as he headed to the barn to track down Finn.
He found their foreman first. Cody Gabrielle did a double take, dropping the hoof he was cleaning to the ground before patting the mare on the back side and closing the pen door after himself. “Hey.”
Zach offered a quick smile. “Have you seen Finn?”
Cody pointed farther into the barn. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
News had spread fast. Zach decided to play dumb, just to see which particular part Cody was the most interested in. “For what?”
“Oh, come on, now.” Cody’s chin dipped disapprovingly. “If nothing else, you should have warned me off. I was considering making my own move on Julia,” he confessed.
The flare of possessiveness that struck Zach—it wasn’t good.
She’s my wife…
Zach stopped in his tracks and let the actual words sweep over him. He had a wife. Julia was his wife.
Dear Lord, he was married, to Julia. Which made him a—
“Your face is priceless,” Cody said dryly. “I don’t know if I should hose you down or punch you in the gut for gloating.”
Zach flashed a grin and pulled his act together. “Save the gut jabs. You should offer me a toast.”
Cody nodded, but a trace of concern snuck in. “Cheers. But, damn, man. That’s one hell of a dating method.”
The casual shrug came easy. “When it’s right, no use in waiting.”
“Please.” The man snorted. “Don’t try to pretend you’ve fallen in love this fast. I mean, you two might fit like oil and vinegar, but it’s still ridiculous. You’re up to something.”
Curiosity struck. Cody wasn’t giving him grief over the “married in Vegas” deal. “Yeah? You figure out our deep, dark secret?”
Cody flashed him a grin. “Got to be money on the line, somehow.”
That was an understatement. However, the least said, the better. “Weather’s looking decent over the next few days.”
That earned him a soft snicker and a wink. “In the meantime, you’ve got Julia in your bed—not a punishment, man. Not in the least.”
Except for the damn No Sex rule. Zach kept his smile in place. “Watch how you talk about my woman,” he warned.
The foreman laughed. “Anyway, we’ve got things to discuss. Come on. Work first, then you can get back to the honeymoon.”
Didn’t Zach just wish that were the truth?
Still, the hour spent with Cody going over the list of tasks to be completed on the dude ranch gave Zach a good chance to rest his brain.
He had a year. No use pushing too hard and fast and getting Julia’s hackles up. Although he liked her when she was feisty just as much as he liked her sense of humour.
The only mood he didn’t like was when fear rose in her eyes.
After saying goodbye to Cody a few minutes before six-thirty, Zach paced back toward the cabin, concern rising.
She’d mentioned the kidnapping business so casually, and yet it had to have been hell. Maybe still was. Crowding her was definitely off the agenda.
Luckily, he had all sorts of other options when it came to edging the fake into real.
He marched up the front steps of their cabin, noting with interest the small stack of boxes and random furniture gathered in a neat pile. One step farther, and he pushed through the door.
“Hi, honey, I’m home,” he called cheekily.
The living room-slash-kitchen area was empty. Voices sounded from the back of the cabin, and he followed the noise, curiosity rising as Julia’s laugh drifted over a deep masculine tone.
“You’re probably right,” Julia said as Zach cautiously poked his head through the open doorway to the guest room.
“Of course, I’m right.” The voice seemed to rise out of nowhere before Zach noticed her phone propped up against a stack of books. “Oh, hello. You must be Zach.”
Julia twisted on the edge of the bed, gesturing him closer. “Hey. I thought I’d be done by now. Come and meet Tony.”
Zach settled beside her as ordered, hoping for a clue as to if this was a person to outright lie to or what. Should he kiss her? Ignore her?
He stuck with simple for now. “Hi, Tony.”
Thank God, Julia offered a grin and put Zach out of his misery. “Tony’s my therapist. He knows everything. Sorry, I should have asked first, but he called unexpectedly.”
“It’s both our secret. Also, therapists get a lot of slack,” Zach offered even as he examined her face. She seemed a little calmer than usual. “You okay?”
She nodded, gesturing toward her phone. “With the weekend excitement, I forgot to reschedule my next appointment. Tony called