Brothers of Miller Ranch Box Set

by Natalie Dean

  So for her, intimacy had always been a bargaining chip. Not something to be shared between two people in love.

  But Bradley wasn’t interested in that kind of transaction.

  In fact, he didn’t demand any transaction. And every time she thought about that, she got a strange, floaty feeling that made her feel like she could head right up to the clouds.

  They ate every lunch together up in his office, except he stopped working on his numbers during the hour break, and instead they would sit and talk. She learned so much about him, from the fact that he was in drama club and had been Judd in Oklahoma, to during his freshman year he’d read a book a day from his school’s library.

  If anyone missed them at lunch, no one said anything, which was saying something for the Miller family.

  And perhaps most exciting of them all, a week after the incident with her ex, Bradley had announced that she was good enough with Hyacinth to ride without him guiding her and that he was going to ride beside her on one of his own mounts.

  So their evening walks turned into evening trots, and there was nothing compared to the feeling of roving all over the ranch with him, on horses side by side. Sometimes his gelding grew frustrated with Sophia’s much tamer pace, but Bradley would urge the beast to run in broad circles until he calmed down.

  It was magic, pure magic, and she found herself more content than she ever had been. Sure, she wasn’t confessing her love for Bradley. In fact, she was fine with keeping her feelings to herself for the rest of eternity, all safe and exciting in her chest. She hadn’t been in love since she was seventeen, and that had all turned out to be a trick, so she was more than happy to sit in the experience and wait it out.

  But all of that changed by the two-week mark after the moment in the truck.

  She’d had no warning that anything was going to shift. But like all big things, it happened in a moment.

  She was sitting beside Bradley on the comfy couch in his office, legs tucked under her as she sketched, and he ate. Suddenly, he stood up, knocking her concentration.

  “Oh, I uh, got something for you. If you want it. I… I thought it might be useful.”

  His nervous demeanor made her curious. There was a lot of things that Bradley was, but shy wasn’t exactly one of them. The man crossed over to his desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a small, white box. Returning to her, he set it on the table.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  Sophia looked from him to the box and back. Despite living with the generous Millers for a little over a month and a half, she’d managed to avoid any direct gifts from them. Somehow it seemed like too much on top of all the other amazing things they did for her.

  But still, how could she tell him no?

  Tentatively, she reached out for the box, drawing it to her with slightly trembling hands. It wasn’t wrapped fancily, just a regular box. All she had to do was slide the case out of the paper thingy and pop it open.

  There were a lot of things she was wondering if it could be, but the last thing she expected was a beautiful ring sitting right in a little satin pillow.

  “W-what?” she sputtered, heart stilling in her chest. It was a silver band—or was it white gold—inlaid with several small jewels in a row. It was exactly her style, and she wondered when she had ever mentioned that she hated diamonds to Bradley. “I don’t understand, what is this for?” Her mind was kicking off in a flurry of thoughts. Did he feel the same way that she did? It certainly seemed like quite the jump, and she wasn’t sure that she was ready for it, but—

  “Missy said that your ex noticed you had no ring, so I thought this would help us sell the story better. We need people to believe us if I’m gonna keep you safe.”

  Oh.

  Right.

  Disappointment came crashing in on her, but that made no sense. She knew that their engagement was fake. All of it was fake. Bradley didn’t feel romantically inclined towards her at all, he was just doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He was a kind, wonderful protector. He was a good man.

  And good men didn’t fall in love with women like her.

  “It’s beautiful,” she managed to squeak out. “Thank you. So much.”

  “Of course,” he answered, sounding quite relieved. “I was worried it would make you uncomfortable.”

  “No, not uncomfortable, don’t worry about that. This was very thoughtful of you.”

  It wasn’t a lie. She wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest.

  Just maybe a little brokenhearted.

  15

  Bradley

  “So what are we doing now?” Sophia asked, looking out of the window of his truck as they cruised along.

  “Something I thought you might like, maybe get more word going about us, start up some town gossip.”

  She laughed and looked over to him. “Oh, so this isn’t just because you wanted to hang out with me?”

  “Who wouldn’t want to hang out with you?” he said playfully.

  It was amazing. Ever since their incident in the truck, things had shifted between him and Sophia. She didn’t seem remotely scared of him and was more open with him than she had ever been. Sure, sometimes she was still sad, and she still jumped when startled, but she didn’t seem nearly as on edge as she was before she fell asleep in his arms under the stars.

  He wasn’t naïve enough to think that she was magically fixed. No, she needed a lot more healing and counseling for that. But it was nice to not have to worry if she was going to break into a thousand pieces at any moment.

  And as for her ex and his father, they hadn’t made a move since the whole grocery incident. Apparently, the cops had put the word out about the two of ’em, and the last of their supposed ‘connections’ had dried up.

  Good.

  Personally, Bradley would prefer if they were straight up arrested, but apparently Sophia still didn’t want to press charges, and he wasn’t going to push her. Not yet, at least. That was her decision for her to face when she knew that she was strong enough.

  “I am excited to be out with you.”

  Bradley shot her a quick look over his arm that was gripping the steering wheel. “Did you just say you were happy to be out of the house in public?”

  “Yeah. I think I just did. With you, anyway.”

  Bradley laughed again, reveling in the moment. “Huh, times really are a’changin’ aren’t they?”

  “Maybe a little. I mean, I am in a dress, after all. Missy said I had to dress up.”

  Yeah, she definitely was in a dress. While all of his older brothers were either into curvier or larger ladies, he liked a much broader range. Small, waifish kind of women with big eyes and slender fingers, chubby women who were soft and warm and comforting in their weight. Tall and statuesque, small and curvy, and also fit and muscular like an amazon.

  Sophia was somewhere right between slim and athletic, with nearly two months with his family allowing for her bones to disappear back into her body where they belonged and her muscles to become more prominent. Of course, considering that all of her clothes seemed to be oversized and baggy, as if their purpose was to hide her body, it certainly was a shock to see her in a formfitting, bright blue dress that Missy had ordered online for her.

  It wasn’t so tight that it was indecent, but it flattered her feminine form in a way that really tested Bradley’s desire not to ogle the woman. Even sitting there in the passenger’s seat of his truck, her legs tucked up under her and her high-heeled shoes on the floor, she was a vision.

  She was wearing makeup too, and it was clear that Chasity had done her hair. She mostly always wore it up in a loose bun, or in a ponytail. But today is was in a beautiful braid that must’ve taken a while to do. Strands of hair were wisping around her face and neck and Bradley thought she looked amazing.

  It was easy to forget that the whole arrangement was fake. He wanted to whisk her away so he could bask in her presence. But he got the feelin
g that anything like that would make Sophia uncomfortable, so if he had to dress it up as a part of the ‘plan’ so he could spoil her, well then, he would do just that.

  “You never answered my question, you know.”

  “Oh, I didn’t? Well then, I’m taking you to one of the most popular restaurants in the city. With lots of people and good security, and great food.”

  “Wait, in the city? That doesn’t sound like a good way to get people here to talk about us.”

  “Trust me, there’s always someone from town there. When I say it’s popular, I mean popular.”

  “Well then,” she said nervously. “I guess we can try it out.”

  But he heard the slight tremor in her voice. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

  “No, it’s okay. I want to try. I think… I think maybe my ex has been scared off for a while after I pushed an entire shelf over on him. I’ve never raised my hand against him before.”

  “I’d like to do a lot more than just raise my hand to him…” Bradley grumbled. Thankfully, that didn’t seem to make her uncomfortable, and she just sighed wistfully.

  “Wishes, wishes, as slippery as fishes.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing. Just something my mother used to say.” She heaved a sigh. “Do you think I should try to reach out to her? We haven’t talked in… too long.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see why not. I know you kept your distance for both your and their safety for a while, but since you’re safe here with us, seems like an appropriate time.”

  “What would I even say?”

  As good as Bradley was with numbers, he still wasn’t that great with this kind of stuff. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I’d start with saying that you were safe and go from there.”

  “Yeah… safe…”

  The conversation faded, as it often did with them, and they slid into a comfortable silence. His family members still often commented about how they didn’t seem to talk much, but Bradley knew they just didn’t understand because it was different than their own relationships. There was something comforting about sitting in her presence, being in the moment with nothing before or after it. They didn’t need to have a long, drawn-out conversation. They didn’t need to have a movie playing, or always be on some adventure. They could just… be.

  And that was nice.

  They chatted idly a couple more times in the hour it took to reach the city, but mostly it was just the serene quiet. Bradley had never felt so at home with someone who wasn’t family, and by the time he was parking his truck in a lot that cost way too much for his car to just sit there for a couple of hours, he was feeling warm and content.

  “So, are you gonna actually let me open the door for you this time?”

  Sophia paused right in the middle of reaching for the handle, both of her small feet already in her heels. “Oh, uh, right. That’s a thing, isn’t it?”

  “It is for me,” he said with a rueful smile.

  For the first time since he met her, she stayed put and allowed him to get out and go around the car. He did indeed open her door with a flourish, making a grand gesture as he did.

  “This way, my lady.”

  “Ew, gross. Enough of that.”

  “What, are you objecting to my obvious charm?”

  “I’m objecting to your fake charm. We’re already in a fake engagement. That’s enough duplicity for me.”

  “Ah, sorry for dragging you into my life of dishonesty. I’d hate to think I was besmirching your honor.”

  As predicted, she playfully jostled his arm. Despite the kiss they shared—the kiss that kept him up some nights and occupied his dreams far too often—they were still cautious about any sort of physical contact.

  Sophia, for obvious reasons. And while it wasn’t that Bradley didn’t think he couldn’t control himself; he didn’t want to dangle that temptation in front of himself. Because when he thought back to Sophia in his lap, all soft and kissing on him, well… it certainly wasn’t easy to keep his thoughts church-like.

  Besides, it felt like anything physical from her would be taking advantage. It was clear that Sophia felt that she owed him, and he was worried that she still might not understand that she didn’t have to use affection or her body, or anything to pay him back. To keep him interested.

  “Shouldn’t I hold onto your arm or something? You know, to sell the bit?”

  Bradley blinked at her for the faintest of seconds, trying to come up with an excuse. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

  He offered her his arm and both of hers wrapped around it, pulling her close to his side. Instantly his body reacted, all of his senses seeming to jump to high alert. He could feel the heat of her almost acutely through the getup she was wearing, and his nose was filled with the scent of pomegranate and citrus. He felt a bit like a schoolboy, jolted at the sight of the prettiest girl in his class, but he did his best to cover it with a cough.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t that far of a walk around the building and into the restaurant. Of course, he’d gotten a reservation all the way back when she’d accepted his ring, so they were ushered right to a nice table in the back.

  It wasn’t a booth, but the restaurant didn’t have any. It wasn’t quite fancy, but it wasn’t a chain restaurant either. It was a nice, in-between place that was just high end enough to make it an impressive date night or perfect celebration dinner after an important event.

  Sophia seemed reluctant to let go of his arm when they were seated, however, and that stuck in his mind. Sometimes… well, sometimes with her it seemed like maybe she wasn’t pretending.

  But that was ridiculous.

  Sophia was a beautiful, creative, and talented woman. She had survived things that most people would never even face, and she could still smile. Still laugh. She’d been used and abused and betrayed. All of that meant that her ability to express or interpret affection was twisted around and upside down. So if it seemed like she was looking at him like someone might look at their actual fiancé, it was only because she was feeling grateful. And if it seemed like she didn’t shy away from contact with him, or maybe even seek it out, that was just her healing a little.

  It wasn’t about him, and it would be wrong of him to interpret it that way.

  Even if it was really, really tempting.

  “So, do you have any recommendations?” Sophia said, picking up the menu and looking it over. Almost instantly a frown settled on her face.

  “What?” he asked quickly, his heart skipping a beat. Was there something on there that reminded her of her ex?

  “I just… it’s really expensive.”

  Bradley frowned and looked at the menu himself. Sure, it wasn’t fast food prices, but most of the stuff was between twenty and forty dollars. Certainly nothing that would completely bust the budget.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  She nodded and looked at the menu again before quickly setting it down. “I can’t. I just… can’t. Can you order something for me?”

  He looked uncertainly from the menu to her. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I trust you.”

  She said them so casually, but those words hit him like an arrow right in the center of his chest.

  She… trusted him.

  After everything she’d been through, all the terrible things she’d seen, all the worst of humanity she’d experienced.

  And she trusted him.

  That was… that was something else. He stared at her for perhaps a bit too long before swallowing and giving her a nod.

  The moment seemed to shift gravity right out from under him, but she acted like nothing had happened. And for her, maybe it hadn’t. Maybe she said it without thinking. But Bradley knew he was going to lay awake at night replaying the moment, turning it this way and that.

  Eventually, however, the waiter came to take their drink order. Bradley went ahead and took the liberty of getting them an appetizer and putting in their meals.

&
nbsp; Unfortunately, that left just him and Sophia, and he had no idea what to say to her now.

  “So…” he started, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Your hair is getting a little long, you know,” she said suddenly.

  “Wait, what?”

  She laughed, and the tension in him broke. “Sorry, it just felt weird, and I had no idea what to say so I just blurted the first thing that came to my mind.”

  “And your first thought was that my hair is too long?”

  She shrugged. “Well, I know your brother Benji has been growing it his out because Dani likes to run her fingers through it when they’re kissing.”

  If Bradley had just drank anything, he would have spit out all the liquid in his mouth. “One, please don’t ever tell me anything like that about my brothers again. Secondly, how do you even know that?”

  Her eyes twinkled as she leaned her chin against her fist. “What, you boys don’t gossip together about your romantic lives?”

  “What? No. Mostly it’s the older trio talking about how wonderful and perfect their ladies are. Or how they accidentally made one of them mad.”

  “Huh,” Sophia said smirking. “We talk about much more than that.”

  Bradley shifted uncomfortably. “How much more?”

  “Not that much,” she said, catching his meaning. “They keep it decent. But Chastity just likes to gush about how good a kisser Ben is, and Dani is always going on about how Benji can—”

  “Alright, again, I ask that you observe rule number one that I just stated.”

  She laughed gently. “

  I just like to see you turn red.”

  “Ah, this is a new side of you I haven’t seen before. I think I like it.” He winked at her.

  This time they both shared a laugh and settled into a comfortable conversation about Hyacinth and Sophia’s goals for the next month. It pleased him that Sophia was planning more long-term. He felt like the first month of her stay she’d always been talking about where she was going next, or how she needed to save up more so she could move on.