Page 7 of A Montana Fake Marriage (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1)

CHAPTER SIX

“He’s a jerk!” Sammie snapped before taking a bite of the sandwich in her hand. “Just a complete jerk.” Her whole body was vibrating with fury. The message her father had sent set off waves of insecurity back into her body, and they’d taken root.

“He shouldn’t have said that,” Caleb murmured. He pushed the phone across the table. “You’re not a leech, Sammie. Even if we weren’t married, I’d still let you stay here—live here—until you got on your feet. You know that, right?”

She lifted a shoulder. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but the second her father had mentioned it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right. The definition of a leech was a creature who sucked someone dry.

Sammie stared down at her sandwich, suddenly losing her appetite.

She barely had any money in her account.

As far as she could tell, her father was still paying for her phone.

Any money remaining in her checking account had quickly been depleted over the last month with the move to Rocky Ridge and the few things she didn’t dare ask Caleb’s help with.

Caleb had been handling all of that since the moment they stepped foot in Montana.

“Can I ask you something?” she murmured.

“Sure.” Caleb’s voice was so sure, so confident, so kind . “Anything.”

“Why are you paying for everything?” Finances hadn’t exactly crossed her mind at first. For the last near month, they’d had no reason to leave the ranch. Everything they needed was there besides some personal items she’d had to replenish upon arrival.

But after that text? She couldn’t help but wonder what the next year would look like.

He was quiet, and she glanced up to meet his stare. “I know why you paid for the wedding, and don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate it. And I’ll pay you back?—”

“It’s nothing, Sammie.” His voice was tight. She’d made him uncomfortable.

“But—”

“You would do the same for me.” Again, his voice and the expression on his face made it look as though she’d asked him to walk into a pit of the nasty creatures her father had compared her to.

“Of course I would.”

“And you have done so in the past.”

She snapped her mouth shut then shook her head. “I never?—”

“ Sammie ,” he said with emphasis, “Ever since we met, you’ve been more than generous. You’ve paid for meals, you bought me gifts—more than you probably should have.”

He was right. When she’d been under the financial umbrella of her parents, she’d had the means to spoil her friends, and Caleb had gotten the most of it. “Oh,” she whispered.

“This is what I’m talking about. You never expected anything in return. You never balked at the fact that I couldn’t afford to eat at some of the restaurants that you wanted to visit. So let me do this for you. My family can afford it now.”

She didn’t miss how he’d said that last word. It was quieter, softer, as if he didn’t like talking about his family’s financial situation past or present.

“Just know that I have enough to take care of you, okay? You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Just because you say that doesn’t mean I stop worrying.” Sammie stared at her food again. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re not.”

Her father would have responded differently.

Already she’d been preparing herself for her father to remind her that she had to pull her own weight.

It didn’t matter that the family had more money than they could spend in a couple lifetimes.

Her father wanted her to follow in his footsteps, and she simply wasn’t cutting it.

He’d been just as judgmental of her mother, but it hadn’t seemed to bother her.

Caleb was so different from the man who had helped raise her. He was so much more accepting of her than her father had been of her mother. A warmth pulsated in her stomach, heating her all the way into her cheeks. Caleb was such a good guy.

Too good.

He was the kind of guy who deserved to find a girl who was just as wonderful as he was.

Someone better than she would ever be.

Sammie sighed, brushing off those dismal thoughts. It was a good thing this relationship wasn’t real. If it had been, she’d feel guilty for trapping him in something that he would never want.

“Hey.” His voice tugged her from the murky pit where she’d lowered herself.

Sammie lifted her gaze to meet his.

“Don’t listen to him, okay? Maybe you should… I don’t know… block him. Nothing good is going to come from what he has to say. You need to stay away from him for your own mental health.”

Maybe Caleb was right. He’d made several good points since she’d moved in with him. He liked her for who she was, and he didn’t expect anything from her. If he was happy, couldn’t she be happy, too?

She gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. I’ll think about it.”

After their lunch, they wandered along the streets. She’d always liked Rocky Ridge. It was the cutest little town with the nicest people. There were boutique stores that sold stuff she would never be able to find elsewhere.

She stopped out front one of them and gazed at the beautiful vintage sundress in the window. Sammie was nothing if not a sucker for sundresses. She had one for nearly every occasion. This one was a blue and white gingham dress, and it had been paired with a cute pair of blue cowboy boots.

“I’m going to stop in at the feed store for a minute. I’ll be right back,” Caleb murmured.

She nodded. “I’ll be in here.” She watched him walk across the street before she disappeared inside.

Not only did this place sell clothing, they also sold vintage furniture and other home décor items. Sammie wandered between the aisles of tables, racks, and chairs. But her eyes continued to turn back to the dress in the window.

She knew the exact amount she had to her name. Just a couple hundred dollars. While Caleb had continued to insist that she was cared for, it was starting to feel like a real prison, not being able to spend her money the way she used to.

Sammie turned away from the dress and moved to another side of the store. It was probably too much. Then again, if her father hadn’t closed her credit card yet, she might have a chance to make one last purchase before he remembered.

Swiftly, she swept across the room and toward the dress on display. As expected, it was more than she had in her checking account. Her fingers ran over the fabric, and she sighed. It was one of the most unique dresses she’d ever seen. Her mother would have purchased it without a second thought.

Sammie pulled the dress from the stand and draped it over her arm. Then she moved to the register, where a petite woman smiled warmly at her.

“Isn’t this dress lovely?’

Sammie nodded. “It is.”

“It’s going to really bring out the color in your eyes,” she gushed as she rang it up and folded it neatly.

Sammie smiled in appreciation, then she pulled out her purse and the black card that her parents had given her to use. She held it out to the woman, her stomach churning with nerves she’d never had before.

The woman took the card and swiped it into her machine. An obnoxious beep filled the room, and she gave Sammie a reassuring smile. “My machine has been acting out all day.” Another swipe followed by that beeping sound again.

Sammie’s face flushed hot, and she reached out her hand. “It’s okay?—”

“Let me try to type in the numbers.”

Another person entered the store—a young woman who offered them both a smile before she started wandering through the store.

“It’s okay, really. I’ll just?—”

But it was too late, she’d typed the number in, and the beeping sound rang in Sammie’s hot ears.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” the woman apologized. “It looks like it’s been declined.” She held the card out, and it was all Sammie could do to yank it from her hand and escape the store.

She’d witnessed cards being declined before. But she’d never been the one to experience it. Unacceptable. That’s what it was. Her parents would never be caught dead with a bad card. And if they had, they’d never enter the store again.

Sammie escaped the store and rushed across the street, fighting back the tears.

Her father had actually done it. He’d taken away her freedoms. He’d taken her down several pegs.

The only reason he was likely still paying for her phone was so he could reach out to her, track her.

If she blocked him, she had no doubt he would shut that off, too.

She wasn’t looking where she was going when she collided with someone. Caleb’s face came into view, full of worry. Sammie couldn’t tell him what had happened. It was too mortifying.

“Sammie!” His voice broke through her emotional state, and she blinked at him. “What happened?” he demanded.

“I—my dad—” She shook her head.

“What did he do this time?” His voice was more of a growl than anything else. “Did he call you? Give me your phone.”

She shook her head again. “He did it. He actually cut me off. He canceled my card. It was declined.” The words whooshed from her lips before she could restrain herself. Face hot and eyes burning, she turned her face away from him. “I just wanted a dress.”

He pulled her in for a hug, holding her tight. For a moment, she just stood there, letting him hold her, comfort her. He rested his chin on top of her head, and they didn’t move. Not until she was ready.

When Sammie did pull back, he brushed some hair from her face. “You know, I’ve learned a thing or two about money over the years. I’ve learned a lot about budgeting and how to save. I could teach you.”

Her blush deepened. “It won’t really do any good if I don’t have any finances to speak of.”

“Then work at the ranch. I’m sure we can find something for you. Do some odd jobs.”

She closed her eyes, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Brushing it away with the back of her hand, she sighed. “This is what he was talking about, you know.”

“Stop.”

Sammie blinked several times and peered at him with surprise.

“I told you. While you’re married, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.

Of course we’ll have to stick to a budget.

I don’t have nearly what you grew up with.

But I have enough .” He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted it slightly.

“And if you want to start learning more about budgeting, then I’m happy to help.

Ultimately, it’s up to you. If you choose to take on some jobs at the ranch, then that money is yours to spend however you want—to buy all the pretty dresses you want.

” He glanced over to the store she’d just escaped from. “How much was it?”

Once again, she shook her head, this time sharper than before. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going back in there.”

“Sammie—”

“No. It’s not worth it.” She took his hand and tugged him in the opposite direction. “Let’s just go home, okay?” She knew she probably sounded ridiculous—to get teary-eyed over not being able to buy a dress that she’d seen in a shop window when there were people out in the world with nothing.

And that was why she deflected his question.

He frowned but eventually conceded.

The ride home was quiet, strained.

Even though Caleb hadn’t degraded her, nor made her feel bad about her situation, she still felt heavier. The day had started out beautiful. She’d adored spending time with the calf. But the second she’d heard from her father, she knew everything would only go downhill from there.

When she got home, she pulled all her credit cards from her purse and took a pair of scissors to them. She was seated in the middle of her bed, surrounded by clipped cards, when Caleb walked into the room with a cot.

He shut the door quickly, indicating he’d taken it from some other part of the house, and he didn’t want anyone knowing about it.

When he saw what she’d been up to, he stopped.

They studied each other for a moment. She wasn’t worried that he’d say anything hurtful, and yet she could feel her defenses rising.

Don’t cry , she told herself.

Do not cry .

Her life had changed so drastically from what it had been even three years ago. Had her mother been alive, she wouldn’t have forced Sammie into the life her father wanted for her. She would have been the buffer between Sammie and her father—convincing him that Sammie needed to find her own path.

And she wouldn’t have completely cut her off financially.

“They’re useless now,” Sammie mumbled.

Caleb stepped forward. He paused, then he closed the distance between them and climbed onto the bed. “I’ve never liked credit cards,” he said quietly. “I’ve always felt like they were a way to trap people into spending more than they make.”

She couldn’t help the sting that came with his words. That’s technically what she’d done throughout college. When he said she was generous, neither one of them pointed out that it wasn’t her money paying those bills. Her parents bankrolled her lifestyle until graduation.

Sammie had been a fool to think that everything would work out the way she wanted it to—that she’d get her inheritance and be able to do whatever she wanted.

Now as she sat surrounded by all the evidence that proved she wasn’t ready to be an adult, she let out a whimper. “I’m such an idiot.”

He shot a hard look at her. “No, you’re no?—”

“Yes, I am. I should have gotten a job in college—something to fill my résumé. What am I supposed to do now? I have a degree and zero experience.”

“You can work at the ranch. Or I can ask around town and see if anyone is hiring. I hear there are some opportunities at the Steer House. You could try to be a waitress.”

She wrinkled her nose, and he laughed.

The sound of it warmed her soul, and she cracked a smile. “I don’t think I’ll be good at any of that stuff.”

“You don’t know until you try,” he murmured. His hand reached out, and he brushed a knuckle over a tear lingering on her cheek. “Just let me know what you decide.”