Emma shook her head. “No. I’m here to the end. I’m going to help you get the ranch. Then, I’ll go.” Just hearing the words from her own lips caused her stomach to twist. Go. He wanted her to go. Why didn’t he want her around? Sure, she’d said some stupid things earlier, but she was trying. He had to know that.
Austin kept his gaze locked with hers for a moment, and then dropped his hand. “Okay. Maybe we should go over our story.”
Emma leaned in. “You mean before she gets back in here?”
Austin glanced back over at her and his eyes widened. As if he hadn’t expected that she’d be that close to him. For a moment, she wondered if she’d seen his gaze drop to her lips. But as quickly as it happened, he moved to focus on the coffee pot. “I’ll tell her that you had to excuse yourself and head upstairs. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of my grandmother.” He gave her a smile.
Emma wanted to kiss him. But, she kept her lips to herself as she gave him one last look. His expression was one she couldn’t quite read. She wanted to ask him what it meant, but decided against it. Maybe later, when they were alone, she could ask. Right now, if she wanted to make it to the safety of the shower without any more surprise run ins with Alayna Maverick, she needed to leave right now.
Chapter Fourteen
Austin
Austin watched as Emma slipped from the kitchen. Once she was gone, he turned and studied the coffee machine. What was he doing? He should have known better than to drag her into this. And now, she’d met Gran. He clenched his hand. Why had he thought that interaction would go well?
He knew that Gran didn’t take well to strangers. Especially not at six in the morning. And not in her house.
“Want to tell me what’s going on around here?” Gran’s voice filled the silent air.
Austin turned to see her walking into the kitchen with a plastic bag full of coffee grounds. She handed it over to him and he started filling the coffee machine. He was grateful for the distraction that this task gave him.
“Austin Paul Maverick, why aren’t you talking to me?” She appeared next to him.
“What, Gran?” Would it be bad if he just asked her to wait until he had a full cup of coffee in his stomach before he answered?
“You’re staring at that pot like it’s going to grow legs and dance around the room.” She folded her arms. “Something is going on here. Why aren’t you telling me the truth and why was there a woman in my kitchen telling me that you two are married after only knowing each other a weekend?” The tone of her voice made him feel like he was a kid again, getting scolded for drawing on her walls.
He took a deep breath. He knew that this conversation was going to happen. Why did he feel so unprepared for it? “Emma and I are married.” He glanced over at Gran.
Her eyebrows were raised as she studied him. “Like, married married. None of this—in our hearts thing?”
Austin nodded. “Married married. We have the certificate and everything to prove it.”
Gran adjusted the glasses on her nose. “I’d like to see that.”
He nodded. “Of course. I have it upstairs.” Maybe she’d let him go and grab it. It might be nice to have a few minutes to gather his thoughts before the inevitable storm of questions she was sure to have.
Gran nodded. “Get it for me.”
Austin didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He gave her a quick nod and bolted from the room. Upstairs, he shut his bedroom door and leaned against the wall. Why was he so nervous? All he had to do was fake it with Emma for the next little bit and that was it. Gran would leave after signing the ranch over and Emma would have no other reason to be married to him.
He tipped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Except that it would mean that he was alone. Totally and completely alone. For so long, that was what he thought he wanted. But now? Having Emma in his life didn’t seem so bad. In fact, he was enjoying it. Maybe a little too much.
Would it be so bad? Getting married? After Georgia, he’d convinced himself that he didn’t need anyone else. That he would be just fine alone with his animals. Why had he let Emma into his life? Especially when she’s seem pretty convinced that she couldn’t possibly live here with him.
He groaned and pushed off the wall. This was not what he was supposed to be thinking about. He was supposed to be mentally preparing himself to convince his grandmother that they were actually married. Not dissect his confusing feelings about marriage and Emma.
Time to focus on the task at hand. He made his way over to his closet and rummaged around for his suitcase. It was tucked all the way in the back. Just as he found it, his bedroom door opened and then closed. Austin paused and then his heart sped up. Emma must have come in.
Tucking himself deeper into the closet, he closed his eyes. The memory of seeing her frantically grab for the shower curtain entered his mind. Then he pushed it out.
Keep your mind straight, Austin.
The sound of his dresser drawer opening and closing filled the silent air. He counted down in his mind the amount of time any normal human would have needed to take to dress. Just as he moved to step out of the closet, Emma’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
Austin held his breath. Who was Emma talking to? He closed his eyes. It was probably just work. Right?
“What do you want, Vincent?”
Austin’s stomach twisted. She’d been talking to Vincent? Austin had thought that he was a thing of the past. Was she not truthful to him?
Emma’s nervous laughter filled the room. Austin paused, wishing he could hear what was being said on the other side. What could they possibly be talking about?
“Listen, I don’t know why I wrote that.” She paused. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m here to help Austin.” More silence. “Fine. Maybe we’ll talk when I get back.”
Austin moved to peek at her through the crack in the door. She was standing next to his bed in a tank and jeans. She’d pulled the phone from her ear and was staring down at it. He wished he could read her mind. Her expression was a mixture of frustration and relief. What could that mean?
She moved across the room and stared out the window. Just as she turned around, she bumped the rocking chair and a thunp sounded. He watched as she reached down and lifted the ring box off the floor. His swallowed as she glanced around and then opened it. Her lips turned downwards a she studied the ring.
What could she possibly be thinking? That he had a ring but didn’t give it to her? He clenched his jaw as he turned away from her. She wasn’t his wife. She had to know that. He couldn’t just give her a family heirloom like that. He closed his eyes. Even if he might have wanted to. But, what did it matter? She was talking to her ex anyway.
Even if he was confused by everything that had just happened. It wasn’t like he could come out and ask her. What would he say? I’m sorry that I was eavesdropping on you but can you tell me what you meant by what you said? No. He couldn’t do that. Besides, she was leaving. And apparently, starting up a life for herself in New York. She was already making plans for when she got back.
What a fool he’d been. He leaned back against the wall, sucked in his breath and let it out slowly. This was what he wanted, right?
The sinking feeling that settled in his gut told him, he wasn’t happy. None of this made him happy. He didn’t want Emma to leave and go running after Vincent.
Besides, how could he not be offended that Emma would rather spend time with her lousy ex than spend time with him. That thought caused frustration to race through him. How could he have thought that there was something going on between them? What an idiot he’d been.
It really was just about her helping him out. That was it. He was a charity case for her. Well, he was going to push out any of his previous reservations and really put on an act for Gran. After all, Emma wanted to convince her that they were really married. Might as well go all the way.
He waited in the closet until Emma finished dressing and left. Once
she was gone, he made his way into the room. As he passed his dresser, he saw her phone from the corner of his eye. He paused, staring at it. Would it be so terrible if he looked at it? For some reason, he really wanted to know just what she’d messaged Vincent.
He reached out and grabbed it. Swiping it on, he found the text icon. His finger hovered over it. What was he doing? Was he crazy? When had he turned into that guy? So, what if Emma was texting her ex. She had every right to. It wasn’t his place to judge. Sure, it was foolish, but he wasn’t a genius. He made numerous mistakes.
Just as he moved his finger to press the sleep button, the phone chimed. Austin stared down at the message. How had her phone gotten service where they were? There were only a few hot spots but in front of his dresser was not one of those places. But as he read Vincent’s words, his effort in trying to figure out how she was getting messages disappeared.
I know you said it’s a fake marriage. I know you don’t want to see me. But I can’t stop thinking about you. Please, let me explain myself. I can’t wait for you to come back. Let’s do dinner?
Austin’s heart sank. She’d told Vincent about their arrangement? Why? Why did her ex need to know? His stomach twisted. He was done with all of this. He couldn’t sneak around. He didn’t want to know what she’d said to Vincent. They weren’t real. The marriage wasn’t real. His feelings for her—weren’t real. He was a fool. Again.
Setting her phone back on the dresser, Austin cleared his throat and straightened his shirt. He was going to go down those stairs and convince his grandmother that he really was married and Emma would fulfill her end of the contract. Then he’d put Emma on a plane and he’d live the rest of his life here, at his ranch, where no one could hurt him ever again.
After all, he was done with women. And marriage. It seemed that every time he put himself out there, he just got crushed. And he was done being crushed. Thank goodness, his ring was safe up in his room and not around the finger of a woman who didn’t care about him.
With the marriage certificate in hand, he pulled open his bedroom door and headed down the stairs. Back in the kitchen, Gran was sitting at the table, sipping on a steaming mug of coffee. Emma was standing over at the sink, shooting uneasy glances in Gran’s direction.
“Here,” Austin said, letting the certificate float to the table top as he passed by his grandmother. She wanted him to be married, he was going to act like the most married guy there was. He didn’t stop as he made his way over Emma. Her eyebrows shot up the closer he got.
“Austin?” She barely got out before he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest.
He swallowed as he ignored the pounding of his ridiculous heart. He didn’t have feelings for her any more than she had for him.
“What? Can’t a husband kiss his wife?” He wrapped his arm around her waist and cradled her head in his hand. Turning to the side, he dipped her down—just like earring spacers and Serenity did outside the judge’s room. Before she could speak, he pressed his lips to hers.
Fireworks exploded in his body at the feeling of her lips against his. His mind swarm from the sensation of her body close to his. She was hesitant at first, but when her fingers found their way up to his neck and into his hair, he knew this was a mistake.
But she wasn’t going to win. He could be the better liar. So, he allowed his lips to move across hers. He brought her body closer to his own. Even though his mind was screaming at him to pull away, he didn’t stop. Not now.
Once he felt as if he’d prove his point, he righted her and let her go. Glancing over at Gran whose eyes were wide, he gave her a smile. “Just saying good morning to my wife,” he said.
He tried to keep it together as he turned back to the sink and flipped it on. He cupped his hand under the water and let it fill up in his hand. The coolness spread across his warm skin, helping his to get some reprieve from his pounding heart.
What had that been? For someone trying to convince himself that he didn’t have feelings for his fake wife, the rest of him definitely didn’t feel that way. And what about Emma? Had she felt something too?
He contemplated turning around to look at her reaction but then thought against it. Right now, he needed to get his head on straight and his thoughts together. So, trying not to look like an idiot, he dipped down and took a drink from the water. Once he was done, he turned off the faucet and grabbed a nearby towel.
Feeling as if he had enough control over his emotions, he glanced around the room. Gran had returned to reading the newspaper. Emma had sat down on the chair farthest from her. She had an uneasy look on her face as she kept reaching up and touching her lips. When she caught him looking at her, she dropped her hands and gave him a weak smile.
Good. He’d had an effect on her. That was what he was hoping. If she was going to leave Montana and go back to her ex, he was bound and determined to show her just was she was going to miss. He was a great guy. And would make a great husband—even though that was not what he wanted at all.
But why did she get to have her happily ever after? As he turned around to look out the kitchen window, he let out the breath he’d been holding. The sun was creeping up over the horizon.
A guilty feeling squeezed his chest. This wasn’t what he wanted. To prove himself better than Emma. Why did it matter that she wanted to go back to Vincent? If it made her happy, who was he to stop her?
A cloud of dust trailed down the road and a few minutes later, Sean’s truck pulled into view. Austin grinned and turned, nodding to the ladies on the way out.
“I’m off to work,” he said, pulling open the back door of the kitchen.
Before either of them could speak, he shut the door and grinned over at Sean who had just jumped out of his truck.
“Ready to do some work, boss?” he asked, grabbing some tools from the bed of his truck.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Austin said. Right now, all he wanted to do was be on his ranch. To get away from his grandmother and Emma and just work. He’d deal with the emotional repercussions of the kiss later. Right now, he’d get lost in his chores. And for the first time this morning, he felt happy.
Chapter Fifteen
Emma
Emma stood on the porch staring off into the distance. After breakfast and that extremely strange and unexpected kiss, Mrs. Maverick said she had some work in town to do and left, leaving Emma alone. Alone with her thoughts. Which were now riddled with confusion.
Why had Austin kissed her like that? For a guy who didn’t want to get married, he certainly kissed like he did. Emma brought her fingers up to her mouth. The feeling of his lips against hers seemed burned on her skin. She had not expected the fireworks that had exploded through her body when he’d pulled her close. Or the way she seemed to forget everything around her when he wrapped his arms around her waist.
And why had he had a ring stashed in his drawers? Just about every person they’d met chastised him for not getting her a ring, yet he’d had one all along. For some reason, the thought that he’d had a ring all this time hurt her more that she expected. He must not feel anything for her.
She groaned and paced the porch. She felt like an idiot. This was not why she’d come here. To have feelings for her fake husband? That was not part of the plan. Austin seemed to have everything together. He was cool and collected and acted as if the kiss they’d shared meant nothing to him. When to her, it seemed engrained in her mind.
This was proof that Austin was a better liar than her. That’s all it could be. He hadn’t given her any indication that his physical advances were anything but then what was expected when playing the part of a fake marriage. And the intimate moments when they shared parts of their past? Well, it was probably just him being a good friend. That was all.
Emma was the only idiot in this relationship who was slowly falling for her fake spouse. And she was going to get crushed because of it.
Reaching up, she pulled her hair up into a bun and glanced across the field to wh
ere Austin and Sean were working. They seemed in their element. Something Emma had been struggling with since she got here.
And for some reason, seeing Austin so happy bugged her. Why did he get to just act the way he did without any consequences? It infuriated her. Letting out her breath, she plodded down the stairs and headed straight in their direction.
Austin was standing next to the pen, hammering a crooked post. His expression was serious as he studied it. Emma stopped a few feet away, hoping he’d take notice. When he didn’t she folded her arms, and stepped closer to him.
“Excuse me,” she said when he didn’t glance over.
The hammering sound thudded in her skull as she waited for him to stop and look over at her. The seconds felt like hours. Finally, he finished and looked up.
“What’s up?” he asked as he passed by her and over to the next post.
She stared at him. Did he just say, what’s up? Why was he acting so weird? “Um, I’m just wondering exactly what happened in the house over there.” She waved toward the porch.
Austin squinted in the direction that she was motioning toward. “You mean earlier? With Gran?”
She studied him. Was he seriously going to play dumb? “Yes. All of that. And. . .” She took a deep breath. How was she going to say this without sounding like an idiot? “And the kiss?”
His swing faltered and he ended up slamming the hammer down on his finger. She watched as he winced and then brought his finger to his lips. “What about it?”
She suddenly got a giant desire to strangle him. He was acting ridiculous. And she didn’t want to play games. “You kissed me, Austin. Like it meant something.” She cleared her throat as she watched him. “Did it mean anything?” She paused, holding her breath. This was his opportunity to tell her whatever he wanted to. Why did it feel like her heart would burst from her chest?
Austin studied her. For a moment, she thought she saw a hint of acknowledgement. But then it passed.
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