Page 6 of The Rancher's Rejected Bride

Nicholas appeared to be brooding over her words, and Bee couldn't stop herself from staring. It was like seeing a golden-haired Heathcliff brood before her every eyes, and she could barely contain her giddiness, could barely resist the urge to swoon just so he'd be made to sweep her up in his arms.

If this is a dream, God, please don't wake me up?

The thought had Bee reaching for her cheeks again, but just as she was about to pinch herself for a reality check, he suddenly turned to face her, and her fingers froze mid-squeeze.

Nicholas' brows shot up at catching Tabitha with her hands on her face. "What are you doing?"

Bee quickly dropped her arms to her sides. "Nothing."

Green eyes narrowed at her. "You're incredibly...odd."

The words made her feel anxious, and she joked nervously, "That's not grounds for an annulment, is it?"

Nicholas only stared at her.

"That was a joke," she said weakly.

"I see."

Bee's unease disappeared as her cheeks heated up and her lips formed a helpless smile.

Nicholas was starting to get a headache. "Why are you blushing?"

"Because Danny told me aboutthat."

Her blush had deepened as she spoke, and his confusion grew. "Told you about what?"

"He says when you say that..."

"What the hell is that?"

"I see—-"

"You see what?"

A choked laugh escaped Bee. "No, I meant, it's the words 'you see.' Danny said that whenever you say those two words, it's probably your way..."

Tabitha's face was now beet red, while Nicholas didn't think he could get any more confused than he already was. "Just spit the words out, Tabitha."

Squirming on her feet, she took a deep breath before letting the words spill out in lightning-quick fashion."He says it's your way of trying to control yourself from kissing me."

Nicholas nearly choked.What the hell?Tabitha had to be an idiot to fall for such words—-

And then it hit him.

The reason why she had been blushing in the car, the first time he had said 'I see', and disbelief swamped Nicholas at the realization that she could be so naïve enough to believe Daniel's words. His gaze snapped back to her direction—-

And she was still blushing.

Ah, dammit.

He remembered the words from the contract his son had forged his signature on.

The marriage must be consummated within twenty-four hours of their first meeting.

And failure to meet even just one of the conditions would mean losing half of his fortune - or risk having Tabitha sue his son for fraud.

Chapter Four