Jolene's smile stayed perfectly in place but her eyes went carefully neutral.
Ward grunted. "Honest work. Nothing wrong with earning your own way." He studied me a moment longer, then nodded once. "Takes grit to work two jobs."
"Thanks," I said.
Before Jolene could ask more probing questions, a commotion at the entrance made everyone turn. A woman with impossibly big red hair teased into a gravity-defying sculpture swept in wearing leopard print, followed by a tall girl with her phone out and ready.
"Oh Lord," Hudson muttered. "Laverne's here."
Laverne descended on us in a cloud of perfume. "Hudson Massey! Kendall Blanchette! Don't y'all look precious as two peas in a pod! And Hunter—" Her sharp gaze landed on me. "Well now, who is this pretty little thing?"
"Laverne, this is Dixie Lane," Hunter said. His arm slipped around my waist, pulling me closer. "Dixie, Laverne runs Fringe Benefits Beauty Parlor in town."
"And this is my daughter May," Laverne gestured to the girl already circling us. "She runs the Bitter Tea blog—biggest news source in three counties. May, honey, get pictures! This is breaking news!"
"On it, Mama!" May snapped photos rapid-fire, phone clicking. "Hunter, closer. Yes! Smile! Oh, this is absolute gold!"
"Lane," Laverne said thoughtfully, eyes narrowing like she was solving a puzzle. "You're Della Lane's daughter, aren't you? The one who went to Houston for a while?"
My heart kicked. "Yes, ma'am."
"Thought so! You look just like your mama—same eyes, same smile. Good woman, Della. Watched my sister's kids when they were little. Those hellions would've driven anyone else straight to drinking, but not Della. Patient as Job himself." Laverne's eyes gleamed with pure satisfaction. "Well now. Hunter Massey with Della Lane's girl. May, honey, this gets top billing with a special photo gallery. 'Bitter Root's Most Eligible Bachelor Finally Roped and Tied?' What do you think?"
May nodded enthusiastically, still circling with her phone. "Already composing the headline, Mama. This is going to break our traffic records by Tuesday."
Perfect. Our fake relationship would be all over town—complete with my entire history—by tomorrow morning.
Dinner was seated, formal, and more overwhelming than I'd expected. I ended up between Hunter and Kendall, grateful for both.
Kendall dominated conversation with wedding details that bordered on engineering—the cake required an actual structural engineer's consultation, flowers needed temperature-controlled transport from three different states, bridesmaid dresses took four separate fittings because the shade of blush pink had to be absolutely perfect. Her enthusiasm was exhausting but so genuine you couldn't help being swept along.
Hunter's hand settled on my knee under the table during the salad course. His thumb brushed small circles against my skin through the dress fabric. That simple touch made concentrating on Kendall's story about the sugar flower crisis nearly impossible.
"So Hunter," Ward said during the main course, his voice gruff. "Those investor documents finalized for the McGraw deal?"
Hunter's thumb stilled on my knee. "Sent them Tuesday. McGraw's reviewing the terms now. Should have signatures by month's end."
"Good. Need that closed before spring calving season starts." Ward nodded approvingly. "That's solid work, son."
I glanced between them. "What kind of deal?"
"Heritage breed partnership," Hudson answered. "Hunter's been negotiating with McGraw Heritage Ranch for the past six months. They specialize in heritage turkey breeds, we're expanding into heritage cattle. Could be very profitable if the terms are right, and Hunter's made sure they're right."
"Hunter handles our investor relations and all major negotiations," Jolene added, tone making it sound decorative. "Director of Business Development. He's the face of Massey Ranch at all the industry events and association dinners."
"That sounds impressive," I said, squeezing his knee.
"It's mostly schmoozing over expensive bourbon," Hunter said lightly, but I heard the deflection.
"It's crucial work," Hudson said firmly. "Hunter reads people better than anyone I know. He knows when to push, when to back off, when to walk away from a bad deal. We wouldn't have half our current partnerships without him, and the ranch wouldn't be expanding without his negotiations."
Hunter's expression shifted—surprise, gratitude, maybe pride.
"Though we do wish you'd take the position more seriously," Jolene said, and just like that, the moment shattered. "You spend so much time at The Rusty Spur when you could be networking at the club where the real opportunities are. Your brother's made connections at the club that have been invaluable."
"Mom—" Hudson started.
"I'm just saying, darling. You have such potential if you'd only apply yourself with more consistency and focus."
