7. Ryan

I hadn't packed a single thing to deal with the wild mess my hair was after a day out in the humid Texas heat, so I sat in a comfortable chair, sipping sparkling water and texting Quinn. At the same time, a hairdresser tamed the mess on my head.

Quinn: Wait, did you say date?

Ryan: Yup.

Quinn: So, he denied your loan then asked you out?

Ryan: It sounds terrible when you put it that way.

Quinn: …

Ryan: I'm glad you're keeping your opinion to yourself. Now help me with outfits. He said to dress nicely. What do I wear?

Quinn: What does 'nice' mean?

Ryan: Hell if I know. Dress?

Quinn: Definitely a dress. Send me dressing room selfies.

I could always count on Quinn to steer me in the right direction when it came to outfit selection. Having a gay best friend definitely had its perks. When my hair was finished, I jumped in my car and headed to a department store. A fancy boutique shopper, I was not. I didn't have a lot of money to throw around on new outfits, but I wanted to impress Yates.

Maybe it was more that I wanted to impress myself. I couldn't remember the last time I had a reason to dress up, so I wanted to make the most out of tonight.

I loaded down my arms with dresses until they shook under the weight, and I had to stretch my neck to see over the top of the pile. Stepping into the dressing room, I tossed the pile onto the waiting chair in the corner and grabbed the first dress off the top.

Pulling it down over my head, I realized my fatal error. I went to the salon before trying on dresses, which meant every dress was going to go over my head. Sorting through the pile, I tossed out anything that didn't have a zipper, hoping I could find something leftover that would look decent on my athletic body. I had curves, sure, but I also had muscles, so looking feminine could be challenging.

I hoped this wouldn't be one of them.

After trying on at least a dozen dresses and hating them all, I started to sweat, and Quinn's messages were getting snarkier and snarkier.

Quinn: I thought men were supposed to do the peacocking.

I glanced down at the dress I had on, wincing at the amount of sequins and feathery things hanging off of it. This was hopeless.

Ryan: Screw this. I'm grabbing pants.

Quinn sent back a string of clapping and hallelujah emojis, and I rolled my eyes. I liked dressing up fine, but I was more at home in pants. They were more me . And I didn't have time for this bullshit right now. I only had about an hour before Yates would be picking me up at my hotel, and I wanted to grab a quick shower.

I gathered up the huge pile of rejected dresses and dumped them on the dressing room attendant with an apology and made my way back to the sales floor. I quickly scanned the racks, pulling out a pair of pink wide-leg, high waisted pants, and a white halter neck bodysuit. Perfect. I didn't even bother trying them on, I didn't have time.

When I got back to my hotel, I jumped in the fastest shower of my life, did my makeup, and then threw on the outfit. Thankfully it fit perfectly. I snapped a quick mirror selfie and sent it to Quinn for final approval. The butterflies sprung to life in my stomach. I waited for him to reply, noticing that I only had a couple of minutes before Yates would be knocking on the door.

Quinn: Damn, girl. You're lucky I'm gay

Quinn: I expect a text from you as soon as you get back

I grinned, sliding my phone into my clutch. I didn't know what I'd do without Quinn in my life. He always knew the perfect thing to say to make me feel better or put my mind at ease. Plus, it was nice to have someone always looking out for me.

Just as I finished applying a final coat of lipgloss, there was a knock at the door. My heart kicked into overdrive and pounded uncomfortably in my chest. I smoothed my hand over my pants, before striding across the room and swinging the door open.

Yates's eyes widened before scanning up and down my body. "Damn, Ryan. You clean up well." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against my cheek. He smelled clean, like soap and light cologne. He wore blue again, and I was beginning to suspect he knew how the color made his eyes stand out and wore it all the time on purpose. This time he wore a blue blazer with a plaid button-up underneath and designer jeans.

He looked charming, not my usual type, but maybe that'd be okay. "Thanks, you do, too," I finally managed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on a date, and I was incredibly nervous. I felt awkward. I knew next to nothing about Yates other than he worked at the bank his family-owned, and right off the bat, it seemed like we wouldn't have much in common. Still, he was hot and seemed sweet. I wanted to go into tonight with an open mind.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving. I skipped lunch." Right on cue, my stomach growled, and he laughed. His laugh was rich and warm, and I decided that I liked it and wanted to hear it again.

"Well, let's go eat. Our reservation's in fifteen minutes," he said, glancing down at his watch.

I closed the door behind me with a soft click, sliding my room key into my clutch. I exhaled deeply before following Yates down the hall to the lobby. We didn't talk, and I wasn't sure what to say. The silence was a little uncomfortable, and I found myself wanting to fill it but unsure how. Instead, I bit my lip and tried to focus on taking deep breaths to calm my nerves.

We walked up to a sleek sports car, and Yates opened the door for me. I slid into the soft leather and tried to make myself comfortable. I needed to break the awkward silence. I couldn't take getting through an entire dinner like this.

When Yates lowered himself into the driver's seat and started the car, I decided I'd go with an easy ice breaker. "So, Yates," I began. "You're being groomed to take over the family business, right?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. Why?"

I picked at a stray string on my pants. "Did you go to college?"

He nodded. "Yale, just like my dad and his dad before him. It's a family tradition. I didn't really have a choice. It was expected of me before I was even born."

"Wow, didn't that bother you? What if you wanted to do something else?"

"It worked out. I love business. I guess it's in my blood. So I was happy with Yale," he answered. "What about you?"

I looked out the side window, watching as we passed storefronts and people out walking their dogs or jogging in the cooling evening air. "I went to college in California. UC Irvine. It's always been my dream to be a cop."

He turned to look at me, his eyebrows rising up his forehead. "A cop? How'd you end up working the ranch?"

"My dad had an accident. My older sister was doing her neurosurgery residency, so she wasn't going to give that up to come back. My younger sister was in the middle of college, working toward her degree in fire science. She always wanted to be a firefighter. I was the one who was done with my degree but not very far into my actual career training, so it made the most sense for me to come back." I sighed. I hadn't meant to tell him all of that, but it just sort of poured out of me.

I also left out the part about how I chose UC Irvine because of its proximity to Maddox Everleigh.

He shifted slightly in his seat and adjusted his grip on the wheel before he continued asking questions. "I know you want to save the ranch, and please don't be offended, but wouldn't it be better for you if you let the ranch go?"

I slumped against the seat as my body suddenly felt very heavy as if the world's weight was pressing down on my shoulders. "I'm not going to pretend it wouldn't personally be easier for me, but I could never let that happen. This ranch has been in my family for generations. It's my legacy, just like the bank is your legacy. Would it be so easy for you to just let it go?"

A dark shadow crossed Yates's face before he blinked it away and flashed a grin in my direction. "You're right. No, I wouldn't be able to let it go. It was a dumb question."

I gave him a small smile, grateful he hadn't pushed me further. "It wasn't dumb. That's a legitimate thing to ask me. My dad has never known another home, and neither have I, outside of my years in college. I may not want to raise my own family there, but that doesn't mean I don't want the option someday."

"You really are amazing, aren't you?" Yates asked though I didn't know what to say back to that, so I kept quiet the rest of the way to the restaurant.

We pulled up to a valet, and Yates got out and came around, opening the door for me before tossing the valet his keys. He placed his hand on the small of my back before leading me inside the fanciest restaurant I'd ever been in. I was glad I'd bought a new outfit, but I still felt a little underdressed. It made me feel better that Yates was wearing jeans, even if they were designer.

We were greeted right away by a hostess who seemed to know Yates by name. She led us back to our table and tried to offer me a wine list. I was a beer girl through and through, so I had no idea what to do with it. Instead, I deferred to Yates, and he ordered a bottle of something I'd never heard of for us to share.

I glanced at the menu on the table in front of me, not recognizing a lot of the food and wishing he'd taken us to a burger joint or something instead. I could really go for a burger and fries right about now. Maybe even a milkshake, too.

But, I tried to push those thoughts aside and enjoy tonight for what it was. Even if this wasn't really my thing, it'd be nice to try something new just to say I'd done it once.

"What do you recommend?" I asked him.

"The pork cheek mezzaluna is incredible. You've got to try it," he enthused.

"Okay, done."

Yates chuckled. "That was easy."

I lifted the glass of wine the waiter had just poured me and sniffed it expectantly. It smelled like alcohol. I really didn't get the fuss. "I think as you get to know me, you'll find I'm really not that difficult to impress."

His eyes glinted in the candlelight as he reached across the table and took my other hand in his. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Ryan. I like you."

My cheeks heated up as I took a small sip of the wine and nearly spit it back into the glass, but I managed to choke it down. I set my glass down and slid it slightly further away. I'd had enough of that for a lifetime. I wasn't sure what to say back to him. He was nice enough, but I couldn't say I liked him yet. I didn't know enough.

"How about we start easy, then?" I proposed, smiling up at him. He wore an easy smile himself, and my hand was still clasped in his.

"Shoot."

"Favorite color?"

"Blue," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes, but I was still smiling. "Obviously. I've known you all of one day, and that's all I've seen you in. Even your car is blue."

"How about you?" he asked.

"Purple. The exact shade of the sunset after the sun has gone down, but before the stars come out. There's something about it that reminds me of magic."

He studied me for a minute, not saying anything. The waiter interrupted the intense eye contact when he dropped off our entrees. Yates let go of my hand, and we dug into our food.

As I bit into the little pocket of pasta, a flavor explosion happened on my tongue as the salty pork cheek popped out of its noodle cage. My eyes widened as I chewed. "Oh, wow," I breathed.

A smug smile crossed Yates's face. "Told you."

"Mmm," I agreed while taking another bite.

As we finished our dishes, I pushed my plate back and wiped my mouth on my napkin. I had to admit that it had been more delicious than I thought it'd be when we first walked in.

Yates cleared his throat. "Now that you've eaten, I have something I want to talk to you about," he began.

"Okay." I sat back, curious about where he was going with this.

"I'm not sure how to start this, so I'm just going to say it."

My stomach fluttered, and my heart rate kicked up, but I sat still and kept my eyes on Yates, waiting for him to start talking.

"Okay, so you know how my family owns the bank, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, the bank has been in my family for generations. Like your ranch, the bank is my legacy. My dad runs it now, but he wants me to take over. Also, like you, I don't know what I want to do for sure yet. There's a big part of me that wants to build something of my own. I do love business, but I don't love the banking business. Does that make sense?"

I nodded again, still confused about where this was going.

"I have a trust fund, but I can't access it until I'm thirty. I'd love to be able to get early access to invest in my own projects. I could show my family that I'm capable of running something I'm passionate about instead of what they want me to."

I furrowed my brows. "I understand that, but what does that have to do with me?"

He flashed me a small smile. "I'm getting to that. The amount of money in my trust fund is pretty significant. And that early access I was talking about? There's only one way to do that."

The meal I'd just eaten and enjoyed suddenly felt heavy in my stomach. "And how's that?"

"To get married," Yates disclosed, observing my expression. A chill settled in my chest, and I started to feel a little dizzy.

"M-married?" I stammered.

He nodded. "Look, I know I just met you today, but I think this could be the solution to both of our problems."

"How do you figure? It sounds like it'd help you definitely, but what would I get out of it?" I folded my arms across my chest. My mind was spinning a million miles a second, and I wasn't sure what to focus on first. Was I even considering this?

"If you agreed to marry me, I would buy your family's ranch and sign it over to you. You'd own it outright. No mortgage anymore, it'd all belong to you."

I inhaled sharply, sitting forward, my head falling into my hands while I closed my eyes and tried to process. I lifted my head up to look at him, to study his face. The truth shone back at me in his eyes: He needed me, and I needed him.

"There might still be another way for me to save the ranch," I argued.

He shook his head sadly. "No, Ryan. There's not. I looked over everything. No bank in their right mind would touch you guys. I'm sorry to say it, but I'm your last best hope."

Breathing out slowly, I considered his offer, but he continued talking as he grabbed my hand in his again. "Look, Ryan. I know it's unconventional doing this backwards like this, but I really think we could have a legitimate future together. I like you, you're feisty and gorgeous and hard working. You fight for what you believe in. We don't know each other that well yet, but what if we're soulmates? What if we end up still married fifty years from now?"

The room was starting to spin. "F-fifty years?" I couldn't wrap my mind around that. It was absolutely overwhelming.

Yates started to backpedal. "I'm just saying it could happen, not that it has to. It's one possibility. If it makes you feel better, we can write an end date into the contract as an optional clause we can take after a year. Okay?"

I felt myself nodding along, but I wasn't quite sure what I was agreeing to at this point. Yates wanted to marry me? To get his trust fund? That made sense, even if it was a crazy idea. But still, I could see why he'd come up with this solution. And if it meant owning my family's ranch outright? Never having to answer to another bank again, would that be worth a year of my life married to this guy?

I looked him up and down, really taking him in. He looked genuine, and I could respect he was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals. I was the same exact way. "How long do I have to think it over?" I asked, knowing I didn't have much time before we lost the ranch but really needing to wrap my head around everything.

"Unfortunately, I need your answer tonight. I have an event tomorrow where, if you agree, I plan to announce our engagement. Things need to move quickly for both of us, Ryan. I know it's a lot, and it's sudden, but I can't miss out on my chance, and you don't have months to decide. You have weeks at best until you lose everything."

I laid my head down on the table and closed my eyes, trying to drag air into my lungs. He needed an answer now? Could I do this?

I needed to think clearly and to do that, I needed more information. Lifting my head, I straightened my spine. "Okay, I have questions."

He smirked. "I expected you would. Go ahead."

"If we do this, when would the wedding be?"

"In a month. I don't think we can wait longer than that to save the ranch," he said, and he was right. I'd be lucky if we even got that much time.

Nodding, I moved to my next question. "My family knows I don't date. How would I explain suddenly turning up engaged and getting married in a month?"

He sat back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've thought about that. I figured we'd say we met online or on a dating app because we're both busy. We've been seeing each other when we can for months, but we got tired of that and can't stand to be away from each other anymore, so we decided to get married. What do you think?"

I looked at him dubiously. "I don't know if anyone who knows me is going to buy that."

"Well, you'll have to get them to. Because if you agree and we sign the contract, we'll also both be signing a non-disclosure agreement so you can't tell anyone."

I thought about Quinn, who knew I was going on this date and that I hadn't dated anyone in ever. "My best friend already knows I was going out on this date with you. He'll put two and two together and figure it out."

Yates sighed. "Fine, he can know, but if he tells anyone I'm holding you in violation of the NDA. It would ruin my image if this got out. I'm serious, Ryan. Not a word."

"Fine." The weight on my shoulders eased slightly, knowing I could talk to Quinn about all of this. He was going to freak out. That was if I agreed to do it, which I was still thinking about.

"Where would we live?" I continued my questioning.

"When we buy the ranch, you won't have to make mortgage payments anymore, so use that money to hire help. Then you'd move here to Dallas to live with me. Over the next year, or longer if you fall in love with me," he grinned. "You'll be expected to go to functions and events with me as my wife. I have appearances to keep up and an image to maintain, so you'd be expected to help me with that."

I could do this, couldn't it? If it meant saving the ranch, seeing my parents happily live out their days in the place they loved best in this world, I could manage to be Yates's wife for a year.

"Last question, but I reserve the right to ask more later if I think of any," I warned, and Yates laughed.

"Fair enough."

"What about…" I leaned across the table toward him. "Sex?" I whispered.

He chuckled. "What about it? I think if it happens naturally great, but there won't be anything in the contract specifically one way or another. If you fall in love with me, great. If you don't, that's okay, too. But while we're married, we're only with each other. Even if that means we're not sleeping together. When you're my wife, you're mine. When I'm your husband, I'm yours. Okay?"

I blew out a breath. "Okay, I like that."

He smiled. "Good. So, what do you think?"

I bit my lip, trying to process everything, but there was no way I could wrap my mind around it all in such a short amount of time. My mind quickly flashed back to Maddox again, but I shoved the thought of him away. He made his feelings toward me clear. Now it was my turn to move on and do what I could to save the ranch. I could do this.

"I think you've got a deal." I just hoped I wasn't signing a deal with the devil.

"Really?" he exclaimed, jumping up and pulling me out of the chair, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me against his chest. I had to admit he smelled good. He didn't excite me like Maddox, and truthfully his hug felt more like when Quinn wrapped me up in his arms, but it wasn't bad, and maybe I could learn to fall in love with him. I guessed time would tell since now I had at least a year.

He let me go and reached into his pocket, pulling out a massive diamond ring and dropping to one knee. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand, not sure what to make of this.

He flashed a lopsided grin up to me and took one of my hands in his. "I know this is unconventional, but don't the best love stories start out that way? This may be the only proposal you ever get if things work out like I hope, so I want to make it count. Ryan Knight, I just met you, and already I can tell you're an incredible woman, one I want to share my life with. Will you be my wife?"

My heart was pounding so hard I was surprised he couldn't hear it. My hands were tingling, and there was a ringing in my ears, but I felt myself nodding, agreeing to marry this stranger. He stood up, crushed me against his chest, and slid the giant sparkling rock onto my finger. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. He looked light and carefree, happy even. I wondered why he wasn't freaking out as badly as I was about this, but that was the least of my concerns.

"Now, what do we do?" I whispered, feeling like my whole world had turned upside down in one evening.

"We tell the world we're getting married, and we start planning."

"I'm going home tomorrow morning, and I'll tell my family then."

He nodded. "I'll tell my parents tomorrow as well. They'll want to meet you as I'm sure yours will want to meet mine. We can do that this weekend if that works for you. Yours on Saturday, mine on Sunday?"

"Yeah, that should work," I mumbled, my head still spinning.

"My mother will want to start planning right away, so you won't have to worry about a thing unless it's important to you. Like your dress or the cake flavor."

I perked up. "Ooh, I forgot about that. At least there will be cake."

Yates laughed his rich, warm laugh that made me smile. At least I knew enough to know I liked his laugh. He lifted the hand he still held and kissed the back of it lightly, obviously getting more comfortable being affectionate towards me. I had zero experience in this department, but I knew I'd have to learn quickly if we were going to convince anyone this was real. "Are you ready to get out of here? We've both got big days tomorrow. I've got the contracts in the car for you to sign."

He paid the bill, and we walked outside, waiting for the valet to bring his car around. "I think this is going to be really good, Ryan. I have a good feeling."

I wished I shared his sentiment, but I still had a lot of doubts. I wished I had longer to see if any other alternatives could save the ranch. Marriage meant a lot to me, and if this didn't work out with Yates, I'd have a divorce attached to me for life. My stomach turned, and I had to push the thought out of my head before it sent me into a panic.

I smiled weakly at him as he continued talking. I didn't think he noticed my unease. "Will you text me tomorrow and let me know how it goes telling your parents? I'll do the same."

Nodding woodenly, I reached for his hand, needing to grip onto something to ground me to reality. He grinned down at me, lacing our fingers together and tugging me a little closer to his side, so our arms were touching.

It's all for my family, I reminded myself.

For their future, it would all be worth it.