But despite their understanding and support, his anger had stuck with him, simmering under the surface. Then Jake had revealed Kate’s self-sacrificing plan and the anger had drained away.
He’d underestimated the depth of her commitment. He shouldn’t have. Going to the mat for her baby sister was totally in character.
At the sound of a truck engine, he pushed away from the fender and stood. Headlight beams swept the parking area as she pulled in. She slowed the truck, creeping forward as if buying time to compose herself.
He hated that his unexpected appearance caused that reaction. She used to greet his surprise visits with a happy smile. They used to be friends.
Walking to her truck, he opened her door. “Don’t be scared. I’m not mad anymore.”
“That’s not what I heard from various sources today.”
He swung the door wider and offered his hand. “That was before I found out about the idea you’d come up with.”
She hesitated, but eventually put her hand in his. “Where’d you hear about it?”
“Jake.” He loved holding her hand. Used to do it all the time when he’d helped her out of his truck and when they’d danced at the Moose. All that had ended in August.
“So Millie told him and he called you?”
“It wasn’t quite that straightforward.” Once she was out of the truck, he let go of her. “This is Jake we’re talking about. The point is, I know.” He fought the urge to take her hand again. She steadied him, and he was about to make a commitment that made his chest feel like a war was being fought in there.
“All right. You know. Why are you here?”
His heart hammered. “Because I don’t want you to work out a deal with some random guy who answers your ad.”
“Too bad. I’m—”
“I’ll do it, Kate.” He cleared the huskiness from his throat. “I’ll marry you.”
Chapter Four
Be careful what you wish for. Kate gulped. She’d adjusted to the new plan and had convinced herself it was better than her original idea of asking Rafe. Being legally bound to a relative stranger who would be compensated for his trouble was a more impersonal setup.
She glanced at Rafe. The darkness combined with the shadow of his hat kept her from getting a good view of his face. “You were justified in being upset with me. I’m not sure I trust this change of heart.”
“You wounded my pride. I thought you had a lot of nerve, asking me.”
“Which is a legitimate reaction. You have every right to—”
“But when Jake told me what you’re willing to put yourself through to help Ginny, I was ashamed of myself. You shouldn’t have to go to some stranger to get the help you need. You should get that support here. And I’m the logical person to give it.”
“I thought that way in the beginning, but now I realize you’re right. It’s too much to ask. A marriage arranged for financial reasons would stick in your craw.”
“I can handle it.”
“Can you? You may be the tallest, brawniest cowboy at the Buckskin, but you’re a sentimental sap. Don’t bother denying it, because I know it’s true.”
“I’ll just keep in mind why we’re doing it. This isn’t about me. It isn’t about you. It’s for Ginny.”
“That’s very noble, but I can’t let you participate in a mockery of something you believe in. I should have considered that more carefully before I asked you to—”
“It will be a mockery if you stand up with somebody you barely know. But if you’re with me, we can think of it as pledging our friendship. And by the way, I’d like to rebuild that. The current situation sucks.”
“It does.” She took a deep breath. “We can work on the friendship issue, but my new plan is the way to go. I don’t want you involved. It’s not fair to you and I should have realized that in the first place.”
“Damn it, Kate, the idea of you ferrying cartons of food over to some undeserving—”
“He won’t be undeserving. He’s giving up the right to get married to someone else for the next four years. That’s a huge restriction.”
“Not for me.”
“How can you say that? You want a wife and kids. Postponing that option for years means postponing your dream. Maybe I’ll find somebody younger who—”
“Now we’re talking about some wet-behind-the-ears kid? Good Lord.”
“Not a kid, but maybe someone in his mid-twenties who’s not ready to settle down.”
“And horny.”
“What?”
“You didn’t think of that? Okay, you’re not a guy, so you don’t get it, but it’ll be a turn-on to have a great-looking woman show up with delicious food she’s cooked with her own two hands.”
“Plus a stove and a few pots and pans.” She liked the great-looking woman part, though.
“He won’t see the hard work you’ve put into it. The food appears by magic. I know what it’s like to be twenty-five. If he doesn’t make a pass, I’ll eat my hat.”
“So what if he does? I’m not some blushing virgin. I can deal with that if it happens.”
“There’s no if about it. It will happen. Look, let’s just simplify this. We’ll have a quick, no-nonsense ceremony and call it good. Life returns to normal and you won’t have to worry about delivering food to a randy twenty-five-year-old.”
“You’ll hate going through the ceremony.”
“No, I won’t. And we’ll throw a party after it’s over. Out by the fire pit. Leo and Garrett picked up some awesome Adirondack chairs on sale.”
“No more chummy stumps?”
“You can use them as footstools. What do you say? Can we keep this issue in the family?”
“Oh, Rafe, I don’t know. You and I have such a complicated—”
“It has been. I’ll give you that. But everything’s out in the open, now. The gang will know why we’re staging this wedding. They’ll be in on it. We’re putting one over on your Aunt Lilith so Ginny’s dream will come true.”
“I’ll admit it’s more appealing than my concept. Mine has major dreariness potential. You’re saying we’ll tell everybody? The Babes, too?”
“My guess is they already know you asked me for help and I stormed out like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum. If we announce we’ve mended fences so we can pull off a decent wedding to fool your aunt, that will give me back some lost points.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “So it is about you.”
“In that sense, yes. I’m not proud of how I reacted to your request. I want a do-over so I can prove I’m a better man than that.”
Her heart swelled. She didn’t know a better man than Rafe. “Then I guess we’d better get married.”
“Excellent.” His chest heaved. “I’m off for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon. We can drive over to Choteau and get the license during your afternoon break.”
“Never mind. I’ll handle everything. You don’t have to—”