The Rancher's Cinderella Bride

She hugged the bear that she had loved ever since receiving it, even taking it to college with her.

She went back to bed and sat cross-legged, putting the bear in front of her. “I will get through this engagement and Gabe and I will have fun like we always have. I will not go to bed with him and when the month is over—or hopefully, sooner—I will thank him, give him a big present and we’ll go our separate ways. I am not going to fall in love with him like one of his women he’s had an affair with.” She poked the brown bear with her finger. “I promise and you’re my witness.”

She’d bet anything that Gabe hadn’t even thought about their date or their kiss or anything else about her. He was probably wishing this month would zip on past. Either that or peacefully sleeping.

She’d asked him to take her somewhere fancy next time and told him she would look more like the women he usually dated. Right now, she was a million miles from that look, but wonders could be achieved with the right makeup, a new hairstyle and some knockout clothes.

She told herself that if she changed her look, more people would notice her, would see her with Gabe and believe their engagement.

Who was she kidding? She knew the real reason for wanting to change.

She was already annoyed with him for treating her as if she were a kid while she was having to fight an attraction to him. She’d make him see her as the grown woman she’d become.

After all, wouldn’t it serve him right if he had a little fight of his own to deal with?

Three (#ucb8a8322-a66e-5711-96e6-111cc84483b1)

Late Saturday night after he was home, Gabe sent a brief text asking Meg to go to a dinner dance at the Downly Country Club in honor of its renovation. She sent a return text immediately, accepting his invitation.

He thought about their deal—a month-long fake engagement. Her request had surprised him. But it was her kiss that had stunned him, and from the wide-eyed look he had received, she had been as shocked as he had. He had never expected kissing Meg to be anything except sweet and he had been amused when he’d teased her about it beforehand. He’d expected his request to throw her into a quandary, that they’d have a sweet kiss and that would be all there was to it. He had never envisioned what had actually happened. Maybe he should have guessed because he’d had a sexual reaction to her at the ranch, but he’d never dreamed kissing her would be akin to a nuclear meltdown.

Her searing kiss had shifted their relationship forever. He would never again view her the same way he had before. With that kiss he wanted her in his bed.

His common sense rejected that possibility completely. She was still Meg, still his best friend, still Hank’s big sister. She was earnest, sweet, trustworthy, intelligent, and if she had a real relationship he was sure she would be into commitment and marriage. He suspected that had never really happened. They had lost touch through her college years and he didn’t know if she’d had boyfriends, but he would bet the ranch there was no guy in her bed on a regular basis at any point in time.

Meg was the type to equate love, kisses and bed with vows, marriage and home.

Regardless, the woman had caused him a sleepless night. She had him all wound up and wanting to hold and kiss her. That reaction still stunned him. He’d never thought about kissing her and never for one second expected any kind of positive reaction on his part. Now Meg’s steamy kiss was something he had to deal with in the coming month.

Just remembering her kiss could put him in a sweat. He wanted to pick up the phone and ask her out tomorrow night and seduce her. But that would make him a sneaking, dirty rat who could no longer be called her best friend, and he would feel like the jerk of the year if he didn’t propose to her. Neither outcome looked good.

He hadn’t imagined what he’d felt and it wasn’t because he hadn’t been out with a woman in a long time. And it wasn’t faulty memory. As impossible as it seemed, Meg was hot and sexy.

He had thought, as sweet as Meg was, this fake engagement might get tedious before a month was over. Now his worries had swung the other way. Now this fake engagement might be too tempting to resist seduction.

He didn’t like Justin and was happy to see that she wanted to break off seeing him. But now he could understand why Justin was all for this marriage of convenience.

Gabe groaned. “Damn, how will I get through a month with her?”

He thought he would plan to be out of town on business a lot of the time. A month wasn’t long. At least it wasn’t long until he thought it would mean thirty nights when he might be with her, kissing her, having to resist temptation. He put his head in his hands.

When he told her he would go along with the fake engagement, he hadn’t given a thought to kissing her. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Saturday night he needed to keep a clear head and not do anything he would regret later. He had to keep one thought paramount in his mind: Meg was the marrying kind, and if he ever took her into his bed, he’d have to marry her for real.

And that was the one thing that could never happen.

* * *

After a restless night, the last thing Meg needed was a day with her family. But the next day, after joining her family at church, she took a homemade peach cobbler to her parents’ house for Sunday dinner.

As they sat around the dining room table, eating slices of tender roast beef and mashed potatoes with brown gravy, the topic she was loath to hear came up.

“I saw Justin’s mother last night and she said he was out of town. If we’d known, you could have gone to dinner with us last night,” her mother said.

“Thanks. I ran into an old friend and we went out last night,” she said, glancing around the table. Her dad didn’t react; he was concentrating on his meal, the gray in his light brown hair shining in the dining room chandelier. He still wore his best brown suit and tie from church. Carlotta Aldridge, her paternal grandmother, sat on his right. Carlotta’s short, straight brown-and-gray hair hung just below her ears. She was the grandmother who had spent hours reading to Meg when she had been small. Carlotta wore her favorite color, a frilly pink dress. Next to her was Meg’s paternal grandfather, Mason Aldridge, whose thick gray hair was slightly curly above his long, thin face. He had been a rancher all his life and it showed in his weathered brown skin and rough, callused hands. He had taught Meg to ride a horse and take care of her pets.

Seated beside Meg was her maternal grandmother, Lurline Wills, whose round, jolly face had bright blue eyes and a perpetual smile. Meg and her brothers called her Lolo. Meg’s maternal grandfather was Harry Wills, another oil and gas man who had worked with her dad most of her life and was as angry and bitter as her dad toward Dirkson Callahan. They were all talking, set to enjoy another delicious Sunday feast, and she was going to end their peaceful Sunday gathering.

“Who’s the old friend?” her mother asked, passing hot rolls around the table. “Here’s honey. Also raspberry jam,” she said, passing small dishes.

“Gabe Callahan and I went out. It was fun to see him again,” Meg said, taking a roll and aware all conversation had stopped and the room had gone silent.

“Oh, dear. Megan, we don’t speak to the Callahans,” Grandma Lurline said, frowning and pushing her glasses up on her nose to stare at Meg. “We haven’t spoken to any of those dreadful Callahans for years.”

Meg glanced around the table and smiled while everyone else frowned. Both sets of grandparents sat scowling at her. “Gabe and I have always been friends. We had a very good time,” Meg said cheerfully. “And we do speak to each other. As a matter of fact, we’re going out again next weekend.”

Her mother dropped her fork. “Oh, no. Megan, you can’t do that.”

“Of course I can,” Meg replied. “I’ve got a date with him.”

“What about Justin?” her dad asked, his face getting red.

She took a deep breath. “I’m not dating Justin. I’m sorry if spending a little time with Gabe upsets all of you, but I have my friends and Gabe isn’t responsible for what his father did or does. Dirkson Callahan hurt his sons, so don’t blame Gabe for his dad’s actions. And as for Justin—I’ve said all along, I am not interested in Justin and he isn’t interested in me. We’re not getting engaged or married. We’re finished.”

“Justin and his family think you’re serious,” her mother said. “Justin has said you are both talking about marriage and making plans. That’s what Francis told me.”

“That isn’t my view because we’re not making plans.” She picked up her fork and speared a slice of meat. “Mom, you, Grana and Lolo have worked hard fixing a wonderful Sunday dinner. Let’s enjoy this delicious roast.”

For an instant, all of them stared at her in silence and then her mother smiled. “You’re right. We can talk about it later. We did work too hard on this to let it get cold and go uneaten,” she said, smiling at the others. The grandmothers nodded as her mother picked up two bowls to pass around the table. “Here are fresh squash and sliced tomatoes from Dad’s garden.”

Conversation picked up again and Meg relaxed, talking about the dinner and the garden, and avoiding any mention of Gabe or Justin.

It was late afternoon when she got in her car to go home and her mother came rushing out the back door.

“I wanted to talk to you before you go,” she said after Meg rolled down her window. “I hope you rethink seeing Gabe Callahan. You know our families don’t get along.”

“Gabe and I had a good time. We’ve been friends forever,” she said. “I’m going out with him next weekend.” Difficult as it was, she faced her mother, realizing the woman had more gray hairs streaked in among the brown hair around her face. Meg felt a pang because she was going to worry her family, but she had to worry them or end up married to a man she didn’t love.

“You know what kind of man Gabe Callahan is,” her mother said. “Besides being Dirkson Callahan’s son, he’s got a reputation for being wild and taking risks. He was a terrible influence on Hank. Your father is so unhappy to hear you’re going out with him.”

Meg smiled at her mother. “I love you and I love my family with all my heart, but I have to live my life. I had a good time with Gabe and I want to see him again. Sorry, Mom, if no one in my family is happy with me, but I can’t date someone to please my family.”

She patted her mother on her arm. “I’m not marrying Gabe next weekend. I’m just going out with him. And he moves in the same social circle Justin does. Now stop worrying. It’s just an evening with a friend.” She gave her mother a smile. “I better head home because I have a busy week ahead. Thanks again. Dinner was wonderful.”

Her mother stood waving as she drove away. Meg sighed with relief because she felt another hurdle was over. Her family knew she was going out with Gabe.

* * *