Rhett's Make-Believe Marriage

by Liz Isaacson

  He wanted it to be his bed too, but he held the words back, buried deep beneath his tongue. “And that’s it,” he said.

  “I like the blue and gray in the bathroom,” she said.

  “Oh, I didn’t pick anything out. I said, make it look like this, and the girl at the department store did it.” He chuckled. “Are you hungry?”

  She shook her head, her lips pressed together. She wore a look in her eyes that spoke of part exhaustion, part something he couldn’t identify. “I think I’m just ready for bed,” she whispered.

  “All right.” He took her hand and led her down the hall to the master suite. “Your stuff is here.” Her suitcases sat by the door, and the bed had been put together. “Everything is here for you, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Before he could go, she grabbed onto him and held him tight, tight. She quivered in his arms, and Rhett wanted to be the one who provided her with everything, so she’d never cry again. He knew that was unrealistic, but his fierce protection of her couldn’t be helped.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, stepping back and brushing at her eyes. She nodded a couple of times. ‘Thanks, Rhett.”

  “Yeah,” he said dumbly, and he backed out of the room before he asked her something stupid—like if he could sleep with her. He didn’t even care if he couldn’t touch her. He just wanted to be in the same room with her, listening to her breathe as she slept.

  “Not happening,” he mumbled to himself, walking away from the closed door as quickly as he could without running.

  His suitcases had indeed been left in one of the bedrooms upstairs, and he kicked off his boots and sank onto the bed, a hefty exhale coming from his mouth. “What a day,” he said. He laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “Thanks for a good day, Lord.”

  Maybe he hadn’t gotten everything he wanted, but there was still time. And hope. And maybe some healing that needed to happen. He wasn’t sure. But he trusted God, and he knew tomorrow would come.

  And for now, that was enough.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Evelyn lay in bed for a long time, utterly spent but unable to fall asleep. This house felt so big, though it was about half the size of the farmhouse she’d come from. And a third of the size of the homestead.

  Everything felt too quiet, which was stupid, as this house actually sat on a street where other people lived.

  The bed was comfortable, but Evelyn was not, and she finally sat up and said, “This is ridiculous.” She knew why she wasn’t comfortable, and it was because Rhett was upstairs and she was down here.

  She’d never liked being alone in the farmhouse at night, and right now, she felt absolutely alone. Isolated. Someone could sneak in and kidnap her, and Rhett wouldn’t hear a thing.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. What could she do? Was he asleep already? Would he come down if she asked, and if she did, what would he expect from her?

  The constant questions had her nerves vibrating and kept her muscles from leaping out of bed and propelling herself upstairs to his bedroom. Finally, the tension across her shoulders was so great, she couldn’t hold still anymore.

  “I’m just going to go talk to him,” she whispered as she pulled a sweatshirt over her pajama top. It wasn’t cold enough for that, but she needed the extra layer for some reason. Her door squeaked, and she stilled, almost expecting Rhett to be lying in the hallway.

  He wasn’t, and a single light in the kitchen illuminated the room enough so she wouldn’t kill herself should she need to come in here in the middle of the night for some reason. In the future, once Rhett brought Penny to live with them, she might need to let the dog out in the night.

  The stairs creaked as she went up them, and she flinched and cringed with every step. By the time she reached the top, she’d given up trying to be quiet. She was going to wake Rhett up to talk to him anyway.

  She knocked on the only closed door upstairs, and said, “Rhett? Are you awake?” The family room spread out in front of her, and it was furnished too. The man must’ve spent thousands, and Evelyn wondered what the only furniture store in Three Rivers even had left to sell.

  “Rhett?” She opened the door this time, and the easy, steady sound of his breathing filled the air. It brought her comfort, and she tiptoed across the room to the other side of the bed. She slipped easily beneath the comforter, every cell in her body relaxing now that they were together.

  She didn’t know what to make of that. Didn’t know why she was so scared to be alone, and yet equally as terrified to ask him to stay with her. This way, she could be near him without him knowing. Then she could sneak back to her room in the—

  “Evvy?” he asked, his hand sliding down her arm.

  “It’s just me,” she whispered.

  “What are you doin’ up here?”

  “I couldn’t sleep downstairs by myself.” She scooted closer to him, glad when he slipped his arm around her and brought her close to his chest. Listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, Evelyn relaxed further. This was nice. This was what she’d dreamed about for so long, and Rhett had always been the man to hold her like this.

  She sighed, her exhaustion starting to win now that she was warm and comfortable and right where she should be.

  “Love you, Evvy,” he whispered, jolting her out of her near-slumber.

  “What?” she asked, but Rhett’s chest just lifted and fell evenly.

  The man was asleep, and he didn’t even know what he’d said.

  But Evelyn had heard him, and that love he’d just expressed moved through her powerfully. A smile touched her lips, and then finally, sleep claimed her.

  When she woke, she thought she’d heard the snick of the door closing. She sat up straight, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked to her right, but Rhett wasn’t on his side of the bed.

  The summer sun lit the room, and she’d clearly slept later than she normally did. Throwing back the covers, she stilled again. A cup of coffee sat on the nightstand, steam still lifting from it. Rhett had been there, and Evelyn smiled at the gesture of warm coffee.

  She thought their first conversation of the day would be a bit awkward, what with her climbing into bed with him last night, so she took a moment to just sip her coffee. Stepping over to the window, she opened the blinds, struck with the beauty of the yard this house sat on.

  Rhett had said that it would probably all be brown soon enough, and he was right. But today, it sparkled in the morning sun, and a moment later, Penny ran into view, streaking after a ball.

  Rhett joined his dog in the yard, finally giving her the big, blue, bouncy ball she could throw to herself. She booped it all over the grass, sprinting after it and making Evelyn laugh. She opened the window and called down, “Good morning.”

  Rhett turned back to her, holding his cowboy hat on his head as he looked up. “Morning.” He waved and started back toward the house while Penny continued to play.

  Evelyn’s heart beat in her chest with the speed of hummingbird wings, and she took another sip of her coffee—which would only stimulate her further. Rhett didn’t knock when he came in, and she didn’t need him to. She’d heard his boots out in the hall.

  “Hey,” he said, his smile wide as he came around the bed to where she stood at the window. “You’re awake.”

  “Yeah,” she said, stepping easily into his arms. “What time is it?”

  “Eight-thirty or close to that,” he said.

  “Mm” She breathed in the fresh, cottony scent of his shirt. He carried a hint of coffee with him too, along with his spicy cologne.

  “I’m heading over to the ranch for a second this morning,” he said. “I couldn’t find one of my case files, and I think I left it in the den.”

  “Okay.”

  “And are we going to church?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll shower while you’re gone.”

  He pulled back, brushing her limp hair out of her f
ace. “It was nice to wake up next to you today.” He kissed her, and Evelyn tasted the coffee on his lips as she lost herself in his touch.

  He ended the kiss sooner than she would’ve liked, clearing his throat and stepping back. “Okay, I’m going to go.” He backed up a step, something afraid and hesitant on his face.

  Evelyn didn’t want him to go, and she said, “Do you have to go right now?”

  “Church starts in a couple of hours.”

  “Two and a half hours,” she said. “Unless it’s way past eight-thirty.” She’d left her cell phone down in her bedroom, and she had no way of knowing what time it was. And she hated that she’d thought of that bedroom on the first floor as hers.

  Rhett pulled his phone from his back pocket and looked at it. “It’s eight-twenty-four.”

  Evelyn’s blood heated, and her pulse kicked throughout her body. She wasn’t sure why she wanted him to stay, just like she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t been able to sleep in the master suite alone.

  “Then you can stay,” she said, stepping toward him and lacing her fingers through his. With both of their palms pressed together and all ten fingers intertwined, she tipped up on her toes to kiss him again.

  This kiss held more passion than the previous one, which had been soft and beautiful. But now, Evelyn couldn’t seem to get enough of him.

  “Evvy,” he whispered into her mouth, but she just kissed him again, bringing her hands up to cradle his face.

  “Stay,” she said again.

  And he did.

  A week passed, and then another. One Sunday morning when Evelyn went into her office to check something that had popped into her mind while she’d showered, she found a tall vase holding a single rose.

  The sight of the flower made her pause, one hand rising to where her heart beat in her chest. An envelope leaned against the glass, her name written in Rhett’s handwriting. That alone made her pulse vibrate faster, and she glanced down the hall toward the kitchen, where she’d left him eating a breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs.

  Turning back to her desk, she crossed the room and picked up the card. After opening it, she found a pink heart with the words “For my wife” on the front. She became aware of his bootsteps coming closer, and then his arms wrapped around her from behind.

  “It’s our one-month anniversary,” he said, touching his lips to the spot where her shoulder met her neck.

  Shivers ran through Evelyn. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Jeremiah just texted you,” he said. “I may have peeked at your phone.”

  “It’s about dinner this afternoon,” she said. “I told him we’d bring drinks, and he probably sent his request.”

  “Simmons root beer. He’s obsessed with the stuff.”

  Evelyn flipped open the card and read Rhett’s message. I’m falling more and more in love with you every day.

  She leaned back into his body. “I like the grape soda from Simmons.”

  “No way,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Yeah.” She turned into him. “Why? You don’t?”

  “It tastes like cough syrup.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “It’s good.” Evelyn stepped out of his arms and over to the other side of the desk. She shuffled her papers until she found the one she wanted, scanning it for the information she hoped would be there.

  It was. Jed Thacker did have a black belt in karate, and he’d be perfect for Maddie. Perfect. If she could get him off that orchard and looking her way. Thankfully, it had been Jeremiah who’d given Evelyn the idea she’d needed for that.

  Last week at dinner, which the Fosters and the Walkers now ate together every Sunday, Liam had casually mentioned that he would be attending the next summer dance. Jeremiah had nearly upended the table as he’d said, “Another one? I’m going to be the only one left in the pact.”

  Callie had just laughed at him, and she’d told Liam she thought it was a good idea that he get off the ranch and meet someone. Evelyn had watched Liam glow under her praise and then wilt at the mention of meeting someone else.

  She’d been toying with the idea of approaching Liam privately. Telling him she could help him without revealing too much of what she did.

  “Rhett,” she said, looking up from her paper. “Have you noticed…anything about Liam?”

  “Noticed anything?”

  “And my sister,” she added.

  He looked utterly perplexed. “Which one?”

  “Well, that answers that question,” she said with a smile. “Never mind.”

  “No, I want to mind,” he said, a sparkle entering those dark eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” she said innocently.

  “Evvy,” he said, coming around the desk too. “You tell me right now.” He grabbed onto her waist, which made her squeal, and rubbed his unshaven face against her cheek. “I have ways to make you tell me.”

  She laughed, trying to get away from him in a half-hearted way. In the end, she fisted her hand in his collar and pulled him close to her for a kiss. That got him to stop, but he didn’t get distracted for long.

  “So what about Liam?” he asked, swaying with her.

  “He has a huge crush on Callie,” Evelyn said. “I’m thinking they’d be a cute couple.”

  “Oh-ho,” Rhett said. “I see where this is going. You want to set them up.”

  “No,” Evelyn said quickly, because she’d agreed she wouldn’t set up his brothers. “I was just asking you if you’d noticed it, and you obviously have.”

  “Well, both Tripp and Jeremiah told me.”

  “You haven’t noticed?”

  “I mean, when I think back on things, sure. I can see it.”

  Evelyn considered him. “And Liam’s not interested in dating?” Her sister hadn’t been out with anyone in so long, and Evelyn wondered if Callie would even go out with one of the brothers next door.

  She seemed to have a special friendship with Jeremiah, not Liam, and that probably burned him up inside.

  “Let’s spy on them at dinner this afternoon,” she said, picking up his necktie. “Now, come on. We’re going to be late for church, and you don’t even have your tie on.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Later that day, Rhett carried a case of Simmons root beer as he and Evelyn entered the homestead at Seven Sons Ranch. He was already scanning for Liam, and they hadn’t even made it into the kitchen yet.

  “We’re here,” he called, but no one came running. A pinch of annoyance started in his gut, but he ignored it and went into the kitchen to find it empty. Not a single pot or pan sat on the stove, and he put the soda on the counter and turned to Evelyn.

  “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “We’re even late.” She pulled out her phone and swiped, tapped, and lifted it to her ear. A few seconds later, she said, “Call, where are you guys?” She walked toward the back door. “Oh, it’s over there? No, no one told us. Okay, we’re coming.”

  She turned back to him and hung up. “It’s at my place today.” She wore a sour look, and Rhett knew how she felt.

  “Your place?” he didn’t mean to ask, but the words just slipped out.

  Evelyn stilled, her eyes flitting around the kitchen before landing on his. “I mean….” She obviously didn’t know how to finish, and Rhett regretted saying anything.

  Of course she’d still think of the Shining Star Ranch as her place. She’d lived there for a long time, and she hadn’t wanted to leave. They’d been living in the cute two-story house in town for two weeks, and he had started to think of it as theirs more than his.

  Don’t be stupid, he told himself. Evelyn had never been as much into them and theirs as he had, though they’d been sharing a room and a bed for two weeks now. For her, this marriage was still very…something. New, maybe.

  No matter what, for him this marriage wasn’t make-believe anymore. He hoped and prayed with everything in him that it wasn’t fo
r her either.

  Maybe you should ask her, he thought, and he took a step toward her to do just that.

  “Come on,” she said. “We’ll be late.”

  “We’re already late,” he said, but she was already moving back toward the front door. He looked at the soda, his frustration growing with every breath. “Evvy, do you think you could stay married to me?”

  He whispered the words, because he didn’t want her to hear them quite yet. The last month of his life since they’d gotten married had been amazing. Sure, there had been some potholes. Some high jumps to make. Some concessions and some sacrifices. But that was what people did when they loved each other.

  What he’d written on her anniversary card was true. He was falling more and more in love with her every day, and his heart shriveled at the idea that she wasn’t falling for him too. With a sigh, he picked up the case of soda and followed her.

  Down the road at the Shining Star, both Liam’s and Jeremiah’s trucks sat in the driveway, and the scent of something being grilled filled the air. Evelyn went inside the farmhouse first this time, and when Rhett joined her, he got the wall of chatter, activity, and laughter he’d expected at his place.

  His place.

  No. His brothers’ place.

  His place was on Quail Creek Road now. He’d bought the house, and he wanted to live there, even if he and Evelyn broke up. Please don’t let her break up with me, he prayed, thinking he really didn’t want to be there that afternoon.

  He wanted to be back out at Three Rivers, horseback riding through the countryside so he’d have plenty of privacy to ask Evelyn about how she felt about him. Confess how he felt about her.

  “Sorry, we’re late,” Evelyn said to everyone, and Rhett heaved the soda onto the already full countertop. Callie immediately opened the case, and he didn’t even have time to search for Liam before his brother appeared at Callie’s side carrying the tub of ice.