The Bride (The Bride #1)(7)

Still, every time she needed to see the menu, and she would change her mind at least three times before Kathy came over to take our order.

I took off my coat, hung it on the hook on the side of the booth, and sat down across from her.

“What?” she asked me straight out.

This was why I was not a very good poker player. I was going to start with some small talk and work my way up to the news, but she saw it on my face.

“We need to talk about something.”

“I can see that.”

“You know about Ellie’s situation…”

“How is she?”

She was strong. More settled now that she knew her future. But it still hadn’t hit her. The reality of what had happened. That her dad was gone. Forever. She was still in that numb period where your brain understands what has happened but the rest of you still wasn’t buying.

I knew because it was how I felt when Ernie had died.

“She’s okay.”

“What’s going to happen to her? You told me her father hadn’t updated the guardianship from Ernie. That’s really irresponsible of him. Especially as a single parent.”

I didn’t have anything to say in Sam’s defense other than taking the time to update your will when you’re dealing with your friend’s death, helping his son, raising your daughter, and running a ranch… stuff like that falls through the cracks. Besides, no one thinks they are going to die.

“That’s what we need to talk about. In Montana a sixteen-year-old can actually apply for a marriage certificate. With parental approval, but Howard thinks he can get that waived.”

“A marriage certificate? What does that get her?”

I gave her a moment to figure it out. Easier than having to say I was going to marry Ellie Mason.

Her mouth opened as it dawned her. “You. You’re going to marry Ellie so she can stay on the ranch.”

“It’s either that or a foster family in Paradise.” Which in my mind had never been an option. I agreed with Ellie. She was my family. My only family now, and I wasn’t about to send her away. The fact that I had to make it legal through marriage was semantics. Still, it helped to point out how extreme the other option would have been for Ellie.

Janet sat back in the booth. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.”

“There is nothing to say. Nothing is going to change between us. This is a legal situation to protect Ellie. Nothing more.”

“It’s marriage, Jake. Marriage. Which means if you’re married to her, you can’t be married to… anyone else.”

“Sixteen months. That’s it. Sixteen months and she’ll be legal and we can get a divorce.”

“I’m supposed to wait? Put my life on hold while you do this? I thought we were working toward something, Jake.”

“We are,” I admitted. I wasn’t ready to say I wanted to marry her now. I wasn’t there yet. I wanted my land back first. I wanted to have a better sense of the future before I made that commitment. “But I have to do this. There is no choice. Sam saved me. Hell, he left me enough money to buy my land. I’m not going to abandon his daughter to some foster family in Paradise.”

“Have you considered the idea that we could get married, apply to be foster parents, and then we could be her guardians together?”

I had. I had thought about it. But being married to Ellie was a sixteen-month commitment. Being married to Janet was for life.

I didn’t say that.

“I don’t know how long that would take. Or if it would be a guarantee. I can’t take that risk. Not with Ellie.”

“So Ellie is more important than me.”

I sighed. It was typical Janet to take it to that level. Black or white. Her or Ellie. “Yes. Ellie needs me more right now than you do. You have to see that.”

“No,” she snapped. “Don’t make me the bad guy here. We’ve been dating for two years. I’ve been patiently waiting for you to save up for the land and get everything you wanted in place. I know you, Jake. You’re a planner. But I thought we were close, and now you’re telling me I have to sit back and wait sixteen months. I’m twenty-seven now.”

It was a thing with her, being a year older than me. I got it. Most of her friends were either engaged or married and already had babies. She felt like she was late to the race.

Maybe I wasn’t being fair to her. I liked Janet. I really liked Janet. I thought about marrying her all the time in a logistical manner. I just never had the definitive moment when I thought yes, she’s the one I want to be with forever.

The truth was, I liked our lunch dates and I liked the regular sex. When we didn’t have the extra staff for calving and sell off, the bunk house was mine. For most of the year we had all the privacy we wanted, which was key since Janet still lived with her parents.

I wouldn’t let her stay over though. I thought it was disrespectful to Sam. He had a young impressionable daughter in the house, after all. Not that Ellie didn’t get what it meant when Janet came to the bunk house on her nights off. She wasn’t stupid. Still, it was the principle of it.

She was right. It wasn’t fair to make her wait so I could get off when I wanted to.

“Janet, I understand if you need to move on…”