Chapter Four
As Hunter spoke to his sister, Willow pulled out of his arms. Reluctantly, he let her go. He’d never be able to hold on to her anyway. If it hadn’t been for this ridiculous fake engagement, he would never have been able to get near her, let alone kiss her and touch her.
“Everything okay?” Jade was asking. “You sound out of breath?”
“Yeah, everything is fine. You?” His eyes followed Willow as she stepped into her studio and switched on the light.
“We have to talk. You still thinking of returning to the ranch?”
“Well, yes …”
“You’ve been away for so long I was wondering if you haven’t fallen in love with Montana by this time,” she teased.
“It’s a beautiful part of the country but I’m ready to join Dad when he wants me to.”
Jade was silent for a moment. “You don’t sound as enthusiastic as you did when we last spoke. Is there anything going on I should know about?”
“No. It will be difficult to leave here, I’ll miss … everybody, but I’m ready to come home any time. So are you and Wilder Nelson still locking horns?” His sister and the neighboring rancher’s son had been rivals since their first day at school.
Jade chuckled. “Well, not so much anymore.”
There was something in her voice. “What do you mean?”
A movement from in Willow’s studio caught his attention. She was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed, watching him, her eyes full of questions.
“That’s a conversation for another day. Why would it be difficult to leave?” Jade asked, not missing anything as usual.
“Look, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Even before she’d said goodbye, he’d ended the call.
“You’re leaving the ranch?” Willow asked.
“Not right now, but yes, the idea has always been that I’ll take over from my dad when he retires.
Before Hayden asked me to join the team on the Weston ranch, I was actually on my way back home, but then my dad told me he wasn’t quite ready yet to let me take over, and well, the next day I got the offer from Hayden.
Recently, though, my dad’s been hinting I should return.
I think he’s ready to step away from managing the ranch full-time. ”
Dropping her arms, she walked up to him. “So have you been thinking about going back?”
“Hayden knows this is temporary. I was going to talk to him tomorrow.”
“Was?”
He grinned. “Well, you see, I have a new problem now. I recently got engaged, which makes going back to Colorado right now a bit problematic.”
“But it’s only a fake engagement, isn’t it? It’ll be over by tomorrow.”
His heart skipped a beat. “It doesn’t have to be. Won’t you still be in need of a fake fiancé for a while? To keep your mother off your back?”
For long moment those blue eyes stared at him. “I leave for my exhibition in about ten days’ time. Can you postpone leaving until then?”
Trying to hide his relief, he smiled. “I can wait ten days, sure. Hayden and I have an arrangement. I can leave at any time. It’ll give me time to make sure I leave things in order.”
She nodded. “I have to be in Seattle next Sunday. When I’m gone you can tell Hayden you’re going back to Colorado, and we can tell everyone we’re going our separate ways, or tell them I didn’t want to move to Colorado, which is true, by the way.
I’ll be away until just before Christmas, and by that time, you’ll be back home and my mom will hopefully have something else occupying her mind and she’ll stop pestering me about getting a husband. ”
“So what exactly does a fake engaged couple do?” he asked pushing his hands in his pockets so that he wouldn’t touch her. Her mood was difficult to read.
“Attend events together, I suppose. There are a several Christmas fun things we can do, like skating on Miracle Lake tomorrow. I suggest we go together, act like engaged couples do. And on Sunday we’ll have lunch with my mother.
Next Friday we’ll go to the Garden of Lights, and I’ll get tickets for Saturday night’s dance.
” She frowned. “Or do they also sell Christmas buttons for that? I’m not sure, but my mom will be thrilled if I ask her to get us tickets. ”
“I’ll get the tickets or buttons,” he said.
“Okay, but let me know what I owe you, please?”
“I’m sure I can swing a couple of tickets for my fake fiancé.”
She lifted her chin. “I prefer to pay my own way. Anything else?”
“One more thing, how do engaged couples act?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never been engaged before, but I suppose you’ll have to hold my hand.”
Picking up her hand, he placed it against his chest. “What else?”
Chewing her lip, she looked at him. “I’m not one for grand gestures but we should probably exchange a peck or two, just for appearances sake.”
“A peck?” he asked as he bent his head. “Like this?” He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.
Her soft gasp went straight down to his loins.
“Or something like this?” His slid his lips down her face, stopping just before he’d reached her mouth.
Her eyes darkened.
“Or maybe”—he kissed her lips softly, then lifted his head—“like that?”
Her eyes opened slowly. “What?”
“Which peck do you prefer?”
For a moment, her eyes focused on his mouth. It took all his self-control not to grab and kiss her with all the pent-up desire racing through his blood.
“You decide,” she said loftily as she turned around and walked toward the front door. “Pick me up at around eleven, will you? That way we’ll arrive fashionably late, as engaged couples are supposed to. Thanks for helping a girl out.” She opened the door.
Gnashing his teeth, he put on his jacket and grabbed his hat. It was only as he walked past her that he noticed it—the tiny pulse just below her jawline hammering away.
“Damn it, Willow,” he growled as he dropped his hat and bent down to kiss her.
He needed both his hands. The kiss was supposed to express his frustration but the moment his hands cupped her face and his mouth closed over hers, he got lost in her scent, the texture of her skin, the silkiness of her hair.
As he sipped from her lips like a man dying of thirst, his hands frantically found their way underneath her top. He touched her breasts, she shuddered.
Swallowing her moan, he pulled her closer still, making sure she knew exactly how desperately he wanted her. Even if she couldn’t read him, she could feel what she did to him. She was all soft curves and toned lines, her skin so silky and warm he could spend days just touching her.
When he was just about ready to explode, he lifted his head, gasping. “Goodnight.” Without looking at her again, he jogged to his truck, his body throbbing in frustration. Tonight, he was going to need more than one cold shower.
As he drove away, he glanced in the rearview mirror. She was still standing in the doorway, her hand touching her lips.
With a groan, he stepped on the gas. Pretend. That was all this craziness was. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t going to last. He could only be with her until she left for her exhibition.
Hopefully it would be enough time to get her out of his system.