He reached out and grasped her hand, pulling her arm closer to him. She tried to ignore the zaps of electricity that shot through her nervous system from his touch. When he reached out to run his finger over the puncture marks, she involuntarily held her breath. What was happening to her?
“I’m sorry. That had to hurt,” he said, letting go of her arm and sitting back.
Grateful that he was no longer touching her, she tucked her elbow back by her side. She didn’t know what would happen to her if he touched her again. And she wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out. “Yeah.”
He stabbed the last bit of his steak with his fork and brought it up to his mouth. “You know, they aren’t all like that,” he said after he’d swallowed.
She rubbed her arm with her hand, trying to get the feeling of Austin’s fingertips off of her skin. “I’ve decided never to find out. I guess it’s self-preservation.”
“Like me and love.” His cheeks grew red as his gaze flew over to hers. “I, err, mean. . .” He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair.
Emma studied him. What had happened? It couldn’t have been worse than her debacle with Vincent. She took a deep breath and decided to just ask. “What happened?”
He scrubbed his face with his hand and glanced down at the table. “I. . . just can’t talk about it,” he said. He shifted on the booth and then slid out. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. We should head out when I get back. Sean’s at the ranch, but he’s probably eager to get home.”
She stared at his retreating frame. “Sean?”
“He’s like second in command,” Austin called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the bathroom.
Emma stared at the now shut door. What was that about? Why couldn’t he talk about it? What was so embarrassing that he couldn’t even tell his fake wife? She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. Oh, that’s right. Because he didn’t really know her. Not truly. It was probably a story he only told his friends and family. She really wasn’t either.
Gritting her teeth, she turned to her purse and fished out her phone. Swiping the screen on, she located Vincent’s text and stared at it. Why had he contacted her? Wasn’t he the one who’d broke it off with her? But as she read his words, her heart softened a bit.
Emma, so good to see you today. I hope things are well. I’m not sure what’s going on between you and that guy but after talking I can’t help but wonder if we should have another go. I miss you. Do you miss me too?
She swallowed as his last question. Do you miss me too? Her throat caught as she read them over and over again. What kind of guy asked a married woman that question? She paused. But she wasn’t a married woman, but he didn’t know that. So, did it really matter?
Pressing the button on the side of her phone, she watched as his words disappeared. She couldn’t think about that. Right now, she needed to push aside all thoughts of love and feelings and just focus on why she’d come. To help Austin get his ranch from his grandmother and that was it.
There was no need to dissect feelings about anyone. And once she’d finished here, Austin would come back to New York and help her with her work and mother dilemma and then he’d be gone. And she’d be alone. A hollow feeling settled in her stomach. That was what she wanted. Right?
“This is home,” Austin said as he flipped on his blinker and turned down a gravel road.
Emma nodded as she bumped and jostled in her seat. She reached up and held onto the handle. When Austin got back from the bathroom, he’d paid and they left. There was no more flirty conversation, just business. Which Emma was actually grateful for. She couldn’t get wrapped up in her thoughts about him again. Keep things platonic. That was best.
The head lights shone on the ground, illuminating it. After about three minutes of driving on the dirt road, Austin pulled in front of a small white house. It had grey shudders and a red door. Emma stared at it. The house was quaint and adorable. Behind it sat a huge red barn with a rusted silo next to it.
It was dark, but not really. The stars and moon lit up the sky in a way that Emma had never seen before. It never looked like this in New York City. She opened her door and jumped down from his truck.
“The sky looks amazing,” she said, keeping her gaze upward.
The sound of him shutting his door behind her didn’t pull her attention away. A streak of light raced across the sky, making her jump. “Was that a—?” She turned to look at him.
He smiled and nodded. “Falling star? Yeah. Don’t have those in New York, do you?”
She shook her head. “If there’s any light falling from the sky, it’s a plane or satellite and you have to duck. Austin, this is breath taking.” She let her gaze roam around the stretch of grass the spanned out in front of her. A wood fence stretched across the land and a few black cows dotted the landscape.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said.
She jumped and turned to see that he was inches from her. He had her suitcase in his hand.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded, trying to push down the feelings that had resurfaced from his close proximity. He gave her a strange look and then nodded toward the house.
“Let’s go, Mrs. Maverick.”
Still trying to control her emotions, Emma just nodded and followed after him.
He led her up the front steps and across the wrap around porch. A swing sat in the far corner and shifted in the breeze. It was like this whole place was straight out of a movie.
Austin pulled open the screen door. He reached out and turned the handle of the front door and then pushed it open. Some rock music could be heard coming from the back. Austin glanced over at her. “Sean,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Emma just nodded. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to that. She made her way into the small entryway and Austin shut the door behind her.
“You can leave your stuff here. I’ll introduce you to Sean and then once we kick him out, I’ll show you where your room is.”
He led her through the house to the back where a small kitchen had a light on. A tall guy, probably six-five, stood at the stove singing loudly to the music blaring from the speaker next to him.
“Sean, I’m back,” Austin said, dropping his keys in a bowl on the table.
Sean just kept singing.
“Dude, I’m back,” Austin said again, walking up and tapping Sean on the shoulder.
Sean whipped around, wielding his spatula like a sword. His blond hair stood straight up and his bright blue eyes danced when his gaze landed on Austin. “Hey, man! You’re back.”
Austin nodded and moved to turn the music down. They did some bro-handshake and then broke apart.
Sean’s gaze met Emma’s and a confused looked passed over his face. “Who’s the girl?” he asked as he set down his spatula and wiped his hands on the towel that hung from the stove door. “Sean Petty,” he said, extending his hand and engulfing hers in a handshake.
“Emma George—err, I mean Maverick.”
He stopped pumping her hand up and down to look over at Austin. “Is this your relative or were you gone way longer then it felt?”
Austin shook his head and grabbed an apple off the counter. “That’s my wife.”
Sean sputtered as he whipped his gaze from Austin, over to Emma. “You know this loser isn’t rich, right? He’s as poor as the dirt—ouch.” He winced as Austin threw a fridge magnet at him.
“That’s not why she married me.”
Sean leaned in. “Then why’d you marry him? A pretty girl like you? You could have done so much better.”
“We’ve got an arrangement. It’s not real. It’s what one would call a fake marriage.” From the corner of Emma’s eye, she saw Austin ready another magnet. “I’ve got a lot of these,” Austin said, waving his hand in Sean’s direction.
Sean straightened and pulled Emma closer to him. She felt like a dwarf in his shadow.
“Not when there’s a little lady around. Especially
not your wife.” Sean glanced down at her. “Excuse my friend. He doesn’t know how to be a gentleman. Us Pettys have gentleman bred into us. You let me know if he ain’t treating you good.”
Emma laughed and nodded. She liked Sean already.
“Hey, I whooped you in the third grade, don’t make me do it again.”
Sean waved him off. “I was shorter back then.” He turned and grabbed Emma’s hand. “M’lady. I will bid thee farewell and leave you to your husband.” He stooped low in a bow and kissed the top of her hand. Then he straightened and shot her a smile. When he turned, he pointed at Austin. “See you bright and early tomorrow.”
Austin nodded and gave him a small wave. Once the room fell silent, Emma’s laughter died down and she glanced around. The kitchen was modest. Decked out in some yellow daisy wallpaper that she doubted was even made anymore. It was homey. Like a grandmother. It didn’t fit the twenty-nine-year-old man living here. “How old is this house?” she asked.
Austin shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Over a hundred years.”
“It’s beautiful.” The real wood floors. The craftsmanship of the cabinets. Back when people took pride in what they did.
Austin nodded. “Yeah. It’s been in my family for decades. I’m inheriting it from my grandfather. He inherited it from his father.” He rolled his hand out in front of him as if to indicate how the progression worked.
Emma nodded and walked over to the oak table in the middle of the room and ran her fingers across the top. She stopped. A question was nagging at the back of her mind. “Why not your father?”
Silence. When she glanced up, she saw that his expression had soured.
“Why didn’t I inherit this from my father?” His voice had turned strained as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Emma held up her hands. Truth was, she was tired of all his secrets. If she was going to convince his grandmother that they were really in love, she would need to know these things about him. “It’s probably something I should know.” She hesitated as she glanced up at him. Was she pushing him too far?
“Not much to say there. He left when I was a baby. Low life decided that a life on the run was better than being a man and staying with his wife and kid.” He turned and pushed his fists down on the counter. Tension permeated from his shoulders.
Pushing out all her thoughts, Emma approached him but then hesitated. Should she do it? She wanted to comfort him. He was her husband after all. In a moment of weakness, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He tensed from the contact but after a moment, relaxed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. And she was. She knew what it was like to live without a father. Her own had left when she was only ten. Even to this day, she didn’t know where he was.
“Emma,” he whispered. His voice had turned deep. Husky.
She rested her cheek against his back. “Yes?” Was it bad that she was enjoying the feeling of his muscles against hers. Who knew that this man was hiding all that behind his flannel shirts.
“This is probably not part of the no shenanigans part of our contract.”
Heat rose to her face. She let go and took a few steps back. Wrapping her arms around her chest, she nodded. “Right. Sorry. Fake Marriage.” She gave him a small smile. Anything to let him know that she wasn’t trying to hit on him.
His eyes widened as if he wanted to back pedal. But the words were already out there. He didn’t want her to touch him. They had an arrangement and that was it. She heard that message loud and clear. Faking a yawn, she took a few more steps back and nodded toward the foyer.
“You said you’d show me where my room was?” She was ready to get this day over with. A good night sleep and hot shower in the morning would make her feel right again.
Austin studied her. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to hear it. No matter what it was.
“Please?” she asked.
He hesitated and then nodded. “I’ll show you,” he said, stepping forward and waving his hand toward her luggage.
She followed after him, thankful for the silence he allowed between them. It had been a strange day filled with even stranger emotions. There was no way she had the mental capacity to deal with any of it. Or the heart capacity. Which right now, was all out of whack.
Chapter Eight
Austin
A blaring noise ripped Austin from his sleep. Groaning, he turned over on his bed and slammed the snooze button on his clock. He’d finally gotten to sleep just a few hours ago. Now, at five in the morning, he was wondering why he’d been so eager to come home. Another day to sleep in might not have been such a bad idea.
Just when he finally slipped back into slumber, his alarm went off again. Cursing, he slammed the alarm off and threw his covers to the side. He couldn’t mess around when he had things to do.
Swinging his feet to the side of the bed, he stood and stumbled out of the room. He needed a hot shower. Now.
When he got to the bathroom, he turned the handle and pushed open the door. He reached over to flip on the light switch, but it was already on. Before he processed what was happening, he reached over and pulled open the shower curtain.
It took a few seconds to register Emma’s scream. He blinked away the sleep in his eyes to see her standing there, trying desperately to cover herself with any part of the shower curtain she could grab.
“Austin! Get out! Get out!” she screamed.
Her hair was wet. Her face was wet. Her shoulders. . .
Austin slapped his hand over his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were in here.” Embarrassment flooded through his body as he fumbled for the handle and ran out into the hall. Once he was safely on the other side of the door, he leaned his back against it, tapping his head against the wood a few times.
Why had he done that? He felt like such an idiot. That would be the last time he’d allow himself to wander around his house in a half-sleep daze. There was a woman here. Yes, she was his wife. But she wasn’t his. And that was a part that only she could give to him.
Pushing his hand through his hair, he paced the hallway. Why was he even thinking about that? He was an idiot to the tenth degree. He paused when he got to her door. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked.
“Yes?” her muffled voice came from the other side.
“Emma?” he asked. Why did he sound so unsure? He hadn’t seen anything and for some reason, he had this deep need to tell her that he hadn’t.
“You can come in.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Reaching down, he turned the handled and hesitantly pushed open the door. Emma was standing in front of the mirror with a towel wrapped around her hair and one around her body. Her skin looked flushed and for a moment, he let himself wonder if it was because of the earlier events or because of the heat of the shower. Before he let his thoughts travel into uncharted territory, he scolded them and told himself that it was only the temperature.
“I didn’t see anything,” came tumbling out. He cursed himself. Man, what he would give to have a redo of this morning.
Her cheeks reddened as she narrowed her eyes. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. Austin tried to ignore just how smooth her skin looked or the way her collarbones swept across her shoulders.
“Yes.” Why was he such a bumbling idiot? This wasn’t him. He could normally form sentences. He shook his head to get his thoughts in order. What he needed to do right now was work. That would help him get all images of Emma out of his mind.
“I’m going out to do some chores. Feel free to whatever’s in the kitchen. But, with Sean spending the last few days here, I’m guessing there’s not a lot left.” He turned and made his way out into the hallway. He’d take a shower later. With the way he was feeling, he needed to work off some of this tension which would result in him coming back sweaty. Plus, leaving would let
him get as far away from Emma as possible.
“Okay,” she called after him.
He waved his hand as he slipped into his room and shut the door. Now alone, he scrubbed his face with his hand. Maybe this had all been a major mistake. He should have never brought her here. He should have never asked her to marry him. He was never a good actor and all of this was turning into one big mishap.
By noon, the sun was high in the sky and Austin had lost himself in the work almost forgetting about Emma and her silky-smooth skin. And when he found himself dwelling on it, he forced himself to work harder. It was a good thing he had a patch of fencing to fix. That always seemed to drain him of any energy.
Reaching up and adjusting his hat, he squinted up at the sun. It was hot. Like, boil-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot. He shifted, pulling his shirt away from his skin. Having enough of the irritation it caused him, he set his hat on the ground and pulled it off. Now released from the confines of the material, he grabbed his shovel and began digging.
Fifteen minutes later, a cough sounded from behind him. Straightening, he glanced over. Emma was standing there in jeans and a tank top. She had her camera up to her eye. “Smile,” she said.
He moved to stop her but he heard the shudder click.
“What are you doing?”
She brought her camera down and glanced over at him. “Taking a candid. I’m calling it Life in Montana.” She eyed him, her cheeks turning pink as her gaze slipped down to his bare chest.
Her reaction intrigued him. It was probably only fair. He did just see her in the shower. But he couldn’t just let her reaction go. “You okay?” he asked.
She nodded and then focused on the fence. “Yeah. It’s just lonely up at the house so I thought I’d come see what you were doing. And take some pictures on the way.” She glanced down at the screen on her camera as if she were reviewing the ones she’d taken. Seizing her moment of distraction, Austin reached over and grabbed his shirt. He wanted the protection it gave him.
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