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Trey never said a word as he slid behind the wheel and started the truck. In silence he drove out of the ranch yard and turned onto the inner road that led to the South Branch camp.
Dust boiled behind them in a thick cloud. For a long run of minutes, there was only the hum of the pickup’s engine to break the stillness.
“So, what’s the problem?” Laredo finally asked.
“There’s no problem.” The touch of curtness in Trey’s voice suggested otherwise.
“That’s good to hear. I had the impression there was something wrong. Naturally I thought you and Sloan might have disagreed about something.” Laredo maintained a tone of idle interest, careful not to press.
“We didn’t.” Another long stretch of silence followed his statement. Laredo had just about decided that Trey wasn’t going to share his thoughts when Trey spoke, “I guess Sloan inherited a sizable amount of money from her parents.”
“Is that right? So, you’re about to marry an heiress, are you?” He studied Trey with a sidelong glance, not at all sure how this could be a problem.
“I guess you could say that,” Trey admitted, his expression still wearing that troubled and distracted look. “She has a bunch of financial advisors who, more or less, handle it for her. They want her to get a prenuptial agreement drawn up.”
There was a telltale tightening around the corners of Trey’s mouth that had Laredo lifting his head fractionally in new alertness. “Like Laura did, you mean?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a probe.
“That’s the hell of it, Laredo.” The words came from Trey in a hot rush. “I never thought a thing about it when my sister wanted one signed before she married Sebastian.”
“But it bothers you that Sloan wants one,” Laredo guessed.
“Yes!” Force lent emphasis to the single-word response. An instant later, a sigh gusted from him as his gaze made an agitated search of the empty dirt road in front of them. “To be fair, it wasn’t really her idea. It came from those guys in suits.”
“They’re just doing their job, trying to protect her interests.”
“I know.” Trey shifted both hands to the top of the steering wheel. Tension remained in every line of his body. “I don’t fault them for it. But that doesn’t mean I like it. I guess I’m more old-fashioned than I realized. To me, marriage is a forever thing. This agreement is like planning the divorce before you ever have a wedding. The whole thing smacks of distrust.”
“Did you tell Sloan that?” Laredo suspected he already knew the answer.
“How could I? She talked like it was the natural thing to do. Maybe in some circles it is, but not here in Montana.”
“So, how’d you leave it with her?” Laredo cocked his head at a curious angle.
There was grim resignation in the shrugging lift of Trey’s wide shoulders. “I told her to have her lawyers draw one up so I could have ours review it. What else could I do? I couldn’t very well argue against it when I don’t have anything more than a bad feeling about it. What kind of reason is that?”
“I don’t know of any lawyer who would buy it.”
“That’s what I mean,” Trey acknowledged.
“It could be that you’re looking at the whole thing wrong,” Laredo suggested.
“Look, I know an agreement would protect the ranch,” Trey began, impatient and half-irritated.
But Laredo never let him finish the thought. “That isn’t what I’m talking about.”
“Then what?” For the first time, Trey gave the other man his full attention.
“It doesn’t matter what document you sign, whether it’s a marriage certificate or a prenuptial agreement. The only thing that will keep you together—or push you apart—is what’s in your hearts, not a couple of signatures on paper.”
The troubled light went out of Trey’s eyes, and an easy smile broke across his face. “You’re right. That’s the only way to look at it.”
“I think so.” Laredo tipped his head back and deliberately changed the subject. “So you’re going to honeymoon in Hawaii, are you? That should be fun. Beaches and bikinis, palm trees and hula girls.”
“Good God, now you sound like Tank and Johnny.” There was an undertone of laughter in Trey’s voice.
News of the engagement spread across the Triple C with its usual speed. Those who had observed the couple together had seen the engagement coming, but none had expected it to be this soon. The men just smiled and shook their heads, declaring that Trey had never been the kind to sit on his hands.
The reaction from the women was a bit more mixed. The older ones thought Trey had acted much too rashly and regarded Sloan’s immediate acceptance of the marriage proposal with raised eyebrows, while the very young found the swiftness of the courtship thrilling, like something out of a romance novel. However, the handful of single girls of marriageable age reacted with regret, mourning the loss of the Triple C’s most eligible bachelor. Although most wouldn’t have admitted it, every one of them at one time or another had fantasized about catching his eye. Trey’s engagement—to an outsider, no less—had shattered that dream.
