remind you to do that again,” he chided. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Sampson, my very best wishes for a long and fruitful life together.”
The judge’s words sobered Chaney in the same way a bucket of cold water thrown at her would. A long life together, not a chance. Chaney was sure Jed wasn’t interested in spending any more time married than necessary as witnessed by the fact that before he had accepted her proposal he had asked how long before she would file for a divorce. Which was fine, she didn’t want to be married either.
“Thank you,” Chaney heard Jed reply. Her mind still clouded with too many other things, she was happy to let him take the lead.
Jed’s hand at the small of her back, guided her out the door. The heat of that hand reminded her of the judge’s comment. The fruitful part.
Having already lost Jed’s baby once, she was terrified of becoming pregnant again. Her father knew that. This was probably why her father had added the part about her expecting before her first anniversary. Chaney had to face it. Her father wanted a male heir and this was his way of forcing her to help him to that end. The fact that Belle might have a son obviously skipped his mind.
Chaney didn’t expect Jed to be thrilled about this part of the deal, so she hadn’t said anything yet. Besides, maybe she couldn’t get pregnant.
Then this marriage would be for nothing . She wouldn’t think about that possibility. This had to work. I have to succeed. I have to prove to Father that I can be a woman, a mother, and run a ranch.
“Chaney?”
Coming out of her fog, she realized they were standing on the sidewalk in front of Jed’s car. “Hmmm?”
“What do you want to do?”
Run, her mind screamed. “I guess we go home.”
Jed opened the passenger door and handed her in. He always had been a gentleman that way. Chaney remembered how he used to help her up into the old truck he drove. He had to wrestle the door open and slam it closed, but he always handed her up as if it was a royal coach or something. Even before they’d been dating, he’d been that way.
Shaking her head as she watched his firm, trim body walk around the front of the car she chastised herself. If she was going to keep her sanity, she couldn’t go all google-eyed every time he was near her. She also couldn’t keep making him out to be wonderful.
He wasn’t wonderful. He’d left her. Walked away without a backward glance. Discarded her like scraps on the table. Tossed and forgotten like litter out a car’s window.
The litany of clichés fired her anger, replacing the warm glow that had wrapped around her moments earlier. “That’s better.”
“Pardon?” Jed asked sliding in behind the wheel.
Chaney cringed at the realization that she had spoken out loud. “I said the lawyer’s office would be better.”
“We wouldn’t want to chance missing that deadline.”
Was that sarcasm in his tone? Okay, so maybe she deserved it. It was their wedding day, such as it was. The lawyer could wait until tomorrow. She would call him and tell him she would be in with proof in the morning.
“I’m sorry. We don’t have to go to the lawyer’s office. It’s only Monday and my birthday isn’t until Thursday. I’m pretty sure I can get into town before then. I guess we should do something special.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow.
“Go out to eat or something. People are going to ask questions when we show up married when you’ve only been back a week or so. We need to work on a story.”
“You do know lies have a nasty habit of sneaking up and biting you when you’re not looking.”
“So does the truth,” Chaney countered. “Besides, I didn’t say we had to lie. I meant, work on making a wedding day to tell about.”
“Sure you did, Chaney.”
She turned in her seat as far as the seatbelt would allow. “If you’re going to challenge my every thought and word, this is going to
The judge’s words sobered Chaney in the same way a bucket of cold water thrown at her would. A long life together, not a chance. Chaney was sure Jed wasn’t interested in spending any more time married than necessary as witnessed by the fact that before he had accepted her proposal he had asked how long before she would file for a divorce. Which was fine, she didn’t want to be married either.
“Thank you,” Chaney heard Jed reply. Her mind still clouded with too many other things, she was happy to let him take the lead.
Jed’s hand at the small of her back, guided her out the door. The heat of that hand reminded her of the judge’s comment. The fruitful part.
Having already lost Jed’s baby once, she was terrified of becoming pregnant again. Her father knew that. This was probably why her father had added the part about her expecting before her first anniversary. Chaney had to face it. Her father wanted a male heir and this was his way of forcing her to help him to that end. The fact that Belle might have a son obviously skipped his mind.
Chaney didn’t expect Jed to be thrilled about this part of the deal, so she hadn’t said anything yet. Besides, maybe she couldn’t get pregnant.
Then this marriage would be for nothing . She wouldn’t think about that possibility. This had to work. I have to succeed. I have to prove to Father that I can be a woman, a mother, and run a ranch.
“Chaney?”
Coming out of her fog, she realized they were standing on the sidewalk in front of Jed’s car. “Hmmm?”
“What do you want to do?”
Run, her mind screamed. “I guess we go home.”
Jed opened the passenger door and handed her in. He always had been a gentleman that way. Chaney remembered how he used to help her up into the old truck he drove. He had to wrestle the door open and slam it closed, but he always handed her up as if it was a royal coach or something. Even before they’d been dating, he’d been that way.
Shaking her head as she watched his firm, trim body walk around the front of the car she chastised herself. If she was going to keep her sanity, she couldn’t go all google-eyed every time he was near her. She also couldn’t keep making him out to be wonderful.
He wasn’t wonderful. He’d left her. Walked away without a backward glance. Discarded her like scraps on the table. Tossed and forgotten like litter out a car’s window.
The litany of clichés fired her anger, replacing the warm glow that had wrapped around her moments earlier. “That’s better.”
“Pardon?” Jed asked sliding in behind the wheel.
Chaney cringed at the realization that she had spoken out loud. “I said the lawyer’s office would be better.”
“We wouldn’t want to chance missing that deadline.”
Was that sarcasm in his tone? Okay, so maybe she deserved it. It was their wedding day, such as it was. The lawyer could wait until tomorrow. She would call him and tell him she would be in with proof in the morning.
“I’m sorry. We don’t have to go to the lawyer’s office. It’s only Monday and my birthday isn’t until Thursday. I’m pretty sure I can get into town before then. I guess we should do something special.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow.
“Go out to eat or something. People are going to ask questions when we show up married when you’ve only been back a week or so. We need to work on a story.”
“You do know lies have a nasty habit of sneaking up and biting you when you’re not looking.”
“So does the truth,” Chaney countered. “Besides, I didn’t say we had to lie. I meant, work on making a wedding day to tell about.”
“Sure you did, Chaney.”
She turned in her seat as far as the seatbelt would allow. “If you’re going to challenge my every thought and word, this is going to
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