Page 24 of Marrying the Accidental Groom
“She’s got personality,” Gideon said, rubbing the dented fender with a kind of reverence. “She deserves a name.”
“Does she come with a tetanus shot?” Juliana muttered, reaching for the door handle and recoiling when it creaked like something out of a haunted house.
“She’s sensitive,” he said, opening the passenger door for her. “Show a little respect.”
Juliana raised an eyebrow but climbed in, brushing hay off the seat before settling into the cracked leather. “If I get lockjaw, you’re driving me to the hospital. And I’m picking the music.”
“You say that like Ethel has a working radio.”
“She doesn’t?”
He grinned as he slammed the driver’s side door shut with two solid hits. “You’re adorable.”
Juliana huffed, turning to the open window and letting the breeze slap her in the face. Adorable. As if she were a kitten or a cupcake. She wasn’t adorable. She was competent. She had packing cubes and a high credit score. She did not belong in a dusty truck with a man who wore the same smirk whether he was scaling a mountain or calling her beautiful.
And yet . . .
As the truck rattled down the dirt road, her hand found the edge of the seat to brace herself. The countryside opened up around them. Sunlight brushed across golden grass, the wide blue sky stretching above on one side as the red rock cliffs climbed toward the sky on their left. Gideon hummed to himself, occasionally thumping the steering wheel in rhythm. Something about the way he handled everything—vehicles, adventures, even her—was both infuriating and oddly grounding.
They pulled up in front of a giant, inviting house she hadn’t noticed tucked behind the trees. She knew they weren’t far fromthe main lodge, but it was still secluded. “This is incredible. Is this yours?”
“My parents,” he replied with a shrug. “I live on Wrangler Row in one of the small cabins.”
His parents? Perhaps she’d underestimated Gideon’s status here on the ranch. Everyone made it sound like he was just a tour guide. He certainly didn’t act like he owned the place. His siblings worked here too, though. The realization sank into her chest with dread.
“Why are we at your parents’ house?” she asked, letting her skepticism color each word.
Gideon threw the truck in park and cut the engine, his face all casual innocence. “Because they want to meet you.”
Juliana blinked. She was covered in dust and her hair was a mess. “This can’t be happening.” How had no one mentioned that his parents lived on the ranch, too? She reached for the door handle, but nothing happened. She tugged again.
“The doors only open from the outside. Just a sec.”
“You’re joking.” Juliana narrowed her eyes. “Is this how you keep your dates from running off? Lock ’em inside Ethel until Stockholm syndrome kicks in?”
“Actually, I mostly have the opposite problem.”
She arched a brow, trying to figure out what he meant.
A self-deprecating smile crossed his lips. “It would seem that you’re not the only one who thinks a vacation fling with me is a great idea. I have to say, you’re the only one who managed to put a ring on it.”
She rolled her eyes. “So, are you going to let me out of here?”
“Ethel just needs the right touch. Like all the best women,” he added with a wink. He pushed a button on his door and rolled down the window so he could reach his hand to open his own door.
“Mom and Dad heard I got married,” he said, unbothered, like this was the most normal sentence in the world. “And naturally, they’re curious about the woman who snagged me.”
Juliana’s mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again. “We are not actually married.”
Gideon’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “You wore a dress. We said vows. We signed a certificate. You cried.”
“I did not cry.”
He shrugged, rounding the front of the truck to open her door. “Your mascara said otherwise.”
She smacked his arm lightly but let him help her down anyway. “We barely knew each other. You were a last resort so I didn’t have to go alone. It definitely doesn’t mean I have to meet your parents.”
“You don’t have to . . . but I’d like you to.”
