“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?”
