Page 34 of Falling for the Maverick

“How long you intend to keep up this deception?” he asked.

“Probably for a couple of weeks.”

Lucas huffed. “Okay. I’m willing to go a couple of weeks, but I want it over before the end of the month.”

Michelle realized Lucas had just issued an ultimatum. If she wasn’t willing to date him openly, then it would be over between them. It was early October, so she had time to ascertain whether Lucas Brandt was the man she wanted. She knew she liked him, but what she feared most was falling in love with him only for him to discard her as he had a history of doing…or to ignore her while he killed himself with work.

That was going to be her dilemma, because right now, from what she could see, he had everything she wanted in a man with whom she could plan a future. He was the first man who’d treated her as an equal and not some damsel in distress who needed rescuing. She’d experienced enough of that growing up with four older brothers.

Joseph Corey had sternly lectured his sons that their first responsibility was to protect their sister. All of them had adhered to the edict, with Aaron taking it to another level.

Michelle and Aaron were only two years apart, but it could’ve been twice that much. From day one he’d been her shadow. Even when they were in high school, he’d put the word out that Michelle Corey was off-limits to the jocks with reputations for seducing as many girls as they could before graduating.

It wasn’t until she’d left home for college that she had what she considered her first serious boyfriend. They were together for two years before graduating. He returned to California; she remained in Montana. She secured a teaching position at a local elementary school, and that was when she met another teacher Keith Matthews. She’d heard rumors that he was a serial dater, but she ignored them and agreed to go out with him.

Ten years her senior, he’d been charming and erudite. The first time she shared his bed, she’d believed she’d fallen in love. What she later discovered was that Keith loved the chase and conquest, and she’d become his willing prey. Less than a week after they began sleeping together, the entire school knew, while she would’ve been content not to publicize their affair.

Then her entire rosy world imploded once everyone discovered he was sleeping with another teacher at the same time…and had proposed marriage.

It was only after she returned home that Michelle realized the whole sordid affair had changed her. Not only didn’t she trust men, but she’d become immune to their advances. Whenever her mother asked about dating, she replied that she was waiting for the right man and didn’t want to waste time on men who weren’t husband material.

Michelle had given herself a reprieve from trying to find out if Lucas was husband material. She just wanted to have fun for a bit. If he was reluctant to commit, then it was the same with her.

Though a part of her wondered how long that would be enough…and if she was just setting herself up for another heartbreak.

But no, that wasn’t a risk as long as she kept her heart out of the equation.

“I think it’s time I head home.” Michelle untangled herself from Lucas’s arms and slid off the recliner.

“I’ll follow you in my truck until you reach the road leading back to your ranch.”

“That’s okay, Lucas. I can make it back just fine.”

“Please don’t argue with me, Michelle. Driving down that hill is tricky during the day and even more dangerous at night.”

She realized if she hadn’t insisted they sneak around to see each other, then she could’ve taken a more direct route to his ranch. “Okay.”

Lucas frowned. “Don’t say it as if you’re doing me a favor. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“And it won’t.” She rose onto her tiptoes and gently brushed a soft kiss across his lips.

Michelle wanted to remind Lucas that she’d lived all her life in ranching country. She first rode a horse at the age of five, and she learned how to drive a tractor as soon as her legs could reach the pedals. In her teenage years, she’d been instructed in both rifle and handgun use. She also wanted to remind him that she came from generations of Corey women who supported their husbands and bore and educated their children to keep the ranch viable for succeeding generations.

Lucas drove Michelle to her vehicle, then waited for her to start up and reverse direction. She peered up at the rearview mirror to find him following her. Turning on the bright lights, she slowly maneuvered down the steep incline and blew out her breath once the ground leveled off. Lucas was right. The route was dangerous at night. She tapped the horn twice, signaling she was fine returning to the Circle C.

The house was brightly lit when Michelle pulled up, which meant her parents were still up. She parked, then went inside her suite to shower and change into sweats. It wasn’t quite ten and much too early to turn in.

She made her way into the kitchen, stopping short when she saw her mother with her head on her husband’s shoulder. “Is something wrong?”

Patty’s head popped up. “No. Your father was just telling me that we’re going to a spa in Arizona for a week of total relaxation.”

“Oh, Daddy, that’s wonderful.”

Joseph smiled. “That’s what your mother just said. We need to get away for a while. Having to deal with the double weddings has worn everyone down. I told Tristan and Aaron that they’re going to have to hold everything down until Shane and Ellis get back. Are you going to be okay staying in the house alone while we’re gone?”

Michelle gave her father an incredulous stare. “Where else would I go?”

“You can always stay with Gram and Grandpa,” Patty said.