One Fake Fiance - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,32

Lucas was marrying her for two reasons—to get his ranch and to pay off his parents’ house. It was so easy to confuse the situation, with him sitting here gazing at her with those compelling eyes that glowed with such an inner fire that it stoked the adventurous part of her, making her believe that anything was possible. Earlier, when he’d taken on those three hoodlums, fear had struck the center of her heart. The thought of Lucas getting hurt filled her with such a dark dread that she knew she had to come to terms with her feelings about him.

He interrupted her thoughts. “Yes, you matter. More than I realized.”

Her head snapped up. “You’re not just saying that—” her throat clogged. She coughed to clear it “—because of the money?” She regretted her words the instant she saw his stricken expression.

A heavy sigh pushed through his lips. “What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” Traitorous tears rose to her eyes. She blinked to stay them. “Of course you’re here for the money.” She swallowed. “We both are.” A sad smile touched her lips. “I guess it’s just hard to keep things straight in my head.” She motioned, her hand encompassing their surroundings, as a weak laugh blipped through her throat. “I mean, look where we are.”

He brushed her jaw with the tips of his fingers. His touch was tantalizing, hypnotic. A peculiar expression flitted over his features.

“What?” she murmured.

“If we’re gonna make a convincing case for a couple in love, we should probably get lots of practice in.” His eyes were so deep and liquid blue that she felt like she could lose herself in their depths.

“Ah,” she laughed softly, “I see where this is going, you wanna kiss me.” She felt his need for her, wrapping her in wings of euphoria. He did care. She could see it in his eyes.

“Yes,” he uttered with a ragged fierceness that stripped away all pretense. This had nothing to do with practice. This was blissfully real. Her breath came faster as she parted her lips and leaned in. Regardless of what happened from here on out, she would savor this moment. She’d only kissed Lucas once before, the night at the drive-in. It had lit her on fire. As time went on, she thought she’d probably built up the kiss in her mind. Here and now, she’d find out for sure if her brain had fantasized the exquisiteness of the kiss or if her assessment had been accurate.

He cupped her cheeks. “You were something today, holding that knife, ready to take on those punks.” The tender way he looked at her, the admiration in his voice, filled her entire body with glorious warmth.

“Thank you,” she said softly. Her lips trembled with a deep ache, craving the feel of his lips. If he didn’t kiss her soon, then she’d kiss him. His mesmerizing eyes went to her lips. Her spirits soared with the knowledge that his mouth was about to take hers.

Her phone rang. She jerked, gritting her teeth. “Are you kidding me?”

He lowered his hands from her cheeks. “Maybe you should get it. It might be your grandfather.”

She sucked in a quick breath, nodding. As soon as they’d gotten to the inn, Magnolia had stepped into the cozy living room adjacent to the foyer where she’d called her grandfather to tell him that they would be delayed. He’d not answered, so she left him a message. She went to her purse to retrieve her phone. Her stomach lurched. “It’s Grandfather,” she said as she slid her finger across the screen.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded too high-pitched in her own ears.

“Magnolia,” he began in an unceremonious brisk tone, “what’s this about you getting delayed?”

She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “It’s a white-out. We’re spending the night in The Magnolia Blossom Inn in a little town called Remember.” Before he could respond, she rushed on with a shaky laugh. “Actually, we met a friend of yours.”

“Who’s that?” he clipped.

“Lillian Yates. She owns the inn.” It was with some relief that she heard her grandfather’s voice warm a fraction.

“Lillian. How’s she doing?”

“Really well. She has invited Lucas and me to a live nativity celebration tonight on the town square. According to Lillian, the town is known for it.” This was met with silence.

She tightened her hold on her phone. “Grandfather, are you there?”

“I’m here,” he grumbled. “How did you end up way over in Remember? That’s off the beaten path.”

Her brain scrambled to come