Page 6 of Class Act

When the last of the tasks are completed, we head back toward the house, my legs so weak I’m leaning on Cain, only to be stopped by Mason.

“I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier, but I wanted to say congratulations on the nuptials. We were surprised, I have to admit.”

“Join the club,” I mutter, making Cain bark out a laugh and Mason look at us questioningly. He and I vowed – the first we’ve officially exchanged – to keep the circumstances to ourselves, choosing to give the illusion we’ve been communicating for a while and, on a whim, decided to take the next step. Cain had warned me that Mason might be a hard sell on it as he’d known Cain since he was a kid and that acting impulsively was out of character for him, but it that wasn’t the case.

Mason actually had an easy explanation for it after being told. “Love changes a man.” He also told Cain to take the rest of the week off, reassuring him that the guys have it covered.

Chapter Six

Cain

April 15th…

Normally I’d be at loose ends without something to occupy my every waking moment, but I’m too busy relishing every second with Madelyn. She’s, in short, amazing. It’s a word I don’t use often, my belief being that people toss it around too freely, but it’s exactly what she is.

Now, I’m not saying she’s perfect. Love – and that’s surely what’s growing between us – may make it easier to overlook faults in the person that’s captured your affection, but it doesn’t make them oblivious to them.

Though we may be married, I’m no longer questioning the validity of my mom’s methods as the paperwork seems legit and I find that I want it to be real, she and I are virtual strangers. Which we’re fixing by dating, today’s outing being a picnic. Granted, it’s on the property, but that’s intentional as I want her to see it as more than a job. I want her to think of it as her home.

She offered to help me prepare our meal, and while it’s fun when we do, it’s not exactly wooing her if she’s doing half the work. My mom may have won Madelyn’s hand for me, butIwant to win something priceless.

Her heart.

We take my horse, Thunder, to a spot I’ve never shared with anyone until now. It’s a field near the north pasture that’s my little getaway. Admittedly, I don’t get to enjoy it as much as I’d like which I’m now realizing needs to change. It’s a thought that hadn’t crossed my mind until Madelyn came into my life, and perhaps that’s why. I needed her to open my eyes to what could be.

I help her down, impressed with how quickly she’s taken to riding, then remove the blanket and basket I’d attached to the saddle, spreading the former amongst the wildflowers. She oohs and aahs as I remove containers, to which I’d prefaced by executing a bow. “Your feast awaits, milady.”

“That’s wife to you, kind sir,” she retorts with a wicked grin.

“Pardon me, Mrs. Remington. For your dining pleasure, I have prepared fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, and for dessert, strawberry shortcake.”

She licks her lips and I force myself to remain standing when I really want to tackle her and consummate our union. I will take her, she and I know that even if we’ve never said it out loud, but it’ll be after we pledge our lives to each other face to face. I’m not negating the marriage my mom orchestrated, only that I want Madelyn and I to know what we’re agreeing to this time.

As we eat, we talk about anything and everything, including why she needed to get away from her hometown. She tells me about being raised by a single mother and the circumstances leading to her mom’s marriage to Paul and the stepbrother, Trent, that she gained because of it. It’s obvious from her tone she doesn’t care for either of them, yet her love for her mom outweighed it. “It wasn’t a pleasant environment, and it got worse after she got sick. Once I lost her, I was counting down the days until I could get out of there.”

“Which you did when you hit eighteen?”

She shakes her head. “Unfortunately, no. I couldn’t afford to. Paul and Trent decided, since mom couldn’t work, that I needed to earn our keep, leaving me unable to find employment, and it got worse after she passed.”

“How did you finally get free?”

“I pretended to be broken, letting them think I was resigned to my fate, so they were confident they could take a vacation. For the first time in years, I was alone.”

“Suckers.”

She snorts, agreeing with an, “Indeed. I wasted no time gathering what I needed, using the stash I’d accumulated from the change after buying groceries, etc., and took off.”

“And landed at Permanently Yours?”

“Eventually, yes.” She doesn’t expound and I don’t ask her to. When she’s ready, she’ll tell me more. Besides, she has something else on her mind now that she’s had enough of discussing the past. The future. “I want us to stay married.”

“That was never in question,” I try not to snarl, the mere thought of her thinking otherwise making me lose my appetite.

But she expels a sigh, almost as if she’s relieved by my reaction. “Good. If not, I was prepared to fight you.” I’d laugh, except my woman has shown she’s quite feisty. I’m so happy I can’t resist kissing her, the food between us forgotten as we find something much more delicious to devour.

Each other.

Much later, I pull back from her, which is admittedly, hard as hell.

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