Kissing the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 5)

“I wouldn’t underestimate her.” I groan. “Okay, well that’s the easy stuff.”

“There’s more?” He arches a dark brow. His expression would make me laugh if I wasn’t so anxious about all of this.

“Yes. They’re gonna expect us to act like we’re engaged. I told her it was recent, which means she’ll want to see pictures and proof. We’ll have to be close, holding hands and stuff.”

“And stuff?” He licks his bottom lip, which almost distracts me enough to forget about this whole thing. “Like kissing?”

I nearly choke on my tongue. “Yes. And share a room and bed. Also, it won’t just be at the conference. There’s a dinner Saturday night with a guest speaker, and everyone’s bringing their spouses.”

“They won’t expect us to make out at dinner,” he states matter-of-factly. “I think you’re worrying way too much.”

“I’m aware of that, but…” I shake my head at this ludicrous idea. “Never mind. This is stupid.”

“Harper, hold on…” Ethan wiggles closer to me, tilting my chin and making me look in his dreamy hazel eyes. “Deep breaths. This is goin’ to work. I know you want to impress these people and all—”

“It’s not just that,” I interrupt. “It’s Shayla. She’s unpredictable when it comes to how she’ll humiliate me. My business is at stake and so is my reputation.”

Ethan rubs the pad of his thumb across my cheek, sending shivers down my spine. I wish he knew the effect he has on me when he touches me like that.

“No matter what they think of you, your friends and family know the real you. You’re dedicated, hardworking, devoted, compassionate, and so much more. So while I understand why you want to do this, just remember it’s not gonna make or break you if they were to find out the truth.”

I nod, too mesmerized by his intense gaze to do or say anything else.

“Good. As long as you know.” He kisses my forehead, and the tenderness of his lips makes me die all over again.

“So you’re okay with all of this? The PDA, the bed sharing, and the other stuff that goes along with faking a relationship?” I confirm.

“Yeah. It’s just for a weekend, right?” he asks, and I smile. “Then we’ll figure out the details. It’ll be fine.”

I’m glad he‘s so confident because I can’t stop thinking about how I’ll have to kiss my best friend and pretend it doesn’t affect me.

“Alright, so I’ll figure out the engagement photos. We should probably practice kissing…just so we don’t look like newbs.”

Ethan narrows his eyes, slightly arching a brow. “Has it been so long that you’ve forgotten how?”

“Dammit, Ethan!” I push his chest as a blush covers my cheeks.

He chuckles. “You’re just too easy to rile up.”

I groan with an eye roll. “I’m gonna be nervous, okay?” I admit. “Kissing any guy would make me tense,” I add so he doesn’t read into it. “So yes, we need to practice ahead of time, so it seems like we’ve been doing it for ages.”

“Wow, I’d say that’s quite the hardship, but…” He winks, and I swear to God, I don’t know if I want to strangle him for messing with me or jump him for making me ache between my legs.

“Let’s do it Sunday. I’ll hopefully be caught up with my orders since I’ll have help, and we can do dinner, then chat about our made-up relationship.”

“Sunday works.” He grins. “It’s a date.”

“You what?”

Hadleigh shrieks so loud I’m sure it was heard across the ranch.

“Please tell me you’re kidding. Is this some kinda April Fool’s joke?”

I suck in a breath and shake my head. Luckily, Kaitlyn had to run to the barn to help her mom with something, which gave me the opportunity to spill what’s going on to Hadleigh. The fewer people who know about this, the better, and the only reason I’m telling her is because I need a photographer for our fake engagement shoot.

“Not a joke and I really need your help.” I fold my hands together and beg. “Please?”

“Harper, it’s not that I don’t want to, I do, but is this a good idea? I know how you feel about him.”

“The same way you feel about Kane,” I retort. “Or is it Knox this week?”

She glares. “We’re just friends.”

I smirk as if I’ve made my point, and she rolls her eyes. “Nice try. No deflecting.”

“Look, if I don’t want to completely mortify myself, I have to do this. Shayla’s too involved in social media, and if she suspects I’m lying, she’ll spill the tea to the entire soap community. I can’t take any risks. Not when business is finally picking up, and Mom is no longer behind on the shop’s rent.”

I mentioned to her once before how expensive it was to open the boutique. The business was in the red for a long time because of startup costs and inventory purchases. Once I graduated college and could contribute more, it finally gained some momentum. At that point, bills were months behind. It wasn’t until the goat milk products were added that it became profitable enough to pay the bills on time, and we began to pull a salary.