Page 234 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

“Yep,” she admitted, “I stole it.”

Nash pried his eyes back open to see Ellie biting her lip. Her hand froze in place, and Nash sensed a new sort of tension rising in her.

“You’re not second-guessing all this, are you?” she asked, her voice suddenly shaky and unsure.

He stared at her, realizing, with a level of surprise, that she still had insecurities of her own about all this. Didn’t that, in itself, put his concerns to rest?

Nash shook his head and moved a hand over hers, waiting for her to meet his gaze in the low light. At last, she did, and a flare of heat flashed between them.

He gulped. “Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m…” He cleared his throat and tried again. “I mean, I’m pretty sure that I’m…” Man, he was slaughtering this. “I’m falling in love with you,” he blurted at last.

Ellie’s eyes went wide with surprise. Luckily, her grin was even wider. “Really?”

He nodded, hoping she’d say she felt the same. “Really.”

She let out an adorable-sounding squeal, then slipped her hand around the back of his neck. “I was hoping you’d say that, Nash, because I’m falling in love with you, too.”

Ellie brought her lips to his.

Nash didn’t think it’d be possible to top the kisses they’d already shared, but with their declaration of love still hovering in the space between them, the exchange felt more intimate than before.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Nash knew this could all be a sham. It was the reason he hadn’t wanted to run things past his family. Ellie Blaire was an award-winning actress; surely, she could fake falling in love with him for the sake of benefiting her career.

He didn’t think that was the case, but even if it was, Nash would do as Tucker suggested. He’d give his love to her—cowboy manners in check, of course—with a full awareness of how wrong things could go. He’d love her anyway and pray that she really felt the same.

CHAPTER 16

This was most definitely another one of those moments. A moment where Ellie found herself smack in the center of a Hallmark show.

Only it wasn't a scene of fiction; she was experiencing this kitchen full of laughter, light, and women that Ellie had already grown very fond of in the last few weeks. In fact, this, like the other gatherings she’d enjoyed with the Copelands, was a glimpse of what life would look like for whoever was lucky enough to marry Nash.

Thank heavens they’d been able to fit this time in before production started. No matter how things went with Nash in the months ahead, Ellie would forever cherish the time she’d spent on Copeland Brothers Ranch. Her eyes had been opened to a way of life she never imagined, and Ellie knew she would chase after its equal until she found it.

After last night’s get-together at Cash and Belle’s place, Jackie invited Ellie to can peaches with them today while the men made stew and cobbler in the fire pit out back.

“It’s tradition,” Jackie had said, “and we’d like you to be a part of it.”

That had warmed Ellie’s heart, indeed. Still, she hadn't exactly known what to expect. Would she flutter around the women at work, nervously trying to stay out of the way while learning a new thing or two? Or would they tell her to take a seat at the counter with Rosie and chat with the ladies while they did the bulk of the chore?

Ellie had been pleased to find, though, that that’s not what Jackie had in mind. In fact, the moment she’d stepped into that kitchen, Jackie spun Ellie around, looped a lacy, floral apron around her neck, and tied it up with a bow.

"There you go, dear, now, you're ready to get to work."

Also donning aprons were Grandma C, Abbie, Belle, Taja, and her adorable daughter, Rosie, who was in charge of measuring out the sugar and keeping an eye on Jane, who played happily with a set of toys in the playpen at Rosie’s side.

They’d spent the morning slicing, processing, and canning enough peaches that each couple would take more than a dozen quarts home as they left. Currently, the quart jars stood setting on top of Grandma C’s kitchen hutch, rows of bright gold basking in the sunlight.

A large portion of today's peaches, however, had been set aside for pies, dozens of pies they planned to freeze and enjoy throughout the year. That’s where Rosie’s portioned sugar came in. They’d created an assembly line of sorts. Rosie would measure the sugar, hand over the bowl, and in would go the rest of the ingredients to fill three pies. The cinnamon seemed to be the star of the show, its spicy aroma making Ellie’s stomach growl.

She couldn’t wait to try the cobbler Nash had told her about. Already, the aroma melded with the wonderful scents of the smoky bonfire wafting in from out back, where the men tended to the fire with a few drinks and a whole lot of laughter over Ellie hadn’t known what.

She looked forward to the moments she and Nash would share on the way home, where they’d relay parts of the conversations the other had missed. Ellie would get to tell him about the story Abbie shared of how Thatcher special ordered a jar of pickles the “size of a house” to keep up with her cravings because he bought the local grocery store out clean.

Taja spoke about some of her cravings, too. Belle had curiously asked questions about their pregnancies, which reminded Ellie of the fact that Jane wasn’t biologically Belle’s.