Chapter 5

5

SUTTON

I wanted to ask Wes what the hell was wrong with him. He was grumpy and surly and practically running up the mountain. I got that he wanted to show us the best trees, but I’d hoped for a romantic date. Not one where I was sweating from exertion.

Ashton’s hand was sweaty, and his cologne was sickeningly sweet in the outdoors. I preferred Wes’s natural scent. He smelled faintly of the soap he’d used in the shower, and I was almost positive he used bar soap.

“My feet hurt,” Ashton hissed at me.

I gave him a disgusted look. “Why aren’t you wearing boots? I told you we’d be doing some hiking.”

“I didn’t think you meant this. My shoes are going to be ruined.”

That made my stomach lurch for a different reason. A Calloway wouldn’t complain about the state of his shoes. They were men’s men, as everyone loved to say, prepared for anything.

Ashton Crawford was as far from a mountain man as you could get. He felt plastic and manufactured. His clothes were dry cleaned and neatly pressed. His shoes polished and shiny. Why did I think a tree-farm date would be a good idea? It was only going to point out the obvious problems with the men my mom wanted me to date. They weren’t men I was attracted to.

I preferred Wes’s overprotectiveness, the way he’d tenderly taken care of me that night after my accident. I wanted a man to be so muscular, picking me up was a breeze. It made me wonder if Wes could lift and press me against the wall. I’d heard you had to be athletic to make wall sex happen. My cheeks flushed. Why was I thinking about my best friend fucking me against a wall?

I was clearly losing it. The air might be thinner up on this hill, but I didn’t think so. This was all Wes’s fault. He was confusing me. I was supposed to be vetting fake husbands, not highlighting all the reasons I was attracted to Wes.

I glared at Wes’s back as he continued to set a steady pace through the rows of trees. I stopped abruptly. “What about this one?”

I gestured at the tree next to Ashton, even though I had no idea what it looked like. I was just tired of speed walking.

Wes scowled. “That one is too thin. The branches are so sparse you can see through it.”

I pointed at the one behind Wes. “How about this one?”

I dropped Ashton’s sweaty hand and walked around it. It was full and thick with a blue tinge to its needles. I loved it. “I think this is the one.”

“Whatever you want,” Ashton said, and even though it was a nice thing to say, it set me on edge.

Is that how he’d be in a marriage? Whatever you want, dear. Was he a pushover, or did he just not care.

Why did I want someone to challenge me? To tell me all the ways I should be more careful. Why did it feel like Wes cared about me in a way Ashton never could? Ashton was more concerned about the gel in his hair and the shine on his shoes than my safety or needs.

Wes held the saw out to him.

Ashton looked at it like it was a snake coiled to bite him. “What do you want me to do with that?”

Wes raised a brow. “Didn’t you want to do the honors? It’s your tree.”

“Isn’t that why you’re here? That’s your job, isn’t it?” Ashton asked, his voice slightly panicked.

“You’re going to let me show you up when you’re on a date with a beautiful woman?” Wes asked, and I nearly groaned at his obvious taunt.

Ashton reached out and grabbed the handle. “Fine.” Then he studied the tree as if he was trying to figure out his best angle.

“You’re going to have to lie on the ground to cut the tree,” Wes pointed out helpfully.

Ashton grimaced as he gingerly lowered himself to his knees, probably ruining his pants. I couldn’t believe he was going through with it.

“You’re going to want to get under the lowest branches and really get close to the trunk.

When Ashton was done, his wool coat was going to be full of pine needles, and no dry cleaner would be able to get out the sap.

Ashton looked supremely uncomfortable under the tree as he attempted to follow Wes’s instructions. When he began to saw the trunk, he didn’t make any headway.

Wes seemed almost gleeful when he said, “You’re going to have to use more pressure. Use those muscles.”

I wasn’t sure Ashton had muscles. He wasn’t an outdoorsman or a gym rat. He liked golf and going out for drinks. Why did I think I could marry someone my mom saw me with?

It was painful watching Ashton try to press the blade into the trunk. His pristine clothes were lined with dirt and sweat beaded on his forehead.

How did Wes make it look so effortlessly easy? I remembered the way he’d sawed right through his tree, dragged it through the woods, and tossed it into the back of his pickup. That was the kind of man that got my blood pumping.

Ashton was more of what Wes would call a paper pusher. A white-collar guy, one who worked for his daddy’s firm. He’d never be able to fix anything around the house or be willing to get his hands dirty.

Why was I comparing every man to Wes? When had he become the gold standard?

“If you use a bit more pressure,” Wes suggested.

“For god’s sake,” Ashton mumbled.

Ashton stood abruptly and brushed off his slacks and his coat, but it was no use, pine needles stuck in the wool, and there was a spot of sap on his sleeve. Ashton thrust the saw in Wes’s direction. “I’ll wait for you at the car.”

“We drove separately.”

Ashton turned on his heel without another word. I felt bad that he was upset, so I said to Wes, “I’ll be right back.”

His lips quirked into an amused smile. “Take your time.”

Then I rushed after Ashton. “Wait up.”

When he slowed, I said, “You didn’t have to try and cut it down yourself.”

Ashton gestured around us. “This is not my idea of a fun date.”

“You don’t want to be cutting down a tree, or you don’t want to be with me?” I asked carefully .

“This wasn’t worth the money your mother promised.”

My stomach dropped. “Wait. Are you only going out with me for the payday?”

Ashton rounded on me. “Your mother promised me money if we dated, I proposed, and then we stayed married for six months.”

My stomach dropped. Even if I knew the truth, I hadn’t heard anyone say it out loud so callously before. “I was hoping we could be friends at least.”

Ashton huffed out a laugh. “You can’t be that naive. It’s always about the money and what you have to offer.”

My face burned with shame. Did everyone think I was desperate to get married? How could they not? I wanted to save the estate, and my grandmother had put me in this untenable position.

Ashton shook his head. “I’m not saying I’m backing out, but I don’t see the point in these dates. What does it matter if I can cut down a tree?”

Except it did matter. I wanted someone who could take care of me and not just financially. I wanted someone who could support me physically and emotionally. Wes had always been there for me. Why was it too much to ask that a husband would be too, even if it was only temporary? I’d hoped for a mutual understanding, friendship, and the possibility of something more.

When I couldn’t answer, Ashton resumed his trek down the lane. “Call me if you want to go to the club later.”

My shoulders lowered. I didn’t want to hang out at the club. I never got into the socialite scene like my mother had. I avoided the golf course, the pool, and the club. “What about the carriage ride we planned to go on?”

“That’s not my thing either.”

At least he was being honest. He wasn’t trying to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. I made my way back to Wes, who’d already sawed through the trunk and was standing next to it, holding it upright.

“We didn’t bring a cart or anything to get it back down the hill.”

“I got it,” Wes said as he lowered it to the ground so he could drag it behind us.

Of course he could. He could handle anything that life threw at him.

Wes shot me a concerned look. “Are things with Ashton okay?”

“He doesn’t want to do any more outdoorsy things or hands-on activities. In fact, I think he’d be willing to get married as long as we didn’t go on any more dates like this. He prefers to hang out at the club and get drinks.”

“Is that what you want?” Wes asked as we walked side by side.

“It was stupid to think that I could have a special connection with a man I’m marrying temporarily.”

Wes’s brow furrowed. “I’m a little concerned that you’re going to attract someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart. They’ll want more money, or they’ll hurt you in some way.”

“We’ll have a contract drawn up.”

“I’m not talking about him hurting you financially. What about emotionally or even physically?” Wes winced.

Wes didn’t want me to get hurt. The thought buoyed me. There were good guys out there. I just had to find one that wasn’t already my best friend.

I could have the best of both worlds: a friend and a man who was passionate about me.

“You were taunting him. You wanted to prove a point by getting his clothes dirty and forcing him to show his strength.” More like lack of.

Wes paused on the trail. “I shouldn’t have done that. I should be helping you. I have to be honest with you though. I don’t like that guy.”

“I need someone to sign the marriage license and say the vows. Until divorce do us part. It’s not about how compatible we are or if he’s able to cut down a tree.”

“Whoever you’re with should meet your needs, even if you’re planning on only being together temporarily. He’s getting something out of the deal.”

“I am too. The estate. That’s all I want. I don’t need a guy who could be the one. I have to get that out of my head.”

“You deserve everything, and I hate that your grandmother is forcing you to do this. But it doesn’t mean that you have to settle.”

“I don’t have a lot of time to figure this out, and Mom’s trying to help with her list of eligible bachelors. There’re still more guys on the list. I’m sure I’ll find one that could fit the bill.”

When we reached the bottom, I said, “What am I going to do with this tree?”

“I’ll bring it over later tonight. Does that work?”

I nodded. “I already have one in the living room.”

“Then we’ll put this one in your bedroom. You can look at it every night when you go to bed and when you wake up.”

Did I want a reminder of Wes in my bedroom? “I’ll find a tree stand for it. I’m sure I have an extra somewhere.”

“You’ll find what you’re looking for. You just have to be patient.”

“Time isn’t on my side.”

Wes pulled me in for a one-arm hug. “It will be okay.” When I gave him an incredulous look, he kissed my forehead. “It will. I promise. I’ll always be by your side.”

“I hope so, because I need you.” Now more than ever. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing anymore. Maybe I should do what Wes had been pressuring me to do all along: go out on my own. But the thought of the estate being sold and the money divided hurt every part of my body.

Someone would demolish the estate and build a development. No one would preserve its history like I would.

I drove home, then cleared a space for the tree in my bedroom. I had to lower my expectations. I wanted a nice guy, but he didn’t need to cut down trees or fix my car. He just had to be my pretend husband for a few months. There was no need for him to fill my every desire.

When everything was done, the divorce finalized, and I was running my dream museum in the house I grew up in, I’d still have Wes. We’d always be friends.

I tried not to think about what would happen when he met the woman he could see himself with forever. If he thought a guy would have trouble with me still talking to him, I knew another woman wouldn’t want me around.

Our friendship had an end date: when one of us got married. Which would happen sooner than I’d ever imagined.

When Wes’s headlights flashed on the house later that night, I opened the door, my heart tripping at the sight of him easily pulling the tree out of the bed.

It smelled great as he dragged it past me and into the house. “Thanks for doing this.”

“No matter what’s going on in your life, I’m always going to be here for you.”

That was all that mattered. I wanted Wes to be my friend. He might have been the barometer for every other guy I dated, but that didn’t mean that I should date him. Despite the pesky feelings I got whenever he touched me.

For the second time, we decorated a tree together. Except my ornaments were new. They were probably highlighted in some design magazine, but I preferred the handmade ones that Wes had created when he was a preschooler.

When we were finished, I sat on the edge of my bed to take it in. “It’s gorgeous. Thank you for helping me.”

“Maybe I should put one in my bedroom,” Wes said as he dropped down on the bed next to me.

I laughed. “Two trees? That’s excessive; don’t you think?”

“How many are in the big house?” Wes teased.

He’d always called it the big house even though that usually referred to a prison. Maybe Wes saw the house as keeping me tied to this place, caging me into a life I didn’t want. But I saw it as so much more. It was opening me up to possibilities.

“Several on every floor, and one in each bedroom.”

“Even though your grandmother doesn’t get many overnight guests?” Wes asked.

I smiled. “A Rosesmith is always prepared for any possibility.”

Wes’s face was pinched. “A Calloway is too. Just in a different way.”

“Like cutting down trees and fixing truck engines?” I asked lightly.

His chest puffed out. “That’s right. I’m a man’s man.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’re not still upset about Ashton, are you?” Wes asked.

“Not really. He might be the one I choose in the end. Because it’s not about him, not really. I just need a body for a few months.”

Wes made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.

“You don’t think I should ask someone I like, do you? I was going in the other direction. Maybe it’s best if I have nothing in common with him. No chance of catching feelings or getting hurt.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Wes asked, but his smile was tight.

I sensed he didn’t like me dating. But it was going to happen at some point, and at least this was fake. It wasn’t a forever kind of thing.

Wes stood. “I should get going.”

Usually, he stuck around to raid my fridge or would suggest a movie night on my couch, so I was a little surprised. But didn’t feel like I could question him. I’d brought a date to his farm. That couldn’t have been easy. I wouldn’t have liked seeing him go out with another woman.

Just the thought had my heart clenching painfully. I followed him down the stairs and out the front door.

The main house was lit with Christmas decor, and the pool illuminated with underwater lights. It was magical, but it didn’t mean the people inside believed in love or warmth. It was expected.

“The place looks beautiful as always.”

“Soon it will be mine.” I could preserve it, do as many tours as I wanted, host events. The thought never failed to get my body humming with excitement.

“I hope it’s worth it.”

I smiled at him. “It will be.”

“Sutton Rosesmith always gets what she wants,” Wes teased as he pulled me in for a tight hug .

We usually avoided shows of affection, but I’d noticed he’d done more of them since this whole fiasco was set into motion. Maybe he was worried about me.

Wes pulled back and gestured at the property with his hands. “If you decide this isn’t what you want?—”

“I know.” Wes would be there for me. I was sure of it. “Thanks again for the tree.”

“I’m always happy to save you from bad dates.”

I groaned. “I’m suspicious that you’re what made it so bad.”

Wes winked. “If Ashton can’t handle all that life has to throw at him, then he’s not the guy for you.”

“And you are?” I asked before I could stop myself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that you should be the guy I marry.”

“Of course not. That would be crazy. There’s no way your grandmother or your parents would approve of me.”

“They like you.”

“Sure, they do,” Wes said as he turned away. “Have a good night.”

Then he was gone, walking toward his truck, turning on the engine, and backing out. As always, my heart missed him when he was gone. I tried to imagine depending on someone who wasn’t Wes, and I couldn’t picture it.