Marrying a Cowboy Read online

  Grateful for a job, he grabbed the handle before she had time to pull her hand away. His fingers brushed hers and warmth erupted up his arm from that single touch. He clenched his jaw to ground himself. It must be the thoughts of his past that had his feelings all jumbled up. He needed to get back to his ranch where the air was clear and everything made sense.

  They walked the rest of the way to the court house in silence. Austin was grateful for that. He didn’t want to force any conversation and with the way he was feeling, he just might confess a little too much to the girl he was marrying to satisfy his grandmother’s stipulation. He grabbed her suitcase and headed up the front steps after her.

  Once inside the court house, he followed her across the marble floor and over to the clerk who was standing at the counter. After they filled out the marriage certificate forms, it was printed off and they were instructed to go wait outside of room 27B where the judge was just finishing up with another wedding. Austin sat down on the stained chair next to Emma. Her back was straight and her gaze kept making its way up and down the hall.

  “You okay?” he asked. Her nervous energy was making him nervous.

  She cleared her throat. “Um, yeah.”

  He watched her reach up and tuck a curl behind her ear. “You sure? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

  Emma glanced over at him. “I want to do this,” she whispered.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

  An uneasy expression spread across her face. “It’s just that I’ve never made it to this point before. It’s a little scary.”

  He glanced over at the closed door. He hadn’t thought about it like that. It was true. He’d never made it this far either. With Georgia, he’d made it to Las Vegas and that was about it. They never got to the Chapel O’ Love. Georgia had bailed by then.

  Reaching out, he wrapped his hand around hers. He wanted to let her know that he was there. After all, he was going to be her husband.

  “Yep. But, we can do this.”

  Emma nodded. “Right. And besides, it’s only for a little bit.” The door opened and a man in a white tank top and earring spacers emerged. He was holding the hand of a jean mini-skirt wearing girl with blue hair.

  “Thanks a lot, Mr. Judge-man. Me and Serenity are gonna make it this time!” They stopped right in front of Austin and Emma where the man dipped his new wife and smacked a kiss on her lips. The girl’s blue hair brushed against Emma’s shoes.

  When they came up for air, the guy winked and pointed his finger at Austin. “Good luck in there man. Judge Matthews is the best. His couples never get divorced.” With that, he shoved his hand into Serenity’s back pocket and they sauntered away.

  “Well, I guess we’re going to break that judge’s streak,” Emma said, standing and making her way into the room.

  Austin watched the couple leave and then turned to Emma. For some reason, a sad feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. What was wrong with him? Of course, the judge’s streak was going to end. That’s the plan. They weren’t getting married to get married. Maybe this feeling came because this was not how he’d seen this part of his life going.

  He’d always figured he’d meet a nice girl and settle down. Marrying a stranger was never part of that picture. Did it make him a fraud? Completely unlovable? He swallowed down his fears as he stood. At least he’d never have to find out. Emma didn’t love him and after his grandmother signed the ranch over to him, Emma would leave. And he’d be alone with his animals forever.

  As he made his way into the judge’s office, his spirits lifted. That’s why he was here. That’s why he was doing what he was doing. Loneliness was better than being with someone who could hurt him. He could never be hurt when there was no one in his life. And for the first time in a long time, he felt hope.

  Chapter Five

  Emma

  Judge Matthews sat behind his desk, tapping his pen on the wood. He was studying their marriage certificate. A nervous feeling rushed over Emma as she slipped her gaze from the judge and over to Austin. He seemed at ease. Why was he so comfortable?

  “So, Emma. Austin.” Judge Matthews glanced over at them from above his readers. “How long have you two been dating?”

  Emma swallowed. She didn’t realize that there was going to be a test. “Um, On—two years?”

  “Six months,” Austin said at the same time.

  Judge Matthews studied them. “You don’t know how long you’ve been dating?”

  Emma let out a forced laugh. “Dating. I thought you said known each other. Yes, we’ve been dating for six months and have known each other for two years.” Why was she lying to this judge? What did it matter how long they’d been dating? Was it a stipulation now?

  Judge Matthews removed his glasses and set them next to him on the desk. He set the certificate down and folded his hands over it. “Marriage is an important institution. Vital, one could say, to the improvement of society. It is not something to be taken lightly or entered into rashly.” He steadied his gaze.

  Emma swallowed. “Of course.” Her voice had turned raspy. What was wrong with her? What did it matter what some judge thought about them?

  “And you, sir?” Judge Matthews looked over at Austin who seemed as cool as could be. Why wasn’t he sweating bullets? Did he not care that this Judge just might not sign off on their certificate if he found out they were faking this whole thing?

  “I agree completely. A person should not enter into anything rashly.” He reached out and wrapped his hand around Emma’s, just like he’d done in the hall. The feeling of warmth surrounded her and calmed her nerves. If he was relaxed, why couldn’t she be? “But Emma and I are meant to be together. This marriage isn’t about one person, it’s about the two of us and what we can be as a team. That’s why I love her. She’s not only my best friend, she’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” He leaned over and brushed his lips across her cheeks.

  A shiver raced down her spine from the feather light touch of his lips against her skin. It made her heart pound so loud, she was sure Judge Matthews could hear it. Her sight turned hazy as she allowed his words to wash over her.

  Then he shifted closer to her ear. “Your turn,” he whispered before he pulled away.

  Emma stared at him. For a moment, she had allowed her insides to turn to mush from his words. What a fool she’d been. He was playing the part, that was it. How did he come up with something so good on the spot? She wasn’t that suave.

  “Ditto,” she breathed out. That was about as much as she was going to be able to get out of her cloudy brain.

  She could feel Austin’s stare on her, but kept her gaze focused on the judge’s desk.

  “That’s what made me fall in love with her. She’s a woman of few words,” Austin said, patting her hand with his free one.

  “Well, I have to say, I see a lot of couples come into my room but you two seem genuinely happy. Value and cherish your wedding commitment and you will live a long and happy life together.” The judge uncapped his pen and scribbled on the certificate.

  Austin nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

  Judge Matthews returned the pen to the cup holder on his desk. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He gave them a wide smile. “You may kiss the bride.”

  “Oh no,” tumbled out.

  Austin’s gaze fell to her. Panic surged through her chest. Why did she say that?

  “Emma’s not a fan of the public display of affection,” Austin said.

  Emma just nodded. Best to keep her lips shut.

  Judge Matthews shook his head. “Every couple must kiss. It’s a Judge Matthews rule.” He lifted the piece of paper but held it away from them.

  Seriously? This judge was going to hold their certificate hostage unless they kissed?

  “Come on, Emma. Break the rule once.”

  Emma took a deep breath and then nodded. As much as she wanted to keep her lips on this side of the aisle, she also didn
’t want to stay in this judge’s presence much longer. She seemed to be making a bigger fool of herself by the minute.

  “Sure,” she said.

  Austin raised his eyebrow as he turned to her. “Sure?”

  Emma nodded. “Yes.”

  “Wonderful,” Judge Matthews said.

  It felt strange, sitting there waiting for Austin to kiss her. Especially with Judge Matthews a few feet away, watching them.

  Austin cleared his throat as he steadied his gaze. “Okay. I’m going to kiss you.”

  Emma took slight pleasure in the wavering of his voice. Suddenly, cool-headed Austin didn’t seem so confident anymore. Was he worried that she wouldn’t be believable enough with the kiss and the judge would revoke his signature? Emma straightened. There was no way their fake kiss would tip Judge Matthews off. At least not from her.

  Austin leaned in, his lips centimeters from her. He paused, as if he were preparing himself. Having enough of his stalling, Emma pressed her lips against his. For a moment, she sensed hesitation from him. But then a rush of energy raced through her as he reached out and cradled her cheek with his hand.

  Jolts of electricity surged through her body as he deepened the kiss. There was something both familiar and scary about the feeling of his lips pressed to hers. Her heart pounded and her mind swam. Never before had a kiss caused her body to react this way.

  But then thoughts of doubt flooded her mind. What was she doing? Was she crazy? Then the realization that she might not be making this kiss believable hit her. Her hands felt paralyzed to her sides. Was she supposed to wrap her arms around him? How did fake kissing go? Why hadn’t he told her the rules before they went in here?

  Before she went crazy trying to understand what her feelings meant, she pulled away. “Yay, we’re married,” she said, cursing her voice for sounding so strange. Her emotions were really out of whack. She wasn’t supposed to have anything but platonic feelings for her fake husband. And he certainly wasn’t supposed to have feelings for her. She was a means to an end.

  “Well, if you keep this loving attitude for each other, I’m sure I’ll be putting your picture up on my wall of success.” Judge Matthews said as he nodded toward the wall on his left. Pictures scattered the bulletin board hanging from it.

  “Sounds good,” Austin said. Emma tried not to stare at him. He seemed so relaxed. Not like they’d just kissed moments ago. He was either a really good actor, or he didn’t feel anything. Either explanation scared her.

  “Thanks,” she said, extending her hand and shaking the judges.

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  After he handed over the certificate, Emma turned and hightailed it out of the room. She didn’t want to stand there with the judge and his wall of marriage successes. There was nothing real about this marriage. It was all a sham. An act that Austin played amazingly. She on the other hand, would have been kicked out had it not been for him.

  When they got out into the hall, Austin turned and smiled at her.

  “Nice going in there,” he said, nodding at the room.

  “Uh huh,” Emma said. Austin was being nice. She knew that she’d completely stunk at faking anything. She needed to get better if she was going to survive all of this. Desperate for a distraction, Emma glanced down at the marriage certificate that she now had clutched in her hand. She was married. Married. Whoa.

  “Emma?”

  She swallowed. Why did Austin sound just like Vincent? Was this a joke? Glancing up, her heart sank. Vincent was coming straight toward her. His was smiling, in that ridiculous way he’d done so many times in the past. It was the smile that turned her knees to Jell-O. Blast him.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, as he approached.

  Feeling numb, Emma let her body take control. When he got closer, he reached out his hand but for some reason, she thought he was trying to hug her. Stepping forward, she tried to wrap her arms around him. He hesitated and heat rushed her cheeks.

  “Oh, hand shake,” he said, reaching over and grabbing her hand.

  “I knew that,” she stumbled over her words. What was wrong with her? It’d been a year since he’d broken her heart. Why hadn’t her body gotten the memo? She didn’t care about him anymore. He was a jerk. But, as she studied his expression her insides softened. Jerks didn’t look so genuine.

  “I’m Austin,” Austin said.

  Vincent’s gaze made its way over to Austin. “Vincent,” he said. He extended his hand and they shook. “How do you know, Emma?”

  Emma could feel Austin’s gaze on her. Silently, she pleaded with him to act cool.

  “We’re. . . well, Em?” Austin asked.

  Emma swallowed. “We just got married.” Her voice was so low that she barely heard her own words.

  Vincent leaned in. “Married?”

  Austin nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Yep. This amazing lady is now my wife.” He grasped the hand that held the wedding certificate and shook it in Vincent’s direction.

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say,” Vincent said.

  Emma stared at him. Well, that made two of them. “Yeah.”

  “We’re perfect for each other, just ask Judge Matthews. He said only a fool would let this amazing, kind, and beautiful woman go.” Austin leaned in and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “She’s perfect, and I’m one lucky man.”

  Austin’s ability to spin lies was tricking even her.

  Vincent’s eyes widened. “Well, I’m happy to see you’re happy.” He cleared his throat. “I should get into court.”

  “Oh, you a lawyer?” Austin asked.

  “Divorce lawyer,” Vincent said.

  Emma nodded. “He works here at the courthouse.”

  “Well, that’s one kind of lawyer we will never need. Huh, sweetheart.” Austin brushed his lips against her cheek again.

  Emma could only nod as she let her gaze fall to Vincent’s face. What did he think about all of this? If he cared, he was doing a great job of hiding it. Why did it bother her so much that he didn’t care? He was her past. Someone she buried a long time ago.

  Vincent gave them a small nodded and turned, but then paused. “I’m just going to give this to you,” he said, reaching into his suit coat and pulled out a business card. “Just in case.”

  Emma took it from him and studied the embossed lettering. Why did her heart pick up speed when she took in his name and number? It wasn’t like she didn’t have his number still. It was one she’d never really been able to let go of.

  “Well, we’ll be sure to cherish that,” Austin said as he grabbed her elbow and led her down the hall toward the front doors.

  Once outside, she stumbled over to one of the large pillars in front of the courthouse and leaned against it.

  After a few deep breaths, she finally felt like the world wasn’t closing in on her. “Thanks for that,” she whispered as she glanced up.

  Austin was staring at her. What could he possibly be thinking? She groaned. Why had she been such an idiot in there?

  “So, I’m guessing you and that guy have a history?” He moved to lean next to her.

  Emma kept her gaze down where she studied their shoes. How could she answer that without seeming weak? “He’s my ex-fiancé. We got engaged but then two weeks later, he called it off. On my birthday.” The words tasted bitter on her tongue.

  He sucked in his breath. “Ouch.”

  She nodded. “Not really my proudest relationship moment.”

  Silence fell around them as she calmed her mind. Her thoughts were racing and it felt good to take a minute to relax. Seeing Vincent had really jumbled up her nerves.

  Austin cleared his throat next to her. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” She pulled her headband off and tossed it into her purse. Why had she spent all night trying to figure out what to wear? From the outfits on the couple before them, she could have worn her bathrobe and it would have been fine.

  “What did he
do to you?”

  Emma sighed and leaned her head back against the cool marble. She took a deep breath, hoping it would help ground her. “He. . . I. . .” Why couldn’t she find the words to tell him? “It’s complicated.”

  Austin’s phone chimed so he stood, pulling it from his back pocket. “I get it. You have a past. I have a past. Probably not a big deal if we don’t delve into any of it.”

  Emma nodded as Austin studied his phone. Good. That’s what she wanted to hear. Right now, heading to Montana seemed like a better idea than staying here, facing her issues. Yes, she wanted to get married to shove it in her mom’s face. And her work’s face. But for some reason, she couldn’t push out this feeling of dread that had settled in her stomach. Maybe it had to do with seeing Vincent.

  Ugh. Why did he have to look so good? And put together? For his pressed suit and healthy physique, there was no way he was hiding a fake wife somewhere. He was everything she wasn’t and that bothered her.

  “Got our tickets,” Austin said, holding up his phone.

  “Plane tickets?”

  He nodded and shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah. I set up an alert to my phone to tell me when there was two available.” He walked over and grabbed her suitcase before she could. “Just got the last two.” He paused and looked down at her.

  He was inches from her face. The feeling of his body so close to hers cascaded across her skin. How could she have so many conflicting feelings running through her body? She thought she just might burst. Maybe heading to Montana with the wide-open spaces was for the best. Then, she could get as far away from Austin as possible.

  “Ready?” he asked. His voice was low as he studied her.

  All she could do was pinch her lips together and nod.

  He started making his way down the stairs but then paused. “Do you have the certificate? Grans not going to believe it unless she sees the documentation.”

  Emma patted her purse. “I’ve got it right here.”

  He smiled up at her. “Great. Come on. What’s the worst that could happen?” He turned and made his way down to the sidewalk where he hailed a cab.