The Rancher's Fake Girlfriend - Leslie North Page 0,11
let go, he leaned over and placed his hands on his knees, breathing hard.
The clapping around them continued and Hannah scanned the crowd for Noelle and Aria. Her eyes landed first on Tripp, looming a few feet away like a storm cloud, clapping along with the crowd but frowning at the race result. Hannah took advantage of his attention and walked back over to Chad.
She placed her hand on his back. “Are you okay?” she asked.
He finally straightened up and nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t run like that since high school. Might be time to start training again.”
“I thought real ranchers trained every day?” She laughed.
He mimed taking a blow to the chest, stumbling a few steps and they laughed.
The race organizers called them both to the podium by name, and Hannah relished the fact that everyone who had gathered heard their names spoken in the same breath. It was a perfect subliminal hint to their new coupled status. The first of many more not-so-subliminal moments to come.
Chad took Hannah’s hand and escorted her up the steps. The race captain placed a medal around each of their necks. In a surprise move, Chad asked to take the mic. Hannah crossed her fingers when she realized that Chad was about to go rogue.
“Hey, folks,” Chad said, waving to the crowd as the hooting and whistling died down. “So glad to see all of y’all out there supporting the Cattlemen’s Association.” The crowd whooped again. “It’s a great organization that benefits so many of us in Kingsley. I’ve been a proud member since I was old enough to saddle a horse, and that’s why today I’m officially announcing my candidacy for chairman of the Kingsley Chapter of the National Cattlemen’s Association!”
Hannah looked out into the crowd nervously. A few people laughed … but there was more support and cheering than judgement. She sighed in relief and clapped along with everyone.
Chad beamed, handed over the mic then took a few steps over to grab Hannah’s hand and bring her up to the edge of the stage next to him. Suddenly she was back in the official capacity of arm candy, a role she played so well. The thought left a slightly sour taste in her mouth, but she swallowed it back as she smiled shyly and waved.
Chad took the mic back from the race organizer again. “Hey, everyone, this is Hannah! She’s new in town, so let’s give her a warm Kingsley welcome.” The crowd cheered even louder, and Chad grinned at her.
Then, in a move she didn’t see coming, Chad placed his hand on her cheek, leaned over and kissed her, and the crowd went wild.
5
Chad strode into the barn and saw his brothers huddled over a laptop. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, framed the image, and quickly snapped a photo without them knowing.
“Well, look at you two!” Chad said as shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Suddenly, my cattle management program doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, huh?”
He’d suggested purchasing the expensive program a few years prior, and for the longest time he was the only one of the three that used it. But changes in the weather, Shane’s busy new horse breeding business, and fine tuning the ranch’s new drainage system lead to fuller workdays for all of them, and they had quickly discovered that relying on a computer for help made more sense than sticking to the traditional cattle management techniques their father had used.
“You were right,” Jett said, pretending that it was an effort to admit it. “This program is incredible.”
“Told ya!” He took off his hat, tossed it in the air, and angled himself so it landed perfectly on his head.
“What’s got you all goofy? Or should I say, goofier than normal?” Shane asked, eyeing his brother.
He shrugged. “Just lovin’ life.”
“So, it’s not your fake girlfriend that’s got you acting like this?” Shane asked. “The one you kissed in front of everyone?”
“That was part of the act.” He hopped up on the stall gate. “But she’s actually not bad. I like hanging with her. Kinda caught me off guard, to be honest.”
“Enjoying a woman’s company caught you off guard? Chad, that’s basically all you do when you’re not here,” Jett said with a laugh.
Chad considered his point for a minute. “Yeah, but this feels different. Sure, I’ve ‘spent time’ with plenty of women.” He winked. “But with Hannah it’s more, I don’t know, real, I guess? Usually my time with women involves a