Fake Marriage Box Set

“Are you sure it wasn’t just this Lacey putting the moves on him?”

I shook my head. “No. He was hugging her, too. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Shit.” She pressed her bare lips together, keeping in whatever else she was thinking.

I watched Daddy crossing the yard over to us. He stopped at the foot of the deck, resting one boot up on the step. He tilted his hat back so he could stare up at me from under the brim.

“You mind running up to the feed store, Em? The horses are about out. You can take my truck.”

“Sure, Daddy,” I said with a smile. I turned to Kasey after he walked off. “You want to come?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Hell, no!”

We laughed together as I got up. I went through the house to get Daddy’s keys and then went out to the truck. The feed store was in the middle of town, only fifteen minutes from the house. At this time in the morning, there wouldn’t be much traffic on the road…not that there ever was.

I took the country road into town, the window rolled down so the wind blew through my hair and the radio turned up, some twangy music coming through the speakers. I pulled into the parking lot of the feed store and went inside. Feed for big animals was in back, so I headed that way, saying good morning to the owner as I went down one of the aisles. There’d be a kid back there who would help me load the food onto a flatbed cart and take it out to Daddy’s truck. I told the kid how much I wanted and he loaded it onto the cart, telling me he’d get it outside for me while I paid.

I turned to head to the front and froze solid.

Lacey was walking in the door.

Fuck.

There was no place to go that she wouldn’t see me besides the bathroom, and that was clear across the store. She was the last person in Round Rock I wanted to speak to right now, but I’d be goddamned if I’d let her chase me into the bathroom.

As soon as she saw me, she smiled, waved, and came over. I kept a stony look on my face, not being outwardly nasty, but not friendly either. I just wanted to get this over with so I could get the fuck out of here and away from her.

“Hey, Emma, how’ve things been on the farm this week?” she asked, tipping her cowboy hat back on her head.

I frowned at that, not understanding the question. “You haven’t been at the farm?”

Now it was her turn to look confused, her blonde brows scrunching together. “No, I’ve been down in Galveston with my family all week. Pete didn’t tell you?”

I shook my head.

“My grandmother passed last Monday afternoon. I hadn’t even known she was sick.” Her voice was shaking. She wiped at her suddenly wet eyes. I’d never see her like this before. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you before I drove out that night. I dropped by the house to let Pete know and then got on the road.”

That knocked all the stubborn fight out of me. And it got me thinking. “Is that why you and Pete were hugging on the porch on Monday night before I left for the day?”

She nodded.

“I thought…” But I couldn’t finish because I felt too much like a horse’s ass.

Her eyes went wide as saucers as she watched me. “Wait, you didn’t think Pete was hugging me because we were getting together, did you?”

I reddened to the roots of my hair instead of answering. What could I say? I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. I should’ve trusted that Pete and Lacey wouldn’t lie to me for weeks just to end up getting together.

“Oh my God, Emma, you never need to worry about that. Pete loves me, and I love him, but not that way.” She smiled, and I did, too, even if I did still feel like the biggest ass who ever lived. “He loves you that way. I’ve never seen him this happy with anyone in my lif

e.”

I had to make this right as soon as I could. I couldn’t believe I’d let an entire week go by while this festered. I needed to talk to Pete.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Pete

Sunday