Page 45 of A Montana Fake Marriage

Her eyes widened with joy. “Really? That’s great!” Then she slugged him playfully. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged, warmed by her excitement for him. “I suppose I was distracted by other things.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but before she did, her phone buzzed loudly in her purse. Sammie peeked at it, then her features tightened before she declined the call.

Caleb didn’t bother asking her who it was. Her father had been nothing if not consistent in checking in on her. Heck, he might have already gotten the notification from his lawyer about needing to sign off on releasing the funds.

He frowned but was determined not to let her father ruin their evening. Caleb pulled her closer to him and pressed another kiss to her temple. They chatted about their future together until their food was served.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When Caleb had askedSammie what she wanted to do with the money she’d be getting from her inheritance, she’d been stunned to realize she didn’t have any plans. A year ago, she might have told him that she wanted to get a car or that she wanted to spend it on an apartment in the city. A year ago, she loved to spend money on clothes and purses.

Now?

Now, she was different. She found value in other things.

Sammie found joy with the animals she looked after. She’d found lasting friendships with people who didn’t expect her to spend money on them—not that Caleb was that sort of person to begin with. But most surprisingly, she’d realized that she found a purpose in her work.

While she adored the smaller critters, she couldn’t deny how she’d been drawn to calving season. She’d been intrigued with how the babies were cared for and what to look for when the vet did the checkups. It was the same when a horse had given birth.

And when she’d realized that was where her heart was, she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself.

Caleb was speaking with his father and the local vet when she rushed over. She slowed her steps, and when she caught his eye, she smiled. He winked at her, making her insides melt all over again.

“So far, I think these are the best results you could have asked for. Have you gotten any word from the patent office?” the vet asked.

Caleb shook his head. “It’s tricky. We can’t simply patent a recipe. It has to be something that’s never been done before. I’m hoping that with the way we’ve put it together, they’ll see this feed can serve multiple purposes.”

“All we can do is wait,” his father nodded. “If they don’t grant it, then Caleb is still planning on partnering with a manufacturer and possibly some veterinarian offices.” He gave the vet a pointed smile.

“I’m all for that,” she said. “Sounds like a smart move.”

Caleb’s father clapped him on the back. “We think so.”

Caleb nodded to his father then shook the vet’s hand before he headed toward Sammie. With one leg between the corral bars first, he glided to the other side to stand beside her. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him, kissing her deeply. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he murmured next to her ear. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until supper.”

She closed her eyes, pleasure seeping through her at his touch. They hadn’t been more intimate than with their kissing. She wasn’t entirely sure when Caleb would be ready, but she waswilling to wait. For now, all she had was her excitement for the future. But it was moments like this one that made it difficult to continue being patient. “I thought a lot about your question last week… when we went to dinner.”

He pulled back, his eyes searching hers. With a swift, gentle motion, he tucked her hair away from her face. “What question was that?”

Sammie shivered at his touch. He knew what he was doing, made clear by the devilish grin he wore. Part of her wanted to swat him away for distracting her. But the other side of her wanted to lean in and take everything he had to offer. “About my money…” she whispered. “I know what I want to do with it.” Her breath hitched when he brushed a thumb over her lower lip.

“And what’s that?” he asked, mirroring her tone.

“School.”

He stilled. Then he chuckled. “What kind of school?”

Mercifully, he pulled back so she could gather her wits about her. She grinned. “Training, maybe? So I can work with horses. I want to learn how to work with them the way that some of the other cowboys do. Or maybe veterinarian classes. I think I’d love taking care of the animals we have here.”

His brows lifted. The surprise wasn’t laced with anything other than joy. Perhaps he even looked impressed. “You want to go back to school to get another degree?”

She blushed. “It’s stupid, isn’t it?”

He pressed his lips together for a moment. It was definitely a bad idea. “What was your other degree? Generals, right? Withan emphasis in business? Don’t you want to do something with that?”

Sammie couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment she felt that he wasn’t completely on board with her. He was smart—smarter than she was. If he didn’t think it was a good idea, then what made her think she could hack it? “Yes. I’m surprised you remembered.”

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