Page 81 of Montana Groom of Convenience
“That’s where we disagree,” Mr. Morrison said just before Sawyer pulled the door closed quietly.
He glanced around and saw Carly in the little graveyard, kneeling before her mother’s grave. She deserved some time alone, and he needed to get hisfeelings reined in, so he headed for the barn, where he saddled Dusty.
Jill stood near the fence as he mounted his horse. She held Skippy so tight to her chest he wondered the cat didn’t try to squirm away. “Can I go in the house now?”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you leaving?” His little sister tried to sound brave, but he caught the tremor in her voice. At the moment, he was powerless to say anything to soothe her fears. What could he say when things were so unsettled?
“Going to make sure the bulls are okay.” They’d turned them out with the herd.
“You’re coming back?”
“I’ll be back.” He paused, understanding her uncertainty, and swallowed back his own fears. “Jill, I will never leave you.”
She nodded.
He rode away in the general direction of the cows. The bulls really didn’t need checking, but he needed time to think.
Was he truly going to have to leave the only place that had felt like home since his ma died? Or was there a way to change the old man’s mind?
Was he willing to take what seemed the obvious...the only way...to keep his home?
Carly kneltbefore her mother’s headstone, her heart leaking blood with every beat. She brushed abit of dust from the granite. “I’ve tried to please Father, but he won’t be satisfied.”
The sound of a trotting horse drew her attention back to the yard. Sawyer was riding away. Would he return? She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t, especially when her father had made him a partner, then snatched it away.
Just as he’d snatched away the promise to keep the ranch if she married.
Her father’s words echoed inside her head. ’Tis not a marriage at all.
Was there a way she could convince Father to change his mind? She sat back, her legs crossed in front of her. She had to think this through.
The sun rose higher in the sky as she sat and considered what to do next.
It was Sawyer sleeping in the little storeroom that convinced Father their marriage wasn’t real. If he slept in her room, would he believe otherwise? Her cheeks burned at the idea of sharing a room with him.
But if it made it possible for her to keep the ranch...
All because she wasn’t a son. She stared at the four little crosses. “If one of you had lived and grown to adulthood, this wouldn’t be happening.”
She didn’t realize how long she’d sat there trying to persuade herself of what she must do if he would agree until she heard him return. She tried to get up but discovered her legs had fallen asleep and, she was still sitting in front of Mother’s grave when Sawyer strode up the hill and joined her.
He sat beside her, his legs folded in half. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“Me, too.” She wondered what conclusion he’dreached. I could hardly blame him if he decided he’d been hoodwinked and wanted to annul their marriage.
“You go first.”
“No, you.” After all, she thought mockingly, you’re a man, and as such, your opinions matter so much more. She knew her bitterness was uncalled for. He didn’t deserve that judgment. He’d treated her fairly and didn’t even complain about her wearing trousers.
“Very well. You might not like what I’m about to suggest.”
So he was going to say their agreement was over. She marshaled up every bit of mental strength she could find.
“Your father wants you truly married.”
“Yes.”
