by Ellie Hall
A light breeze pebbled the skin on Kayla’s arms.
Dallen finished his apple and then leaned back on an elbow and stretched out his long legs.
The sun was midway in the sky, the air was fresh, and the way he was positioned offered her the perfect place to also recline and rest her head against his chest. She imagined the two of them snuggled together and warmth kissed her cheeks.
Instead, she hooked her arms around her bent knees and admired the view. The remaining tension from the wedding, the family pressure, and her fear about riding a horse softened on a sigh. “This is nice.”
He tilted his head to meet her eyes and the sun bathed him in golden light. “It is,” he said simply.
“I could get used to this,” she added.
“You don’t mind the quiet? The open space?”
She shook her head and gazed wistfully at their surroundings. She felt him give her a lingering sidelong glance and wished her cheeks would return to their normal shade.
He sat up and like her, looped his arms around his legs. “I should’ve asked sooner. Is there a significant other in your life?”
“That should’ve been clear when my mother and sister badgered me about having a date and getting married.”
“What about someone they don’t know about?”
“No, Dallen. There isn’t another man in my life—significant or insignificant.”
“So, you’re not dating at all?”
She shook her head. “You? I was surprised to learn you’re a Hawkins. You all have a reputation you know.”
“I haven’t dated in a long time and as for that reputation that was more my brothers than me. But there was someone else you’d mentioned before, right?”
He hinted about Bradley. If they were going to go through with the hairbrained scheme to fake date or fake marry, he should know about her past, as difficult as it was to dredge up. “I told myself I wouldn’t let my mother push me into marriage again. Bradley was rough, wild, and sped into my life on a motorcycle and just as quickly left me in a cloud of dust.”
“You were going to get married but he left you?”
She nodded. “I never knew why but afterward I saw he wasn’t marriage material—a bartender, slept until noon most days, and spent the rest of his time watching TV or playing video games. We had some fun but he wasn’t romantic or—” She stopped herself from saying more because she didn’t want to come off sounding pitiful. “I came close to making the biggest mistake of my life. After going through enough boxes of tissues and cartons of ice cream I should’ve bought stock shares, I came out on the other side realizing I’d dodged a bullet on that one. But I also learned an important lesson. To be independent, to stay focused on my career and future.”
“What about the present?”
“I need to look ahead and get everything figured out.” It was something she stressed over and obsessed over in equal measure.
“In that case, what does your future look like?”
A shrug escaped. She opened her mouth to answer but the truth was she didn’t know and those words were scarier than horses, meteors, and men combined. “How about you? Any almost-marriage-fails?”
“There was Stephanie that I mentioned, but she left me. I suppose I haven’t found the right person,” he said simply.
They were quiet a moment and watched the horses frolicking in the meadow. Genesis trotted a distance away, looked over her shoulder, and then Jasper chased after her.
Dallen chuckled. “Lucky for him, he doesn’t need to compete for her affections. But she sure does make him work for it.”
“They’re sweet.”
Dallen nodded. “I wasn’t joking when I said you were a natural. Sure, I understand you’re afraid because horses are big and strong but you have an intuitive way with them: it’s a combination of being gentle yet firm, learning from their past behaviors to anticipate the future but all the while remaining steady in the present.”
“Wow, Dallen. That was deep,” she said with a teasing smile. But she got the sense he wasn’t joking and he wasn’t only talking about riding a horse.
He flipped up his hands. “It’s quiet out here and it gives me time to think.”
“I guess I missed my calling. Chloe got the horse lessons.”
“What did you get?”
She shrugged and her fingers mindlessly rubbed the necklace from her grandmother. “I guess I got time to think too, daydream, that kind of thing.”
“What are your dreams? You know, if anything could happen, money was no object, and the sky was the limit?” he asked.
She bit the inside of her lip. “Can I get back to you on that?”
“Only if you give me a hint.”
“It’s something only I’m good at.”
“Meaning your sister isn’t?”
“How’d you know?”
“I have brothers, remember? I’m no stranger to sibling dynamics. In fact, I have a twin.”
“There’s another one of you? Are you identical?” Her eyes widened. Harmonie would be thrilled.
“Close. He has a few freckles and I have a dimple.”
“I’m not sure the world can handle two of you.”
Dallen chuckled. “He became a bodyguard and disappeared to one of our island resorts. I haven’t seen him in…almost three years. He sent a postcard once.”
As bitter as their relationship was, Kayla couldn’t imagine not seeing her sister for so long. “What happened?”
“We had our differences and are too stubborn to resolve them. Now, we’re all scattered around and apparently Tripp is going to get married.” He grunted.
“He didn’t tell you?”
Dallen shook his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“I’m the one who broke the news.”
“As I said, sibling dynamics can get weird.”
“Yeah, especially seeing Chloe, who hadn’t even been married for twenty-four hours, was flirting with my date to her wedding.” Kayla rolled her eyes.
“Why wasn’t she on her honeymoon anyway?”
“They’re going on a two-week trip this summer. It was the soonest Bryan could get off work, I guess.”
“You told me about your ideal wedding. What about your honeymoon?” Dallen plucked a long piece of grass from the ground and chewed on the end.
“I’ve always wanted to visit the Caribbean islands.”
“That’s convenient, we have a resort there.”
“Also, Europe.”
Dallen nodded. “Several more properties in Switzerland, Italy, and France with world-class skiing.”
“That would be fun. Mostly I’d like to see places that are quiet, peaceful like this.”
“If we’re going to get fake married, we can do all of the above.”
Kayla shook her head. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. I mean, I have work and you have—”
“The ranch,” he filled in for her.
“I can’t afford anything extravagant.” She went on to describe how her parents took out a second mortgage to fund Chloe’s wedding. Even though his family’s wealth was the stuff of local legend, she didn’t expect him to pay for it.
“If we’re going to get married, I want it to be exactly what you want it to be.”
“But what do you want? What do you get out of this?”
Dallen lifted to his feet and then whistled. The horses, who’d wandered quite a distance away, stopped. He whistled again and they started to slowly walk back toward the hill. “I, uh, want to be happy.”
“You seem plenty happy.”
“I am but my father left a will that stipulated each of us boys had to be married in order to—”
“Receive your inheritance?” So it was about money. Kayla prickled.
“That and our shares in the family business. I’ve been running the ranch for a while, but in order to make changes beyond updating the main house, I have
to marry.”
“What kinds of changes do you want to make?”
“I’d like the ranch to become a destination, much like the resort. Well, maybe not quite so busy. People, like you, can come here and enjoy this bit of peace. I think we all need more of this in our lives. You know? There’d also be a restaurant, a café, and of course, private cottages dotted around the property for the guests.”
“Sounds great.” He had reasons beyond taking pity on her after witnessing the pressure her mother put on her to get married—it all came down to money. She felt herself deflate a bit but his reasons weren’t horrible and she sensed maybe he was lonely at the ranch by himself and estranged from his brothers. She could relate and she certainly wanted to get her family off her back.
“I guess if we’re going to fake an engagement and get married. There have to be rules.”
Chapter 8
Dallen
“Rules?” he laughed. After spending the afternoon with Kayla, he understood the way Jasper felt about Genesis all too well. She was beautiful, smart, kind and just out of reach. But whatever she had to say, however absurd, he found himself eager to listen.
“Rule number one. No cheating. If we’re in this fake relationship I don’t want anyone else involved. Like no secret real relationships. No online dating. No sexting.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“I’ve heard about your wild ways.”
He snorted. “I assure you, none of that will be happening.” Dallen had dated in the past but made a decision he hadn’t even told his brothers about his limits around intimacy before marriage. “Horses make more sense to me than women anyway.”
Genesis and Jasper grazed nearby and she flicked her tail as if to confirm the statement.
“If that’s the case how many women have you been with?”
He brushed a fly away. “What did I say about minding your own business when we ran into each other at the coffee shop?” But he smiled to soften his meaning.
She folded her arms in front of her chest. “Fine. Rule number two. Do not come to my places of employment.”
“Why?”
“I’m trying to stay focused on my work.”
“Are you saying I’m distracting?”
She swallowed.
A smirk filled out his lips. “Hmm. Interesting. Is there another reason?”
“What was that about minding your own business?” She turned away dramatically, but struggled not to smile.
“Just figured it might be helpful to know why it’s a sore spot.”
“Fine. When I was with Bradley, I gave up everything for him including the savings I had to start my own cupcake bakery.” She held up her hands in a stop gesture. “Before you say there’s a cupcake shop, a café, or whatever on every corner, I know. My parents told me in great detail what a terrible idea it was. Anyway, when Bradley and I were together, he hit a rough patch at work, was laid off, and I picked up the slack because he said he was stressed anyway and needed time to focus on his art. He was a painter. We talked about getting married and he asked me. The giveaway should have been a painting of a peacock instead of an engagement ring.”
“Do you still have it?” Dallen asked.
“No, I—” She shifted uncomfortably but lifted her chin.
“What did you do, Kayla? You have a look on your face.”
“I ran it over with my car. Thirteen times.” Her expression and tone of voice were sour.
Dallen laughed. “I don’t blame you.”
“It felt good. Anyway, if you’re going to say I should’ve seen the writing—or painting as it were—on the wall, when he gave me the peacock, at the time he was broke so I didn’t think it was a big deal. Not that I’m all about the bling, I’m not. But a ring is a romantic gesture. A symbol, a circle unbroken. Well, I found out how easy it is to break a piece of canvas stretched across a wooden frame. So there you have it.” She gazed into the distance.
“He sounds like a loser but you’re not.” Dallen pinched Kayla’s chin between his thumb and finger, guiding her gaze to meet his. “You told me not to judge you about the cupcake shop then the relationship that went bad. I didn’t and I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, well, my family sure had something to say about it all.”
“Forget about that. Forget about him.”
“I have.”
“Good. I run a ranch so I don’t have time to waste hanging out on the slopes or at the Hawk and Whistle for hours. Rule number two, no problem.”
“The third rule…” She paused as though in thought.
“Do we really need three?”
“Absolutely. Here it is. I’d like you to bring me hot cocoa from the lodge every morning.”
Dallen involuntarily flinched. The famous hot cocoa was his mother’s recipe and something he didn’t touch. However, if it meant keeping Kayla happy during their courtship, he would. In fact, he imagined himself bringing her a cup of hot chocolate every morning when she woke up in their bed, in the main house at the ranch. She probably looked adorable with bedhead and sleepy eyes.
“Deal?” she asked, pulling him from the thought.
“If you get those rules, I get to pick three also.”
“One,” she countered.
“Only one? Fine.”
“I want a slice of bannock bread every night.”
“Good thing I know where to get it.”
“Speaking of that, I’m getting hungry. We should probably head back.”
They saddled up on the horses and by the time the ranch came into view, twilight cast the hills in dusky lavender light. Clouds had rolled in, threatening rain.
Dallen brought the horses to water, then expertly unbridled and untacked Genesis and Jasper.
Kayla watched then said, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Sure, you can groom Genesis.” He passed her a bucket filled with supplies and stood behind her to guide her through the process. Her hair smelled like the fields and her skin like vanilla—a scent that made him weak in the knees.
He took her hand in his to demonstrate the correct amount of pressure to apply and motions to perform with the comb. As the day had passed, she’d grown more comfortable with Genesis. It was like the horse and experience had infused her with renewed confidence.
Even though she’d gotten the hang of it, Dallen kept his hand on hers. It was as though they were glued together, stroking the horse’s flank as one. She was warm from the ride even though the outdoor temperature had dropped with the setting sun. He enjoyed being close to her and imagined they’d fit perfectly together if he had the courage to take her in his arms.
They finished up and Dallen patted Genesis’s flank at the same time Kayla turned around, probably to get the other brush but she was caged between his arm and the wall. They did an awkward dance to get out of each other’s way then their eyes met. His breath caught in his chest.
All day, he’d kept to her periphery, afraid to go too far, too deep. But when his eyes met hers, he could no longer avoid his feelings: a mixture of fear and desire. There was no glancing away, no turning back. It was like he’d been searching for something, someone and had found it. He didn’t know whether to lean in and kiss her, sealing the moment between them or slow things down and try to think things through. But that’s what he’d been doing most of his life. In fact, his brothers told him he thought about things too much. He’d certainly had plenty of time on the ranch to get lost in his mind.
But there was one thing he couldn’t forget. He stepped back and let out his held breath but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders or neck. He gave Jasper a knowing look. He’d said he understood horses better than women but what he’d really meant was he understood horses better than people, himself and his feelings included.
It was getting too intense, too confusing.
Dallen talked Kayla through the rest of the grooming process while he did the same for Jasper.
After a few minutes, Genesis let
out a contented sigh as Kayla brushed her. She had a gentle way with the animals and he admired that about her. She reminded him of her brother in a way. Kind but also fierce when she wanted to be like when she mentioned running over the peacock painting. He struggled not to think about his growing attraction, considering he was friends with Chuck, her brother.
Nonetheless, as she stroked Genesis with the curry comb, he couldn’t help admire her curves and muscles. She was feminine yet strong, capable. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, but he imagined it down, cascading over her shoulders like at the wedding. She looked hot in the jeans and sweater she wore but looked gorgeous in the dress the day before. She was funny but had a serious and thoughtful side too. She was smart but open to trying new things—like riding a horse even though it scared her.
She was the kind of woman he dreamed about. Perhaps the one he’d been waiting for. But there were a few obstacles, namely that their relationship was fake and the issue of her brother. He’d tried to contact him to talk about it. However, maybe, like the horses, he’d simply have to admire her from a distance. He owed her his honesty about the matter.
“About Chuck…” he started.
“My brother? I think you’d like him.”
“What if I told you I knew him?”
“Wait. What? How’s that?”
“We went to college together—before he decided that wasn’t for him and joined the military.”
“Seriously?” She tucked her chin back.
Dallen nodded, not sure how that fact might change things because it definitely presented a roadblock for him: one he hadn’t wanted to think about during their time together that day or after the fake marriage suggestion. “I knew Chuck had sisters but they were off-limits so I never inquired.”
“What do you mean off-limits?”
“Like, actually dating you wouldn’t be okay.”
“Do you have some kind of pact?” Her voice rose several octaves.
“No, it’s just an honorable code among men.”
“Dallen, listen. Unlike the rest of my family, my brother loves and respects me. I am sure that whatever choices I make in my love life, he’d trust me. That said, considering he’s overseas and this is fake, we don’t have anything to worry about.”