Wishing for the Rancher’s Love (High Country Ranch #5)

Chapter 16

16

Grady hadn’t meant to tell Clementine about the challenge with his dad, but now that it was out, he was relieved.

“Do I need to pick a wife today?” he asked as he shifted in his saddle.

The wagon path was muddy with yesterday’s rain. The long grass on either side was yellow and wilted and damp. But the way was level and smooth with wide open fields for most of the rest of the way to Georgetown, which was a good thing, since the coyote bites were hurting more than he wanted to admit.

“This is serious, Grady.” She gave him a severe look. “You’re a good man and deserve to be happy with the right woman.”

His lips quirked up with another grin. He liked that she wanted him to find the right person, and he liked that she was taking the matter seriously. It meant she cared about his future and about him.

“But since you’re grinning, clearly you’re cavalier about the whole matter.” Her tone came out laced with a frustration he hadn’t expected.

He slid her a sideways glance, his brow rising. “What? Do you want me to give you the name of another woman I’m interested in?”

“Yes.”

“Too bad. I’m not doing it.” Not when that woman was her.

As soon as the thought filtered through his head, he clutched at his reins tighter, a sudden premonition radiating through him that the conversation was about to take a turn in a direction he wasn’t sure he wanted to go yet.

He couldn’t tell her he was possibly in love with her and had been forever. And he couldn’t tell her he wanted a future with only her and was willing to wait, even sacrifice the hardware store, so that he could find a way to build a relationship with her.

Her green eyes had begun to flash now with her feisty anger. “You don’t have a name. That’s why you refuse to give me one.”

“It’s private.”

“It’s nonexistent.”

“Think what you want.”

She huffed out an irritated noise. “Who do you think your dad will pick for you, since he’s obviously going to win?”

Should he tell her the truth? The fact was, if his dad fell in love with Mrs. Meriwether and won the contest, then no doubt he’d make a big deal about matching him with Clementine. She’d find out soon enough anyway that she was his dad’s choice.

“He must have someone in mind,” she persisted.

Grady hesitated.

“Tell me.”

“You’re a pest. You know that, don’t you?”

“Gra-dy.”

“Fine.” He released a breath. “You.”

She fell silent.

When he slid another look her way, she was peering ahead down the wagon path.

What was she thinking? Without seeing into her eyes, he was having a hard time gauging her reaction.

“He loves you as much as my mom did. You know that.”

She nodded.

That reason wasn’t the whole truth. But how could he explain that his dad had also seen past the walls of defense and fighting to the love Grady carried in his heart for Clementine?

After holding her for most of the night, he knew without a doubt that he’d never love another woman the way he loved her. With her sleeping against him so peacefully, for the first time in a long while he’d felt at peace too. And he’d felt complete, as if he’d found a piece of his life that had been missing.

She nudged her horse forward again, and he followed suit.

“Will you say something?” he asked after a minute of silence. “Anytime you’re silent, I get nervous.”

She tossed him a wry smile. “Funny.”

“No, really. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Your dad’s sweet to want me to be with you, and I love him too.”

“But you won’t let him play matchmaker between us?”

She was silent another beat—a beat that seemed to last an eternity. Finally, she spoke, her voice quiet. “As nice as your dad is, I don’t know that I could have an arranged marriage. I was hoping to marry someone I love and who loves me in return.”

Someone I love . A knot cinched tight in his gut at the prospect of her loving any other man. “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Yet?” His voice turned hard, but he couldn’t help it. “Then you have someone in mind?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you do?”

“What?” She gave him an ingratiating smile. “Do you want me to give you the name of the man I’m interested in?”

“Yes.”

“Too bad. I’m not doing it.”

At the echo of his own words coming from her lips, he just shook his head. He couldn’t expect her to share when he hadn’t. Even so, frustration pulsed inside him, just as it always did whenever she was around other men. The fact was, he loathed anyone who might be able to win her affection. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to direct it toward himself.

In the meantime, he didn’t want her to feel any pressure as a result of his dad’s challenge, especially not after they’d just begun to tear down the barriers. He didn’t want to put any more up. “Don’t worry about my dad and his matchmaking. I’m not letting him push me into a relationship. I’d rather lose out on the building first.”

“But it’s an ideal location for a business.”

He shrugged. “I’ll save up enough on my own, and eventually I’ll find something else.”

“So if he told you to marry me or lose out on the loan, you’d rather lose out on the loan?” Something in her voice seemed to hint at hurt.

Was he projecting that he didn’t want her? If so, that wasn’t true. But how could he suggest he was open to a future with her but not scare her away?

“I see how it is.” Her tone dropped low. “I’m good enough to be your friend, but I’d never be good enough to be your wife.”

“No!” The retort came out swiftly. “That’s not it at all.”

“You find the thought of marrying me so repulsive that you’d rather turn down a loan than even consider it.”

He reined in his horse, even though he was in a hurry to get to town, where they would be safer from the stalker than out in the open. But her assumption was so not true—the opposite of true—that he had to say something to clarify the matter.

She halted too and shifted in her saddle so that she was glaring at him.

“Of course the thought of marrying you isn’t repulsive.” It was not only not repulsive; it was a very, very enticing possibility. “And you’re most definitely good enough for me. In fact, you’re too good for me.”

The frown lines in her forehead softened.

“I won’t deny that I’ve felt some attraction to you.” That was an understatement. He’d felt a lot more than some . “How could I not? You’re an amazing woman.”

“Amazing?” Her ire was completely gone now, and her lips curled up with a happy smile.

“And you’re beautiful.”

“Do you think so?” Her question was filled with such innocence that he knew she wasn’t fishing for a compliment. Instead, she was genuinely surprised at his praise.

He was a worse cad than he’d realized for making her doubt how amazing and beautiful she was over the years. “You’re incredible, and I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise over the years. The truth is, I can’t think of any other woman I’d want more than you.”

As soon as the words were out, embarrassed heat swelled up, and he couldn’t look at her. He didn’t want to see her reaction to his almost-proclamation of love. Had he been too rash in stating his feelings so clearly?

“Thank you, Grady.” Her response was soft, almost as if she was embarrassed too.

He hadn’t meant to make things awkward between them, but that’s what he got for being too open. “I just don’t want to use you to get a loan from my dad. That’s all.”

“I understand now. And I respect you for that. I really do.”

They started forward again and rode in silence for several long minutes, and he wished she’d start talking again about something else.

“So...” Her voice held a note of mischief. “You really think I’m amazing and beautiful?”

He rolled his eyes at her, relieved she wasn’t taking everything too seriously. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Oh, I’m taking the compliments very seriously. In fact, I’d like you to write them down so I can use them against you next time you get upset at me for flirting too much.”

Flirting? His mood darkened, as if a cloud had swept in and covered the sun. “You do realize I’m the only one you can flirt with now?” His tone was dark and ominous too.

She quirked a brow at him.

“While we’re in Georgetown.” He wanted to demand that she never flirt with anyone else ever again, but he’d already said too much.

“So, you’re giving me permission to flirt with you?”

“We have to put on a convincing show that we’re in love and ready to get married.”

“I can be convincing.” She tossed him her classic flirtatious smile, the one that was half-cocked and followed by a wink.

“That smile is too fake.” He didn’t like it—never had. Probably because it had been directed at other men and not him.

“Okay, how about this?” She lowered her lashes and gave him a sultry look.

“No.” He didn’t like that one either for the same reason.

For several minutes, she practiced her repertoire of flirtatious moves on him. And he only got more irritated with each one.

“Don’t do any of that,” he groused as the edge of town came into view ahead.

Her expression lost the flirtatious pout and returned to normal. “You don’t like any of them?”

“None.”

“No wonder you don’t have a woman yet,” she snipped back. “You’re impossible to flirt with.”

“Come up with something new for me.”

“New?”

“I’ve seen you use all those moves with other fellows, and I don’t like them.”

“My, my. Are we picky or what?”

“I could do better than you.”

“I doubt it very much. I don’t think you’d know what flirting was if it walked up to you and smacked you in the face.”

She was right to a degree. He wasn’t a charmer. He was much too straightforward to play games with a woman. But today he’d have a little fun trying to win her over without her realizing that’s what he was doing.

“I’ll teach you how real flirting is done,” he said.

Her smile kicked up. “I’ll look forward to it.”

He intended to make sure she would look forward to it... today and always.