Charm School for Cowboys

by Meg Maxwell

  He cleared his throat and leaned a bit closer. “Your father showed me photos of you—you’re lovely, if that’s all right for me to say. Mr. Hurley said you could be a little headstrong but were the sweetest person he’s ever known besides his late wife. So that sounded good and you do seem nice. Oh, and your dad mentioned there was the option of moving to the family farm, and I really love ranch life. So this all seems written in the stars for me.”

  Sweetest person he’d ever known besides his late wife...

  Her father had said that?

  She listened to Trey Wellington talk about how he’d always wanted a big family, five children, and that he’d love their first child, Emma’s unborn baby, the same as their other four. As he went on and on about the big family he wanted, she watched his expression grow happier and happier until she realized that poor Trey Wellington was selling himself short. He was a nice guy with hopes and dreams and should marry for love. Not to secure his place in the firm.

  “I do have other candidates to meet with,” she said, standing up. “But you seem like a wonderful person. If it doesn’t work out, Trey, rest assured that I will speak very highly of you to my father.”

  He beamed. “Your father was right. You are sweet. Thanks.”

  She smiled and walked him out to his car. When he got in and drove away, she let out the breath she’d been holding for thirty minutes.

  Jake came outside, carrying a clipboard. He tipped his brown Stetson at her. “How’d it go?”

  Tears unexpectedly pricked at her eyes. “My father told him I’m headstrong but the sweetest person he’s ever known besides my mother.”

  He squeezed her hand. “That’s a good sign, Emma. That means your dad may be willing to hear you. Maybe he just needs some time to digest this and he’ll forget about trying to marry you off.”

  She blinked back the tears. Her father did love her. He was just difficult and controlling. But he clearly loved her. Yes. Enough was enough! She reached into her pocket for her phone and pressed in her father’s number.

  He picked up right away, clearly waiting for news on how the first interview had gone.

  “Dad, it’s Emma. I just met with Trey Wellington. He seems like a great guy and I hope you promote him. Look, I was wondering if you had some time to think about all this. I’m a strong-minded, capable, self-sufficient woman with a great job, a great home, and I know, without a doubt, that I’ll be an excellent mother. I really don’t need a husband, Dad. What I need—what I want so much—is your support. And by that I mean emotional only.”

  All she wanted from her father was his love. And for him to be a rocking grandpa to her child.

  Reginald Hurley was quiet for a moment. Had she done it? Had she convinced him. She could barely take the silence. Please say okay, Dad. Please.

  “I made myself clear, Emma,” her father said. “Do the right thing by yourself and our family and my grandchild, or I will sell the farm.”

  Oh God. No, no, no. “Dad, please—”

  But he’d ended the call.

  Her shoulders slumped. She put her phone away, her limbs feeling like lead. She repeated her father’s exact words for Jake. “So much for hoping he’d come around.” She looked at the time on her phone. “Now I have a half hour before the next guy.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “My offer still stands.”

  The fact that she wanted to fling herself into his arms and scream “Save me” made her lift her chin and square her shoulders.

  And the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his freedom, his future, for her was enough for her to keep saying no. She cared about him too much for that.

  “Jake, I—”

  “Look, Emma. I know this is all crazy. All of it. Including my out-of-the-blue proposal. So know it’s an option and on the table. Let’s leave it at that.”

  Oh, Jake. If only you knew.

  * * *

  Jake wasn’t planning on hanging around with his clipboard to see the next guy. Based on the first candidate, he had no doubt Reginald Hurley wasn’t playing. He’d picked not only reasonable guys, but ones Emma might actually like. Jake had thrown his name into the hat and for whatever reason, she wasn’t jumping at it. Why? He couldn’t figure that out. Seems like it would solve everything. Her father would be satisfied. She would stay here, among friends. Her life wouldn’t change except on paper.

  As if a legal, lifelong, binding document proclaiming them husband and wife was nothing.

  Idiot. No wonder she’d turned him down. This was serious stuff and she was just stalling these guys; she had no intention of marrying anyone.

  The next dude would be here in fifteen minutes. Jake forced himself away from the house. He needed to see how CJ, who’d been quiet all morning, was doing. Hank let him know CJ was out riding fence in the northern pasture. He headed toward the barn and saddled up Midnight, and then rode the gelding out toward the fence to ostensibly look for holes that needed repairing, which was mostly CJ’s and Golden’s jobs.

  He found CJ sitting near a small hole in the fence, his tools beside him, Merlin, the gorgeous brown-and-white-spotted gelding that CJ loved, tied and grazing. CJ’s head was on his arms, which rested on his knees. He was either sleeping or deep in thought not to have heard Midnight ride up.

  “CJ?” Jake said.

  His brother shot up and grabbed his toolbox, then kneeled down by the hole in the fence, a stretch of wire in his hand. “Just thinking about something.”

  “Stella?”

  CJ stared at the fence. “I don’t want to commit to her. But I don’t want to lose her, either. What the hell do I do?”

  “Well, I suppose if those are your two choices,” Jake said, “then either way you lose.”

  “What do you mean if those are my choices. Those are my choices.”

  “But you’re looking at it in black-and-white terms.” Jake eyed his brother. The guy was truly torn up about this, that was plain to see. “CJ, five years ago, when I decided not to pursue finding my birth mother, I made a choice. It wasn’t right then for a lot of reasons, actually. A month ago, it was right. Timing, all dependent on many variables, has a lot to do with decision making.”

  “If I tell Stella the timing isn’t right now, five years from now she’ll be married with two kids.”

  “I’m not saying you should tell her any such thing. Just that maybe you should delve a little deeper into both sides. Think about what committing to Stella would look like and what losing her would look like.”

  “Committing would mean not seeing any other women.”

  He sighed. “Right. And how do you feel about Stella?”

  “Well, Stella’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And she can be really funny when she’s not socking me in the arm. She listens when I talk too. I was telling her about how we came to move out here. About you and Sarah Mack and all that. She just let me talk, you know? Didn’t tell me how to feel or what I should think. I didn’t realize that until the other day.”

  And she sounds like a keeper, Jake wanted to say, but then he’d be telling his kid brother how to feel and what he should think, so he kept the obvious to himself. CJ would come to it. Hopefully before it was too late.

  “So let’s say you tell her you just aren’t ready to commit,” Jake said. “She’s out of your life. She’s dating someone else. You’re seeing other women. How do you feel about her getting serious with someone else?”

  “The idea makes me want to puke,” he said.

  Jake smiled. CJ couldn’t even handle it when Stella had been late to the dance. He was going to make a decision that would cast her out of his life? Doubtful.

  “My head is spinning,” CJ said. “Let’s change the subject. So...is Sarah helping you find the twin,” he asked, his eyes on his work.

  The
twin. CJ couldn’t even bear to say your twin. He wanted to grab his kid brother in a fierce hug and tell him he had nothing to worry about, that nothing would change, ever, between them. But CJ would push him away.

  “I haven’t started the search. I’m not sure now is the right time, anyway. We’re getting the ranch going and that’s consuming me, so...”

  CJ turned to face him. “Yeah. We’re pretty busy out here.”

  Every muscle in CJ’s body was tight and twitching. The guy was going through some learning curves about the human condition and Jake felt for him. His brother wasn’t ready—or didn’t think he was, but Jake was ready. Dammit.

  “I think about what he’s like,” Jake said. “Maybe he’s a rancher, like us. Or maybe he’s a doctor or an astronaut. Something totally different.” He smiled at the idea of his twin floating in a spaceship, heading toward unexplored galaxies.

  CJ was quite for a moment, then said, “Maybe he even has—” He paused and started working furiously on the fence.

  Jake’s smile faded. Maybe he even has...kids? Maybe you have biological nieces and nephews? He wondered if that was what CJ had been about to say, then had gotten choked up about it. About the idea that Jake’s biological family would include even more than Sarah Mack and a fraternal twin brother.

  “Done,” CJ said, standing up. “See you later,” he added, getting on Merlin and riding in the opposite direction of the house.

  Jake closed his eyes and tried to let the beautiful late May breeze center him. He’d thought coming up here and talking to his brother would clear his head and now everything was even more muddled.

  * * *

  Emma sat on the patio with Husband Candidate Number Two. Joel Wipley was also tall, also had a briefcase containing a résumé and letters of reference. He was particularly interested in showing his latest medical checkup. He was in tip-top shape with excellent blood levels.

  He sat very straight, his auburn hair glinting in the sunshine. “You can bet I’ll be out there in the backyard, kicking around a soccer ball with little Joel Junior or Catherine. Do you like those names? I’ve always wanted a junior. And I’ve given this a lot of thought, Ms. Hurley. Even though your baby—” he gestured in the direction of her belly “—isn’t mine, I think we should go with Joel Junior if he’s a boy so that he always feels like he’s mine.”

  Emma supposed the sentiment was nice but she felt sick to her stomach. He’s not yours, she wanted to scream. I don’t even know you!

  She let Joel Wipley go on for a half hour about how he too was very ambitious and wanted to make executive vice president before age thirty, which was two years away. He was senior director right now and had a real shot at his dream.

  Finally, when she could reasonably say she’d given him long enough at a fair interview, she stood and thanked him and let him know she’d tell her father that he seemed like real executive vice president material. He beamed, and Emma showed him out through the front door.

  Just as Joel Wipley got into his car, Jake was coming from the goat pen and CJ came out of the barn. She noticed Jake giving the candidate a glance as the Morrow brothers headed toward the house.

  Marry me... She heard Jake’s proposal over and over. She couldn’t take her eyes off Jake as she adjusted his Stetson against the bright sunshine, his biceps evident under the navy blue T-shirt he wore. Her gaze traveled down his sexy jeans to his brown leather work boots. She swallowed.

  It had to be the hormones. Was she actually standing here drooling over her boss’s body and face? Especially when any minute now, she could expect a call from her father demanding to know which man she would be choosing as her husband and a father for her baby?

  Jake tipped his hat at her as he approached, his green eyes blazing with curiosity. She knew he wanted to ask her how the interview had gone, but he wouldn’t in front of CJ. Heck, CJ had opened up about his personal life, and she didn’t see any reason why hers had to be a secret.

  “Who was the suit?” CJ asked, glancing from the car disappearing up the drive back to Emma.

  Emma didn’t mean to, but she launched into the whole story.

  “I’m surprised Jake didn’t get on one knee already,” CJ said, mock elbowing Jake in the ribs.

  “You think I didn’t propose? Of course I did,” Jake said.

  CJ stared at his brother, his mouth dropping open. “I was kidding. But I have no doubt you did. You’re like that.”

  “Which is why of course I turned down his generous offer,” Emma said, sliding a glance at Jake. “I can’t let him come to my rescue. First of all, I will rescue myself. Second of all, I don’t even want to get married! Third of all, there’s no way I’d marry for the wrong reasons.”

  Jake kept his gaze on Emma but he didn’t say anything. She wondered what he was thinking, if he had any idea just how complicated the thought of taking his proposal seriously was.

  “So what do you think, CJ?” Emma said as they went inside and she shut the door behind the brothers. “My dad will see reason and come around to my way of thinking, right? I have nothing to worry about, right?”

  CJ raised both eyebrows. “I might be only twenty-two, but I know your dad’s type, Emma. Conservative. Traditional. I don’t know that he will come around. And based on what he said just an hour ago on the phone...”

  Sigh. He was right. “So what choice do I have? None. I’ll have to enter into an arranged marriage. I suppose I could look at it as two adults knowing exactly what they’re heading for. No love or romance but probably affection, no feelings getting hurt.”

  “Emma—” CJ began.

  She could feel her heart ready to explode. “But I don’t want to get married at all! And even if I did, how could I marry a man I don’t love? How can I not marry a man I don’t love and lose my mother’s farm?”

  She could feel Jake staring at her and she turned away.

  “Emma!” CJ shouted. “I have your solution.”

  “You do?” she and Jake asked in unison. Their gazes swung from CJ to each other, then back to CJ.

  “Can we talk while I make a sandwich?” CJ said. “I’m starving.”

  She glanced at Jake and he shrugged. They trailed CJ to the refrigerator where he pulled out fixings for a very big Italian sandwich. Then he opened every bread box until he found the crusty rolls he wanted.

  Emma sat down at the table, fascinated by how many slices of salami CJ was putting on the roll. Jake stood next to the fruit basket on the counter. He picked up an apple and took a loud bite.

  “So here’s what you do,” CJ said. “You get engaged. You two,” he added, wagging a finger from Emma to Jake.

  “What?” Emma and Jake said—again—in unison.

  CJ reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the mayo, mustard and horseradish sauce. “You heard me. You two get engaged. That takes all these contenders off the table. And it’ll get Emma’s father to back off long enough for him to digest the idea that she’s a modern woman who’s going to have her baby on her own. When he does, you call off the wedding that never was. Emma, if you meet someone and fall in love later on, great. But right now, this is your situation.”

  “Huh,” Jake said, taking another bite of the apple.

  “Huh,” Emma repeated, biting her lip. Huh. It wasn’t a terrible idea. It wasn’t even a bad idea. But was it a good idea?

  CJ cut his sandwich in half. “Yeah, the engagement will be fake, but it’s just an engagement. No vows are being broken. You’re not promising to love, honor and cherish and all that scary stuff.” He mock shivered, then eyed the two of them. “I’ll leave you two to work out the details.” He grabbed a bottle of water, then an apple and a banana from the fruit basket, and then reached into the cabinet for the pretzels. He shook some into a baggie and put it into his bag.

  As CJ headed out
with his lunch, Jake said, “I can’t believe it, but I think my kid brother is on to something.”

  “I don’t like lying,” she said. “I’d be lying to my father.”

  Jake sat down at the table. “Well, here’s the thing. You are in this situation. I offered to marry you. You said no. So now, thanks to CJ, we’re downgrading it to an engagement. That’s not fake. My offer wasn’t fake. I would marry you to save the farm, Emma. There’s no lie here.”

  She held his gaze, then stared down at her hands, which she kept clasping and unclasping. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess there’s not. Very clear.”

  He nodded. “Only problem is, I proposed and you said no, so how could we be engaged?”

  “I’d laugh, but I’m about to cry, Jake.”

  “Will you be my intended bride for the time being until this is all sorted out, Emma Hurley?” He extended a hand, palm down.

  This would solve her problems—for the time being. Being fake engaged didn’t feel great, but she had to do something. “Yes,” she said, putting her hand on his.

  He squeezed it. “Right now, we’re doing what needs to be done. Let’s just get through it best we can.”

  She nodded. They were doing what needed to be done. She would not allow herself to fall in love with Jake Morrow. She would just steel guard her heart.

  The problem was the hormones, making her all extra emotional. Dang.

  Chapter Seven

  Redford, who barely tolerated anyone but Jake, curled up on the brown leather sofa beside Emma, his furry orange chin on a paw. After shaking on the new plan, Emma had suggested she and Jake take an hour or two to digest it and get together this evening to discuss the logistics.

  As Jake poured apple cider into two wineglasses—the next best thing to champagne—he realized he was now an engaged man. Even though it was a fake engagement, he couldn’t help but feel...what? Connected even more so. Entwined. A team. And something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.