Her Last Make-Believe Marriage

by Liz Isaacson

  Instead, she touched his arm. A feather-light touch that still got him to pause and look at her. “I want—” She started, but she had no idea how to finish. Her pulse pounded in the vein in her neck, and she might regret what she wanted.

  She reached up and swept his cowboy hat off his head, trailing her fingers over his short hair and down the side of his face. Stretching up halfway, she really wanted him to come the rest of the way to kiss her.

  He did, and Jeri pulled in a breath that was made of part shock and part relief. No matter what he said about how long he hadn’t had a girlfriend, the man hadn’t forgotten how to kiss. His lips tasted like mint, and she enjoyed the sensation of his hands along her waist and back as her fingers ran through his hair and across his shoulders.

  He broke their kiss for less than a second, wherein he sucked in a breath, and then matched his lips to hers again.

  Jeri sure hoped there would be more kissing after they got married. Maybe she could risk her heart for a man like Sawyer.

  Sawyer pulled away again, his hands somehow cradling her face now. “Yeah,” he said. “I think that was some good practice.”

  She giggled and tucked herself right into his arms, right where she belonged in that moment.

  “We really are going to be late,” he whispered, and she straightened.

  “Let’s do this.” She moved in front of him and marched confidently down the steps and to his truck. He tossed her dress—the dress she was going to wear to marry him—in the back of the truck and got behind the wheel.

  She slid over to sit beside him, tucking her hand in his after he adjusted the air conditioner. “I think we might have to tell Scarlett about the wedding.”

  “What? Why would we do that?”

  “I’m going to have to give her a license with the last name of Smith on it. She’s not stupid.”

  “Smith is a really common last name.”

  “We should decide what we’re going to do if someone asks.”

  Sawyer waited until he’d driven off the ranch and past the robot before he spoke again. “Okay, look. My faith is important to me. I feel right about this, because you’re not doing anything illegal to get your contractor’s license. I’ve seen you work and your product, and you’re good.” He rumbled down the road, several seconds passing in silence.

  “And we’re both consenting adults. We’re allowed to get married.”

  Jeri thought about that bone-melting kiss. They were definitely consenting adults.

  “If someone asks what happened,” Sawyer said. “I’m not sure I can lie to them.”

  “Just say we got married,” Jeri said. “That’ll be the truth.”

  “And we kept separate cabins next door to each other?” He shook his head. “I think we should loop Hudson and Scarlett in on this as soon as possible.” He sighed and checked both ways for traffic before turning.

  Jeri’s mind spun. “We’ve been over all of this.” Her thumbs were tired from all the texting.

  “Yeah, I know,” Sawyer said. “I’m just thinking out loud.”

  He did that a lot, Jeri knew. Their time together in the evenings, though they’d just had a couple, had proven that.

  “Maybe we should talk to them. Let them know. Move in together.” He looked at her, but Jeri could barely breathe.

  “Move in together?” Her first instinct was to shake her head and call off the wedding. She could find another solution to the problem.

  “My cabin has two bedrooms,” Sawyer said.

  “No,” Jeri said. “No, we don’t need to move in together.” Maybe she could just give the paperwork to Scarlett and say it was her legal name, but she went by her maiden name because she’d never gotten around to changing it after the divorce.

  Of course, that would require her to tell the story about Howie, but it was better than telling her and Hudson that she and Sawyer had agreed to a marriage of convenience. She explained her new plan to Sawyer, who continued to drive in silence for a few minutes.

  “I can’t find an argument for that,” he said.

  “I’m not asking you to lie,” Jeri said.

  “Good,” Sawyer practically barked. “Because I’m not going to.”

  “I’m not going to either.”

  “Except about the last name.”

  Her jaw clenched, and she looked away. Technically, it would be a lie. A little, white lie that wouldn’t hurt anyone, and in fact, would help a lot of people.

  Sawyer slowed and pulled into a parking lot. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just…I don’t quite know how to navigate this.”

  “I don’t either. Believe it or not, I’ve never been fake-married before.” He looked at her for a moment too long, and Jeri didn’t like it. “What?” she asked.

  “You said your last marriage was ‘kind of’ done because of a joke.”

  Foolishness hit Jeri, and not for the first time over that silly marriage. “This is a mistake.”

  “No,” Sawyer said, putting his hand on her arm. “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying, maybe….”

  She waited, her emotions storming all over the place.

  “Let’s go,” he said. “We’re supposed to be here an hour early, and we’re literally about to be late.” He got out of the truck, collected their bags from the back while she slid out behind him, and took her hand in his as they walked toward the entrance.

  “What were you going to say?” she asked.

  “I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Do you have the marriage license?”

  “Yes, right here.” She lifted the folder she carried, her own anxiety doubling and then tripling before they went inside. It was cool, and it smelled like grapefruit and soap, and Jeri’s emotions calmed.

  Sawyer handled everything, from checking in with the clerk to passing over the marriage license. He followed the woman to the dressing room and handed Jeri her garment bag. She went into the dressing room to change, and this was not how Jeri had pictured ever getting married.

  Of course, her first wedding hadn’t fulfilled any little girl’s dreams either. And look how that turned out, she thought as she stepped out of her jeans and into the simple, white dress she’d bought at the department store only two days ago.

  She sniffled, wishing this wasn’t what she was doing right now. And yet, she did it. Put on the dress. Zipped it up herself by some miracle. Put on the strappy shoes and looped gold hoops through her ears.

  She hadn’t done her makeup in the truck, so she took ten minutes to swipe on some mascara, make perfect points on her eyeliner, and put on a classic red lipstick that every bride should wear to tie the knot.

  Someone knocked on one of the interior doors, and she went to open it, only to see Sawyer standing there.

  “Cowboy hat or no cowboy hat?” he asked, reaching for it. “Off.” He took it off and grinned. “Or on.”

  “On.” She grinned at him. He really was wonderful, and she stepped into his arms. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.” He smelled like fresh air and pine trees, and she wanted to inhale him right into her soul.

  “I think they’re ready for us if you’re ready,” he said, stepping back. He held onto both of her hands and surveyed her. “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “I don’t just say things,” Sawyer said. “That’s probably something you need to know before we get married.”

  There were dozens of things she needed to know before she married anyone for real, but that wasn’t what was happening here.

  “Noted,” she said, painting that smile in place and choosing to look at this as a glass-half-full situation. “You look handsome too.”

  He wore a dark navy suit, a white shirt, and the tie she’d bought for him in town. It was purple and pink with gold paisleys stitched into it. He was the picture of cowboy groom perfection, and she couldn’t believe he was going along with this favor.

  “It’s just a couple of months,” she said, looki
ng up and into his eyes.

  “For the ranch,” he said.

  “For the ranch,” she echoed.

  He smiled, took her hand, and led her into the room where the ceremony would be held. They didn’t have witnesses, so a couple of employees came in while the justice of the peace said a few words about love and marriage.

  By the time Jeri said, “I do,” and Sawyer said it back to her, she was ready to get out of the dress. Out of Van Nuys. Away from everything.

  “You may kiss your bride,” the man who’d just married them said, and Sawyer turned toward her with a wide smile on his face.

  And when she kissed him this time, it was just as magical and just as beautiful as that first kiss on her porch only a couple of hours ago.

  So maybe not everything was fake about this marriage. Jeri honestly wasn’t sure, and the lines were starting to blur already. What she did know was that she wanted to keep kissing Sawyer.

  So she did that.

  Chapter 8

  Sawyer hadn’t spent a whole lot of time imagining his wedding day or what it would be like. His family would’ve been there at the very least, not a secretary as a witness, and not a justice of the peace instead of a pastor.

  But kissing Jeri…that about made up for the other shortcomings this wedding had.

  She pulled away first, a smile on her face, and the weak applause ceased. Sawyer looked at the four other people in the room, and said, “All right. I guess that’s it.”

  And that was that. He was married to Jeri Bell.

  Just for a few months.

  For the ranch.

  He thought of Gramps, and how much the ranch meant to the old man. Scarlett had come in, and Sawyer had been worried at first. But he shouldn’t have been. She had her grandmother’s spirit, and she dug in with everything she had, cleaning things up and securing funding the animals on the ranch desperately needed.

  And Jeri was providing the housing they needed. Sawyer admired them all, and he once again felt peace speaking to his heart.

  “See you out there?” Jeri asked, and he nodded, turning away to go back into the men’s locker room. He wasn’t going to change back into his street clothes. Not yet. They’d get their paperwork, go file for Jeri’s general contractor license, and then they were going to dinner.

  Once alone, Sawyer’s head spun. He couldn’t believe he’d woken up single this morning and he was married now. It felt like this day had happened to another man. And he was supposed to just keep living his life on the ranch like normal.

  He wasn’t sure he could, because everything had changed. Hadn’t it?

  Just the fact that Jeri kissed him like she wanted to had changed everything.

  He pushed the thoughts away. They were simply a rotating door anyway, going round and round and never getting anywhere.

  He made it out to the lobby first, though he wasn’t sure what Jeri was doing. She didn’t talk to her family all that often, so she wouldn’t be catching her mother up on her latest relationship status. She hadn’t spoken of any friends from her past, except to say her foreman had betrayed her and she’d lost her entire crew and company.

  Sorrow pulled through him, but he put a smile on his face as he stepped over to the counter to get their official paperwork. Jeri would need it for the license application, and he’d just taken it from the secretary when she came out.

  With her hair all swooped up like that, and her makeup adding to her beauty, Sawyer’s breath caught.

  “You two are so cute,” the secretary said. “Thanks for letting me stand in as a witness today. I can tell you’re going to make it.” She finished speaking just as Jeri arrived at his side.

  Sawyer had no clue what to say.

  “Thank you so much,” Jeri said, linking her arm through his. “You ready, cowboy?”

  Cowboy.

  How had he never known she was such a flirt before? And wow, he liked the endearment aimed at him, in her voice.

  “Where are you going for your honeymoon?” the woman asked, and Sawyer’s whole body filled with flames.

  “Oh, we can’t take time off,” Jeri said, and she sounded so natural. “So we’re just celebrating tonight, and then we’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” the secretary said.

  “Yeah.” Jeri smiled sunbeams at her, and Sawyer decided it was time to go.

  “Ready,” he said, tipping his hat at the secretary and turning away. Jeri held onto him all the way out of the building—and all the way to the truck. He loaded up their bags and put his arms around Jeri again, right there in the parking lot.

  Maybe he didn’t know everything about her. Yet.

  Maybe they weren’t going to celebrate their marriage tonight with more than chips and salsa. This time. Maybe they couldn’t go on a honeymoon. Right now.

  His thoughts surprised him, as did the way Jeri melted effortlessly into him. The slide of her fingers across the back of his neck sent desire coursing through him, and he wisely stepped away.

  “Let’s go get your license,” he said, making one more attempt to focus on the real reason they’d just said I do.

  By nightfall, he passed the mailbox robot that stood guard at the entrance to Last Chance Ranch. Jeri had fallen asleep on the way back from Santa Monica, where they’d wandered the pier, ridden the Ferris wheel, walked along the beach, and then eaten dinner.

  “We’re back,” he said, trying to find the right pet name for her. Nothing came, and he fell silent again.

  She sat up from where she’d been leaning into him, a yawn coming from her mouth. “Sorry I fell asleep.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “There was a lot of traffic. Took forever.”

  “Howie wanted someone to talk to while we sat in traffic,” she said, and it may have been one of the rare times Jeri didn’t have her sunshiney persona hitched perfectly in place. He loved how optimistic and vibrant she was. But it was nice to see she had another side to her. One that thought through things and could have a real conversation.

  “Well,” Sawyer said. “I’m not Howie.”

  “No, you’re not.” Jeri looked at him, and in the near darkness, the lines of her face were soft and she looked sleepy and sexy at the same time.

  His heart beat kicked into the next gear, and he looked away to pull into his driveway. Blue came trotting down the front steps, and Sawyer was glad he’d at least have his dog for company that night.

  He and Jeri moved like thieves in the night, as he carried her bag back to her cabin and followed her up the steps. She hadn’t locked her front door, and she went into the darkness first, snapping on a lamp in the next moment.

  He followed her, almost desperate to kiss her again. Tell her how he really felt. After laying the bag over the back of the couch where it had been earlier, he went into the kitchen, where she stood in front of the fridge.

  “Something to drink?” she asked him. “I have water or…water.”

  “Water’s fine,” he said, though he wasn’t thirsty and he had water at his own house next door.

  She handed him a bottle and he twisted the cap off anyway. “Okay.” She blew out her breath. “So now what?”

  Surprise shot through Sawyer. “We’ve already talked about now what,” he said.

  She cocked one eyebrow at him, which made him smile. Maybe he was simply too tired for serious conversations right now. He had been up later than usual the past few nights as they texted out plans and details. As he laid in bed and thought about his sexy next-door neighbor he had real feelings for.

  “I think a few things have changed,” Jeri said, her dark eyes like pools of midnight in this dim lighting.

  He chuckled, and it sounded darker than he liked. “Oh, some things have changed,” he agreed.

  She took a long drink of her water and glanced around the cabin like she might find other people there, listening.

  Sawyer felt like he might be sick, but he had to say something. “Look, Jeri, I just hav
e to say one thing.” He waited until her gaze settled on him again, which somehow made talking harder. “I like you.”

  Three little words.

  “Like, for real. Not just for a couple of months. Not just for the ranch.” Was that plain enough for her?

  “I like you too,” she said. “We’re friends.”

  Frustration combined with anger in Sawyer’s gut, and he hadn’t felt that way since leaving the racing circuit. “No.” He set his untouched bottle of water on the counter behind him. “Not just friends.”

  Friends didn’t kiss each other the way she kissed him. And he’d been careful not to pour too much emotion into his kiss, but he knew he had. Passion and desire swam between them whenever they touched. She had to feel it too.

  Before she could deny him again, he swept his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. A hint of shock moved through her expression.

  “Not just friends,” he repeated, lowering his mouth to hers. Maybe he’d read her wrong. Maybe in the heat of the moment, she’d somehow conveyed something she hadn’t meant to.

  But all of that was over now. She couldn’t be nervous about going to get married, or worried about making sure the justice of the peace believed they were in love.

  Right now, in this cabin, it was just the two of them, and they didn’t need to hide.

  And she didn’t.

  She kissed him with that same slow precision she had earlier. The flames in his belly licked upward as the kiss lengthened and deepened. Finally satisfied, he pulled away, glad when she stayed within the circle of his arms and leaned her head against his chest.

  He stayed in that moment for as long as he could. Then he realized his brain was screaming at him to get on home now.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered, stepping delicately out of her arms and heading for the front door. To his great credit, he didn’t look back.

  Inside his own cabin, his pulse and his breathing labored through him as if he’d just run a marathon and not walked thirty yards across the grass.