The Rancher's Fake Fiancée

by Amy Vastine

  Tyler was more than enough for Hadley. He could potentially be everything.

  Her phone rang with an unknown number. She answered to find Jon on the line.

  “I heard there was an incident yesterday.”

  “I guess you could call it that,” she said. “It’s important that you know he blames himself for not being able to stop your parents from going out in the storm the night they died.”

  “We all wish we could have stopped them from going out that night.”

  “He believes you all would have stopped them. That they didn’t listen to him because he wasn’t enough. Use your own adjective. Smart enough, responsible enough, important enough. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough for anyone. It made him very emotional. It was scary.”

  “I bet it was. Thank you for being there for him.”

  “I love your brother. He’s definitely more than enough.” It felt good to say that and mean it. It wasn’t part of some trick.

  “How can I help?”

  Ethan’s plan was to talk to him, but Hadley wondered if Jon wouldn’t be a better choice. Tyler constantly compared Jon to their dad. He thought they looked alike. He thought his father favored Jon. If Tyler needed his father, Jon was the next best thing.

  “He has a lot of respect for you. I’m sure he would listen to you if you talked to him about what happened.”

  “I’ll call him and invite you guys over for dinner tonight. If you wouldn’t mind helping Lydia put the girls to bed, I’ll try talking to him.”

  “I would so appreciate that. Thank you.”

  The door to the cabin swung open and Tyler stomped in. He glanced in her direction and took notice that she was on the phone. He grabbed his sunglasses off the desk.

  Hadley hung up.

  “Who was that?” he asked.

  “My mom. She’s still beyond excited about these impending wedding plans.”

  “Right, well, Katie’s waiting for me.”

  “Bye,” she said as he let the door slam shut behind him. There was a heavy black cloud hanging over them today. She couldn’t wait for it to be blown away and the sun to shine again.

  * * *

  TYLER APPRECIATED THE sheer amount of physical labor needed on the ranch. Nothing relieved stress like pushing the body to its limits. And nothing pushed the limits like hay baling.

  Since he mowed the field on Sunday, it was good and dried out by Tuesday. Tyler drove the baler and rake around and then spent the rest of the afternoon moving the hay bales into the hay barn. His arms were going to be so sore tomorrow, but he didn’t care. The burn in his muscles was welcomed over the burning in his chest every time he thought about Hadley.

  “You tired yet?” Katie asked. This was the third time she’d checked on him and he was beginning to wonder if she was in on the conspiracy to handle him with kid gloves.

  He heaved another bale off the truck and into its row. “I’m never tired. Are you tired?”

  “I’m exhausted,” she admitted. She lifted off her hat and wiped her brow with her arm. “I’ve got to go give my dad a call. Looks like you’ll be done by the time I get back. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

  “Is there anything else you need me to help with?” He wasn’t real eager to return to the cabin and pretend that Hadley wanted to be with him.

  “I’ve always got things I need help with, but didn’t you say Jon and Lydia invited you over for dinner? If I was you, I’d go home and clean up so I’m not late for that. Lydia can cook.”

  Katie was sweet but she never seemed to pick up on what was really going on behind the scenes around here. Maybe it was because she was so focused on her job, she missed the little signs people threw out. The last place Tyler wanted to go to for dinner was Jon’s. Ethan and Hadley had obviously set the whole thing up so Jon could prepare him for the impending breakup. Jon’s text a little while ago about dinner seemed forced.

  It was unlikely Tyler could get out of it, though. If he didn’t go there, Jon would simply show up here and force him into the conversation anyways.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Katie. Once he finished with the hay, he headed back to the cabin. He was itchy and all scratched up. A shower sounded mighty fine right about now.

  Hadley wasn’t on the phone with “her mom” this time. He was surprised that he had been so easily fooled by her earlier lies now that he was onto her. She wasn’t as good as he had thought.

  “You’re back.” She popped up and came over to greet him.

  He held up his arms to stop her from hugging him. “I’m sweaty as all get out. I need a shower.”

  She didn’t hide her disappointment. Her face fell and she stepped aside to let him get to the bedroom.

  “What do you want to do about dinner?” she asked as if she didn’t know they were expected at Jon’s.

  “Jon invited us over, but I’m not that hungry.” She wasn’t the only one who could lie. “Can we talk about this after I get cleaned up?”

  “Sure.”

  Tyler let the warm water soothe his sore muscles. It felt good to just stand under the stream and focus on the water massage. Once the water ran cold, he knew he had to get out and face Hadley and her feigned ignorance.

  He got dressed and came out to get a bottle of water. Hadley stared at him but didn’t say a word. He grabbed a water and headed back to the bedroom.

  “Are you mad at me about something?” she asked from the doorway.

  “Nope.”

  “Nope?” she repeated. “That sounds like a solid yep.”

  “Why would I be mad at you?” He wasn’t angry, he was disappointed. He was trying to come to terms with where this was headed...or more importantly not headed.

  “I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.”

  Calling her out on lying meant possibly not finding out what her big plan was. He decided it was better to play it cool and see what she was up to.

  “We really need to get ready for dinner. Jon and Lydia are expecting us.”

  Hadley had on one of his plaid button-down shirts over her white T-shirt. The sleeves were too long and she had them rolled up. She fidgeted with the cuffs.

  “We’re going?”

  “Unless you don’t want to.”

  “I feel like I should warn you that I might have mentioned to Ethan that I was worried about you and he might have told Jon.”

  The knot in his stomach tightened, but at least she was being honest. “So am I walking into an intervention tonight?”

  She sat down on the bed next to him and reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. She brushed her fingertips across his temple. Her eyes welled with tears.

  He braced himself for what she was thinking.

  “I wasn’t sure what to do last night. Or what to say. All I could do was hold you and reassure you I wasn’t going anywhere.” Big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. He rubbed them away with his thumb. “I care about you, Tyler. And I would do anything to take this pain away from you.”

  “It’s not your responsibility to fix me. I’m not broken.”

  “I know you’re not. But I’m falling in love with you and it hurts me to see you struggling with this.”

  He didn’t hear her correctly. She couldn’t have said there was still a chance. He could have sworn she’d been plotting with Ethan to leave him.

  He kissed her because he could do that now whenever he wanted. “Did you say you’re falling in love with me?”

  “Falling, fallen. Take your pick,” she whispered. “And I need you to take care of yourself and be open to whatever your brothers might say tonight.”

  She was tricky by throwing in her needs, as well. He cared too much about her to ignore how this was impacting her.

  “I will listen to what they say. I promise.”

  Hopefully
, his brothers wanted to talk about their parents’ death as much as he did.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  THE BUTTERFLIES IN Hadley’s stomach needed some antianxiety medication. They were bouncing off the walls. He wasn’t happy about this dinner, but he wasn’t shut off anymore either.

  Tyler parked in Jon’s driveway but didn’t get out of the car. “I’m not sure I want to do this,” he said. His hands were shaking even though they were gripping the steering wheel.

  “Your family loves you and they only want to support you,” she reassured him.

  He took a deep breath and opened his door. Jon’s doorbell sent his dog into a barking fit. Jon answered the door with Gen on his hip. “Come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  That probably wasn’t what Tyler wanted to hear. He didn’t move too fast, much to Gen’s dismay.

  “Come on, Uncle Tyler. Lydia made fried chicken. You’re going to love it.”

  Ben and Ethan were both there. Rachel and Grace were not. It was clear that this was about talking to Tyler and not so much about a family dinner. Lydia was quick to get the food on the table and there was little dinner conversation. Hadley noticed Tyler’s leg bouncing. She put her hand on his knee to calm him down.

  “Hadley, the girls got new nail polish colors the other day. I thought maybe we could take them upstairs and give them fancy manicures. Are you up for that?” Lydia asked, knowing she wouldn’t say no.

  “Sounds fun.”

  Tyler set his fork down even though he wasn’t finished. The invitation was a clear sign he would be alone with his brothers during this confrontation.

  “These mashed potatoes are my new favorite food,” Hadley offered up, hoping someone else would help squash the silence.

  “Thanks. My secret is whipping cream. I love them but I can’t make them every day if I want to fit into a wedding dress in a few months.”

  “Everything was delicious,” Tyler said.

  Lydia gave him a soft smile. “You two are welcome anytime. I hope you know that.”

  Tyler responded with a nod. Soon, everyone’s plate was empty.

  “We’ll tidy up,” Jon said, clearing the table. “Come on, boys. Let’s get this done so the little girls can get their makeovers.”

  Hadley followed Gen and Abby to their room. She tried to stay present with them but her heart and mind were down in that kitchen with Tyler. Tyler was vulnerable. From what she had seen, the Blackwell men were good at giving each other a hard time rather than being supportive. Tyler needed them to find their compassionate side.

  “He’ll be fine. Those guys love each other something fierce. I know Jon is so protective of all of them,” Lydia said while the girls went to wash their hands.

  Hadley picked up one of the twin’s stuffed rabbits. Its velvety soft ears were soothing. “Being here has shown me a side of Tyler I had no idea existed. He’s got this tough exterior but inside there’s this tender heart.”

  “It’s a Blackwell thing. They have a hard time letting their guard down. They’ve been through a lot. Hopefully, Tyler will trust that no one is here to hurt him.”

  * * *

  “CAN YOU GUYS just cut to the chase? Whatever you want to say to me, please just say it so we can be done,” Tyler said, hoping to make this as painless as possible.

  “I’ll start,” Ethan said. Jon and Ben busied themselves with scraping dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. “Hadley said you blame yourself for what happened to Mom and Dad.”

  “And you’re here to tell me I’m not.”

  “Of course you’re not,” Ethan said. “But I know I can’t simply say it and you’re going to believe it.”

  “I was there. I know what happened.” Tyler sat down at the kitchen island.

  “What happened?” Jon challenged.

  “I was out in the grazing pastures on the other side of the creek when the storm came in. I saw the water rising and barely made it across the bridge without getting knocked into the creek. There was no calf running loose over there. I was there. I know there wasn’t.”

  “But there was a calf loose. We know it was out there,” Ben said.

  “It wasn’t by the bridge and it wasn’t on the other side of the creek, though, was it? I came home and I told Dad what I saw and he didn’t listen to a word I said. He told me to go inside and dry off.”

  “Sounds like something Dad would say,” Ethan said. “Maybe he said that because he cared about you and he didn’t want you to catch a cold.”

  They didn’t understand it went beyond this one interaction. “If Jon had been the one who was out there and told Dad not to bother with that part of the ranch, he would have listened.”

  “I was fifteen. You were ten. That’s a big difference.”

  “The difference was he trusted you and he cared about what you thought and felt,” Tyler explained.

  “Dad had to make a judgment call. The wrangler told him he thought that’s where the calf went. He had an adult telling him one thing and a ten-year-old telling him something else.”

  “I also begged Mom not to go. I told her it wasn’t safe. She was more worried about me going in and preparing for our talk when she got back than listening to what I was saying.”

  “Because you weren’t supposed to be over there,” Jon said, sounding like his parent rather than his sibling. “Never mind the rain and safety issues, we were told not to go on that side of the creek, period. I know that when the girls don’t do what I say, I tend to be focused on that versus whatever kind of baloney they are trying to distract me with so I won’t punish them.”

  “I wasn’t trying to distract her. I was trying to protect her!” He knew this would be frustrating. They weren’t listening to what he was saying any more than their parents had listened to him that night.

  “We understand that you weren’t. What Jon is saying is that from the point of view of a parent, it may have seemed like you were,” Ben said, handing Jon the used glasses. “It wasn’t because she didn’t care about you. You were in trouble and she was missing a calf. She was overwhelmed. It wouldn’t have mattered which one of us got busted for being over there, she would have been mad at any of us.”

  Tyler shook his head. “If Chance or Ethan or even you had gone out there and told Mom you were scared and you wanted her to stay with you, she would have. She would have gotten a ranch hand to go with Dad.”

  “Well, unless we can have a séance or get one of those ghost whisperers to come and communicate with Mom, I’m not sure how you can convince us that’s true, or how we can convince you it’s not.” Ben was too much like Big E to understand. “Mom and Dad made a bad judgment call that night and they paid the price. You’re wasting a lot of time and emotional energy feeling like you could have done something about it.”

  “You guys act like I’m basing this feeling on this one event! I spent my whole life trying to get their attention and earn their respect and couldn’t manage it. That night was the proof I needed that they didn’t care about what I had to say. I wasn’t enough to get them to choose me instead of that stupid calf.”

  “Your whole life?” Ben laughed. “You were ten. You barely had a life at that point.”

  Ethan gave him a warning look. “Don’t do that.”

  “What?” Ben was annoyed. “He’s remembering all of this from the viewpoint of a little kid. There’s no way his perception is accurate given his age.”

  “He has a right to his feelings. And yes, he was ten and that’s how he remembers it,” Ethan said.

  Tyler was done with this conversation. Hadley thought they would understand and they didn’t. “I know how I felt at the time.” He stood up and pushed the stool back in. “And I felt like that for a reason whether you believe that it was a good reason or not. Thanks for dinner, Jon, but Hadley and I need to go.”

  “Ty
, stop,” Ethan said, grabbing his arm. “Don’t run away. We’re trying to listen to what you’re saying, but we need you to listen to what we’re saying, as well. We were there. We grew up in the same house. Does it matter to you at all that we all agree Mom and Dad loved you? I would testify in any court of law that they loved you just as much as they loved me.”

  “Fine. They loved me. Thank you for helping me see the light. Hadley!” Tyler shouted, hoping she could hear him from wherever she was in the house. “Time to go!”

  “They did love you, Ty. Stop beating yourself up and move on,” Ben suggested.

  “Put the blame where it belongs—on Mom and Dad. They are the ones who made the choice to go out and to cross that bridge,” Jon added. “They are responsible for their own actions. Stop owning what’s not yours to own.”

  “If you consider how the ranch really makes you feel, you’ll realize you had so much more good happen here than bad,” Ethan said. “That’s what I’ve realized these last few months. Try focusing on the good.”

  Ben folded his arms across his chest. “He thrives on being miserable. And you know, Ty, it makes me a little mad that you don’t appreciate all the things Mom and Dad did for you.”

  “Ben,” Ethan pleaded to no avail.

  Ben waved him off. “Mom and Dad were good parents. They sure did more for us than Big E ever did. We had food in our bellies, clothes on our back, they read bedtime stories and came to our Little League games. Mom and Dad loved all of us and he acts like they didn’t show it when I know they did.”

  “Hadley!” Tyler had to get out of here now.

  “I’m here. Are you ready?”

  Tyler didn’t answer. Instead he made a beeline for the front door.

  * * *

  “THANK YOU FOR DINNER,” she called out, hoping Jon or Lydia could hear her.

  Given the speed with which he was fleeing the house, the conversation was likely not as supportive as she had hoped it would be. She got in the car, ready to be what they had not.