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All three of them.
The ratio was one wife to three husbands since she seemed to be failing at math. Even as a game of pretending to prove a point, that still made her completely certifiable to utter that out loud at the dinner table.
Well, now she had face to save. She would never live it down if she conveniently went on with her life. She meant she could... but then Jenna would have somehow won.
It was bad enough, she had followed in her older cousin's footsteps into medical school and lasted all of two years before she decided maybe she was better suited as an accountant. That lasted less than six months before she dropped out completely.
She could still remember Jenna theatrically sitting her down and telling Lacey she was flattered that she wanted to follow in her footsteps, but med school was not for everyone.
The truth was, it was never about aspiring to be like Jenna, as it was to prove to Jenna that anything she did, Lacey could also do, and that had stemmed from early childhood when Jenna had passively made Lacey think she would never be as good as her.
Well, Lacey had gone and done it. After she proved she could be a wife to three cocky cowboys, she was going to book a therapist so she could put the grip Jenna had on her behind her forever.
And it wasn’t as if Lacey had wasted her life after her two failed career attempts. She felt strongly about making a difference in the world, so when her mom took her traveling with her, looking for art to purchase for her new gallery, she came across a family in a village in South Asia who made the most beautiful woven baskets. She had purchased them all and was forced to give away half her clothes so she could have space to take them back home with her.
Once in the States, she sold them to her friends, took 5% for herself, and then sent the rest of the profit back to the village from where she had bought the baskets.
That had started the ball rolling for her. She bought more baskets, sold them at higher prices to people she knew, took a small cut, and sent the rest back to the village.
Before long, she had an online store, visited a wide variety of different villages across the world, and did business with them. That way, she was helping them not only with food and shelter but also with providing funds to send their kids to school. Nothing felt more rewarding to her than her work.
But put Jenna in the picture, and suddenly she became a first-class idiot. But what was done was done.
She tossed clothes and toiletries into bags, enough to see her through for five days, which was how long she thought was necessary to prove she could be their wife. Also, she had to leave for Asia in five days, so this was all the time she could take off from work.
Okay, she would be the first to admit she had no idea how to be a wife, but there would always be an educational video she could watch online and learn the trade. But again, how hard could it be? As long as it wasn’t rocket science, she could handle it.
She chose a demure forest green and white polka dot dress and paired it with a pair of four-inch heels, her lowest heel range, and soothed her hair back into a neat and tidy bun.
After one glance at herself in the mirror, she decided she looked rather wifely already.
Eat that, Jenna.
She was going to win the self-imposed challenge, and Jenna could eat dirt… or chocolate penises with mayo on them.
Nothing compared to her relief when she discovered Jenna had a breakfast away with a few of her doctor friends in the city that morning, and her sisters-in-law were still in bed, so she didn’t have to say goodbye to them.
Partly because she was embarrassed by what she had said—mostly, actually. Okay, she was completely embarrassed by saying out loud that she could easily wife three cowboys without breaking a sweat, and she didn’t need to have swum with sharks, fought a bear, slacklined the Austrian Alps, or anything like that, which were things that Jenna seemed to use to qualify herself for the job of being a Kennedy wife.
Lacey was about to prove her wrong. Any idiot could fit the task stats, including Lacey herself.
The ninety-minute drive to Kennedy Ranch felt like the longest journey she had ever embarked on. To pass the time, she checked in with her team through her hands-free headset and was excited about her future business plans.
By the time she pulled up in front of the ranch, she wondered what the heck she was doing.
Set amidst rolling plains and expansive grasslands, the two-story Kennedy ranch house stood proud and sturdy with its blend of traditional and practical design. Lacey couldn’t fault its brooding beauty, enhanced with wood and stone, adding to its earthy appeal.
The wrap-around porch overlooked the scenic mountainside and the vast, seemingly endless lay of land.
She remembered the inside of the house exuding warmth and comfort from when she was much younger, and she wondered if the atmosphere remained now that Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy were no longer with them.
Who was she kidding? The inside probably looked nothing like it did before, now that there were three bachelors living there.
Forcing herself to unclench her hands from the wheel of her car, she quickly climbed out, got her bags from the back, and marched up to the front door.
She supposed she should knock, but heck, would a wife knock on her husbands' house door? No.
She swung the door open, set her bags in the mud room, and crinkled her nose when the scent of their cologne wafted toward her from their thick jackets hanging on racks and strode into the house.
