Page 10 of A Montana Fake Marriage

“Thanks.”

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 andlie.

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.

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