Page 5 of A Montana Fake Marriage

“Can he do that?” Caleb asked, pulling the computer closer for inspection.

“Apparently, he can make whatever demands he wants. He can keep that money from me until I’m married if he wants to.” She could feel the emotion rising up her chest, burning into her throat, but she swallowed it back. She would not cry here. Not over this.

Caleb’s eyes scanned the email, the disgust in his eyes growing with every second. “There has to be something illegal about this. That money is yours. Your mother left it to you.”

She lifted a shoulder and dropped it. When her father had given her these stipulations a few months after her mother had passed, she’d thrown a fit. She’d argued, yelled, thrown things. It was not one of her finer moments.

But then she’d looked into it. Her father could do anything he wanted to when it came to that money. Technically, it wasn’t hers until it was released. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Caleb pushed the computer back to her, and she shut it.

Sammie groaned. “My parents demanded that I not work while I was going to school. They both agreed that my education was more important. Straight A’s. Nothing less. They paid for everything, Caleb.”

“I know,” he murmured. His voice was low, and not just because they were in the library. The tick in his jaw said more than anything.

She blushed. “I’m so sorry.” Sammie reached across the table and took his hand. “You probably think I’m acting like a spoiled rich girl.” Caleb had been lucky enough to get a full-ride scholarship. She didn’t know the details, but it had something to do with his upbringing, his intelligence, and an essay he’d been required to write.

It wasn’t a secret that he was frugal. Getting him to finally enjoy going out to dinner from time to time had been a huge issue. It wasn’t what he was used to and he wasn’t willing to change, at least at first.

“This all probably sounds so stupid, huh? Here I am worried about rent and getting a job when there are other people without?—”

“It’s not stupid,” he whispered, his tone genuine. Those brows of his creased as he took both her hands in his. “You were raised different than I was. You don’t know anything else. And that money was set aside foryou. You have a right to it. I don’t think your dad is being fair.”

She huffed. “Yeah, I know.”

His frown deepened. “So, what are you going to do? You’re not going to move home and work for him, are you?” The concern in his voice was palpable.

“What choice do I have? I can’t find an apartment without putting a down payment for rent. I won’t have money for rent without a job. And I can’t get a job if I don’t have a place to stay.” She withdrew her hands from his and dug them into her hair. The usual signs of a migraine were coming on. She could feel it in her skull.

Caleb remained quiet. Her friend had to be the best listener on the planet. He’d been there for her in the aftermath of her mother’s death. In the days following the football game, he’d held her every time she cried. He’d wiped away her tears and made sure she ate enough. Not even her roommates had shown so much concern for her.

She didn’t know what she was going to do without him.

Sammie pushed her chair out from the table and shot to her feet, disrupting a few students who were studying and causing Caleb to jump with surprise. “Come on,” she whispered.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t care. But I need to get out of here.”

He grabbed his backpack and slipped it onto his shoulder. She didn’t watch to make sure he followed her as she wove through the chairs and tables of those studying then down the long hall toward the entrance of the library.

Once outside in the spring air, Sammie breathed in deep. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun. If these weregoing to be her final days of freedom, then she’d enjoy them for what they were.

“What are you planning?” Caleb murmured, and she opened her eyes to find him staring at her. He was taller than her, built like the cowboy he was. Most of the girls in her dorm building practically drooled over him, but for the last couple of years, he’d never shown an interest in dating.

Sammie turned, digging into her purse before she found what she was looking for. Holding the black AMEX out, she grinned wickedly. “Senior year isn’t over yet. We’re going to have some fun before I’m locked away.”

He didn’t smile. That concern she was so used to knit his brows deeper.

Rolling her eyes, Sammie groaned. “Come on. In a few weeks, we’re going to have graduated. You’re going off to the ranch, and I’m going home. Real life will hit us hard. Humor me. Let’s go have some fun before it’s all ripped from us.”

Finally, he nodded, and a faint smile filled his face. “Okay. But I have a better idea.”

Sammie watchedout the truck window for a good hour before she realized where Caleb was taking her. When she realized they were headed south to the gulf, she couldn’t hide her delight. Four and a half hours was a long way to go for their last hurrah, but it was the perfect choice.

The second Caleb shut off the engine, Sammie darted toward the beach. The sun already hung low in the sky, and they’d eitherhave to find a place to stay the night or leave in the next couple of hours.

Either way, she didn’t care.

---