Page 8 of A Montana Fake Marriage

“I don’t think Chip is ready. He’s fast, but I doubt he’ll be able to get around those barrels like you think he will. He’s toostubborn.” Caleb’s father stuck a potato laden finger into his mouth.

Mack glanced up from his phone. “He’s just as good as any of these horses. I’ve been working with him. I’m telling you he’s going to place.”

Noah laughed. “Maybe you should stick to breakaway roping. At least that requires skill you can control.”

Mack shot his younger brother a disgruntled look.

“If you want to enter Chip into the barrel race, you’re going to have to make up your mind. The deadline is next week.” His mother turned, and her eyes locked with Caleb. Then they darted to Sammie. She let out a squeal and hurried around the island toward them. “Caleb! You’re home. And you brought Sammie!” She gave Caleb a quick hug then pulled Sammie into a tighter one. When she pulled back, she continued to hold Sammie at the shoulders as she looked her over. “How are you doing, dear?” Her eyes scanned Sammie’s body. “You’re far too thin!”

Sammie let out a soft laugh. “I’m doing well, thank you, Tana.”

His mother slipped an arm around Sammie’s waist and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Caleb didn’t tell us you’d be visiting. How long are you staying?”

Sammie glanced at Caleb over her shoulder, a call for help.

Caleb pulled his hat off his head just as Noah jumped down from the counter. He let out a low chuckle and said, “We actually have something to tell you—all of you.” It hadn’t felt quiet until he said those words. Then it felt like a chill had ripped through the air and settled on all of them. His mother spun to face him. Hisfather stared at him hard. Even his grandfather had looked up from the Sudoku he was working on.

Patting his hat against his leg, he offered them all a nervous smile. Suddenly, his palms were sweating. His heart galloped faster than any horse he’d ridden. Maybe Sammie had a good point after all. He hadn’t expected it to be this hard to tell his family that he was fake engaged. His throat closed off, and he let out a cough. “Sarah Ann and I—Sammie, we… well, we’re engaged.”

For a moment, the world stood still. No one moved. He couldn’t tell if his parents were thrilled with this announcement or disappointed that he’d thrown the news at them so suddenly. Then his mother released a surprised laugh, and she placed both of her hands on either side of Sammie’s face. “That’s wonderful!”

Sammie’s nervous smile spread a little wider as his mother pulled her in for another hug.

His father grinned broadly and moved across the room to gather him in for a hug and a pat on the back. “Congratulations, son.”

Then his brothers did the same.

Caleb released a breath and shifted his gaze from each of his family members to Sammie. She was staring back at him, and he winked. This was the hardest part. After this, it would be smooth sailing.

After supper,they were all seated in the family room. Sammie sat beside him, curling her body against him like she’d done several times before. It felt… different somehow. Before today,he wouldn’t have noticed. But now, under his parents’ watchful eyes, it wasn’t quite the same. It wasn’t bad, per se, just different.

He kept his arm around her as the conversation shifted to his wedding.

“Of course, Sammie can stay in the guest room while she’s here—we can probably get a great deal of the wedding plans out of the way?—”

“We don’t want to waste any time, Mom. We want to get married quickly.”

His mother stared at him in surprise. “Howquickly?”

Sammie stiffened. She hadn’t said much since their arrival. It probably had something to do with the shock of it all.

Caleb shrugged. “We don’t want anything big or fancy. And Sagebrush is beautiful this time of year. Just some close friends and family is all we want to include.”

“How quickly, dear?” This time, his mother’s attention turned to Sammie. Caleb could tell by her tone that his mother wasn’t enthused about their news. He could almost hear her thoughts. Was Sammie pregnant? Was something odd going on?

Caleb bristled slightly. “By the end of the month if possible. You know how long we’ve been friends. We’ve just decided that we don’t want to wait to start our lives together.”

His mother and father exchanged glances. Caleb wouldn’t say they looked upset—it was more of a concern. If Sammie wasn’t present, they’d probably even ask him if he thought it was possible they were moving too quickly.

As if in answer to that unspoken question, Caleb trailed his fingertips up and down Sammie’s bare arm. She let out a sigh. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by either of his parents.

“Then I suppose we should start thinking about the future,” his mother offered.

When his mother took Sammie to get her situated in her room, Caleb was left alone with his brothers and his father. His grandfather had retired early.

The look on his father’s face said more than words ever could. He was concerned, suspicious, but most of all, accepting. “You’re ready to get to work on Monday?”

“I’m ready tomorrow.” Caleb brushed nonexistent lint from his jeans. “I’ve already discussed it with Uncle Eli and Bo. I’ll be the new feed manager. With my degree, it’s the perfect fit for the ranch and for me.”

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