"Um," I start, my mind racing. How long? What unit? Where were we stationed? I know nothing about the military. Nothing. "A couple years, I think? Time kind of blurs together."
"I know what you mean," Mason says. "Some deployments felt like they lasted forever."
Oh God. He's actually been deployed. He knows what he's talking about, and I'm just making shit up.
"Claire did administrative work," Rhett says, his hand briefly touching my knee under the table, a gentle reassurance that nearly makes me jump. "Not field work. Different experience."
"Still military, though," Wade says. "Still serves. We appreciate that."
They're thanking me for service I never performed. They're looking at me with respect I haven't earned. I feel like I'm going to be sick.
"I mostly just pushed papers," I say weakly. "Nothing heroic."
"Every role matters," Tucker says kindly. "You don't have to downplay it."
But I'm not downplaying it. I'm making it up entirely, and the weight of the lie is crushing me. I take a bite of chili just to have something to do with my mouth, and it's delicious, which somehow makes everything worse. These people are kind and welcoming and feeding me amazing food, and I'm lying to all of them.
"Do you like horses?" Emma asks suddenly, her small voice cutting through the adult conversation. She's looking at me with big, hopeful eyes.
"I do," I say, grateful for the subject change. "Though I've never actually ridden one."
"Never?" Emma looks scandalized. "You live on a ranch now! Uncle Boone can teach you. He's the best with horses."
"I could do that," Boone says. "If you're interested. No pressure."
"That would be nice," I say, and I mean it. Learning to ride a horse feels like the kind of normal thing I desperately need right now.
"Just don't let Colt teach you," Harper says, smirking at her boyfriend. "He'll have you jumping fences on day one."
"I would not," Colt protests. "I'm a very responsible teacher."
"You taught me to ride by just putting me on a horse and slapping its ass," Nicole says.
"And you learned!"
"I also fell off three times!"
The conversation dissolves into more teasing, more laughter, and I let it wash over me. These people are so comfortable with each other, so at ease. It's like watching a well-choreographed dance where everyone knows the steps.
I'm just stumbling around trying not to trip.
Rhett's hand touches my knee again, and this time I look at him. He's watching me with concern in his brown eyes, a question written across his face: *You okay?*
I give him a tiny nod, even though I'm not okay at all. But what else am I supposed to do? Stand up and announce I'm a fraud? That I met him on a mail order bride website and we're planning to get married even though we've known each other for less than six hours in person?
No. I have to see this through. I have nowhere else to go.
"So, what made you decide to come to Blackwater Falls?" Sierra asks, and I appreciate that she seems genuinely interested rather than interrogating. "It's pretty remote. Not everyone's cup of tea."
"I needed a change," I say, which is perhaps the most honest thing I've said all night. "Where I was... it wasn't working anymore. I needed to start over somewhere new."
"Sometimes starting over is the only option," Wade says, glancing at Sierra with obvious affection. "Sometimes it's exactly what you need."
There's a story there, I can tell. Something about how Sierra came to be here, how she became part of this family. I want to ask, but I'm too afraid of inviting more questions about myself.
Dinner continues, and slowly, very slowly, I start to relax. The conversation flows naturally, touching on ranch business, town gossip, Emma's upcoming school play. No one asks me more military questions. No one demands proof of my shared history with Rhett.
They just... accept me. Because Rhett vouched for me, and apparently that's enough.
