Page 37 of Fairy Tale Husband

“Long enough.”

“Jake—”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Although he denies the relationship, Randolph’s my cousin. Adistant cousin, but a cousin nonetheless. Is that what you wanted to know?”

“Why?”

He sighed. “Why what?”

“Why does he deny the relationship?”

“Because my father, Weston Chesterfield the third, wasn’t married to my mother. Ours is an accidental connection, not a legitimate one and he resents it like hell. Imay carry the blood of a Chesterfield, but I’m not one according to the law.”

“But that’s not the only reason he resents you,” she guessed.

“No. His anger intensified when my grandfather left his ranch to me. With one small condition, that is.”

“Marriage?”

“You got it.”

“And if you hadn’t married?”

“The ranch would have gone to Randolph.”

“Why would your grandfather add such an odd provision?” she asked. “Why force you to marry?”

“Because he was a meddling old fool who wanted great-grandchildren.”

“But—”

“This discussion is over.” He spun onto a gravel shoulder beneath a huge cottonwood tree and switched off the ignition. Open ranch land stretched in all directions. “It’s your turn to drive.”

Wisely abandoning her previous line of questioning, she asked, “Where are we?”

“Close to the north end of my property. No one ever comes this way except my men, and they’re several clips west of here working my grandfather’s spread. We should have this stretch of road all to ourselves.”

“No one to run into?” she teased.

He didn’t deny it. “It’ll be a hell of a lot safer teaching you here than on the road into Chesterfield, that’s for sure.”

“Trying to mitigate damages?” she asked wryly.

“Somebody better. My insurance coverage only goes so far. You ready?”

To her surprise, instead of exiting the vehicle, he slid over until they were joined hip to thigh. In the next instant, he’d pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in hisarms.

“I’m not complaining, you understand,” she said, snuggling deeper into his embrace. “But I thought you were going to teach me to drive a stick shift.”

“I am.”

She grinned. “I might find it a little difficult learning while sitting like this.”

“Fat lot you know. Ithink this is a perfect learning position.”

“But I can’t reach the clutch from here.” She stuck out her foot to demonstrate.

“You don’t need to reach it. You already know where all the various parts are. It’s how they work together that you need to learn.”

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