Page 37 of A Montana Fake Marriage

Will nodded. “That’s a small parcel of land, no more than an acre, here on Sagebrush property. Eli wanted to gift it to you, and we’re going to help with a down payment to start building.”

Sammie gasped, and her eyes darted up to Caleb, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was still staring at the deed. He didn’tlookupset, but his jaw was tense. In all likelihood, they would have given him the land for the house no matter who he married. And it would remain his even after they split.

Sammie’s vision blurred as she was hit with that all-too-familiar desire to be part of this wonderful family. She could see herself staying here: working here, living out the rest of her days with him by her side.

She reached for his hand and squeezed it, pulling him out of his own stupor. He flashed a smile at his parents. “It’s too much.”

His mother shook her head. “We’ve been fortunate these last few years. It’s something we want to do for you—both of you.”

Will waved a hand at them. “Just make sure you build something beautiful together. Something you can be proud of.”

Tana dropped her loving gaze down to her husband and squeezed his shoulder. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Thank you,” Caleb murmured.

Sammie nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“Well,” Tana said, wiping a tear from her eye. “I believe we’ve got plans over at the big house for lunch. Perhaps we should all get dressed before Eli sends over one of his boys to wrangle us like he does the cattle.”

A few chuckles sounded throughout the room. Caleb met Sammie’s gaze, but he didn’t say anything. She couldn’t blame him. There was so much she couldn’t say aloud, either.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

What washe doing with his life?

Caleb sat on the edge of his cot. He hadn’t slept well at all.

Hadn’t really slept well since he’d married Sammie, if he was honest with himself.

Christmas had been a month ago, and he still couldn’t bring himself to havethatconversation with her—the one where he told her that he might be developing feelings for her.

Might?

No, he definitely had feelings for her.

It was still dark in their room, but he could tell by the way she slept that her back faced him. Her deep breathing was the only indication that she didn’t suffer with sleeplessness like he did.

Maybe it was a mistake to change the dynamics between them. If she wasn’t struggling like he was, then he could be the one to make everything worse.

Caleb got to his feet. He’d gotten dressed a few minutes ago. No one would be up right now, and he could slip off to the barn to get some work done—or maybe he just wanted some air to clear his head.

He grabbed his boots from where they sat by the door, tossed one fleeting look at Sammie, then ducked out of the room before he did something really stupid, like kiss her goodbye.

Snow still covered the ground. It really looked no different than it had a month ago, save for the lack of Christmas decorations. There were only a few homes visible from where they lived who still had their lights on their homes, the small barely visible glow the only indication.

Caleb pulled his sheepskin coat tight and fastened it. Thankfully, there was no wind—no inclement weather to speak of. In fact, it promised to be a beautiful day. Even right now, he could see every star that dotted the skyline. Not a cloud in sight.

The frigid air nipped at his cheeks, his hands, too, before he shoved them into his pockets. Sammie’s pretty face filled his thoughts as he trudged through the snow toward the barn. When she’d come to visit him over the summers while they were in college, she’d enjoyed her trip, but she’d rarely done anything to get to know his family. She stuck to her room. Clung to him. And visited town for some shopping.

Their lives were so totally different than what he could have ever expected.

Sammie looked like she belonged here. She knew how to handle the animals. No one had to ask her twice to complete a task—some wranglers even struggled with that. No, Sammie was a regular cowgirl now, and he couldn’t help but be impressed byher. If he wasn’t already married to her, he would have been instantly drawn to her.

He shook his head as he stomped off the snow from his boots and entered the barn. His attraction to her wasn’t just about how she’d put aside her preconceived notions of working a ranch. He’d cared for her before she started pitching in. And no one could deny that she was beautiful.

Why was it so difficult to just come out and tell her that he cared for her? Why couldn’t he just spit it out?

Caleb stopped in the middle of the barn and glanced around him. He loved this life. He’d known he wanted to be part of it the second his uncle had invited his family to do so. There hadn’t been a question where his loyalties would lie.

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