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I took a seat on the large sofa, but Adam paced in front of me, hands shoved in the pockets of his suit pants.
I clasped my hands in my lap. “Well, this isn’t at all awkward,” I said as the silence stretched on.
Adam stopped his pacing, focusing his attention on me. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not falling over myself in marital bliss, but this wasn’t part of my plan,” he said, a bite to his tone.
“Nor mine,” I reminded him, holding his gaze.
He sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “I’m sorry. This is all just a little…”
“Bat shit crazy?” I finished.
His mouth tipped up in a wry smile. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“It’s only for ten months,” I reminded him. “In November, I’ll inherit, and we can get an annulment and go our separate ways.”
God, my words sounded so cold. Pain lanced through me, knowing that I would lose Grams sometime within those ten months. Cancer had her in its vicious grip. I’d already lost my mom, and now I was faced with the inevitability of losing Grams, too.
We’d moved almost three hours away to Medicine Bow when we left here four years ago. School and then college had kept me away, but Grams and I had met halfway on many occasions. I hadn’t wanted to leave Mom on her own with my stepfather.
“Hopefully, Robert will come to his senses and accept that he has no claim on any of this,” I said, spreading my hands wide to encompass the ranch.
Adam’s expression darkened. “That piece of shit better not come anywhere near you or this place.”
I was taken aback by his possessive tone. I could understand his protectiveness over the ranch. But over me? I shook my head, swallowing down the ball of emotion lodged in my throat.
“Unlikely. But we both know this situation,” I waved a hand between us, “is all about allowing Grams to pass in peace. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged along on the matrimony train.”
I dashed away a tear. Today was my wedding day. It should be the happiest day of my life. The irony of the situation was not lost on me.
Adam surprised me by dropping down on the sofa next to me, wrapping an arm around me, and pulling me close. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a deep rumble against my ear where my head was tucked under his chin. “You’ve been through a lot, what with your mom, and now this with Cora.”
“It’s tough on you, too,” I murmured. “She’s the closest thing you have to a mother.”
His throat worked as he swallowed. “Yeah. I was just a scrawny kid when she took me in. Not many would do that for their neighbors’ kid. They don’t make them like Cora Stone anymore. The woman has a backbone of steel. I thought if anyone could beat cancer, it would be her.”
I smiled sadly. “I always thought she was invincible.” I lifted my head to look at him, trying to keep my emotions in check. “What are we going to do without her?”
Adam shrugged, his russet eyes on mine. “Carry on. Be happy. That’s all she’s ever wanted for us. And whatever happens, I’ll take care of you. I promised Cora that much.”
Something about hearing Adam say he’d take care of me, despite the years since we’d seen each other, hit me hard, and tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Disappointment followed quickly, knowing he only saw me as a responsibility, a burden. That’s all I’d ever be to him.
“What has you two looking so serious?”
I looked up to see Grams slowly entering the room. “Ah, you know. Getting married is serious business,” I said lightly, shooting her a smile.
“Most important contract you’ll ever enter into,” she replied, looking between Adam and me. “I know what I’ve asked of you both, doing this, but I want you to know how much it means to me. It will allow me to rest easy.”
“Do you really think Robert has a claim on this place?” I asked, still not convinced.
“If what his lawyer says is true, then yes. After we lost—” she paused to clear her throat. “After we lost your mom, I immediately changed my will, made you the main beneficiary, but if I die before you turn twenty-one, there’s a chance he could have a claim on this property and the land with it. He’ll be looking for any way he can to get his hands on this place, which is why your marriage has to look real.”
Grams paused again, sinking into the chair next to me, her face pale. “I told her not to marry him. I wish—”
I reached out for her hand, grasping it in mine. “Me, too. I’m sorry I haven’t been here more, but I couldn’t leave her alone with him.”
Grams smiles sadly. “I know, Izzy, I know. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I appreciate the sacrifices you made to watch over your mother. Jolie was…troubled, even as a child. I know her father’s death hit her hard. It seemed like she struggled to let anyone close after that. Then she met Robert and, well, we all know what a mistake that was. But your mom was an adult. She made her own choices. We may not have agreed with them, but they were hers to make. Maybe I should have done more to protect her, protect you—”
“No,” I shook my head firmly. “You don’t get to put this on yourself. You did everything for us growing up. You made sacrifices above and beyond to give us a loving home,” I said, glancing across at Adam, who nodded in agreement. “I’m closer to you than I was to my mother. Didn’t mean I didn’t love her. I did, but as you said, she wasn’t an easy woman to get close to.” No one knew the full extent of Robert’s aggressive nature, not even Grams. I’d kept a lot of it to myself.
