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She stopped listening when he smirked over the richer or poorer part. Did he think she wanted his money? Okay, she wanted his childhood home and family business. But she was the one working with the horses day after day. Jared hadn't set foot on the ranch since he was twenty-four, and Simon preferred to spend the money rather than earn it. If it wasn't for her, they would have gone bankrupt by now.
“Miss? Are you ready?”
She blinked at the officiant. “Sorry, what?”
Jared gave her a stern look in warning. “It's your turn, darling.”
“Repeat after me, please.” The officiant offered her an understanding smile. “I, state your name, take you, state his name, to be my lawful wedded husband...”
With numb lips that barely moved, she said the words. “I, Beth Rawlings, take you, Jared Wilder, to be my lawful wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in good times and bad until death do us part.”
Jared gave her hand a little squeeze and winked at her. “Good girl.”
“Do you have rings?” the officiant asked.
Alice held a box out with two matching rings, both plain gold bands without anything special about them. Jared took the rings and tossed the box. Alice rolled her eyes before picking it up off the floor. He shoved the smaller band onto Beth's finger with what seemed to be barely restrained anger.
Why was he mad? She was the one being forced into a marriage she didn’t want.
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
The blood drained from Beth's face. She wanted to shout the truth at him. I'm not pregnant! Her lips refused to move, and her heart plummeted. Any second now, the officiant would declare them married. Then what?
Jared placed the other ring on her palm and held his left hand out.
Warning bells went off in her head. If her legs could move, she'd be out the door already, and she wouldn't stop running until she hit the border. Jared had ruined everything, including her schoolgirl fantasies concerning her wedding day. She used to daydream he would profess his undying love for her and insist they get married. Of course, her father had been alive back then. She'd pictured him walking her down the aisle and handing her off to a misty-eyed Jared.
Her own eyes filled with tears at the memory, and Jared's whole demeanor changed. The harsh lines on his face softened. He took her hand between his, gentle this time, and led her a few steps away from the officiant. Holding a finger up, he signaled to the man that they needed a minute.
He bent down to whisper in her ear. “Hey, everything is going to be okay.” With a tender touch, he tilted her face up using two fingers under her chin. Their eyes met, and he smiled. “We'll be done here in a second, and then I'll take care of everything. You have nothing to worry about. Trust me. Your life will not change after this... not unless you want it to.”
A tremor shook through her. “You won't sell the ranch? You swear?”
“I'll call my lawyers and have it put in your name. No matter what happens between us, the ranch will be yours. Stop worrying.”
His words made her conscience burn, but a wave of excitement nearly knocked her over. Acid wouldn't burn a path through her stomach anymore at the thought of losing her home. She wouldn't have nightmares about wandering in endless circles because she didn't have anywhere to go, and she wouldn't wake with her heart in her throat.
Still...
“That doesn't seem fair to you. Or to Simon. At least let me pay you. After we sell Destiny's Heir next month, if we get what I think we're getting for him, I can give you a million dollars. I've got most of that saved up already. That should be a good start.”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Do you have any idea how much money I have in the bank? Big Jim's investments are still paying off, and so much is rolling in each week that my accountants can barely keep track.” He made a face. “As for Simon, he isn't exactly a pauper.”
“That doesn't matter. The ranch is yours and—”
He planted another quick kiss on her mouth, effectively stopping the words from coming out. She compressed her lips in a flat line as his reasoning became clear. He knew his abrupt kisses threw her for a mental loop and made it difficult to concentrate. She wouldn't mind the kissing if he was doing it for some other reason.
“My father would have left everything to you if you were his blood,” Jared said. “You are the one in charge, the one that makes all the decisions about which horses to breed, which to sell, and which to keep. There wouldn't be a ranch without you.”
The officiant cleared his throat before asking, “Is everything all right? Do you want to continue?”
“Can we just get through this?” Jared asked her, gesturing to the increasingly impatient officiant.
A dark cloud hung over her head, but she allowed the wedding to proceed. She pushed the ring onto Jared's finger and repeated after the officiant. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
The officiant smiled with what appeared to be relief. “You may kiss the bride.”
They both hesitated, and she wondered if Jared was remembering their first kiss, the stolen kiss of an innocent sixteen-year-old with stars in her eyes, a kiss that ended in heartache for her and self-banishment for him.
