Page 16 of A Montana Fake Marriage

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 wasso differentfrom the man who had helped raise her. He was so much more accepting of her than her father had beenof 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 asucker 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.

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