The truth is, I wanted to know, too. I just didn’t like the answer I had been given. She’ll leave, it’s just a matter of time until she does. And then it would be the same as it had been a few days ago. Me alone and my brothers totally in love. Hell, Alex was already shopping for engagement rings. Not that Christy knew. I felt my heart drop to my toes as I stared at Sarah. When is goodbye? When would she just up and leave? I had no clue, but I didn’t want to ask. I should just make the most of what time we do have together. And until the time came, I was going to ignore how much it was going to hurt when she moved on with her life like nothing had happened.
I rolled onto my side, away from her.
The rain had let up by now, but it was late and I doubted anyone would be willing to come get us at this time in the morning.
So, it was a matter of getting to sleep. If I could.
Sarah
I woke to an empty bed. My heart rate picked up a little as I sat up, looking around for him. I stared out the window. Light shined in, which meant the storm had passed.
“Well, good morning.” He sat at the kitchen table, a bowl in front of him.
“Morning,” I stammered, slipping out of bed.
“There isn’t much to eat, but I did find some instant oatmeal.”
“That sounds more than okay with me.”
I padded over to the table where there was another bowl, a kettle still warm, and some packages of oatmeal. I chose the apple one as I sat across from Ken and poured my breakfast. I didn’t meet his eyes, because I honestly didn’t want to start a conversation this early. It wasn’t the post-hook-up thing, which I had no clue how to deal with; it was more of the fact I wasn’t ready for him to tell me he was done with me. He’s not that kind of guy, I told myself, but it didn’t matter.
“We shouldn’t take too long. The plane will be here in an hour and a half, and we have to go back to where we were dropped off. I figured this time, since it isn’t raining, we could actually enjoy the walk.”
“That sounds nice,” I said before taking a mouth full of oatmeal.
“I’ve already made sure we’re packed.”
I raised an eyebrow. He sure was quick at getting ready to go.
“I hoped if we had the time we could get a little fishing in, too. It was the whole reason we came out here, and I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to do more of it.”
I shrugged. “Last night was better than fishing.”
The second it came out my cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. Shit. I hadn’t wanted to be the one to say anything about last night.
I risked glancing up at him, but only for a fraction of a second. A smile spread over his lips.
“I’m glad you think so. We’ll have to do it again some time.”
My cheeks went from bright pink to red and I felt them burn. His words made me happier than I wanted to admit. I took another bite of my breakfast.
“I figured we’d head out soon.”
And then it was all gone. All that happiness I’d had – gone.
“Oh, okay.”
I lost some of my appetite. I knew it was stupid to let the past in. It’s the past.
I had one hook-up after my husband and I split, and it didn’t go well at all. He wouldn’t even look at me, let alone talk to me, and he didn’t ask for my number. I’d left sad, ashamed, embarrassed, and vowing I would never do it again. This wasn’t a hook-up, I reminded myself. No, we were doing it again. And Ken would always call me the next morning. I hope.
I finished my meal, rinsed the bowl out, and left it to dry where Ken had left his. We made the bed, Ken grabbed the backpack, and we headed for the door.
“I guess we don’t have to worry about locking up,” he said as we headed outside. It was warmer than I thought it would be and the sun was beating down as we walked down the steps and headed down the trail that lead to our fishing spot.
Ken took my hand and, unlike last time, we walked side by side. We weren’t hurried. We were honestly just enjoying our time together. We walked slowly.
“Will your brothers mind that you’re not there?” I hadn’t meant to take him away from his brothers or the ranch.
“No, they will be happy we decided to stay and didn’t put ourselves in any danger. They’re probably worried, but they knew what I was planning, so they will have pieced things together. Will your mother be worried?”
I shrugged. “Once I can get reception I’ll just shoot her a text and let her know that I’m fine and she’ll be okay with it. Once I tell her everything she’ll understand; she won’t care.” She knew what it was like out here and she’d be happy I’d played it safe.
The ground was still a little muddy under all the trees where the sun hadn’t been able to shine as brightly. As we made our way through the forest, we didn’t say much to each other. We just walked, taking in the sights. His fingers tangled between mine as we walked. Eventually, he pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
~~~~
I sat outside the house not wanting to go in. I turned to Ken. “Thank you for today.” The truth was, I didn’t want the day to be over. I wanted to keep going. I didn’t want to leave him.
My heart skipped a beat as I saw my mother walking toward us. My cheeks flushed. She didn’t look at me. Instead, she looked at Ken. Oh shit. I knew she wasn’t stupid; she’d figured out what was going on between us. I just wasn’t ready to deal with it.
“There you two are!” She waved as she came within hearing distance. “Ken, you’re not going to leave so soon, are you?” She smiled widely. “I’ve got some crisp cooking in the oven. It’s almost done. Why don’t you come in for some lunch?”
Ken glanced at me, then at my mother, and back to me. “A – are –”
I nodded, cutting him off before he asked. Yes, I was okay with it. Yes, please come in. I didn’t want to say it, though. I didn’t want to make him feel like I was taking up all his time.
“If you need to go back to the ranch, I understand. There will be leftovers. But I’m sure my mom would love to have you over sometime.”
“I can put off going to work for a couple more hours.” He grinned as he opened the door. “Hello, Ms. Brentson. I’d love to stay for lunch.”
Her eyes sparkled as her smile grew. “Good!”
What are you planning? I wondered as I opened the door and stepped out of the car. I watched my mother make her way back into the house, Ken and I following her. God I hope this goes all right. I knew my mother well enough to know she was up to something, I just didn’t know what it could be.
We made our way into the house and I inhaled, filling my lungs with the scent of baked apples. My stomach grumbled, despite the fact I had eaten not that long ago.
“How about just some dinner rolls?” my mother suggested.
“That would be perfect,” Ken said.
“Is there still pasta salad in the fridge?” I asked, walking over to see for myself. I saw the bowl still sitting there and reached for it. I pulled it out of the fridge along with some lunch meat and the milk, and headed for the table. I handed my mom the meat and set the other two things down.
“Sit,” I told Ken.
He grinned, listening to me with sparkling eyes as he sat down at the table. I grabbed a couple of plates out of the cupboard above the sink and a few forks from the drying rack, placing them on the table as well before I sat down across from Ken.
“Did you two catch any fish?” my mother asked as she cut open a couple of buns and reached for the tomato she kept on the counter.
“Nope,” Ken and I said together.
“But it was still a nice time,” I said quickly. I didn’t want Ken to feel bad. I caught his eye and gave him a smile that he returned.
I watched as my mother made lunch for us, and I couldn’t ignore how happy she looked as she was doing it. My heart skipped. What if she gets used to this? If she started to think it was going to become normal … what would happen if Ken and I stopped s
eeing each other?
“You know, Sarah … I know you haven’t expressed any interest in staying here long term, but there is this great little place that’s for sale just around the corner from here. I think we should go look at it. It’s a good house and it’s cheaper than anything you’ll find anywhere else.”
I took a deep breath, trying not to let stress bubble over. It always appeared when I thought about where I was going to spend my life.
“I’d be happy to go with you,” Ken piped up.
My eyes went wide. I stared at my mother as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to say. I didn’t want to say no, but I didn’t know if I wanted to say yes.
“I …” I looked from my mother to Ken. They both looked so excited. Shit. As much as I was a grown ass woman, I didn’t want to disappoint the two people I cared about. “Yeah, sure.”
Both of them looked so happy. I looked away from them. Damn it. What was I going to do? They wanted me to stay here. Guilt tugged at the corners of my mind. I can at least see the house. It was probably really nice and there was no doubt in my mind it would be a better price than one in the city. I knew how these things worked; this wasn’t the first house I’ve gone to look at. After all, I did buy one house already.
“I’ll call about going later today,” my mother said happily.
Guilt continued to nag. I didn’t want to get them all excited and then rip it away from them. Before I could say anything to stop my mother, she put a plate of sandwiches down between Ken and me and headed out of the room. She probably went to go call the person about seeing the house. Just take it one breath at a time. It’s what my grandma had always said when I was growing up.
Ken
I was glad she was all right with me joining her and her mom. Just remember to be on her side. I needed to make sure she didn’t feel like her mother and I were ganging up on her; otherwise she wouldn’t be very happy with me. But the idea of her staying here, of buying a place here, was huge. Happiness filled my body.
I took a couple seconds to look around the house we had just entered. Wow. To say the place was nice was a bit of an understatement. It was gorgeous, and in the city it would sell for way more than $95,000. But that was one of the perks to living out in the country. Cheaper housing market.
“So, the house is from 1903, the flooring is original and so are the doorways,” the man who answered the door started his tour. He motioned for us to follow him. I watched Sarah as we made our way into the kitchen.
“All updated, of course,” he said motioning towards the appliances.
They looked modern. Hell, the fridge had a fucking touch pad on it. I smirked. If she does decide to go for this place, it’s going to be amazing for her. I glanced over. Her eyes were wide as she stared at everything, trying to take it in while following the man through a mud room and then outside.
“All this is yours. All the way to the tree line, which leads to a vacation ranch that I hear can be quite active in the summer. My clients say they even seen horses some mornings from their breakfast nook.”
Sarah turned to me, grinning widely. “Really? A ranch?”
I returned her grin and gave her a single nod. Yes, it was mine. I’d been pretty sure before we got here, but I didn’t want to say anything until I was absolutely positive.
We backtracked and headed into the living room. It was nice. A mixture of modern and vintage. The floors looked in good condition considering how old they were.
“If there is anything you really like, the sellers are open to parting with some of the furniture while they pack up the house,” the realtor said as we headed up the stairs to look at the bedrooms. He glanced back at us. “The truth is, they are desperate to sell the place. They want to move on with their new house. They’re excited to be moving to California and don’t want to worry about flying back and forth.”
Good. That would be a benefit for us. If she decides to buy the place. The thought hit me hard. What if she didn’t?
Then we’ll be done. Right? If she was just going to up and leave what was the point of bothering to pretend things were going to work?
I composed my thoughts. There was no point in worrying about it until she came out and said it. I sucked in a deep breath and promised I wouldn’t think about it anymore. Then again, I wasn’t used to keeping promises to myself.
~~~~
As we got into the car, I forced myself to keep quiet. I forced myself to pretend I didn’t care because I didn’t want to freak her out.
“So,” her mother finally said. We both waited to see if Sarah would say anything. “What did you think?” Her mother asked after a few seconds of silence.
“I’m not sure. I mean, it’s a really nice place, but I don’t know. It isn’t quite what I had in mind.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Sarah didn’t say anything as she stared into the backseat of the car where her mother sat. I sat in the driver’s seat, trying not to turn and see her reaction. I felt my heart race inside my chest.
“I … I…”
She went quiet and it was the last thing she said all the way to her mother’s house.
Sarah
I had no clue what I wanted, honestly. I sighed trying to figure it out. I need to figure it out fast, I thought.
The house was amazing and I knew I should jump on it. I knew it made the most sense to put an offer down on the place. As we pulled into my mother’s driveway and came to a stop, my mom got out of the car, but I didn’t.
Instead, I turned to Ken and he turned to me.
“Wanna talk?”
His words instantly sent comfort through me. “Yes,” I sighed running my fingers through my hair. I didn’t even know where I was supposed to start. “I know I should put an offer down on the house, and I know it should be something I do right away, but I don’t know … I mean, it’s nice but it’s not what I was expecting. I didn’t think I was ever going to move back here. A few days ago I was looking forward to leaving.”
I wasn’t blind to the hurt look on his face. I turned away from Ken. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“I don’t know. I just … it’s more than I was hoping to spend right now.” I thought I was going to have time to get everything sorted out. To get the money I was owed.
“So, it’s the money?”
“No. I mean … a little. I don’t know.”
“I’ll pay for it.” He said it so quickly, for a second I thought he was joking, until I looked at him. He looked like he honestly meant it.
“Are you joking?” It wasn’t a nice joke. It’s not like I expected him to buy me a house, but he didn’t have to tease about it.
“No. Why would I joke about that? It would be pretty crappy of me to get your hopes up.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. He had to be kidding. This can’t be for real. Can it? Could he actually mean … “No. It’s a fucking house; it’s not like you are offering to pay for dinner. It’s expensive.”
“I’m offering. I want to do this for you, Sarah.”
“But –”
“I can easily afford it. It’s a nice house, and if you don’t pick it up now, it won’t be around when you decide. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” I sighed. I knew he made a point. “It’s possible if I change my mind, I’ll regret it. But if I decide I want the house and then hate it –”
“I can sell it.”
He said it like it wasn’t a big deal. A few seconds passed as I tried to decide what to do next.
“Or we’ll make it into part of the ranch. That way, if you don’t like it and want to move, you don’t have to feel bad.”
I bit my lip. It would get me out of my mother’s house. That thought was nice. I sighed. “I’ll pay you back. Every cent.”
Ken shook his head. “Nope. Not allowed.”
“But –”
“I don’t care what you have to say. I want to do this for you. I want to buy this place for yo
u. Will you let me do you a favor?”
I wanted to let him. I wanted to get out of my mom’s house, and there was no doubt the house I had just looked at would be amazing. But that doesn’t mean I want it. That didn’t mean it would be the right fit for me. It was a nice place, but what if I decided I didn’t want to stay here? Was I willing to take that risk? If he could make use of it, though, it could be good for him.
“No, you just buy it for the ranch.” I wasn’t going to take it away from him.
“I’m not going to buy it unless you promise me you get first dibs on it.”
“But –” It would be so good for his business. He could … well, I had no clue what he was going to do with it.
“I won’t force you, but wouldn’t it be nice to have your own place? And it’s so close to the ranch.”
“It would be nice, but that’s not the point.”
“That is the only point.” He gave me a soft smile. He reached out and took my hand. “Will you hate me if I put an offer on it?”
“No.” Of course I wouldn’t hate him for it. I just didn’t know how I would feel about it. “But I’ll pay you back.”
“I don’t need you to pay me back. There is something else you could do for me, though.”
My heart did a backflip. “W – what is it?” What would he ask of me in exchange for something as big as a house? I wasn’t sure I’d be willing to go through with it, whatever it was.
“Come fishing with me more. If you’re going to be that close to the ranch, it would be nice to see you a few times a week.”
“You’re fucking joking, right? You expect me to agree to that as payment?”
“Why not?”
A soft grin touched his lips. I blew out a deep breath. He wasn’t getting it. This was a big deal.
“Am I really that bad to be around?” he asked.
“No! Of course not.”
“Good, then it’s settled.”
Before I could say anything, he pulled me into a kiss, his arms wrapping around me. His eyes locked on mine as our kiss grew more passionate. Damn it. Of course I wanted him to buy me a house. Who didn’t want to own a house without dropping the money on one? But it wasn’t fair. If he doesn’t think that, though … I sighed as I pulled away from him.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 38