“But then you want to pick a husband for me?” I point out.
“Your mother and I were arranged.”
“I know but, Papa, do you really think you could pick a husband for me? How is that going?” I lift an eyebrow.
“Terrible. None of them deserve you.” A giggle pops from me.
“All dead men walking,” Sterling says from behind me. “Still have to kill that Edgar fucker later.”
My papa’s lip twitches, and I know he’s fighting a smile. It gives me a trace of hope that maybe he might like Sterling after all.
“About Edgar, he tells me there was a misunderstanding.”
“There was no misunderstanding. He’s a fucking dickweed who needs a good old-fashioned ass kicking,” Sterling growls. I hear a giggle come from the hallway, and I know Bridie is listening to all of this.
Part of me wants to tell Sterling to watch his mouth, but I don’t. This is who he is, and I don’t want to change a thing about him. This is the man I fell in love with.
“I think he came running when I cut Glorianna’s allowance off. They both are trying to tell me you lied and none of what you said was true. That you drank too much.” Papa shakes his head, not even asking me if that’s true.
“I don’t understand Glorianna. Why is she being this way? Why would she ever think I would do anything to hurt her?”
“You’re so much like your mother. You only see the good in people. It’s hard for you to understand that some people are just rotten inside. I may have sheltered you too much.”
“I think she’s perfect,” Sterling says.
“She is.” Papa agrees with him.
“Look at you two agreeing over me. So I guess that means I should stay.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Sterling reaches out, snagging me around the wrist and pulling me into his side.
“I’ll be staying. If Sterling wants to throw his hat into the ring, I might be able to fit him on my short list of husbands I’ve narrowed it down to.”
“Papa!” I thought we covered this picking a husband for me.
“I’m in!” Sterling shouts. Now it’s him that shocks me. I thought he said he was never getting married. That he had the world to see.
Hope blooms in my chest. Maybe Sterling loves me too.
CHAPTER 21
STERLING
I push up my sleeves and tuck Maria behind me. “What’s the test?”
“What is the test? Not who are your competitors?” Prince Harold arches a white eyebrow toward his hairline.
“No.” It doesn’t matter who he has on his short list because at the end of the day, Maria is marrying me even if I have to lie, cheat, and steal to make it happen. Even if her father disapproves.
“What if I said you needed to walk a hundred miles in the desert?”
“To prove that I’m steadfast and won’t give up? No problem.”
“Papa—“ Maria slides out from behind me to confront her dad. I shake my head to let her know the interference isn’t necessary. Her dad has to accept me without her intercessions, or she’s going to be as miserable as a piece of rope caught between two pit bulls.
“I won’t give her any money,” he warns.
“Wouldn’t expect or want it.”
“How are you going to support her?” He waves a hand at our modestly decorated home. “You’ve got a lot of land here, but you’re also the youngest of five cousins. Your father was one of the poor Justices, from everything I’ve seen. Can’t be much left in that pie for you.”
I clench the back of my molars together and remind myself that if I can handle these blows now, there will be less of a problem in the future. I may have been the poor relation when I came, but none of my cousins made me feel lesser. I was welcomed into the family. Maybe outsiders don’t see that.
“Papa! You did not have him investigated.” Maria grabs my arm, and there’s a lot of comfort in her touch. I didn’t realize how nice it is to have someone at your side. My cousins have always had my back, but it’s different.
“My share of the pie is solid, and I have a plan to build on that.”
“My Maria is used to—“
“Papa! I could live in a shack!” She breaks away before I can pull her back, and shakes a finger in her father’s face. “I’m not a pampered socialite. I can work and earn money, too. I’m not used to anything. All I want in this world is to be loved, and you love me, right?”
Her beautiful eyes seek mine. The hint of uncertainty lurking behind her defiance nearly brings me to my knees. I would die for her. “Yeah, with my whole heart. I’ll never let you want for anything. I promise.”
Her lips quiver, and I can’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms and kissing her senseless. Her dad coughs—loudly—and I reluctantly peel my mouth from hers. Her lips are wet from my attention. I run my thumb across the plump lower one and give her a small wink to let her know that we’re in this together.
“Sorry, sir. Don’t know what came over me.”
Prince Harold frowns deeply. “Young love is an intoxicating elixir. I have been in the throes of it myself, but you are a cowboy with no education and no job other than the one you have here on your family ranch. Tell me your plans for the future.”
Maria tenses, but I squeeze her hard before turning to her father and trotting out my five-year plan. “I plan to attend Texas A&M and study mineralogy and husbandry. Access to fresh water and preservation of fresh water is vital to the health of not only this ranch but land all over the world. With the knowledge I’ve gained working here and the education I’ll receive, I plan to parlay that into a marketable expertise that can be used to strengthen existing relationships with core business partners and develop new ones.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “How old are you?”
“Nineteen.” Barely but he doesn’t need to know that.
He nods slowly and then rises from his seat to look out onto the veranda and then the endless land beyond—the endless Justice land. It’s the land that we’ll build a house on, raise our family on.
“I respect you, sir, because Maria loves you, but I’m marrying her regardless of your approval or my cousins’ approval or anyone. We belong together.”
“Papa, Sterling is a good man, and it’s the twenty-first century. We’re supposed to be partners, not little porcelain dolls that you sit in your palace and only allow out when there’s company. Mama was your equal,” Maria reminds her dad.
The older man’s shoulders slump. “I started to prepare a list of men for you, Piccola, but I didn’t even get one name down. I’m not ready to let you go. You’re only eighteen.” He swings around, and the look in his eyes is that of a plea rather than condemnation.
“We’ll wait then, won’t we?” Maria says, quick to offer a compromise. “We’ll go to college together and then after that we’ll get married. You would agree to that, wouldn’t you, Sterling?”
Like I can say no to her. It seems like her dad is in the same position. “Fine,” he grunts. “No marriage until you get your degrees.”