Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Her words catch me off guard, and I pause mid-reach for a roll. “Wait,” I say, confused. “I just figured I’d stay at my place.”
She hands me the plate, and I take it automatically, the smell of the roasted chicken, potatoes, and green beans rising up between us. It’s a perfect home-cooked meal, but my brain’s too busy processing the idea of living here to fully appreciate it. “Thanks,” I mutter, grabbing the roll and tearing into it, needing something to do with my hands.
Violet’s focused on making her own plate now, as if this is all just casual, but her next words shift the mood again. “The will states you have to live here. On the ranch.”
I blow out a breath, the exhaustion of it all hitting me. Of course, there had to be more strings attached. “Well, that was unexpected,” I admit, leaning back in my chair for a moment, trying to absorb the new reality. Living here? It’s not like I’m far from the brewery, but still, this makes everything more... real. “But, okay, I guess you’re not too far from the brewery. We can make this work.”
She looks relieved that I’m not putting up a fight, but there’s still tension in the air, like we’re both waiting for the next hurdle.
“Yeah,” she says quietly, glancing down at her food. “It’ll be... different, having someone around all the time.”
I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not in her eyes, but I can already feel the weight of what we’ve agreed to pressing down on me. Sharing a space. Pretending to be married. I shove a forkful of potatoes into my mouth, trying to push aside the uneasy feeling crawling up my spine.
Rules. We just need more rules, and everything will be fine.
“What are you going to tell your family?” Violet asks, her voice soft but curious as she watches me across the table.
I swallow, the weight of the question hitting me harder than I expected. “The truth,” I say finally, picking up my water glass and taking a long sip. The cool liquid does little to soothe the tightness in my chest. “I always tell them the truth. I’m not going to start telling lies now.”
She gives me a small smile, one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Okay, but how do you think they’ll react?”
I let out a slow breath, setting my glass down with more force than I intended. “Honestly? I’m not really sure. But this is my life.” My voice hardens a little, surprising even me. “I’m tired of my family looking at me like I’m some sort of lost cause. Like I’m the last one left in the single lane and they’re just waiting for me to crash and burn.” I rub a hand over my face, feeling the frustration creep in. “This will get everyone off my back, and it’s a win-win for you. You get to keep the ranch, and I get my peace.”
She nods slowly, thinking it over. “Right. Well, what about the whole town? You know how everyone around here loves to talk. They’ll be up in our business the second they hear about us getting married.”
I freeze for a second, my movements stalling as her words sink in. “Violet,” I say, locking eyes with her, “this is our life. Who cares what anyone else thinks? They can talk all they want, but we know the truth. That’s all that matters.”
A spark of something flickers in her gaze, and for the first time tonight, her smile is genuine, softening the tension in the room. “I like that idea,” she says, her voice quieter now, but with a hint of approval.
A warmth spreads through my chest, unexpected and comforting. I’m realizing there’s a lot about this situation that I’m starting to like more than I should. The easy way we’ve fallen into this conversation, the way she looks at me when I speak, hell, even the idea of spending time with her isn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be.
I lean back in my chair, letting the moment hang between us. “Good,” I say, my voice a little rougher than before. “Because I think we’re going to be just fine.”
“How should we do it?”
I nearly choke on my roll as she says the words. “Excuse me?” I ask her.
Her cheeks tinge pink. “I mean, how should we get married?”
I relax, realizing she wasn’t talking about sex. However, now that it’s crossed my mind I wonder if we’ll have rules in place for that. “Courthouse? Tomorrow?”
She nods, setting down her cutlery. “Okay. I can make that happen.”
I breathe in deeply, and let it out slowly. “About the other thing…”
She cuts in, “The other thing?”
“Sex.”
“Oh,” she says, her eyes widening to the size of quarters, “that.”
“We don’t have to sleep together,” I rush out, feeling horrible at the thought that she thinks I’d expect sex from her. “I was just thinking like…if you wanted to bring a man home, or if I brought…” I can’t even finish my sentence. My thought. It’s too absurd. I’d never bring a woman to her ranch to sleep with. The thought makes me ill.