Page 75 of A Montana Fake Marriage

She nodded.

More silence ensued. While Lacey knew to an extent the situation with Caleb, she didn’t know everything. She’d known that the marriage had been one of convenience for the inheritance. She also understood that after the divorce, Sammie was on her own.

Sammie refused to tell Lacey that she’d been dumb enough to fall for Caleb—and fall hard. That part of the story was too embarrassing. Lacey understood that the family was unaware the relationship was fake, which was the reason Sammie gave for not being willing to go back there. She’d wanted to cut ties to make things easier for those who weren’t in the loop.

Lacey rested her chin on her son’s head, her eyes glued to the screen. It was so tempting to tell Lacey everything. She wanted to vent about how she’d messed everything up and ask for advice on how to fix it.

But where was she to start? The fear of what Lacey might say forced Sammie to keep her mouth shut. She’d found a place to stay. She had an income. Sammie should be grateful that Lacey was only charging her a meager amount to stay here. They weren’t exactly close, but they were friends, and yet Sammie felt the need to shield herself from the possibility of being judged.

Boy, she was a piece of work.

The emotional scars her father had inflicted on her ran deeper than she had wanted to admit. Did she really think Lacey would laugh at her? Judge her for falling in love with a good man?

Logically, she knew the answer.

Sammie shut her eyes tight, and her face flushed as she forced the words from her lips. “I love him.” She turned her focus to Lacey and steeled herself for whatever reaction she might receive.

Lacey didn’t move. Her eyes never flickered from the television. “I know,” she murmured simply.

Sammie’s eyes widened.

A smile stretched across Lacey’s lips. “Girl? Anyone with eyes can see you’re in love with him. And why wouldn’t you be?” She turned to look Sammie in the eye. “You two were close before you got married. What did you expect to happen?”

The blush beneath Sammie’s skin heated to an intolerable level.

“But…”

“But what?” Lacey snickered. “He’s a catch. You didn’t have a chance.”

Sammie blinked several times. She didn’t know why she hadn’t realized that her love for Caleb was obvious. She’d been told she always wore her heart on her sleeve. But to hear it confirmed by Lacey hit different.

“And before you ask, I know he loves you, too.”

The hits just kept coming.

“What?” Sammie whispered. She couldn’t have heard Lacey correctly. The woman didn’t know Caleb. At least not as well as she was making it out to be. And Sammie hadn’t said much about him since moving in.

Lacey tilted her face into Bridger’s hair so that only her eyes were visible. “I’ve seen you two around. You can’t tell me that he offered to marry you to help you deal with your dad because he didn’t love you.”

Sammie rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, that’s not fair, because the way he loved me then isn’t the way I love him now.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course not. I can love someone as a friend and not be romantic toward them.”

“Sure,” Lacey grinned. “But thatfriendlysort of love can have the potential for something more. You don’t think Caleb wants you the same way you want him.” It wasn’t really a question—rather, Lacey seemed unwilling to believe that Sammie could be so blind.

“Well… no. He told me he wanted a divorce. He said that we would always be good friends, but…” Her heart ached just recalling the conversation they’d had. The outcome hadn’t been what she’d wanted at all.

“Maybe you have to start looking at the situation a bit different then. If you can’t stop thinking about him. If you’re heartsick over what you lost… then perhaps you need to revisit what happened and how it happened.”

Sammie shook her head, pulling her legs to her chest to hug them. “I can’t trust my judgment on this one. I practically accused him of only marrying me because I had an inheritance coming.”

Lacey grimaced. “Ooof. Yeah, that’s not so great.” Then she tilted her head. “But then, I’ve seen love overcome a lot more than that. You never know. Perhaps you shouldn’t be fretting over trusting your own judgment.” She rested her chin once more on her son’s head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s someone else you could put your trust in—someone who has always been there for you and wanted what’s best for you?” She winked. “A certain cowboy?”

Just the thought of reaching out to Caleb set Sammie on edge. She didn’t want to be hurt more than she already was. She didn’t think she could take it if he turned her down again.

But what if Lacey was right?

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