The Brides 0f Purple Heart Ranch Boxset, Bks 1-3

by Shanae Johnson

  She’d spent the day with Reed watching Dr. Who, then movies, at some point she’d fallen asleep. She vaguely remembered Reed leading her to her bedroom. She clearly remembered the feel of his lips on her forehead.

  She was so tired that she couldn’t lift her arms to bring him under the covers with her because that was certainly her dream; staying in bed all day and night with her husband. But neither of them were ready for that. Sarai wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to be completely bare in front of her husband in body or soul.

  He’d told her she was perfect to him. He’d called her beautiful inside and out. It wasn’t the first time he’d said that to her. The more he said it the more she believed it just might be the truth.

  Sarai wrapped a thick robe around herself, gathered her toiletries, and made her way to the shared bathroom at the end of the hall. Reed’s door was shut and the living room was empty. He must be either still asleep or already out. She wasn’t sure which as she didn’t know her husband’s schedule outside of their daily video chats.

  Inside the bathroom, Sarai took a quick shower. The steam from the hot stream fogged the mirror, which was a good thing. She didn’t need to see herself today. But as she patted her body dry the fog cleared. Sarai looked up into the mirror and caught a look at herself. Her reflection in the glass was hardly recognizable. She looked, not exactly thinner, but definitely different.

  Was it possible? Had Reed’s words changed her view of herself so much that it was manifesting physically? Her gaze dipped down away from the mirror to look at herself in the flesh.

  There was still the cellulite on her inner thighs. But she had to stare before she could see the lines clearly. Her belly looked a little less like the top of a muffin, but there was not one single pack visible, let alone six. But there was a difference.

  Then, looking down near the toilet, she saw it. A scale. It was a cheap store bought platform that was likely inaccurate.

  Did she dare?

  Sarai let the towel drop to the ground. Then she picked it back up making sure to wipe away every single drop of water that held onto her skin. Once dry, she hung the towel on its rack.

  She closed her eyes and took a tentative step. Once balanced on the scale she still couldn’t get her eyes to open. This was a bad idea. She did not need the disappointment today; the second day of her marriage to the man of her dreams.

  She was going to step down. Her eyes opened so that she could see where she was stepping. Of course, her gaze fell on the needle of the scale. Sarai gasped at what it told her.

  Five pounds? That couldn’t be right. She stepped off the scale, then stepped back on again. It told the same story.

  She was down five pounds.

  Five. Whole. Pounds.

  She wanted to dance. She wanted to shout. It was working.

  Rosalee had said she looked like a princess. Eva and Maggie had said she’d looked pretty. The guys had all looked at her with appreciation, not leering like men did when she was a model. It was respectful.

  And then there was Reed. Reed who thought she was beautiful inside and out. Reed who said she was perfect. She could be perfect. She just needed to stay the course she was on.

  She was consuming foods. Just not solids. Only liquid. It had worked for her last photo shoot. It was working now. Just a few more days, maybe a week or two, and she would be even closer to her goal weight.

  Sarai stepped off the scale and came back face to face with her reflection. It might be the steam but looking in the mirror it did look like her love handles were a bit flatter. She wondered if her arms were still flap-tastic. She lifted the left one slowly and—

  “Sarai? You in there?”

  Sarai dropped her arm with a thwap. She grabbed for the towel and flung it around her work in progress of a body. She might be improving but she was not ready for primetime, especially not in the daylight hours.

  “I’m just finishing up,” she called.

  “Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done, I’m making breakfast.”

  Sarai waited until she heard the sounds of her husband walking away from the bathroom door. Then she slipped out quickly and darted into her room.

  The wardrobe she chose today was sure to flatter all her best parts and hide what still needed work. First thing was first, two layers of Spanx were a necessity. Over the Spanx, she pulled on her best jeans, the ones that molded her backside into an upside down heart. The shirt she chose was long sleeved to hide any possibility of flabby wings.

  “Hey,” Reed said looking up at her when she came out of her room. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

  Sarai took in a deep breath, but it didn’t fill her lungs. The air only just made it down to her diaphragm which was constricted by all the spandex.

  “I was thinking I could show you around the ranch today? Maybe you could help me with my chores?”

  “Farm work?”

  “You’re a ranch wife now. You’ll need to understand how things work here.”

  “Will this have anything to do with manure?”

  “We won’t muck out the stalls today, but you will need to put on a good pair of boots.”

  Sarai looked down at her silver boots. She pointed her steel-plated toe and lifted the heel. “These are Givenchy.”

  “Whatever they are, they won’t make it back alive. You can put on a pair of running shoes for now. We’ll head into town and get you a sturdy pair later.”

  “Fine.” Sarai went back to her room and looked for a pair of sneakers that matched her outfit. She’d cleaned out her closet back at the house she and Mason had shared, but she still had a few storage units of clothing that were sample-sized. The best she could do was a pair of Gucci tennis shoes. But they were from two seasons ago. They were castoffs from Mason, so she didn’t mind if they got scuffed.

  “Morning fuel.” Reed held up a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice to her when she came back into the room.

  “Where’d this come from?” She’d seen how he’d had to maneuver yesterday as he’d prepared his breakfast and the snacks. Working with one arm proved more challenging than she’d imagined, but Reed handled it all in stride. She’d never heard him once complain or make a fuss.

  “We have a juicer.”

  Sarai looked over to see a disassembled contraption in the sink. There wasn’t an orange rind or gut to be found. Reed had made the drink and done the clean up all with only one arm and no assistance.

  The sweet citrus of the fruit juice hit the back of her throat and raced down to fill her empty stomach. Sarai ignored the rumble of her stomach as she marveled at the abilities of this man she’d married. Again, she reaffirmed her vow to be the woman he deserved in body as well as in mind.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Reed escorted his wife around the ranch on his arm. It was like they were back in a time of gentlemen and ladies. Soldier nipped at their heels as they walked.

  Well, the Chihuahua nipped at Sarai’s heels. The moment Reed and Sarai had stepped outside of the house, Soldier had taken one look at Sarai and offered his single front paw. Sarai had squatted down and accepted his paw and then a series of amorous licks. Soldier hadn’t stopped gazing up at her since. Reed understood the sentiment.

  Sarai wasn’t dressed for the real chores he had to do this morning, and he’d assumed she wouldn’t be up to his real duties just yet being that she was a former model and now a makeup blogger. So, he’d already gotten up and mucked out the horses’ stalls earlier this morning. He’d saved the fun bits for her.

  Reed watched Sarai’s eyes light up as she fed the baby goats. The furry kids all crowded her as she held out food. As they passed by they left little presents all around the ground. Yep, those fancy, poor excuse for sneakers of hers weren’t making it back into the closet. But she didn’t seem to mind.

  When the goats were fed, Reed took her to his favorite part of the ranch. His favorite chore. He took Sarai to the garden.

  Reed loved the feel of the fresh soil
in his hand. He loved working the earth, taking something from a seedling, feeding, watering and nurturing it until it grew into something tall and proud that he could then consume. Having Sarai work the earth with him was one of the most satisfying experiences in Reed’s life.

  But when he saw her perspiring and constantly dabbing at her head, he decided it was time for a break. He extended his arm to Sarai. As she came to her feet, she wobbled.

  Reed pulled her close until she was steady. It felt good to have her body pressed against his. But concern for her health outweighed his desire for her.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Just stood up a little too quickly.” Her eyes were closed, and she took deep breaths.

  Reed held her to him. Mostly out of concern. But a huge part of him just loved that he could finally touch this woman in the flesh. She was his perfect match. Even if she wasn’t a Trekkie. He had time to work on that minor discrepancy.

  He had the woman of his dreams in his arms. And he never planned to let go. Sarai took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

  Her gaze was foggy at first. Soon they sharpened on him. Reed saw vulnerability reflected back at him, and so he pulled her closer.

  “Better?” he asked her.

  “The best.” She breathed out a sigh and offered him a smile.

  And just because he could, Reed bent his head down and brushed his lips against his wife’s. Sarai tasted of salt and oranges and his.

  “Get a room,” he heard Xavier call.

  Reed was tempted to make a lewd gesture to let his friend know exactly what he thought of his interruption. But his hand was filled with something precious. So instead, he turned his wife in the opposite direction and walked away.

  “Tell me more about your time as a model,” said Reed, breaking the tranquility of the moment.

  “Why would you want to hear about that?”

  “Because you never talk about it much. And it’s a part of your life. And I want to know everything about you.”

  “It was a rough time in my life. Sure, I got to dress up, wear pretty clothes, and travel to exotic places. But they don’t treat you like you’re a human being with feelings. You’re just a mannequin for their clothes or accessories or makeup. They’re allowed to say mean things about you and you’re just supposed to take it. Not only that, you're supposed to do something to change the mean things they point out about you, or you won’t have a job. There’s a lot of rejection.”

  “Dr. Patel mentioned that.”

  Sarai stopped walking. “Were you and him talking about me?”

  “No. Yes. Not in a bad way. We were discussing our vows. He gave me a bit of a fatherly talk.”

  They picked up walking again. The breeze that was constantly present during the morning had left and only the rays of the sun touched their faces. Sarai was quiet for a minute as they walked on. It felt like she was leaning a bit more into him as they walked. Which was fine by Reed. He wanted her to know that she could lean on him for any and everything for the rest of their lives.

  “I went to him to deal with the rejections,” she said after a long pause. “My parents made me. It was the best decision in their otherwise poor parenting. I think they only did it because they wanted me to get better so that I could come back to work.”

  “Did you get better?”

  She shook her head. “I left modeling. That helped the most.”

  “So, why did you do it for so long?”

  Sarai shrugged. “It helped pay my family’s bills. My mom was a model. My dad too.”

  “Your father was a model?”

  Sarai nodded. “Now he’s a photographer, and my mom is a fashion show director. They travel a lot now. That’s why they couldn’t come to our wedding.”

  “There’s still so much I don’t know about you,” said Reed. “I want you to know that you never have to hide from me. Not anything. I accept you no matter what.”

  A storm of emotions played across her beautiful face. Then she let out a small sigh. Though it was small, Reed knew it was the harbinger of something big.

  “I had an eating disorder,” she said.

  Reed’s expression remained patient and accepting. Her confession didn’t surprise him. It was a common issue with models. But now his mind rewound back to this morning when she only had orange juice for breakfast. Then it rewound earlier to the previous day when she didn’t touch a single snack he’d placed on the table. And even further back to their wedding day when she declined the cake.

  “Do you have anorexia?” he asked.

  “No, it’s not that. I don’t have bulimia either. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Whatever it is, know that I accept you for who you are. It doesn’t change my mind about you. I … Sarai, I love you.”

  Reed was becoming addicted to her small gasps. She did it when he surprised her. She did it when she was about to make a point that would unravel his stance on an issue. She did it each time just before he kissed her. And now he saw that saying those three words would elicit the response he was coming to cherish. He’d be saying those words a lot for the rest of their lives.

  Even with the gasp, a storm of emotions played across Sarai’s face. First the vulnerability. Then a flash of disbelief. Finally, a hint of acceptance.

  Her eyes glistened. Her mouth opened. Reed braced himself to hear his words repeated back to him from her heart.

  But before she could utter a single syllable, tires screeched up the driveway. Reed didn’t recognize the fancy car. But he got the notion that Sarai did.

  She squinted in the high noon sun. And when she pulled her hand away she gasped. But this was a big gasp.

  “Mason?”

  A man stepped out of the luxury car. At least Reed thought it was a man. The guy was tall and lanky, but with a muscular top build that slimmed into a small waist. He wore a pink silk shirt and purple leather pants. And … was he wearing eye makeup?

  “I tried to get here earlier Rai Rai,” the man—Mason—said.

  Mason held his arms open wide. Reed felt like he was in the crowd watching a seventies rock star prepare to perform. Instead of belting out a rock opera, Mason squealed as Sarai came into his arms.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Sarai. “I thought you booked the McQueen show?”

  “I told that queen I’d catch him on the flip side. I had to see my girl get married. But it looks like I missed it by two days. And this must be the man of the hour?”

  “Reed, this is Mason Lee, my best friend, and former roommate. Mace, this is Reed Cannon, my husband.”

  “Charmed, darling,” said Mason.

  Reed extended his hand. Mason did the same. But instead of a shake, Mason wrapped his fingertips around Reed’s and presented his knuckles.

  Reed wondered if he was supposed to kiss the man’s knuckles? If so, that wasn’t happening. He considered himself socially progressive, but that was going a bit too far.

  Reed dropped the man’s hand and put his arm around his wife. “I’m sorry you missed the ceremony.”

  “Don’t be, darling. I was there for the whole courtship.”

  Sarai had talked with Mason about Reed? Reed couldn’t remember if she’d talked much about Mason, her best friend, with him. He thought he remembered hearing the name once or twice.

  In fact, now that he thought about it, he did remember. Sarai had said she was in Paris helping her friend at a fashion show. This must be that friend.

  “You’re looking amazing,” Mason said to Sarai. “Marriage definitely agrees with you. You definitely have brightened since I saw you last month.”

  “Last month?” said Reed. “Weren’t you guys together in Paris a few days ago?”

  Chapter Twenty

  The heat had been beating down on her all day. From the moment Sarai got out of the shower and came through the steam, she’d started sweating. She was certain the goats would at some point ignore the food in her palms and reach up to lick the sweat off her bro
w. Or worse, start chewing at the fabric of her shirt and expose her flesh.

  But she’d escaped all that. Reed didn’t see her sweat or her fat or her imperfections. He’d nearly pushed the thoughts from her own mind as he constantly looked at her without judgment. As he looked at her with adoration. As he looked at her with only love reflected in his eyes.

  She knew it was love because it was what she felt for him. It was a feeling deep inside her. A feeling she’d been afraid to bring forth into the light of day. Until he unveiled his own feelings.

  She’d been about to do the same when Mason pulled up. Now, she stood under the glaring sun with nowhere to hide. She couldn’t hide her lies under fabric or with makeup. She was laid bare and exposed.

  Sarai forced herself to look at Reed. He still looked at her with the same love shining through his eyes. There was only a small cloud of confusion there. Sarai lacked the strength to shove those wisps of doubt away with more lies.

  “Sarai?” Reed asked. “What’s he talking about?”

  Sarai looked to Mason. Her BFF sighed but gave her a look that said he’d have her back in this lie. The look also said that he wouldn’t like it, and she’d get an earful as soon as they were alone.

  Mason had been there through her ups and downs in her modeling career. He’d been there right after she’d fallen down and out of the spotlight. He’d been there through her treatment and after.

  Mason stood by her now. He said nothing. He waited for Sarai to speak.

  Sarai opened her mouth but felt nauseous. She closed her lips and tried again. All that came out was the truth.

  “I wasn’t in France.”

  She opened her eyes and watched as the light dimmed in Reed’s gaze. Clouds grew. Her own vision of the truth went hazy. But she continued with the facts.

  “I was here the whole time.”

  “Here?” said Reed. “In Montana?”

  She nodded. Or she thought she did. The movement felt heavy.

  “But you said you were in Paris.” Reed stepped away from her. “You lied to me?”