“I have the money I need to enter,” she said, and Trey got himself moving toward her.
“Thatyouneed to enter?” he asked, not sure why that wordIhad bothered him so much.
“Thatweneed to enter,” she amended, glancing at him “And I have you.”
“My word,” he said, the reality of this situation pressing down on him. “You don’t have anything worked out.”
“I need help,” she said, her voice tight. “You’re the one with all the connections in the horse racing world.”
She was using him.
Of course she is, he thought.You knew that.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “That’s not what I meant.” She exhaled heavily and stepped in front of him. Trey stopped, so many things zipping through him. He wasn’t sure if it was electricity from her nearness or disbelief at the situation in front of him.
Training a horse to run and win a race in less than five months? Not only was that insane—absolutely insane—but he had to first marry the woman, move in with her and her son, and somehow answer all the questions that would be thrown at him from every side.
“I like you too, Trey,” she said, looking right into his eyes. “I think you’re kind, handsome, and talented. I said before that I knew a few cowboys, but I knew you best, and that’s true. What’s also true is that you’re the only cowboy I know that makes my heart do weird things, and I figured we’d have the best chance of doing this without it being too awkward.”
He took a few moments to think through what she’d said. “What kind of weird things?”
Beth burst out laughing and put her good hand in his. “Weird things, Trey. Like it skips beats and stops sometimes when you walk in the room.”
“I think you should have that looked at,” he said, though a flush worked its way through his whole body. “Sounds like you might have a heart condition.”
“Stop it,” she said, giggling.
“Should we go to dinner tomorrow?” he asked.
“I can’t tomorrow,” she said. “I have four of your guys coming to clear my fruit trees. I’m going to be canning and juicing and saucing for days.”
Trey’s frustration kicked up a notch. He wasn’t sure why he needed a date before they got married. Perhaps because he wanted this relationship to be real.
Not fake, he thought. He’d wanted it to be real for months now. When he’d whispered that he liked Beth, that was real. His feelings hadn’t changed just because he’d agreed to a fake marriage for the Sweetheart Classic.
He didn’t want to ask her questions she didn’t know the answers to, and he didn’t want to hear her say that their relationship wasn’t real to her. She felt very real at his side, her fingers as real as anything between his.
“Maybe I could come help you,” he said.
“Have you ever made applesauce, cowboy?”
“No, ma’am.” He squeezed her hand. “You could teach me. I’ll do what you say.”
“Sounds like a fun date,” she said, slipping her hand up his arm and around his elbow. She hugged him there, and Trey felt strong and invincible in that moment. “You can tell me all about your family.”
“Beth, I have seven brothers and the most complicated mother on the planet. I’d need a whole week just for her.”
Beth laughed again, and Trey wanted to make her life easier. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be thereasonher life was easier and happier. He remembered the way he’d felt on the deck only a couple of hours ago, and he couldn’t deny the peaceful feeling that had come over him then.
If he could help Beth, he should.
“It’s really dark now,” she said. “We should go back.”
Trey turned around, the winking lights on the farmhouse in the distance the picture-perfect postcard of small-town America. “I have another stipulation,” he said, his throat dry. He uncapped his bottle of water and took a long drink.
“Go on then,” she said.
“I want to know about you, Beth.” He looked away from the lights in the distance, but it was dark now and hard to focus on her face. “Not just your family. Not just surface stuff so we can show people we ‘know each other.’” He swallowed, about to fillet himself alive. “I like you, and I want to get to know you, like I said.”