Page 10 of Chasing Bandit

Would it be the worst thing to be married to her for just twelve months until I could get ownership of Cameron ranch?

Twelve months felt like an eternity, but maybe we could keep things casual and come to an understanding about what we both wanted out of this situation. However, I wasn't sure I had anything Stevie might want. Sex was certainly off the table since she’d made it clear after I’d had a momentary lapse in judgement a few months ago and showed up in Houston that she wasn’t interested in anything more with me. And even though our chemistry had been insane, I knew that wouldn’t be enough to entice her into a whole marriage.

“Can you toss me that tanning oil next to you?” she called over her shoulder as she continued to float.

“Sure. Would you like me to rub it in for you too?” I asked.

“No thanks. Don’t know where those hands have been.”

“That’s not what you said a few months ago.” I grumbled back as I tossed the oil on to her float while she flipped me the middle finger.

Never mind.

Being married to Stevie for twelve months? That sounded like pure hell. Enduring any woman for that long, let alone being legally bound to someone who enjoyed getting under my skin, was unimaginable.

I laid back on the chair, closed my eyes and threw my hands behind my head.

But what the hell choice did I have?

I had no other prospects, the only other woman I’d dated for any sort of amount of noteworthy time was Lana and we’d almost ruined each other’s life with our toxic relationship.

The straw that had broken the camel's back between us was when I’d heard she was telling her best friend Becca about the other guys she was sleeping with and bragging about how we were in an open relationship. I'd never taken the relationship with Lana seriously, but I certainly hadn't been sleeping with other women when we were together.

Maybe I could go on a dating app and say I’m looking for an arranged marriage.

Fuck me, I had three months to figure this shit out before Nash married Jovie and my whole fucking world imploded.

Everything I'd worked for—the legacy of my family, my dreams as the eldest—would be handed over to Nash. Though I knew he'd handle it responsibly as the reliable middle child he always was, finding a way for me to effectively own it without official paperwork, it wouldn't feel the same to me unless my name was on the deed.

Years ago, while Nash pursued his degree and worked as a civil engineer in Houston, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into the Cameron ranch, transforming it into what it is today. I'd faithfully served alongside my father since I was a toddler, dedicating everything I have to the place I call home. I was not willing to give it up so easily, even if that meant entering a marriage of convenience with an expiration date, to a woman I didn’t love.

Nash had held on to his pride over the years, Clay to his humor laced with pain, and I’d held on to my anger. I was bent on using that anger to throttle me forward into what I knew I had to do to secure my future as owner of Cameron ranch.

I stood up, more determined now as I dove into the cool pool water. When I reemerged, I popped under an innertube and pulled myself closer to where Stevie was lying.

“You wanna know why I was black out yesterday shooting at a dead oak tree and screaming at the sky like a mad man?” I asked.

She leaned forward on the raft eagerly, playfully placing her chin under her hands and nodding her head yes. My eyes took a moment to absorb her soft skin, the curve of her body and the chipped nail polish she always wore. I knew the way she looked at me now would never be the same after she found out what my dad had told me I needed to do.

“It was because my dad told me I needed to find a wife to marry in the next three months or he’ll give Cameron ranch to Nash.”

Her jaw dropped open in shock.

Chapter 7 – Stevie

“What?” I stammered.

Wylie smiled and ducked under the innertube then reemerged pulling himself up on to the raft I was laying on, causing me to almost tip into the cool, pool water.

“What the hell?” I demanded as I gripped on tightly while he struggled to drag his heavy body on to the float next to mine. “Did you need to be on the float for us to have this conversation?”

He shrugged. “Figured it be funnier to see your reaction up close.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why did Rig say you had to get married in order to inherit Cameron ranch?”

“Something some great-great-grandparent or some shit put into the deed for Cameron ranch hundreds of years ago as a stipulation for inheriting it.”

“They can do that?”

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