Page 7 of A Montana Fake Marriage

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’d do anything for you. You’re my best friend.”

CHAPTER THREE

Caleb pulledup in front of his parents’ house. It was situated among three others that belonged to the siblings of his uncle and aunt, Eli and Jennifer Reese. It’d been completed two years ago when his aunt and uncle had invited their extended family to move to Sagebrush. He’d once joked that the place felt more like a compound than a ranch, to which his mother gave him a dirty look. But it really was a compound in the best way possible. They lived life together and the set up worked amazingly well for their family.

It was a great opportunity for all of them. They were close to where they worked. They were close to family. He wasn’t going to be one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially since their family had grown up clipping coupons and only focused on purchasing only the essentials.

He glanced over to Sammie, who was seated beside him. She’d been here only a year earlier. It had been a rough summer, to say the least—a memory he would be happy to rid himself of.

Her gaze swept over to him, and he flashed her a smile. “Ready?”

She grimaced. “Are you sure you want to do this? I hate that you’re going to be lying to your folks?—”

“It’s not a lie, Sammie. We’re engaged. We’re going to get married. They just don’t have to know that we’re already planning to get divorced.”

The doubt was written all over her face. They’d agreed to keep the whole plan a secret not only to ensure that her father thought it was real, but because his family might disapprove of the arrangement. Caleb wanted to shield Sammie from any pain he could. She’d already been through enough.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Am I?” she whispered, her eyes darting to his parents’ home. “Because I can?—”

Caleb turned to face her fully and placed a hand to her cheek. “Don’t worry about any of it. As far as I am concerned, that money is yours. You graduated. You’re an adult. If your dad wants to hold it over your head until you’re married, then let him make a fool of himself. The second you have that check in hand, we can file the paperwork. Okay?”

“But your family?—”

“My family loves you.” He gave her a crooked grin. “They might not be expecting me to announce our engagement to you, but they’ll be thrilled.”

Sammie gave him a weak smile then a nod.

He’d been furious when he’d read the email from Joe Michaels. But he couldn’t say he expected anything different. The man stillwanted to control his daughter’s life, and it didn’t sit right with him at all.

Sammie deserved better, and he was happy to help.

Caleb climbed out of the truck and walked around to the other side to open the door for her. She stepped out, and he offered her his hand. She took it, holding onto him tight. While she’d been here before, this would be different. His brothers and his parents were expecting him—but not the guest he’d brought with him.

He probably should have told them ahead of time, but he didn’t want them calling him and asking a thousand questions when he could just answer everyone when he got to town. They walked up the long driveway toward the beautiful, two-story house. It was painted pale blue with white accents. There were windows all over. A wooden porch wrapped around the whole thing, painted white to match. It had six bedrooms and three full bathrooms, a large living room, and an even bigger entertaining space complete with a kitchen and dining room.

His parents had insisted that their children could stay here with their spouses until they started having children of their own. Perhaps one day Caleb would see about building something on the Sagebrush land. He liked the idea of staying close.

Sammie’s hand tugged on his, and he slowed, realizing she was hanging back. Her eyes were wide with worry.

“What’s the matter?” he murmured. “I told you?—”

“I just need a second.” Her eyes darted to the house and back to him. “This is different. I know they like me, but that was when I was your friend. This time…” She shook her head. “I’m sure your parents had a very specific idea of what they wanted for you when you were to get married.”

He could see it in her eyes. The discomfort from feeling like she wasn’t enough for her father. “My parents aren’t like your dad.” It was the only thing he could think of to say. “They aren’t going to tell us what to do or who to marry. If we walk into that house right now and told them we eloped, the only thing they’d be upset about is that I didn’t invite them to the wedding.”

She didn’t look convinced.

Caleb sighed. “Sammie… everything will be okay.” He stared at her long and hard. “Do you trust me?”

Sammie nodded.

“Good. Now, let’s go give them the news.”

Voices filtered through the house,bouncing off the wall and dancing down the hallway as Caleb pulled Sammie with him toward the kitchen. The aroma of supper hung in the air—fried chicken, from the smell of it. His stomach growled. They’d left before six this morning in order to make it for dinner, stopping only for bathroom breaks and the occasional snack.

He stopped right inside the kitchen and smiled. His mother was at the stove, his father hovering nearby and stealing bits of mashed potatoes from the pan on the stove. His younger brother, Mack, leaned against the counter, his phone in his hand, and his youngest brother sat atop it. His grandfather was seated at the table, and they were discussing the upcoming rodeo.

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