Chapter 12
12
M ovement from across the prairie caught Jace's eye. Tuck’s truck was coming his way.
“Shit,” he mumbled, reached over, and pulled her dress back up her shoulder.
“What?” She'd gone from looking satiated to panicked in one breath.
“It’s okay, but my ranch manager is headed this way. I’d rather he not know what we were up to.” Meredith sat up straighter; her once perfectly styled hair was cascading wildly around her face, curls resting on her shoulder. She was flushed, her lips swollen from his roughness, her eyes light. She looked like a woman who’d been sexed. He couldn’t wait to see how she looked once he got about doing it properly.
She jerked the seatbelt across her in a rush.
He took her shaking hand in his after she clicked the belt into place. “Meredith, it’s okay. Tuck and I have been friends our entire lives. He’s a nice guy who’s likely wondering where I’ve been and why I haven’t done my share of the work today. ”
“You didn’t tell him you were getting married?” When he shook his head, anger flashed across her face.
Her indignation pleased him. Hidden within her, ready to be set free, were a backbone and an expectation of how she wanted to be treated. He would enjoy watching her come into it. So long as it wasn’t directed at him like it was right now.
“I stupidly hadn’t thought the act all the way through. Had I foreseen it would have gone like it had, I would’ve had Tuck and his wife at the ceremony.”
“Oh.” Her lips made such a cute o, he wanted to kiss her again. “Sorry.”
“I’m sorry for the interruption.” He shifted in his seat and straightened the front of his pants. Meredith blushed and looked out the window.
“Maybe it was a good thing?” she mumbled.
“How so?”
“Don't you think it would be a mistake to...to...you know.” She clasped her hands together. “Mix business with pleasure.”
Jace wiped a hand down his face and blew out a breath. “No, I don't. I think it would make things more believable.”
“Do you really believe that?” Her blue eyes sparkled against her flushed cheeks.
Getting frisky looked good on her and, yeah, he really wanted to be right about it making things more believable between them if that meant they could pick up where they left off. But he wasn't right. He knew that.
He punched the steering wheel with his palm then said, “Yeah, you're right. It could cause serious complication.”
“I’m so embarrassed,” she mumbled, then looked away.
“Why?” He tried not to focus on any part of her body. As far as he was concerned, every part of her was begging for him to kiss it. But she'd brought up a good point. There would be no avoiding each other if this ended awkwardly and there was a high probability of that happening. They barely knew one another. Sex in the cab of his truck might not be the best way to start out this arrangement, whether his body wanted to or not.
He had to think of Pops.
She let her head fall back, resting it on the seat, and looked at the ceiling. “What you must think of me. First you catch me trying to skip out, breaking my word to Sabrina, then we strike a deal to help each other out, and now I'm all over you. Not a very clear message.”
He understood what she was saying; it was important to her not to be thought of negatively.
“It's clear we've got some chemistry between us. Maybe it'll help convince my folks that our marriage is genuine.”
She rolled her eyes to him. “Do you think we can pull this off?”
“Having sex? Hell yeah.”
When pink color stained her cheeks, he chuckled and said, “I think we take it day by day. How does that sound?”
“No, ah...” She gulped and leaned toward him. “Sex,” she said in a lowered voice. “I'm not the type... I haven't ever… I wouldn't be able to compartmentalize.” She shook her head.
Jace tried to decipher what she was saying and wondered if it was possible she was a virgin. He slowly nodded. They needed more time to get to know each other, and she needed to get her feet under her–so to speak. “Day by day sounds good.”
Tuck honked several times and pulled up to the truck heading the opposite direction so their driver’s sides lined up. Jace lowered his window.
“Dude, where you been? Shits getting real here. Fence is down in the east pasture, and we’re missing some heads.” Tuck looked past him to Meredith. “Whoa. Hey.” He scanned what he could of her and gave Jace a wide-eyed, questioning look.
“Tuck, this is Meredith. She and I got married this morning. ”
Tuck's mouth dropped open before breaking into a wide grin.“You’re shitting me, right?” Tuck slapped the steering wheel.
Jace shook his head. “Sorry man, I would have had you there if I realized it wasn’t going to be the private ceremony I wanted.” He glanced at Meredith. “The private ceremony we wanted.” He smiled at her.
“Hell, man. Congratulations. Mandy is going to kill me. You know that right?” Tuck leaned back in his seat and looked across Jace. “Congratulations, Meredith. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well.” Her eyes darted between Jace and Tuck’s. Sooner or later he’d like to hear her story and learn why she was so nervous around others. Preferably sooner.
“So about the fence and the cattle…” Tuck said.
“Let me get Meredith to the house and situated, and I’ll head out there with you and get it fixed up.”
Tuck nodded and, following a wag of his brows, drove away.
“I hate to leave ya like this, but we can’t afford to lose any more cattle.” He cruised slowly down the drive.
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Can you teach cows to move away when a bear comes close? 'Cause that's the problem I'm having.” He grinned, happy that she offered to pitch in.
“I would think they'd be scared. I know I'd be scared.” She shuddered.
“Sometimes.” He shrugged with indifference. “Sometimes they fight back, but mostly they're used to a variety of wildlife and can be slow to clue in.”
They turned a bend, and behind some trees sat the house. It was a two-story with a wrap porch that his great-granddaddy had built, and he shared a bit of his family history with Meredith.
“That’s it. That’s home.” Jace smiled .
“I love it. It reminds me of Sabrina's house. I've always wanted to sit on a porch like that and drink coffee––”
“Watch the sun rise or set.”
Meredith nodded eagerly. “Exactly. Have you always lived here?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t live anywhere else but here.”
She faced him, her eyes wide. “Four generations?”
He nodded. “It means a lot to me.”
“I can see why. It would to me as well.” She looked from the house to across the yard at the large barn and the three corrals next to it.
He pulled up to the detached garage. A covered walkway led the way to the backside of the house, but this family had traditions and, pretend marriage or not, he was going to adhere to them.
He jumped from the truck with every intention to go around and get her door, but Meredith was already sliding out of the truck from his side, and the sight filled him with longing. What if Meredith were really his girl? Yes, she technically was. But that was in name and not in years. Jace forced the thoughts back. He would not get attached to the idea of Meredith always being around. She liked the house; she didn’t seem put off by the remoteness. Chances of her sticking around until Pops passed were getting better. He wouldn’t ask for more.
Tuck pulled in behind him and got out. He took off his hat and extended his hand to Meredith. “Welcome to Three Peaks Ranch, Mrs. Shepard. It’s a pleasure to have you here.”
“Thank you—”
“Tuck. You can call me Tuck.”
Jace took Meredith by the elbow and steered her toward the front door. “I hate to leave you here to fend for yourself. I’m not sure how long we’ll be.” He led her around to the front and up the stairs, then stopped to faced her. “Listen, I know this might seem weird, but it’s a Shepard tradition to carry the bride over the threshold.” He lowered his voice. “I know our circumstances are different, but would you mind?”
Meredith shook her head. “I believe it’s a tradition for many people in our nation.”
“Yeah, but not like this.” He bent and tossed her over his shoulder fireman-style. Her fabulous fanny in the air, his hands holding her sexy legs at the calf.
“Jace,” she called out laughing.
“Get the bags, will ya, Tuck?” he called over his shoulder as he kicked the door open and stepped across the threshold.