Page 92 of The Rancher Married the Wrong Sister
WHEN THEY ARRIVED AThis office building, every employee they passed seemed to struggle with barely concealed shock. Gavine watched their faces as he guided Wednesday through the gleaming lobby and up to the executive floor, noting the way their eyes went wide when they saw his young wife beside him.
He could see them remembering all the other women he’d brought here over the years. Tall, sophisticated brunettes and redheads who commanded attention the moment they walked into a room. Women who wore designer clothes like armor and spoke in calculated tones about business mergers and stock portfolios.
Women exactly like Jessica.
Wednesday, in her simple cream dress with her mussed hair and shy smiles, was nothing like any of them. Where his previous companions had surveyed his domain with calculating eyes, measuring its worth, Wednesday simply walked beside him quietly, her gaze taking in the artwork and architecture with genuine appreciation rather than appraisal.
It would only be a matter of time before someone figured out she was Jessica’s sister, but hopefully...
Hopefully he’d have ended this charade by then.
Chapter Six
I LOCK THE BATHROOMstall door behind me and lean against it, my cheeks burning as memories from the car ride flood back.
His mouth on mine.
His hands...everywhere.
The way he made me feel things I didn’t even know were possible.
“You’ve never been kissed.”
The memory of his rough voice saying those words makes my stomach flip all over again. And then what happened after...
I press my palms to my flaming cheeks. I can still feel the phantom touch of his fingers, still remember the way he murmured my name when I—
Stop it, Wednesday. Just stop.
But I can’t. Because for the first time since this whole nightmare began, I felt like maybe, just maybe...
I wasn’t completely invisible to him.
Or at least not the way I’ve always been invisible to everyone else.
I know he said it wasn’t supposed to mean anything, but...people change their minds, right? They realize things. Feel things they didn’t expect to feel.
Don’t they?
I close my eyes and try to calm my racing heart. I know I’m being ridiculous. I know I shouldn’t hope. But after what just happened between us...how can I not?
The bathroom door opens with a soft whoosh, and I hear multiple sets of heels clicking across the marble floor.
“I can’t believe he actually married her!”
The woman’s voice drifts over the stall dividers, and my hand falls away from the door.
“I know, right?”Another voice joins in, slightly higher pitched. “When I saw her walk through the lobby, I thought she was someone’s daughter. She looks so...young.”
“Young and completely out of her depth.”A third voice, this one with a slight Southern accent. “Did you see that dress? Sweet, but hardly appropriate for a business environment.”
I press myself further back against the stall door, my heart hammering so loud I’m surprised they can’t hear it.
“Poor thing probably has no idea what she’s gotten herself into,”the first woman continues. “Being married to someone like Mr. Launcelot...the social expectations alone would crush most people.”
“Forget the social expectations,”the second woman scoffs. “What about the business side? He needs a wife who can hold her own in boardroom discussions, who understands corporate strategy. Someone who can be an asset to his empire, not a liability.”
“Remember that last woman he’s been dating on and off? The one on Instagram?”
