Page 59 of A Montana Fake Marriage

“How can you be certain?” Sammie demanded. “Even good people do bad things when they need money. You’ve seen how frugal he is. He doesn’t spend money unless he has a good reason to. He never wants to talk about money—except when he asks me about what I want to do with my inheritance.” Sammie’s face flushed hot, and she covered it with her hands. Now that she was saying it out loud, she hated how she was presenting Caleb like he was a bad guy.

“And you… didn’t sign a prenup…” Hallie murmured. The tone in her voice only made Sammie’s fears a bigger reality. She’d been naïve and stupid when she’d agreed to get married without that document. The marriage was all about money. Why hadn’t she thought to protect herself?

Because you trusted him. Caleb was your friend, and he still is.

Her gut clenched.

“That shouldn’t matter,” Katrina snapped, drawing Sammie’s focus. “They’re in love now. There’s no doubt about that. You saw it just like I did. The way Caleb looks at her… how can anyone question it?”

Those words brought a degree of warmth to Sammie’s midsection. Maybe she was overthinking this a little.

“But there are no guarantees…” Hallie hedged, earning a sharp look from her cousin. She held up her hands defensively. “All I’m saying is that Caleb’s smart. Don’t you think he would have thought about a prenup before saying their vows? Sammie’s right. He’s super frugal. I heard Mack say that Caleb had invested quite a bit of the tuition money his parents gave him since he had a full ride. I bet you anything he’s got something to protect, too. Don’t you think he’d want to protect what he has?”

Sammie stared at Hallie with surprise. She hadn’t known that Caleb had invested anything. Hallie could be mistaken. People lost money through investing all the time. She’d seen it a lot growing up in her father’s social circles. Was it possible that Caleb was trying to recoup what he’d lost?

At that moment, her phone rang, and she looked down to find Caleb was calling. The girls watched her with interest when she declined the call. At their curious stares, she shrugged, “I don’t think I can see him right now.”

“Because you’re scared he isn’t being honest?” Hallie murmured.

Sammie nodded.

Katrina tilted her head, “That’s not a good idea. You should probably tell him what you’re worried about.”

Sammie’s face burst with heat. They probably thought she was being ridiculous. Well, at least Katrina did. The way she lifted a brow but didn’t say a word made that perfectly clear. Hallie placed a hand on Sammie’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Katrina made a harumph sound and shook her head before her own phone buzzed. She picked it up and groaned. “I have to get going. Simon’s truck is having issues, and he needs a ride back from town.”

She got to her feet, and Sammie wasn’t sure what prompted her to ask, but she blurted, “Would you mind if I stayed over with you guys tonight?”

Both women stared at her like she’d sprouted horns.

Sammie flushed deeper. “It’s just… I…” Katrina didn’t live here. She and Simon had a house a few miles away. If she could put some distance between herself and Caleb, she’d be able to see why Katrina was so insistent about Caleb’s love for her. It might have seemed a little backward, but she was feeling suffocated at the house. Caleb was hovering. And being around his family made matters harder when she thought about the possibility of ending their relationship.

Her phone pinged this time, and she expected to see Caleb’s number, but it was her father’s. Her stomach dropped when she read his words.

Dad:If you admit that you were wrong to marry that boy and get him to sign a post-nup agreement, then I’ll release theinheritance to you as a compromise after the divorce papers are finalized.

Sammie stared at the text,wishing she could say it felt like an answer to her problems. But it wasn’t. She didn’t feel any better. If anything, she felt even worse. Her stomach churned, and her head spun.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Katrina murmured, drawing Sammie back to the present. “I really think you should talk to Caleb.” She gave them a wave. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Sammie nodded. Katrina was probably right. But Sammie wasn’t sure she could do that. He’d be hurt if she brought up that he might only want her money. Or he’d get defensive, and she’d be the one hurt.

Once Katrina was gone, Hallie nudged Sammie. “You can stay here. I won’t tell Caleb where you’re at. But she’s got a good point. You can’t just not talk to him. It’s better to know, right?”

Sammie forced a smile and nodded. She received a text from Caleb at that moment, as if he was aware of what she was about to do.

Caleb:Where are you? Mack said he saw you talking to Katrina earlier. Everyone’s wondering why you weren’t at dinner. Please call me back.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Caleb woke up alone.Sammie hadn’t come home. There was too much work to do on the ranch for him to go hunt her down. Bo had him working with some of the horses that needed extra training.

His focus was nonexistent, and he hadn’t seen Sammie at breakfast. He kept glancing over to the barn where he knew Sammie was supposed to start working, but she hadn’t shown up, and it was already eight in the morning.

Then he caught sight of her.

Sammie wandered toward the barn, not casting a look in his direction and acting like she hadn’t just ignored him all night. He abandoned the horse in the coral where he’d been working and lunged over the fence. His boots kicked up dirt as he ran toward the barn to chase her down.

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