammie into a tight hug.

“Congratulations!” The way she treated Sammie was as if they’d been friends for ages.

Last year, when Sammie had visited, she’d kept mostly to herself.

Now she found herself regretting that she hadn’t gone out of her way to get to know the others in Caleb’s large family.

Sammie clung to Hallie, holding her tight. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Hallie pulled back first. “Now that you’re stuck here, we’re going to have so much fun together. I’m thinking girls’ nights and coffee runs.”

“Sounds like fun,” Sammie agreed.

The music died down, and a DJ spoke into a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for the couple’s first dance together as husband and wife.”

Before Sammie knew what was happening, Caleb had moved his hand from her waist to grip hers. He led her to the dance floor with a wink, and her stomach fluttered—not out of anything beyond nerves for having to be in front of an audience.

He lifted her hand to his shoulder and slipped his other one around her waist to pull her close. They swayed back and forth as he lowered his mouth closer to her ear. “Have I told you that you look beautiful today?”

She scoffed. “You don’t have to pretend with me. No one can hear what you’re saying.”

“Every bride deserves to be told they’re beautiful on their wedding day.”

His words set off a wave of goosebumps, and she sobered. “Thank you, Caleb. For everything.”

Caleb pulled back and spun her around then pulled her close again. “What are friends for?”

She snickered. “Somehow, I doubt friends would go to such lengths.”

“Well, I guess you’re just special then.”

Sammie wanted to tell him to stop saying such comments. It was throwing her off balance, making her believe that there was something more between them than there really was. But this was her wedding day, and she deserved to feel loved, right?

At the end of the dance, Caleb pressed a kiss to her temple. Lights from the photographer flashed, catching all the candid shots they could ever want.

The rest of the evening was filled with joking around and dancing like goofballs.

She almost forgot they’d gotten married.

This was a party for them to have fun—to celebrate them moving onto another stage of their lives.

They’d graduated from college. The world was open for them to do whatever they wanted.

Toward the end of the evening, they ran through two rows of well-wishers throwing rice. Then they headed for the house.

At the top of the stairs, she turned to head to her room, but his hand yanked her back to him. Sammie set her wide eyes on him, confused. Then he held a finger to his lips when they heard the front door downstairs close. Someone had come home.

Caleb tugged her down the hallway toward his room. He pushed open the door and guided her inside before shutting it behind them.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

One side of his mouth quirked upward in an amused smile. “We’re married, Sammie.”

Realization dawned on her. She’d actually forgotten that they’d be placed in the same room. How could she be so air-headed?

Sammie’s eyes darted to the queen bed on the other side of the room then bounced to meet Caleb’s eyes. “Oh.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “I doubt it would go unnoticed if you stayed in the guest room on our wedding night.” His head tilted to the side. “We have to keep up appearances.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Of course.” Her eyes shut tight, and she let out a strangled breath.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they had to share a bed.

They were supposed to keep up this charade for a year.

She only opened her eyes to double check that there wasn’t another option to save themselves from that fate.

Caleb chuckled, drawing her attention once more. “Don’t worry, Sammie. I’m going to sleep on the floor.”

“You can’t!” she stammered. “Not for a whole year.”

He shrugged. “I forgot to get an air mattress or a cot. But I will. Tomorrow.” Caleb moved to the bed and unlaced his dress shoes. He flashed her that charming smile that could win every argument they’d ever had. “Don’t worry about it. I can sleep on the floor for one night.”

She moved closer to him as if against her own will. Slowly, she sat beside him, then she leaned into him like she’d done a thousand times before. “Thank you,” she whispered.

His arm came around her shoulders, but he said nothing.

Footsteps headed down the hallway, and she glanced up at him. “I guess I shouldn’t go get changed in the bathroom, either, huh?”

He grimaced. “Probably not. But I won’t look. Scout’s honor.”

She snorted, then she rose to her feet and pulled her hair over her shoulder before looking back at him. “Will you help me with the buttons?”

Caleb stood, his finger reaching for the buttons. His fingertips brushed against her back, and she shivered at the contact. One. Two. Three. Four.

Her breath hitched more than once until her back lay bare before him. She held the dress tight to her front and glanced up at him once more. “Thank you.” Her gaze darted around the room. “I didn’t bring any of my things in here.”

He jerked his chin toward the dresser on the other side of the room. “Bottom drawer. You can wear one of my shirts.” Then, without being asked, Caleb turned away from her.

She grinned. How chivalrous. Sammie quickly changed out of the dress and donned one of his t-shirts.

Then she tip-toed to the bed and climbed under the covers before he turned back to face her.

Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, she saw that look in his eyes—the one that made her believe they could be something more.

But just like that, the flicker faded. He smirked. “I hope you don’t snore,” was all he said before he changed out of his tux and turned out the light.