I’d thought that way since I was a teenager.
The walk had been just what Nat and I needed, and it had been beyond gorgeous. I wish I could live here, I thought. I’d always been more of a country person than a city person. Growing up, I’d always go visit my grandma who lived in the country. It was so much fun to go out with her on walks, or just to sit on the front porch and listen as she and her friends talked.
Knock. Knock.
I turned to see my door opening. Nat stepped inside.
I looked her up and down carefully. She’d redone her makeup as well, which left me feeling a little less self-conscious about the fact I had, too.
“Ready?” I asked.
She nodded, and I crossed over to the door. We stepped outside together and headed for the building across from us. As we walked, we didn’t say a word; I think because we had talked ourselves out long ago. I guess that’s what happens when you’re stuck in a car with each other for so long. The way back home would likely be filled with music, and I was more than okay with that. At least Nat and I shared the same taste in our tunes.
The thing about Nat and me was that it didn’t matter when we didn’t talk to each other. It wasn’t like it felt strange, or like we were about to fight. There was no tension there; even when we’d been driving together, there hadn’t been tension— well, not a lot at least. We’d gotten past that point in our friendship.
I reached for the door to the building and pushed it open, stepping to the side and taking a look around at what was in front of me. The room was simple. A large hallway with gray carpets. Two doors on the left and two doors on the right. There was also a large door in front of us. Which way? I wondered as I walked into the middle of the hallway, looking into the first door on the left and the first door on the right. One looked like a rec room; the other looked like a sitting room with books and magazines. I’d seen the pictures of them on the website.
I looked into the second room on the left and saw a group of men sitting there. They all stared at me and Natasha. The room itself was pretty small, and a large round table took up most of the space. The walls were white, although one could argue about the color since they were so dirty, and the floor was black.
“Good evening, ladies.”
My head snapped towards the speaker. Alex.
His eyes sparkled as they caught mine. I looked away quickly.
“Evening.” Nat spoke, so I didn’t have to.
“Come in, join us at the table if you’d like.”
“We’d love to.” I noticed the way Nat stressed the second word. She pushed the small of my back gently, and I stumbled over my feet and into the room. There were four empty seats. Nat and I took two of them, sitting side by side. I looked around. Alex was standing by the oven, and there was someone else chopping veggies a foot away from him to the left.
“How are you enjoying your stay?” one of the guys asked.
“It’s been very nice so far,” I said, looking over at him. He gave me a soft smile. “I mean, we just went for a walk, but it was nice. Tomorrow we’re going to try to do some more sightseeing.”
We’d picked up some booklets on stuff to do around here. There wasn’t much, but there was a small town that sounded really cute, and we both wanted to stop by there and see what they had to offer.
Everyone’s attention turned to Alex as he opened the oven and pulled something out. The air filled with the scent of rosemary, and I sucked in a deep breath, filling my lungs. I closed my eyes, and memories of my childhood came back to me. A smile touched my lips, and I forced my eyes open as I heard Alex move something else. I stared at a large roast pan, and my stomach grumbled.
“So, what brings you out here?” Alex asked as he set the roast pan down and walked over to the table. He sat beside me.
“Just needed to get away,” I said with a shrug. I glanced over to see Natasha already immersed in a conversation.
“Crazy ex-boyfriend?” he teased.
“No, thankfully. What made you decide to work here?”
“I like being out in the country.” He shrugged. I could tell there was something more there, but I didn’t ask. After all, I wasn’t going to make him tell a complete stranger all his secrets. “Do you work?”
“No. I’m in school full-time. Vet Tech.”
“Really? When you graduate, you should come back and apply for the job. We’ve been looking for an on-hand vet. Assuming you can deal with a couple of horses.” For a split second, it didn’t sound like he thought I could.
“Well, I can deal with cows. Are they much worse?” Okay, so I didn’t have loads of experience with cows, but I’d treated them a couple of times. “That counts—right?”
A smirk spread over his lips. “Yeah, that counts.”
Alex
I stared out the front window, not paying as much attention to my partner as I should be. Instead, I was focused on the girl outside. She and her friend were the only ones here, though that would change soon. There was something about her I couldn’t put my finger on. She seemed shy.
Normally the women I met here were much less reserved about their thoughts. They acted closer to the way her friend had acted towards me, but even more outgoing. Christy, on the other hand, had been nothing but polite. She hadn’t tried to grab me, or flash me, or anything—and, trust me, it had all happened before. Of course it didn’t surprise me it happened. After all, we marketed the ranch as a place for women to come get away. A place for them to have some fun.
And I normally had a lot of fun with them.
“I think we need to expand the media room to offer more. And that Yoga teacher could be a huge benefit to us in the busy season.”
I nodded. I was listening, but didn’t care much about what was being said.
Maybe it’s just that she doesn’t seem to want me. She had been nothing but kind over dinner, and a few things she’d said made me think I might stand a chance. After years of women who made it clear they wanted me, the idea of a girl who didn’t throw herself at me was appealing. That must be it.
“Alex? Are you even fucking listening to me?”
I glanced up and gave my friend a smile. “Sorry, I was a little distracted.” I glanced toward the window. The two girls were staring at a map.
Jeff followed my line of sight. “I see. Obviously she is a very understandable distraction. But, Alex, it’s not play time. It’s work time.”
I shot him a smile. “Okay, okay. You want to hire a Yogi, right? The one we already talked to at the beginning of the year?”
“Yes, ideally if he is still free to teach.”
“Get a contract written up. Email him and ask him to come out.”
He was right. The girls would love it, and a yoga teacher would be a good asset in the summer months. It will look great on the website, too, I thought.
The reason the ranch did so well, even though it was out in the middle of nowhere, was because we marketed it to be a fun place for girls over the age of eighteen to come and get away. Bridal parties, successful women needing a vacation, bored housewives and the like were the audience my friends and I marketed toward – and it worked out damn well for us. We got paid, they got laid, and there were no strings attached.
“I think we should hold off on the media room, though,” I said. “We should work on some landscaping instead.” The more beautiful the place is, the more we can expand. We could make this the perfect wedding ranch. “We also need to add more guest rooms.”
If we could build more rooms to fit an entire wedding, we could rake in the money during the summer weekends.
“Are you sure you want to do that? I can call the builders and have them come out and do an assessment. But you know it’s going to cost a lot, right?”
“We can afford it.” I shrugged. I glanced back out the window and saw the two girls get into their rusty car. It looks like the thing is about to fall apart, I thought, amazed they had been gutsy enough to take it down the dirt road to get h
ere.
“It would help bring in some good business.” Jeff still sounded nervous.
I turned to my friend and gave him a smile. “What? Scared?”
“I know, I know. Go big or go home.” It had been my motto as we started the place and got on our feet. It had stuck, and it had made us do damn well for ourselves. I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.
I tilted my head to the left and grinned without looking away from the window. The girls pulled out of their parking spot and headed down the driveway.
“Let me ask you something.”
Jeff waited, not saying a word.
I turned and crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you think of Christy?”
“What? Why? You want to do her?”
“Yes.”
This was a normal conversation the two of us had during the busy time of year and almost any other time, to be honest. “Dude, are you crazy?”
“What do you mean?”
“Take a look at her; she’s not the right type.”
I almost flinched. He’s not trying to be a dick. Jeff would never go out of his way to be mean to me. “What do you mean she’s not the right type?”
“She’s the type that gets attached. I thought you didn’t do that after …”
“Okay, okay. Fine.”
“She’s too young. She still thinks she’s going to get swept off her feet, and you two will fall in love, and you’ll give up your ways, and she can save you.” I could hear the way he almost cringed when he said it. Jeff couldn’t stand the idea of girls trying to save him. Honestly, I was way past that. I didn’t need to be saved; I needed to have fun. And damn she looks like fun.
Jeff was right; she was young, and she might be too eager to fall in love and find someone to spend the rest of her life with—someone who would be her perfect husband. I sure as shit wasn’t that.
“I’m going to give it a shot, I think.” Sure, she might try to get me to commit for more than a weekend, but as long as I was upfront about it – and I always was – then I could break things off when she left without a second thought. And, if worse came to worse, I’d just have to ban her from the ranch. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Here, at this ranch, we provided the ultimate getaway for women. Men included—as long as they wanted to be.
Jeff settled into his chair by the desk. “I think it’s a bad idea, but I also know you don’t care what I think. You’ll give it a shot because you know you shouldn’t. You’ve always been like this. Don’t you remember Macey Hill?”
I scowled. “That was in first grade!” He still hadn’t let me forget about it.
A grin spread over Jeff’s lips. “And you haven’t changed a bit.”
I dropped the subject as I pulled my Mac over to me and opened it. He might be right, some aspects of me had never changed—despite thinking they would for a small amount of time.
Christy
I grabbed the bags from the back seat. I could feel his eyes on me. At least I was pretty sure I could; I might have been making it up in my head. But … part of me wanted to believe I was making it all up; the other part wanted him to be watching me. My back arched as I grabbed the last bag and headed for my room, closing the car door with my foot.
I risked a glance at him. I was right; he had been watching me.
My heart fluttered in my chest. He’s damn cute. And after spending some time with him during dinner, I really liked him. He was fun and funny. And cute. Way beyond cute. I stopped in front of my room and shifted all the bags onto one arm. Once one hand was free, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key.
“May I help?” I spun to see Alex standing there. He grinned widely, his eyes roaming over my body and stopping at my hands. “It looks like you’ve had quite an eventful day.”
“I have. Lots of shopping that was well worth it. And yes, some help would be awesome, thanks.”
He took the key from me, and I shifted the bags back to both arms as Alex unlocked the door and pushed it open, motioning for me to go first.
“Thanks.” I walked into the room, laid my bags on the ground, and turned to Alex. He stood leaning against the door frame, one hand on his hip.
“Are you going to be joining us for dinner tonight?”
“If we’re invited. I think Nat would love to come. You know, she has a thing for your friend.” I watched him carefully, trying to spot every minor detail of his reaction.
“My friend has a thing for her.”
I’ll be sure to let her know that. But I didn’t say my thoughts out loud. Instead, I gave him a smile and a nod. “Good to know.”
Alex’s head tilted to the left as he watched me for a couple of seconds. “Have you checked out the pool yet?”
“No. I wanted to this morning, but then we spent too long eating breakfast.” With all the options that were there, it would have been a shame to spend less than a half hour eating. We’d spent closer to an hour, but it was all so good, I didn’t even feel bad about how much I ate.
A smile touched Alex’s lips. “You should try it at night. It’s gorgeous. The sky is filled with stars and the moon has been so full these past couple of days.”
The idea of a nighttime swim sounded perfect, though I’d have to bring Natasha with me. I was too paranoid to go alone. “I think I’ll steal that idea from you.”
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, and his grin widened. “Well, if you’re going to steal the idea from me, mind if I join you?”
My heart skipped a beat as I replayed his words in my head again and again. Four times. Shit. Another missed heartbeat. I could feel my pulse quickening. Say something!
“T-that would be nice,” I stammered.
Really? That’s what you went with? Out of all the things I could have said, I chose ‘that would be nice.’ Now I was left with him watching me. If he thought the answer was lame, he didn’t show it. Maybe he didn’t. The thought gave me hope.
“Chris!” Natasha’s voice cut through the air. My head snapped toward my best friend as she stood frozen behind Alex. “Oh. I, er … ah –” she stammered, closing her mouth and opening it again. This time, no words came out.
I felt my cheeks heat.
“Well, I’ll let you enjoy your spoils from shopping. I’ll see you later.” Alex’s eyes fixated on me.
“See you later.”
My heart raced as I watched him leave. My cheeks still burned hot, and I was sure they were colored red to match. It wasn’t until Alex walked out of sight that either my friend or I spoke.
Natasha turned on me. “What was that?” She crossed her arms over her chest, a wide smile across her lips. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Yes.”
My friend’s mouth fell open. She rushed toward me, closing the door to my room with a quick flick of her wrist as she passed. I sat down on the bed and waited for the suspense to build. There was something I wasn’t telling my friend that I knew she would want to know more than anything. “His friend has a crush on you.”
It wasn’t what she was expecting. I watched confusion cross over her face. “What?”
I didn’t say anything. I watched the wheels turn in Natasha’s head as she bit her lip. “Really? He does?” She sounded giddy.
I hadn’t heard that tone in a long time. Not since Josh. “That’s what Alex said. If he lied, I can beat him up for you.”
My best friend sat down on the bed with me. “I could go for a nice little fling with a ranch hand, or cowboy, or whatever he wants me to call him.” She sighed softly, and for a couple of seconds she looked lost in thought. Then, it looked like she snapped back to reality. “What about you, Chris? Are you going to have a fling with Alex?”
“What?”
“I mean, it seems pretty clear he’s into you.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wanted to tell her that was silly and he w
ould never be interested in me, but I also really wanted to tell her that I wanted him to like me. I bit my lip.
“Do you really think he’s into me?”
“Oh, yeah. I see the way he looks at you.”
~~~~
Those words played in my head over and over as I got ready for dinner and we made our way to the same room we’d ate in the night before. ‘I see the way he looks at you.’ What did that even mean? I hadn’t realized he was looking at me in any way. But then again, I saw the way Jeff looked at Nat, and she hadn’t seen it.
God, I want her to be right. I wanted him to be interested, but I was scared he wouldn’t be; I wouldn’t deny that. Nonetheless, I put on one of the tops that flattered my body the most, despite the fact I didn’t need to change at all.
I looked around as we sat down. Not all of the guys were there from the night before. I forgot names, but it was Alex, Jeff, and one other guy. Younger looking than the rest of them. He gave a soft smile as they sat down.
“How are you ladies enjoying your stay?”
“I’m loving it!” Natasha piped up. She glanced toward Jeff who was staring at her. “It’s so nice out here, and there is so much to see. I think I’ll need to spend one of the days taking everything in.”
I didn’t need to say anything. Natasha, for now at least, spoke for both of us.
Alex sat down beside me. “Are we still on for tonight?” he whispered.
I gave him a single nod.
“Good.” He still spoke in a low voice. Does he not want anyone to know about me? I bit my lip. Was it not allowed? After all, I was someone staying at the ranch. But he owns the place; he’d never take a risk like that, I hoped.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“It was long. There were some fixes that needed to be done around the ranch. They took longer than expected, plus I had to draw up plans for some of the expansions we’re planning in the next few months, and then —” He stopped and laughed softly. His eyes locked on mine for a fraction of a second before I looked away. “It was a long day, but it’s probably boring to listen to. You, on the other hand, did a lot of shopping by the looks of it. How did you enjoy that?”
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 23