by Alexa Riley
I swallow the knot forming in my throat, unsure of what to say to her. What if Clay has someone he hasn’t told me about? To be fair, I haven’t exactly explained my fiancé. Could he be hiding his own arrangement?
She lifts her hands. “I mean, really.” She motions to me and then herself. “Don’t embarrass yourself more.”
I ignore her jab. I don’t know if she’s hurting and lashing out or if she’s really just a bitch. “Why aren’t you mad?” I blurt out, and she shrugs.
“He’s playing dirty. He’s still mad I went home with the cowboy from the rodeo show in town a couple months ago. He was ignoring me, but that got his attention. I think you're his payback, and I’m not mad because now he can’t throw it in my face. We can finally move on to marriage and babies and all that. Get it?”
No, I’m not sure I get it at all, but I nod because I want her to leave.
“Good. Now, I'll go check on Clay.” She strolls out the door and slams it behind her.
I walk over to one of the chairs and sit down, feeling numb. I don’t know what to believe. I decide to wait and not let myself get worked up. Clay should be here in an hour or so.
He’s not.
It’s almost four o’clock when he walks in and pulls his Stetson off. He sets it by the front door and takes off his boots.
“Everyone okay?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yeah.” He walks over to me, pulling me into his arms. He holds me tight, and I rest my head on his chest. My stomach drops when the familiar smell of the woman's perfume from earlier hits my nose.
Clay kisses the top of my head. “I’m beat, I’m going to go shower.”
“Want me to join you?”
“No, I’m going to be quick. Why don’t you get dinner going for us?”
I nod, watching him go. When I hear the bathroom door close, I leave out the front, having no idea what I’m doing, but I need air. The house is massive, but I need a deep breath of the cool fall air to clear my head because right now, I’m at a loss.
When I step onto the wraparound porch, to my utter surprise I see my sister getting out of some fancy car I’ve never seen in my life.
She runs straight at me and flings herself in my arms. “You haven’t called me in days!” she squeals as I close my eyes and try not to cry.
Has it been days? God, I’ve lost track of time out here. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve got something I’ve gotta tell you.” She wrings her hands together. “I guess Judge called because he wants to get married this weekend.”
My heart falls to the floor, and I drop my head.
“Can we get out of here?” I need to leave this house for a second and get some space. My sister cringes as she points to the car.
“I think I broke it.”
“It looks fine.”
“It's one of those stick things.”
I shake my head. “Where did you get the car?” She looks anywhere but at me. “Kat.”
“I stole it from Judge.”
My mouth falls open as she shrugs sheepishly.
“What? He has tons of cars over there. He’ll probably never know it’s gone.”
“Babe.”
Kat jerks around faster than me.
I hear Clay’s footsteps in the distance, and I take a steadying breath.
“Why is he calling you ‘babe’?” she asks under her breath. “That’s Clay? You’ve been living with him?” she hisses, and I nod again. “Oh no, Dotty, did you do the nasty with him?”
“Kat!” I shout, because her voice got louder and louder with each question and Clay is standing on the porch fighting a laugh.
“Why don’t you girls come inside?” I don’t move, and Kat must feel my unease. Her eyes narrow on me for a moment as she searches my face.
She stomps towards Clay on a mission, and he puts his hand up in surrender. I try to grab her, but she’s always been quick.
“What did you do to her?” she shouts at him, and it makes me realize why Clay’s shouting never bothered me.
“I’m not sure she wants me to share that with you.”
“You hurt her.” She shoves her finger right into Clay’s chest, and I grab it and pull it down.
“I would never hurt her.” Clay looks down at me then takes my hand and pulls me into him. “Baby?” His eyes are full of worry. “Is something wrong? Tell me and I’ll fix it.” He sounds so sincere, but the perfume and the shower have me second-guessing. He wasn’t back when he said he would be, and doubt is playing with my mind.
“Oh no,” Kat says, and I turn to see Judge’s black truck coming down the long driveway with dust kicking up behind it. “Everyone inside.” Kat pushes at Clay, but he doesn't move. “Control your man,” she orders me.
I push Clay this time, and he goes. When we’re all in the house, Kat slams the door and shoots the bolt.
“Is someone going to tell me who the hell that is?” Neither of us says anything. “Guess I’ll go ask.”
“No!” we both say at the same time.
“Then somebody needs to fill me in here.” He crosses his arms, waiting.
“It’s Judge,” I say, knowing he’s going to find out anyway.
“Judge Russo?” he confirms.
“You know him?” That surprises me.
“We’ve met a few times over the years. I always thought he was a decent man.” That makes sense actually. They both own some of the biggest farms in our state.
“Well, that decent man, as you call him, is here to collect his bride,” Kat fills him in.
“Who?” he asks and stands up straighter.
“Me.” I whisper the word, but it might as well be a shout.
I thought I saw Clay angry before, but I was dead wrong.
Chapter Twelve
Clay
My spine snaps straight as I take a step toward the door.
“No wait, Clay, please,” Dotty pleads as I put my hand on the lock.
“Do you want to go with him?” I ask her point blank because I’m not one to play games. She looks up at me with pleading eyes and opens her mouth to speak but closes it and nibbles on her bottom lip. “The fact that you can’t say yes right away gives me my answer.” Not that I’d be able to let her, truth be told.
“It’s complicated,” she offers but doesn't go any further.
“That’s not enough to keep me from going out there and setting him straight.” I wait another moment, and she makes a whining sound in the back of her throat as she looks out the window anxiously.
Today went to hell the second I got that phone call this morning. I called the vet’s office and they sent out one of their doctors quickly, but little did I know their office girl Trixie came along for the ride with a bag of her bullshit.
When she came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, I leaned into her, thinking Dotty had come out in the field to find me. But as soon as I got a whiff of that sickly perfume she wears, I practically tossed her off of me while I stumbled back. As soon as I got home, I had to shower and get the stink out of my nose.
That woman has got in her head that she’s going to get in my bed, and I don’t think I’ve ever said more than two words to her. She only sees my bank account and what I can give her. She doesn’t look at me the way Dotty does. She doesn’t hold a candle to my woman.
Mine.
“Dotty, go upstairs and get your ring,” I say in an even voice, and she looks down at her hand like she forgot it wasn’t on.
“Wait, you took your ring off?” her sister Kat asks as she follows Dotty’s eyes. “Why would you do that? It's so beautiful.”
Dotty makes a face like she can’t believe what her sister is saying. “Are you kidding me?” Then she shakes her head. “Now is not the time, Kat. Clay, please, if Judge comes in here, there’s going to be a scene, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
I whirl around when I hear the approaching truck stop and the engine shuts off. “Nobody is getting in a fight,” I
say as I open the door and the women protest behind me. “Go get your ring and meet me outside.”
I step onto the porch and see the sun low in the sky, lighting it up with pink and orange. Judge opens the door to his black truck and hops down out of it. He’s wearing black jeans and a dark T-shirt with a baseball cap pulled down low.
Out of all the times I’ve talked to him, I never looked at him like I’m looking at him now. Like an opponent. He’s always been a fair businessman and someone I didn’t mind working with. But as I stand here now and look him up and down, I’m scrutinizing every inch of him.
We’re evenly matched on weight and build. You don’t grow up working on a farm without earning a solid foundation. His dark blond hair sticks out a little under his cap, and he looks like he’s in a hurry.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he says as he walks up on the porch.
“Then you should probably leave.”
I stand there staring at him for a second, and I feel him size me up for maybe the first time too. After a moment he looks past me at the front door, but I don’t feel Dotty there. She must still be inside or contemplating coming out here.
“I’m just here to get my bride.”
The word “bride” raises my hackles, and I clench my fists at my side. “I don’t want things to happen that I’ll regret, so why don’t you turn around and leave now?” Judge straightens up, and I see his own fists clench. “I won’t ask you again.”
When I take a step toward him on the porch, I can see the determination in his eyes, and I have to imagine it matches my own. What’s that saying about an immovable object meeting and unstoppable force? I guess we’re about to find out.
“Wait!” Dotty shouts from behind me as she comes out the front door and gets between me and Clay. She puts her hand on my chest and looks up at me. “Wait, let’s all just cool down.”
I see the ring isn’t on her finger, and my heart swells. That feeling is there again, but this time I finally know what it means. I take her hand in mine and bring it up to my mouth. I kiss her bare finger and hold her palm against my face. The touch is like a soothing balm, and it’s all I need in order to set me straight. She’s all I’ll ever need.
“Enough!” Judge shouts, and I can see that he’s angrier than ever. “I have my claim made, and a deal’s a deal. I’m not leaving here without my bride. She was promised to me, and that’s the end of it.”
Dotty turns in my arms, and I pull her back against my front. She might be standing between us, but I’ll lie dead on this land before I let anything happen to her.
“Judge, I’m sorry,” she begins, and he looks at her quickly, then looks away. “I know you made a deal with my father, but—”
“Your land is worthless and he’s going to lose the farm without my help. Is that what you really want to happen?”
I hurry to catch up with what I’m hearing and move Dotty behind me. “Her family isn’t losing anything.” A quick glance behind me shows me Kat in the doorway of the house watching all of this. “Judge, you know I’ve got more than enough to cover their debts, so why don’t I take that off your hands?”
“NO!” he roars, shocking all of us.
Normally he’s a pretty laid-back guy, but seeing him now coming after Dotty, I know that he’s not going to go quietly.
“If that’s the way you want it.” I begin to raise my fists when Dotty once again jumps between us.
“I can’t marry you, Judge. I’m sorry, but I don’t love you.” She takes the ring out of her pocket and holds it out to him.
Judge stares at the pink diamond glittering in the sunset, and as I wait for his anger, I see something I didn’t expect. His eyebrows pull together in confusion as he looks over my shoulder to the space behind me. The space where Kat is standing.
“I…um.” Judge shakes his head like the words are bees buzzing around him. “Wait, what?”
“I can’t marry you, Judge. I know you were helping out our family, and you want the land for your ranch, but I can’t marry someone I don’t love.” Dotty turns around to look at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t when I’m already in love with someone else.”
“Beautiful girl,” I whisper to her as I use my thumb to wipe away the tear that’s fallen.
“Dorothy,” Judge says with confusion still in his voice. Is the guy thick-headed? Because he’s clearly not getting the hint. “I didn’t ask to marry you.”
All eyes turn to face Judge, and you could hear a pin drop. There’s a long pause where we all try to process what he’s saying as he takes a step forward. Not to me, but to the young woman behind me.
“Kitty, I asked to marry you,” he says and holds his hand out to Dotty for her to give him the ring.
Dotty blinks a few times like she can’t believe what she’s hearing, and we’re all trying to play catch up. Then she reaches her hand out like she forgot she was holding it and drops it into his palm.
“This is yours, Kitty.” He swallows as he holds it out. “If you’ll wear it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dotty
“If I’ll wear it?” I hear my sister repeat.
I’m pretty sure she’s talking to herself. I stand there trying to figure out what the hell is happening. You could knock me over with a feather at the moment. I didn't see any of this coming. Looking at my sister, you could do the same to her right about now. That is until Judge opens his mouth again. I watch as so many emotions pass over my sister’s face, making me think I’ve missed a few steps before now. Important steps.
“You’ll wear it,” he pushes, with more force in his voice. That sounds like the Judge I’m used to.
For a moment there I saw something crack through that hard exterior, and he was almost unsure. But all that changed quickly as he presses his advantage.
“You can’t make her do shit,” I tell him as I step in front of my sister, ready for a fight. I might only be ten months older than her, but I’m still her big sister and will always look out for her. “The only reason I agreed to marry you in the first place was I thought if I said no you’d ask for her instead.”
“Stop talking about marrying someone else,” Clay growls, and I glance over at him.
I want to smack and kiss him at the same time with how he stepped in to help shield my sister without question. I still don’t know what was up with that other woman and the stink on him when he got back home today. Home. I’m already calling here home. That happened rather fast.
“She’s going to marry me,” Judge says in a matter-of-fact tone. There is no doubt he’s going to win this fight because there’s determination in every line of his body.
“You can’t make anyone marry you. Trust me, I looked into it,” Clay says. When I glare at him, he shrugs, not caring that he’s been busted trying to figure out a way to keep me any way he could.
“She stole my car,” he points out, and I turn to my sister’s wide eyes.
He’s right about that, and the car probably cost as much as our house.
“Kat, give me his keys.” I hold out my hand and she does, but I don’t miss the slight shake of her fingers as she drops them into mine. I turn back to Judge and toss them to him. He catches them easily as his brow furrows. “There you go. No harm done.”
He doesn't know she probably killed the transmission. I’m holding out hope that Judge won't actually call the cops on Kat. Not if he’s pressing to marry her.
Why the hell does the man want a wife so bad? He’s not bad on the eyes when he doesn't look like he could strangle you with his bare hands. In fact, I bet if he smiled he'd be handsome. I wouldn't know because I’ve never in my life seen him do it before.
“Guess you didn't get a look at the back of the vehicle.” Judge’s eyes move past me to Kat.
I don’t miss the glint in his eyes when he looks at her. He looks at her like he already owns her. He’s acting as if he holds all the cards in his hand, but I think Kat has the whole deck and doesn't know it.
“It’s just a small scratch.” I can tell from Kat’s tone she’s full of shit and is lying through her teeth.
“How about what you did when you stole the car?” Kat’s face pales for a second. Oh no. What did she do? I can go on for days listing things Kat accidentally did.
“Why do you park all those cars so close together? You have all that room.” She throws her hands in the air, and I know it’s bad. I should have known it wasn't as easy as her snagging some keys and taking a car. It never is with Kat. Catastrophe always follows her, and the older she gets, the bigger those catastrophes are.
“Don’t start that bullshit, Judge. You know I can pay for all that tenfold and I will. You’re not showing up on my land, threatening my woman’s sister.” A thrill runs through me at him calling me his woman.
When I was told I had to marry Judge, the idea of belonging to a man made my skin crawl. Clay talking about owning me only has me wanting it.
“Doesn't mean I won’t press charges.” He smirks.
I want to call his bluff, but Judge has never been known to be anything but a harsh man. One who is looking like he knows he’s winning this battle.
“She’s not eighteen yet,” I rush to say.
“Tick tock.” That smirk turns into a full-on smile.
I didn't know a smile could be filled with so much warning. I try to think about what day it is. They’ve all mushed together since I got here. Clay makes me forget most things, but her birthday is close. Really freaking close.
“Then we’ll see you in court,” Clay challenges, making me fall a little more in love with him. I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Judge before, and in our small town, Judge is somehow law and he’s not even a real judge!
“You sure you want to do that?” He folds his arms over his chest. “This is my city.”
“Wait, you’re going to throw me in jail?” Kat starts to panic. “He can do that?” Kat’s eyes plead with me. “You’d do that to me?” She pulls her panicked eyes away from me to Judge, and I swear for a moment he falters.