Grace’s mind went blank. All she could think was, Uh.
“What’s going on?” asked Hannah as she rejoined them.
Jackson narrowed his eyes. “Like you don’t know.”
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. I just got here.”
The preacher shook her hand. “Hi, there. I’m Pastor Chuck.”
“Hannah Charles.”
“Nice to meet you.” He turned his attention to Jackson and Grace again. “I was just telling these two that I won’t be able to marry them in June like they wanted. I was thinking, since I’m here—that is, if you’d like—that I could marry you tonight. I know how you young folk like to get things done. When I get back, we could always do the big wedding, if you want.”
“Uh,” Grace said.
Hannah caught Grace’s gaze and grinned. “I’m sure they’d love that.”
Jackson coughed. “Uh, thank you for the offer, but I don’t think tonight is the best time.”
“Why not? You are engaged, right? All this means is that you get to go on your honeymoon quicker,” Hannah said.
What was Hannah doing? Did she tell the pastor that they were wanting to get married? Maybe she was smarter than Grace thought. It definitely meant they weren’t going to be friends. Hannah did look pretty tonight, but if Grace had known she was going to be an underhanded menace, she’d have kept the compliment to herself.
Jackson put his arm around Grace. “Well, it’s always been her dream to get married in a church with a bunch of people.”
Actually, that wasn’t true at all, but Grace was going to keep that tidbit to herself. At the moment, it was working in her favor.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “I knew you two weren’t engaged.”
“Just because we don’t want to get married right this second, doesn’t mean we don’t want to get married. Her family’s not even here.”
“Then prove it. He already said he’d perform a big wedding when he got back.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Grace. “Unless, of course, Grace is having second thoughts. Wouldn’t surprise me. All she seems interested in is that house.”
Grace was as hot as a tea kettle on a hot fire. One minute she was as cool as could be, and the next, she was madder than a kicked rattlesnake. Her blood was boiling, and her heart was slamming against her ribs. If the pastor wasn’t standing there, Grace would knock Hannah flat-out cold.
Grace narrowed her eyes at Hannah. “I’m not having second thoughts. And I’d pick Jackson over that house any day of the week.”
“Sure you would. The moment your car is fixed, dollars to donuts, you’ll be putting this town in the rearview mirror, just like I did.”
Grace was so mad she was seeing stars. “I will not! And you will not manipulate us into getting married when and where you demand, just to prove a point.” How was she going to continue working with this woman? She was being so awful to Jackson. What had he ever seen in her to marry her? Grace folded her arms over her chest and turned her face to the wall.
Chapter 18
Hannah lifted an eyebrow. “How about you, Quincy? They’ve been dating since…”
Oh no. Hannah’s introduction to Quincy had not gone according to plan at all. The moment they met, it was oil and water. And by the look in Hannah’s eyes, she was going to try to back him into a corner.
Jackson’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Why are you dragging him into this?”
“Well, when we got married, all you needed was his blessing. He wouldn’t give it because he didn’t like me. Isn’t that right, Quincy?”
Quincy turned sideways in the booth and leaned his elbow on the table as he looked up at her. “I knew that, eventually, Jackson would be done with the rodeo, and you would never be satisfied with the quiet life. You liked the attention his winning got you.”
Hannah clenched her jaw. “Then I assume you’ve given your blessing to him and Grace. After all, Jackson did say he’d never get married again without it.”
Man, if there was a pot to stir within a hundred miles, Hannah would find it. What could he say? He felt trapped. At this point, it was come clean or charge forward.
The pastor held his hands up. “Wait a minute. You two were married?” He pointed from Hannah to Jackson.
“Yes, sir,” Jackson said.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this. I’m going to need more than some vows,” Pastor Chuck said. “What makes you think this marriage will work?”
Hannah cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, Jackson, how do you plan to make this relationship work when ours didn’t?”
Who died and made her captain of the peanut gallery? Jackson ran his palms down his jeans. He wished he’d had a chance to order a drink before he was interrogated. At least, that’s what it felt like. “I don’t know. I just am.”
Pastor Chuck tapped the table and said, “Grace?”
She looked at him. “Uh, yes, sir?”
“Did you know he was divorced?”
Grace covered his hand with hers. “I did.”
“Have you thought about why his first marriage didn’t work?” the pastor asked.
She glared at Hannah. “Other than her?”
Jackson held his lips in a thin line. Inside, he was busting a gut. He shouldn’t be, because it was such a serious question, but Grace just said what was on her mind. Of the things he liked about her, that was the one he liked most.
Pastor Chuck folded his arms over his chest. “I’m asking a genuine question.”
“I thought I gave a pretty genuine answer,” Grace said.
Hannah rolled her eyes and tapped her foot.
“Well, you didn’t. I need a real answer. It takes two, Ms. Grace. What makes you think the two of you can make it? I’m not marrying two people unless I’m comfortable they’ll work hard to love each other.”
Love? Jackson’s heart stuttered. He liked her, but love? How on earth was he going to get himself out of this mess?
Grace wrapped her arms around his bicep. “You have never met a more hard-working man. He gets up just as the sun rises to take care of the horses. Then he works on the house until nearly dark.” She caught his gaze and held it. “And he’s sweet as can be. He’s funny and kind. He saved my life this morning. A horse nearly trampled me, and he protected me.” Her eyes glistened as she stared at him. “When I’m feeling down, he says the sweetest things, and sometimes he doesn’t even know I’m feeling down. He’s a great kisser, and I can’t imagine there’s a person on this earth that could put up with me half as good as he does.”
Jackson was speechless. She’d stared straight into his eyes while she said that stuff. Did she really mean all that? Was it just for the people watching them?
“And you, Jackson? Why do you think you can make it work with her? She’s saying you have to put up with her.”
He didn’t take his eyes off of her as he cupped her cheek. She had it all wrong. “I don’t have to put up with her. She’s got a feisty spirit, but I think it’s the best thing about her. I know she’ll never let me get away with nonsense. She’s beautiful, inside and out. I’ve never met anyone who gives their all like she does. When she sets her mind on something, she never gives up, which makes me think she’ll never give up on me, even when I do stupid things.” He bent down and touched his lips to hers. When he pulled back, instead of seeing shock, what he saw was something he couldn’t put a finger on.
Quincy slapped the table. “They have my blessing.”
Jackson jerked his gaze to his uncle and stared at him, wide-eyed. Was he nuts? Quincy knew they weren’t really engaged. Why was he giving his blessing? What was he thinking? Of course the crazy old coot would go along with it. It was like watching a prison door shut.
He looked at Grace again. No, not a prison door, but certainly a broken heart just waiting to happen. He was falling for her, and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, it felt pointless to resist.
Pastor Chuck cleared his throat as he tapped the
table. “Quincy, you think they’ll make this work?”
“I’m positive,” he said and winked at Jackson.
The pastor smiled. “Well, you’ve convinced me. Come on,” he said and waved for them to follow him.
“Where are we going?” Grace asked.
“You might not get the big wedding right now, but we can certainly do one better than sitting in a booth.”
What? Jackson held up his hand. “Hold on a second. I need a minute to talk with Grace and Uncle Quincy. Could you excuse us, please?”
Hannah and Pastor Chuck stepped back as Jackson stood, holding his hand out to Grace. She seemed relieved as she took his hand and stood.
Once Quincy was out of the booth, Jackson led them to the end of the hallway in the back past the restrooms.
Turning on Quincy, he asked, “Uncle Quincy, what were you thinking? You know we aren’t really engaged. We were trying to shut down Hannah’s pushing.”
Quincy shrugged. “I don’t know. The way you two talk about each other, I didn’t see how I couldn’t give my blessing. Hannah was standing right there. The way I saw it, if I hadn’t, she would have known something was up.”
Jackson didn’t know what to think. He’d wanted his uncle’s blessing before he got married again, but he was giving it for a relationship he knew was fake—and for a woman who didn’t even want to marry him. Not that he was opposed to marrying her—it actually sounded more appealing all the time—but she’d made it clear this was business only.
He turned to Grace, who looked more confused than he did, and took her hands in his. He glanced back at Quincy. “Uncle Quincy, I appreciate your blessing and your help, but do you mind giving us some time to discuss this?”
“Not at all. I’ll guard the hallway so you can talk.” He walked down the hall and leaned his shoulder against the doorway.
Jackson held Grace’s gaze for what seemed like minutes, looking deep down and hoping to discover what she was really feeling. “What do you think of all this?”
“Did you really mean all those things you told me in there?”
“With all my heart.” He didn’t even miss a beat, but had she? It sure seemed like it.
Grace chewed her bottom lip, and her eyebrows knitted together like she was debating with herself. After a second, her face relaxed. “Then let’s do it.”
Jackson gaped. Had he heard her right? “What?”
“Let’s go ahead with the wedding,” she said as she laid her hand on his arm.
No way. She couldn’t be serious. A mixture of confusion and delight hit him. Did she really want to marry him? “I won’t let Hannah pressure us into getting married. I won’t let her do that to you or me anymore.”
“I know, but if we pretend to get married, Hannah will leave, and then we’ll be able to finish the house in peace. Plus, we won’t have to pretend anymore.”
Of course. This was all about the house, an extension of their agreement. Could he keep his feelings under control if he was married to her? Actually, it’d be easier to be married because Hannah would be gone, and he wouldn’t have to touch her, which made his heart ache a little. “That’s true. I’m definitely ready for her to go. But what will we do once the house is done?”
“My sister’s a lawyer. We’ll do a simple annulment.”
A tinge of sadness hit him at the thought, but he could handle it. It wouldn’t be ending a real marriage. “Okay. Let’s do it.” Jackson hesitated a second. “You’re sure this is okay?”
“It’s okay.”
Jackson took her hand, and they walked to Quincy.
“We’re going to do it,” Jackson said.
“Really?” Quincy’s gaze went from Jackson to Grace and back.
“Only to get Hannah off our case and out of town.” Jackson didn’t want his uncle getting his hopes up.
“Sounds like a good enough reason to me.” The way Quincy smirked made him wonder what his uncle was really thinking.
A thought hit him. “Wait. We don’t have the marriage license. I totally forgot about it.” It should’ve come in the mail days ago.
“You mean this license,” Quincy said, pulling an envelope out of his jacket. “They must not have had your updated address and sent it to my house. Came over a week ago.” With a grin, Quincy handed Jackson the envelope.
Jackson gaped as his gaze traveled from Quincy to Hannah and back as the realization hit him. It wasn’t Hannah who set them up; it was Quincy. Why would his uncle do that? “Quincy?”
His uncle’s grin widened, and he winked. “I’ll find the minister, and we’ll get this thing going.” As Quincy walked away, Jackson barely heard him mumble, “I knew siccing the pastor on ’em would work.”
Jackson couldn’t believe it. He should’ve known his meddling uncle was behind all of this. It must have been his plan when he invited them to the tavern. Uncle Quincy had really outdone himself this time.
Jackson looked at Grace, and she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Butterflies erupted as he gazed at her. Boy, was she beautiful. Who would’ve thought they’d be in this position when they met at Quincy’s shop not too many days back. It seemed as though he’d known her all his life.
Quincy returned with the minister and he grinned. “So you decided to go ahead?” Pastor Chuck asked.
“Yes, sir. We’d be honored if you’d marry us.” Jackson hadn’t planned to utter those words again for a very long time, if ever, and even though it was pretend, it didn’t feel wrong when he was standing next to Grace.
They walked with the minister to the front of the dance hall where Pastor Chuck got the attention of the singer. After a few moments, the lead singer stopped the band from playing.
“Looks like we’re having a wedding tonight,” Pastor Chuck announced.
The crowd cheered, circling behind them. That’s when it hit him that it was actually happening. Jackson’s palms began to sweat so bad he was wondering if he’d find a puddle if he looked down. His heart pounded, and his chest felt tight. He swallowed hard.
He’d known Grace for barely two weeks, and he was about to marry her. Why wasn’t he stopping it? All he had to do was come clean, and they’d both be off the hook. It would be simple. He was sure he’d get a bunch of funny looks, but wasn’t that better than being divorced twice?
“Nervous, Jackson?” Hannah asked.
Well, he had his answer. Maybe he and Grace weren’t that different. “Not one bit. And we’re doing this for us, not because of you. We decided there wasn’t any reason to wait. And I know she likes me for more than my rodeo career.” He grinned. “You can pack your bags once you get back to the house.”
Grace narrowed her eyes. “Let’s do this.”
He leaned down, put his mouth to her ear, and whispered, “You okay?”
“I’m okay. We’re partners, remember?”
Partners. Why did that word bother him so much now? But that’s what she wanted, and he’d oblige. When the time came, they’d unhitch and go their merry ways, just like Grace said. He nodded. “We are, aren’t we?”
“Yep,” she said and smiled. “And we’re friends, right? That means I’ve got your back.”
How did she do that? Make his fears and doubts float away. What was it about her that was so comforting? This wasn’t going to be so bad. It was just for two and a half months, and it’d be over. He could handle it that long.
From that point, everything happened so fast. There were vows and an exchange of “I do’s.” Next thing he knew, the Pastor Chuck was saying, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The crowd cheered again.
“You may now kiss the bride!” And with that, the pastor handed the microphone back to the singer.
Kiss the bride? Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been kissing her in front of people. Although, applying the word people to Hannah was a stretch for him.
He tugged Grace close and whispered, “You all right?”
“I’m all right. Are you all r
ight?”
Now that she’d asked, he realized he was just fine. It felt natural to hold her close. She certainly could kiss, and he believed what he said about her.
They knew they’d taken too long when the entire tavern started chanting, “Kiss her!”
That meant he didn’t have a choice, right? They were standing in front of a crowd with everyone watching, including Hannah. It’s not like he had feelings for Grace and she didn’t have feelings for him. This was a business deal.
With one arm, he held her around the waist, and with his free hand, he held her face as he brought his lips to hers. Show or not, he had to admit she had the softest, sweetest lips. He tried to keep himself in check, but his body took over, pulling her closer. His lips moved across hers, and her body conformed to his.
Her hands ran up his chest, stopping briefly on the back of his neck, and continued into his hair. When her lips parted, he deepened the kiss, and it could have been the Fourth of July with the display of fireworks that was exploding behind his eyes.
The crowd began cheering, and they startled. He pulled back, feeling flushed and out of breath. It’d been so easy to get lost in the kiss. Why had he done that? He should have given her a quick kiss, but the minute his lips found hers, he couldn’t stop himself.
“How about we play a song for the newlyweds?” the singer asked the crowd.
Jackson took a deep breath and grinned. He could—no, he would—keep his cool. There was no way he was getting his heart broken again because a woman didn’t want him. He’d tamp down whatever feelings he was having for her and make it until the end, and then he’d watch her go—all without getting hurt. “We sure showed them, huh?”
Grace’s mouth turned down a fraction of a second, and then she was smiling again. “Yep, we showed them.”
“I guess we need to dance now.”
“I don’t know how, remember?”
He picked her up by the waist and set her feet on top of his. “Is this okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
As the singer began to belt out a slow song, they swayed to the music. The song was one about promised love and long lives together. Jackson wanted that. That was why he quit riding broncs. He wanted a home filled with love and someone to kiss at night. Hannah hadn’t wanted that. She’d wanted him to continue in the rodeo, but his heart wasn’t in it anymore. He wanted a wife and kids running around.
The Cowboy's Fake Marriage (Sweet Fake Marriage Romance Book 1) Page 13
