I smack him playfully. “Please! Anyone would be lucky to have me. And he’s paying a bunch of other things, so…”
“Is that right?” Austin cocks his head to the side, his gaze still on me, before looking back toward the pasture. “So, it’s a marriage of convenience? You’re not in love?”
My eyes bulge at the directness of his question. “Wow! Don’t beat around the bush or anything.”
He shrugs. “What? I’ve seen that guy. He’s… not attractive. And you’re…”
“I’m what?”
“You’re… notunattractive. And well, you said he was paying for things, so I figure, marriage of convenience. What’s the dude paying for?”
My eyes bulge again. “Wow… you just go for it, don’t you?”
“Is it a secret?”
I contemplate his question. I guess it’s not, though I’m not sure I want whatever judgment is coming to me. “The farm started losing money a few years ago. We went into debt. Then Mom got sick and now she needs surgery. Rick is paying for all that.”
I expect another smart-ass remark, but instead, Austin’s face goes blank. “Oh fuck. You’re seriously marrying him for his money? That’s low, even for me, and I’m kind of an asshole.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Nice talk.” I start walking back up the hill toward the house. It was a mistake to come down here, and an even bigger mistake to trust a man I barely know with information he knows nothing about.
“What?” He laughs.
I glance back at him. “Rick knows what’s happening. It was his idea.”
Austin’s brows narrow. How is he getting more handsome by the second? “So, he knows you don’t love him and he’s marrying you anyway?”
I suck in a deep breath and nod, crossing my arms over my chest as we step back up onto the front porch. “The only people that don’t know are my parents. My dad is stressing over the wedding. I think he wants to add something to it. You know, the whole father takes care of things mentality, but I can’t get into it for the life of me.” I exhale. “It’s an exchange. I marry him, have his children, and carry on the bloodline. In turn, he supplies my family with enough cash to keep the ranch going and take care of a few other things.”
Austin laughs. “So, you’re a horse.”
My eyes shut and my eyebrows narrow. “A horse?No. I’m not a horse. Why would I be a horse?”
“Well,” Austin cocks his head to the side again, “kind of. I mean, you're accepting money for breeding rights. And no offense, but why does a rich guy like that need a country girl for breeding?”
“What’s wrong with a country girl?” We’re on the side of the house, stuck in a deadlock.
He laughs. “Nothing. They’re the best kind of girls. I’m just trying to figure out why some rich guy, who didn’t love you, would want you to have his babies. He could hire anyone andnotpay off their farm.”
I shake my head and turn away. “If that’s all I can help you with, have a great day, sir.”
“Sir?” He laughs. “Maybe that’s it. It’s a sex thing. Are you a kinky submissive or something?”
I turn back, anger in my tone as I say, “Maybe it’s because I’m so incredibly sweet and gorgeous? Did you ever think of that?”
“I did… then I realized the sweet part would be a lie.” He grins and looks down at the paver blocks on the walkway, his head shaking back and forth. “If you need someone to remind you of how dumb you’re being, you have my number.”
I step into the house, remembering again how great fictional men are. “That I do.”
Chapter Two
Austin
I haven’t made it three feet back to the truck when I see my stud making his way out of the east pasture and toward the half dozen Appaloosa grazing. This isn’t good. Typically, when someone’s hiring us, they’re paying a high dollar for sperm. In this case, my stud’s breeding rights are worth nearly a grand a pop. He can’t be giving it to every horse in the pasture or we’re going to have trouble.
I grab a rope from the back of the truck and head down to the meadow, whistling to the brain-dead stud that’s mind is focused on one thing… the female he’s about to hump.
Fucking hell.