Make-Believe Marriage

by Pamela M. Kelley

  “And to Cameron Baker, I’d like to leave a small moment to show how much I appreciate her friendship and care while I was in the hospital. I’d like to give her my crystal owls. There are three of them—a mother, father and baby.”

  Cameron felt her eyes well up.

  “That's incredibly sweet of her,” she said. Ethan looked her way and smiled.

  “And for Ethan, I wish to leave Peppercorn ranch, which includes all the land, buildings, animals, and associated businesses and also the main house. With one condition.” She paused and looked up at everyone. “This is a bit unusual and was very recently added. On Sunday, actually. But Betty was very clear as to what she wanted and there is no doubt that she was of sound mind.”

  Cameron watched Ethan glance at his parents and they just shrugged. Judy took a deep breath and then looked her way and Ethan’s before she continued.

  “In order to inherit everything, the condition that must be met is as follows:

  "Ethan White is to marry Cameron Baker within forty-eight hours and must stay married for one month. They will live together in the main house and spend every night there for thirty days. After that time, they may choose to go their separate ways, if they wish. But it is my fondest hope they will choose to stay married.

  As compensation to Cameron I offer the following: if she fulfills the terms of this agreement, at the end of thirty days, she will receive a check for one hundred thousand dollars. Which would mean she wouldn’t have to wait six months to buy that condo she wants.”

  “Are you serious? Is this legal?” Ethan asked. The same thought was running through Cameron’s mind. Ethan’s parents looked baffled though Cameron thought she saw a ghost of a smile on his mother’s face.

  Judy smiled. “I know it’s highly unusual, but I assure you it is very much legal.”

  “What if Cameron doesn’t agree to this?” Ethan asked.

  Judy frowned. “In that case, my instructions are to put the ranch on the market and I have a list of interested parties to call.”

  Ethan’s face lost all color. Cameron’s heart went out to him. She knew that the ranch was everything to him. She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.

  “It’s okay. We can do this. It’s only a month, right? It will fly by. And then you’ll have your ranch free and clear and I’ll be able to buy my condo.”

  “You’re sure? It’s a lot to ask.”

  Cameron smiled. “It is. But we’ve been friends for a long time. I think we can put up with each other for a month, don’t you?”

  “I suppose so. I’m beyond grateful. I can’t believe she did this.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Ethan’s mother said. She sounded amused.

  “You knew about this?” Ethan asked.

  “No. But she mentioned that she thought the two of you were well suited. This is really just like her to play match-maker from the grave.”

  “Your mother always did have a sense of humor,” Ethan’s father said.

  “So, what happens now?” Ethan asked.

  “You should probably go straight to the country recorder’s office to get your marriage license. I have Pastor Kevin at the ranch on standby to marry you tomorrow afternoon. We could move the time to morning if you are working though, Cameron.”

  “Afternoon is fine. I’m off tomorrow.”

  “Well then, it’s settled. Congratulations on your pending nuptials!”

  Cameron glanced at her watch. It was nine-thirty, and she had to be to work at eleven.

  “You have to be in by eleven?” Ethan asked. Cameron nodded. “Well, we’d better get going then.”

  “You want me to be your best man?” Ethan’s friend Tyler put his beer bottle down before even taking a sip. They were sitting at the bar at Fig’s on Main Street, a restaurant that usually had good bands on the weekends. Ethan was glad that Tyler wasn’t playing anywhere this weekend. He occasionally played local gigs with his sister Lily who also worked at the ranch, but since she was on maternity leave, they were on hold for a while.

  “Yeah, the wedding is tomorrow at four at the River’s End Ranch chapel. We’re having a small gathering at Peppercorn Ranch afterword. It’s kind of an unusual situation.” Ethan went on to explain about the will and when he finished, Tyler looked at him in disbelief.

  “Cameron is hot and all, but that’s pretty intense that your grandmother is making you marry her.”

  “I know. She always did think she knew best. It’s just for a month though. It should go by fast enough.”

  Tyler was quiet for a moment before saying, “You used to have a thing for her when you were younger. Maybe your grandmother is doing you a favor?”

  Ethan laughed. “Nothing’s changed. We were at trivia the other night and when Blake Connors walked in, every woman in the place turned and stared including Cameron—and he asked her out right in front of me. Not that we were on a date or anything, but she seemed more than happy to go out with him. She’s probably out with him tonight for all I know.”

  “Hmmmm. Well, I’m not sure what to say to that. He is Blake Connors after all. He always did have a way with women. I’m surprised he’s not married yet.”

  “I’m not. Guys like him have women throwing themselves at him wherever he goes. He probably loves it.”

  “Maybe it gets old after a while though. I know I’d hate all that traveling. He’s all done with baseball now. Maybe he’ll stick around a while.”

  “Maybe, but there’s not much in Riston for him to do, I wouldn’t think.”

  “That’s true, if he wants to stay doing something in baseball. Guys like him usually go on TV as analysts or something.”

  Ethan smiled. He liked the idea of Blake leaving town again. “You’re probably right. I’m sure he won’t stick around long.”

  “So what else new with you? I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately. I should have more time to hang out now that we’re taking a break for a while.”

  Ethan laughed. “Well, I did have an interesting visitor to the ranch a few days ago. Do you know Sierra Barker, the new actress on that show they’re filming at the ranch?”

  Tyler’s jaw dropped. “You know Sierra Barker?”

  “I met her at Nana’s birthday party. She wanted to learn how to ride a horse and for some reason, she thought I was the one to teach her.”

  Tyler raised his eyebrow. “And how did that go?”

  It had been an interesting afternoon. Sierra Barker was beautiful and very flirtatious. Ethan quite know what to make of her. She’d hinted very heavily that she’d love to go out again, and he agreed it was a good idea, but they hadn’t made any plans. And he wouldn’t feel right asking her on a date while he was married to Cameron. Fake marriage or not, the papers were real. And he had a feeling his Nana was keeping an eye on them and definitely would not approve of Sierra. He smiled at the thought.

  “It went fine. I doubt it will go anywhere. I’ll see if she’s still interested in thirty days.”

  “Right. So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Tyler asked.

  “Meet me at the chapel at 3:30. Mrs. Crosby is cooking up a storm. I told her it will just be a small group, but she’s making enough food for an army.” Along with his grandmother’s house, he’d also inherited her staff, including her long-time housekeeper and cook, Mary Crosby. She was in her early sixties and Ethan had known her all his life.

  Mrs. Crosby lived on the property in a small cottage out back. He was glad that she would be there. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being totally alone in the house with Cameron for a month. It was just strange and awkward. But at least the house was big enough that could have their own space. There were plenty of bedrooms and places to go if one wanted to be alone.

  “You’re getting married tomorrow, but it’s not a real marriage?” Blake Connors stared at Cameron as the bartender set down a basket of bread and a two glasses of red wine. They were sitting at the bar at Mamma Mia’s, Cameron’s favorite Italian restaurant. She ha
d run into him at her favorite coffee shop on the way into work after getting her marriage license with Ethan. Blake had suggested meeting for a drink after work and after the strange morning she’d had, that sounded good to Cameron.

  Cameron explained the stipulation with the will and Blake shook his head in amusement. “That’s actually not a bad deal. You just have to live with the guy for a month for a hundred grand. That sounds like easy money to me.” He took a sip of his wine and frowned. “As long as you don’t fall in love with the guy. Any chance of that?”

  Cameron smiled and shook her head. “No. Ethan’s a super nice guy but we’re strictly friends.”

  “Good. So what else is new with you? You’re a nurse now?”

  “I am. I’ve worked at the hospital since graduating college. I love what I do.”

  “That’s cool.” Blake grimaced and absentmindedly rubbed his left elbow. “I used to love what I did too.”

  “Is that the arm you broke?” Cameron asked.

  “Yeah, broke it twice. After the first time it was just never the same.”

  “I’m sorry. What do you want to do now?”

  “That’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure. My agent is talking to a few news channels about maybe doing some commentating and there’s the possibility of some kind of coaching gig with a minor league team. I don’t really know which direction I want to go.”

  “They both sound exciting. And would keep you in baseball.”

  “Then there’s also the possibility of doing something here, maybe opening a training center for kids. Wade invited me in to do some training with the kids at his camp soon. That will be a good way to see if I like doing that kind of thing. I’m sure I will.”

  “So, you have lots of options.”

  “I guess I do. Though most of them involve traveling. And I do love it here. I guess I’ll just see what develops and how I’m feeling after a few weeks.” He grinned. “I might get kind of stir crazy.”

  Cameron smiled. “You might. Riston’s a sleepy little town compared to what you are used to.”

  “True, but sometimes that’s appealing too.” Blake reached for a piece of bread and spread a thick layer of butter on it. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  Cameron’s stomach growled in response and they both laughed. He pushed the bread basket her way. “I guess I am.” She reached for a slice of bread as Blake opened his menu. As soon as Tony, the bartender came their way, they put their dinner orders in. Blake went with chicken parmesan while Cameron got the lasagna.

  It was nice to catch up over dinner and Blake was as charming as she remembered. She still found him attractive but not in a school girl crush kind of way. She really didn’t see anything developing with Blake as she was pretty sure he’d be moving on from Riston once he figured out his next step. He insisted on picking up the check though and walked her to her car when the left the restaurant.

  “Thanks so much for dinner. It was great to see you,” Cameron said.

  “You too. So, what are the rules while you’re married for the next month? I don’t suppose you’re allowed to go on dates anyone else?”

  Cameron laughed. “We didn’t discuss it, but I would say probably not a good idea. I do want to respect his grandmother’s wishes for the next month at least. After that, we’ll see.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll probably still be here a month from now, so I’ll make a note to give you a call and you can tell me all about what it was like to be married for a month.”

  “Goodnight, Blake.”

  Chapter 4

  “You don’t have to do this you know,” Cameron’s brother Bryan said over coffee Saturday morning at their parents' house. Everyone was there—Clark and Tammy, Bryan and Melanie and her parents—and they all looked equally confused, concerned and amused by the situation Cameron found herself in.

  “It’s a no-brainer, really,” Clark said. “How can she turn down that kind of money for one month of her time? And we all know Ethan. She’ll be perfectly safe with him. Heck, that house is so big they could have their own floor.”

  Cameron laughed. “That’s true!”

  “It’s only because we know Ethan and his family that we’re agreeing to support you on this,” her mother said. “It’s sort of romantic, really. I’ve always liked Ethan.”

  “You could do a lot worse,” her father agreed.

  “Dad! Really. I like Ethan. There’s just never been a single spark between us.”

  “Well, maybe an attraction will grow when you spend more time together,” her mother said hopefully.

  Cameron sighed. “I doubt it. I’ve found that it’s either there or not.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Tammy said. “I wasn’t remotely interested in your brother at first. He wore me down.”

  Cameron was starting to feel frustrated. She could tell that everyone hoped something magical would happen between her and Ethan and she just didn’t think that was possible.

  “I don’t think that Ethan feels any differently, so can we drop the idea of anything happening between us? I just want to get through the month and then go condo shopping.”

  Her mother’s eyes lit up. “Speaking of shopping, do we need to go get you a dress? What are you planning to wear?”

  Cameron had no intention of buying a wedding dress. “I have a simple cream-colored dress I thought I could wear. I don’t think Ethan will be expecting a traditional wedding dress.”

  “All right, honey. We’ll meet you at the chapel at four then.”

  But her mother’s words stayed with her and on the way home, Cameron drove down Main Street just to look around and see if anything in any of the shops jumped out at her. She didn’t have to go far. As soon as she parked and walked past the first shop, there was a display in the window that made her stop and back up to get a better look. The mannequin was wearing a very simple but elegant long dress that had a simple halter neckline. It was a sleeveless, creamy white sheath and reminded her of the Calvin Klein dress that Caroline Kennedy had worn at her wedding and that Cameron had always admired.

  She went into the store and asked the young girl behind the register about the dress in the window.

  “Isn’t it great? We’ve almost completely sold out of that dress. But I do have one or two left out back. What size are you, about a six?”

  Cameron nodded, and the girl ran off to check. A few minutes later she came back holding a dress.

  “You’re in luck. We had one left, and it’s a six petite. Do you think that will work?”

  Cameron was only five-three so a petite length could be ideal. She took the dress to a fitting room and slid it on. When she looked in the mirror her eyes watered and she laughed at herself for being so emotional about a silly dress. But, it was perfect. It fit like a dream and even the length was just right. It wouldn’t need any alterations. She took it to the register and had it wrapped up. Then, of course she needed to find shoes to match, but that didn’t take long. An hour later, she was on her way home. She still couldn’t believe that in a few hours she’d be getting married, and to Ethan of all people. It was totally and completely surreal.

  Cameron took a long bath and tried to relax before she had to dress and dry her hair. She didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous. It was just Ethan after all and it wasn’t a real wedding. It was a strange situation to be in, for both of them. She wondered if Ethan was dealing with a similar case of nerves or if he was as cool as a cucumber. She also packed her biggest suitcase with all of her uniforms and enough clothes to last for the next week. She could always pop home and bring more things over. This would at least get her started.

  Finally, she was ready. She’d pulled her hair back so that it was out of her face and smiled as she thought of the silly something borrowed, something blue, a tradition she’d followed anyway. She was wearing her mother's diamond earrings and favorite baby blue underwear. Not that anyone else would be seeing them of course.

  She arrived at the ch
apel at a quarter to four and her parents and brothers pulled in a moment later. Everyone except her father went inside and at four o’clock sharp, they heard the recorded wedding music begin to play.

  “Are you ready, honey?” her father asked.

  Cameron linked her arm with her father’s. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He led her to the door, and they stepped inside the small chapel. Everyone was waiting for them. Ethan and his friend Tyler stood by the pastor. Ethan looked quite nice in a charcoal gray suit and baby blue tie. He smiled nervously as she began her walk down the aisle with her father. When they reached the altar, her father went to sit with her mother and she stood across from Ethan.

  Pastor Kevin smiled down at both of them and began his simple service. Since neither one of them had prepared their own vows, he had them recite simple ones to each other.

  “I Cameron Baker take you, Ethan White, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part."

  Ethan said the same words back to her and then slid his grandmother’s wedding ring onto her finger. It was a lovely, vintage ring made of platinum and with a princess-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. Ethan’s band was simple, just solid platinum gold and once she placed it on his finger, the pastor pronounced them husband and wife.

  “You may now kiss your bride!” He was so enthusiastic that Cameron assumed that Ethan hadn’t shared the whole story of their wedding with him. She looked up as Ethan leaned in and hesitated. Instead of kissing her on the lips, he gently dropped a kiss on her forehead. The small crowd erupted in applause.

  “Congratulations!” Clark and Bryan said at the same time.

  “Thanks. We’ll see everyone back at the ranch,” Ethan said as they walked outside.

  Cameron followed everyone to where their cars were parked and once she was in her car with the engine started, she sat there for a moment and tried to process what had just happened. She, Cameron Baker, was now a married woman. And as she put the car into reverse and backed out of her spot, she thought about how she was now going to celebrate her wedding at the house she’d be living in for the next month. She felt her emotions take over and tears streamed down her face as she followed the cars out of the parking lot and onto the main road. She wasn’t sad exactly—it was more a feeling of being overwhelmed.