“That will give me time to sort out what we have to take for Oil Slick.”
“We’re taking the cat?”
Gage looked at her as if she had three heads and each head asked an even sillier question than the previous one. “Of course. You don’t think I’d leave her here on her own, do you? I’ve already had to replace three cushions on the couch before I started taking her to the office with me. I’m not going to leave her alone for a whole weekend. We’d come back to a wrecked house.”
Charlotte laughed. “Wait till I tell your brothers a ball of fur has got you wrapped around her tail.”
Gage shrugged it off with a smile. “Eh, they’ve teased me for worse things. And Gavin’s dog, Merle, goes everywhere with him, so he won’t blink an eye at me taking the cat with me wherever I go. He was the one who gave me the leash when I became Oil Slick’s new daddy.”
“What about packing for yourself? I see you didn’t mention that. I hope you don’t plan on spending the whole weekend in the same clothes.”
Gage chuckled. “I’ve already packed.”
“Oh, you were that sure I was going to say yes and go with you, were you?”
“Of course I was. I knew you wouldn’t need much encouragement to go see the house. I’ll see you in thirty.”
He breezed out of the room, leaving her standing there, wondering if she’d just been conned.
• • •
The drive down to Sweet Ridge passed without too much drama. Charlotte fully expected to travel down in two cars, as she knew not everything they were taking and needed to buy would fit in Gage’s sports car or her sedan. So she was taken aback at the shiny blue SUV idling under the building’s portico. It seemed Gage had two cars. Once everything was packed in and Oil Slick fastened into the special seat Gage had purchased, they started their trip, only stopping at Gander Mountain, where Gage went in and purchased everything they needed. She stayed in the SUV with Oil Slick. While waiting, she let herself dream of future trips like this … only instead of having the cat in the car, there were two children chatting happily in the back.
She yanked herself out of the daydream pretty quickly. No matter what her imagination might think she wanted, her practical side had enough sense not to get too carried away with fanciful thoughts of a future with Gage.
Their marriage was temporary—if you could call having to be married for two years “temporary”. Splitting after two years would give everyone the impression they’d given it a red-hot go.
They pulled up at the house. After not seeing it for a couple of weeks, she’d forgotten how cute it looked and how much it fit in, sitting on the rise in the land.
“Why don’t you go inside and start opening the windows to let some fresh air in while I unpack? I told Gavin and Grayson we’d meet them at the Silver Spurs at one.”
“Do they know I’m coming with you?”
Gage leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek. The action was unexpected. “Nope. I thought I’d surprise them.”
Oh boy, were they going to be surprised. “Are you planning on telling them the real reason we got married?”
Gage pulled a couple of bags out of the back of the SUV. “Nah, I’ve been doing some research of my own after our conversation, and in case we do get investigated, it would be best we keep things about our arrangement on the down-low. The fewer people who know, the better.”
“That makes sense,” she said as she walked away toward the house. She opened the door. The musty odor of abandonment assailed her nostrils—what she’d expected the house to smell like the first time she’d visited. She should probably ask around town to find out who had looked after it before and get them to continue to do so.
As she walked around the house, methodically opening all the windows, she let herself think about Gage’s suggestion about presenting their marriage.
He was all Mr. Executive this weekend, treating their marriage like the business deal it was. And he was good at business deals. He’d started out in menial jobs on rigs before ascending to the executive suite. According to the magazine articles she’d read about him, he had a natural instinct for the oil business.
She should probably get those details about his journey up the oil rig ranks if they were going to pull off this marriage charade.
But that would be later—and especially not in front of his family.
Charlotte had just finished opening all the windows upstairs when Gage appeared on the landing.
“Do you want your bag in the master bedroom, seeing as this is your house and all?” he joked…maybe.
“Sure, that sounds as it should be. I haven’t checked to see if we have running water, have you?”
“Nope, but I know this house is connected to the town water supply, as well as having a rainwater tank at the back. I’ll check to see if things are working.”
She nodded, even though he had already walked away. She headed back downstairs while a million other thoughts about the house entered her mind. The living room would need a good cleaning, even though it had been reasonably dust-free the last time they were there. The soft tread of shoes hitting the hardwood floors sounded behind her. She turned as Gage joined her in the room.
“Did you check to see if we have a fridge?” she asked.
“Yeah, I turned it on, but it needs a clean-out.”
“Maybe after lunch we can stop off and get some cleaning supplies. I should’ve thought of that before we left Houston.”
“We should make a list of everything we need and what needs a quick fix. This house hasn’t been lived in for a long time. I’m surprised it’s not covered in more layers of dust than it already is.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking it was cleaned regularly until the first trip I made down here. I wonder if Rodney told whoever was cleaning the place to stop. I may call him on Monday to find out and get them to go back to a regular schedule. I’ll ask around town as well.”
“Sounds like a plan. I mean, even if we come down each weekend, I don’t want to spend all of our time cleaning the place.”
Come down every weekend? Why would Gage want to do that when he hadn’t wanted to before? She added that to her mental list of things to ask him about later.
“True,” she murmured.
Gage pulled his phone out of his pocket and started making some notes on it. Well, she assumed they were notes. He looked up and saw her watching him.
“What? Is something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just that this whole thing”—she waved her arm around the room—“is so very domesticated.”
Gage put his phone in his pocket and walked toward her. When he got within touching distance she held her breath. Disappointment laced through her when he crossed his arms across his chest instead of what she’d anticipated he’d do: take her into his arms. “And that is wrong, because…?”
“It’s not wrong, just unexpected.”
“Right.”
“Anyway, we need that list made before we have to go into town and meet your brothers for lunch.”
“Ahh, yes, lunch with my dear brothers. It will be fine, you know.”
“I wasn’t too worried, but do you think we should get our stories straight about our relationship? When I first them we hardly acted like we were in love then, and on the brink of marriage.”
“Don’t worry, Red. Trust me.”
Trust him?
Yeah. Right. Okay.
She didn’t know how Gage could be so relaxed and flippant, but they were his brothers and she couldn’t come up with a better idea, so she’d just go along with exactly what he asked. If they were about to meet her own brothers, she’d be panicking. Being the youngest—and a girl—her brothers had always taken their big-brother roles seriously, giving any guys who called around to see her a hard time. Of course, living in other countries as they grew up had made her siblings extra-vigilant in their duties to make sure she was safe. At the time she had hated them for embarrassing her. N
ow she wished they were here to do their protective routine. Not that she needed protecting from Gage, but having Sam, Greg, and Brad close by would’ve been nice.
“Fine. I’ll sit and smile and nod then, shall I?”
“That’s the worst possible thing you could do. After the way you basically told them to back off from asking any questions about the land the last time we were here, if you’re meek and mild, they’ll definitely know something is up.”
“Right.” She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly time to head into town. “Well, if we’re going to do this, we need to leave in the next ten minutes.”
“Okay, let me take a quick look around to see what might need a repair. The sleeping bags are in a safe place so Oil Slick can’t get to them. And the water is running in the bathrooms so you can use one if you need to.”
Charlotte shuddered at the thought. “I’m not touching any of the bathrooms until I’ve had a chance to clean them.”
Gage laughed. “Are you a prissy princess, Red?”
“No. I’ve lived in some pretty interesting places, but because we lived in the ex-pat compounds, everything was always clean at least. This house hasn’t been lived in in I don’t know how many years. And even though it was regularly cleaned before, it hasn’t been since our last visit. So, yes, when it comes to using the facilities, I want to make sure I’m not going to get any nasty surprises, thank you very much.”
“Uh-huh, as I said, prissy.”
She rolled her eyes and then cocked her head. “Is that Oil Slick I hear tearing at something?”
Gage’s demeanor changed in a flash, and he was off to the living room before she could say “just joking”. That would teach him for being a smart-ass with her. As she looked around the kitchen, she couldn’t help but wish the easy camaraderie they were sharing now would continue.
But since she was about to face his brothers, she knew it wouldn’t.
CHAPTER 15
Gage tightened his hold on Charlotte’s hand as they approached the Silver Spurs, the rings he’d given her digging into his fingers. He hadn’t wanted to let on back at the house, but he was as nervous and apprehensive about this meeting with his brothers as she was.
He knew Gavin and Grayson were already at the bar. He’d seen their cars in the parking lot.
Tension had intensified Charlotte’s features, making her look like she was about to face a firing squad. He stopped and pulled her against him.
“What?” she asked.
He didn’t say anything, just smoothed her hair back from her face before lowering his head and kissing her. Her arms wound around his neck and she aligned her body with his. He wanted to forget about meeting his brothers. His body had being dying to sample her again, to find out what made her sigh, what made her moan, what made her scream in pleasure. He wanted to know it all, but he still sensed her apprehension in taking that final step.
Reluctantly, he pulled back, breaking their embrace. Her face now held a dreamy, more relaxed expression. Her lips were plump from his kiss. He liked the look on her. His cock strained against his jeans, wanting to be released from the confines of the fabric. He hoped his hard-on wouldn’t be too obvious when he sat down at the table.
“If we’d walked in a few minutes ago, they would’ve known something wasn’t right. Now you have the look of a newly married woman,” he commented as he led her up the stairs to the bar.
Charlotte looked down at his jeans, and he couldn’t stop his flesh from twitching in excitement. “While you look like you’re in pain.”
He laughed, letting her enter the bar before him. As she passed he whispered in her ear, “Maybe you can ease my pain later on.”
She whipped her head around to look at him, the strands of her red hair catching the sunlight streaming through the front door. Sweet Texas fire.
“Maybe,” she responded with a wink.
“Gage. Over here.” Gavin’s voice reached him, and he lifted his hand in acknowledgment and headed in their direction. Speculation entered his brothers’ eyes when they saw who he was holding on to. It was almost comical the way both of his brothers’ eyebrows rose so high on their faces. Macy, on the other hand, had a huge, knowing smile on her face, as if she’d predicted this would happen.
They got to the table, and after Gage held out a chair for Charlotte, he took the one next her. He noticed Charlotte kept her hands under the table so he placed his left hand on her right thigh.
For a few seconds no one said anything, even though he knew his brothers were champing at the bit to ask what he was doing in town again, why was he in Sweet Ridge with Charlotte, and more importantly, why he’d been holding Charlotte’s hand.
“Y’all got married, didn’t you?” Macy blurted out.
Gavin choked on the beer he’d just taken a sip of, and Grayson burst out laughing.
“Baby, how many beers have you had to make you say that?” Gavin asked as he wiped his chin.
“I haven’t even finished my first, as you well know. How you boys could’ve missed the rock on Charlotte’s finger and the shiny gold ring on Gage’s when they walked through the door is beyond me.” Macy cocked her head. “Besides, they haven’t said anything to deny it, have they?”
Three pairs of eyes landed on him and Charlotte. The tension he’d so effortlessly kissed out of her a few minutes ago returned full-force if the way her leg felt like a bar of steel under his fingers was any indication.
Grayson was the first to break the death stare going on around the table. “Dude, is Macy right? Are you guys married?”
Gage removed his hand from Charlotte’s leg, and with slow, deliberate movements he curled his arm around her shoulder, letting his hand hang down, the gold ring on his finger on display for all to see.
“Shut the fu—” Macy’s hand slapped over Gavin’s mouth to stop the expletive.
“Seriously, Gavin? What’s the big deal?” Gage tried for nonchalance, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded.
“What have you done?” Grayson asked. “I thought you’d outgrown your impulsive tendencies. This is madness. What are you thinking?”
Grayson’s words hurt. Gage suspected his family wouldn’t be happy with the news, but he hadn’t expected them to be so rude about it. Nor for Grayson to bring up his impulsive past.
“You know, I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking about my husband. Neither of us is mad or insane. And Gage was neither impulsive nor reckless when he asked me to marry him. And neither was I when I said yes.” Charlotte turned to him, and he could see the fire of anger in her eyes. But there was something else there, too: a fierceness to protect and defend him.
Was this even real? If not, she was pulling out all the stops to act the loving wife. She leaned toward him and smiled. He could feel his face stretching into his own smile. Her eyes never left his as she continued. “He went out of his way to create the most wonderful wedding for me. It was more than any girl could ask for.”
Yep, she was acting, and … well, he might as well take center stage with her.
Not caring that his brothers and Macy and no doubt everyone else in the Silver Spurs was watching, Gage hooked a finger under her chin. “Thank you, Red,” he whispered before once again tasting those sweet lips. While he wanted to make the kiss last, he still had enough awareness to realize they weren’t alone.
As he broke the connection between them, he couldn’t help but smile at Charlotte’s little groan of disappointment. For the first time in his life, he had a taste of what it was like to have someone who supported him—who was willing to go out on a limb and stand by his side. It felt damn good, even if it was a pretense.
“Well, if these two aren’t in love, my name isn’t Macy Young.” Macy leaned forward with a big grin on her face. “Unlike these two buffoons here, I’m very happy for you both. I want to hear all the details about y’alls’ wedding. And I want to know why we weren’t invited.”
As a tension breaker, it worked. But he coul
d still see the skepticism in both Gavin and Grayson’s eyes—and Gage knew the moment he was alone with them, his brothers were going to pounce on him and ask him if he’d married Charlotte just to get his hands on the land. While it was technically true, he had to make sure they didn’t know that. He needed to make sure he had his answers straight before answering the questions he knew they were going to fire at him.
“Where did you tie the knot?” Gavin asked.
“Vegas,” Charlotte answered. “In a cute little chapel Gage picked out.”
“Oh, please tell me y’all didn’t get married by an Elvis impersonator?” Macy asked.
Gage laughed as he threaded his fingers through Charlotte’s and placed their joined hands on the table. “No, we didn’t. It was a respectable chapel, and the man who led the proceedings was very sweet, wasn’t he, Red?”
“Yes, and his wife was lovely, too. She took photos of the ceremony and afterward. We should be getting those pictures soon.”
“Where did you go for your wedding dinner? Was it somewhere nice? And seriously, girl, you gotta show me your ring up close.” Macy got up out of her seat. “Baby, you need to move so I can sit next to Charlotte. We have a lot to talk about.”
Gage couldn’t help but smile at Macy’s enthusiasm; he caught her eye as she took over Gavin’s seat. He mouthed a “thank you” to her. She nodded in response. At least there was one person who supported him and Charlotte. He also had a feeling Gavin was going to get a serious talking-to when they got home.
Gage sat back, his fingers caressing the back of Charlotte’s neck as she showed Macy her rings and Macy ooohhed and ahhhed over them.
He deliberately didn’t catch his brothers’ eyes. They could wait. He was enjoying being out with his wife, a feeling he could easily get used to.
• • •
Gage pushed his plate away. After the initial discomfort from their announcement, the tension around the table had settled down and they’d all enjoyed what was now a celebratory belated-wedding lunch.
“I’m just going to the bathroom with Macy,” Charlotte whispered in his ear before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. No doubt for the benefit of his brothers, but he wasn’t going to complain.
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