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“I know we’re just friends and we’re faking our relationship, but I had a fun time. Tonight felt like a success. How did it feel for you?”
He pulled up in front of the house, put the truck in park, turned off the engine, and turned to face her.
“It was the best fake date I’ve ever gone on,” he said, his face completely serious.
She started laughing. “We could write a book. How to fake date a billionaire.”
A grin spread across his face.
“You know, the only reason I’m glad that I won the lottery was it gave me the ability to keep the land. It wouldn’t bring back my parents. But we saved the Kissing Oaks Ranch, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”
The ranch had been in his family for over three generations and she understood why he didn’t want to be the one to lose it.
After stepping out of the truck, he came around and opened her door and then helped her out.
Standing in the darkness with the moon glinting above the trees, she glanced up at him.
“I know tonight was not a real date, but I still want to tell you thank you. Thank you for the lovely evening of dancing and good food and I love the new dress.”
“And the new dress loves you,” he said softly. “You were the best-looking woman there.”
“Thank you, now it’s time I went to bed,” she said. “Tomorrow I’m headed back to Dallas. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be making the move here.”
He took her arm and walked her across the drive and up to the front entrance.
After he opened the door, they stood inside glancing at one another awkwardly. “Have a safe trip back to Dallas.”
“Thank you. And we’re on again, next weekend?”
“Yes,” he said. “But it’s not formal. We’ll be attending a barbecue. You can wear whatever you want.”
She nodded. “All right. If you need me before then, just call.”
“All right. I had fun tonight. Even if it was a fake date.”
“Me too,” she said and hurried into the kitchen toward her mother’s quarters. For a moment, she was afraid he was going to kiss her again, and right now, she needed to put up more protection around her heart.
Adrian Landry’s kisses were like heat-seeking missiles and she had to reinforce her defenses.
CHAPTER 5
On her mother’s day off, she drove to Dallas to help Madison find a dress for the Cattleman’s Ball. It was still a month away, but she wanted time to find the perfect dress and accessories.
“Why did you leave before I woke up last Sunday morning?” her mother asked.
They had already been over this, but she would tell her again. “Because I had work I needed to get finished, so I had to get back to Dallas,” she said. “Besides, soon you won’t be able to get rid of me.”
What she wasn’t telling her mother was that she wanted to leave before Adrian and his brothers asked all kinds of questions about the night before. The dancing, the kisses, and the pretending had been harder than she expected.
And those kisses of Adrian’s were so damn hot. She’d needed to put space between them, so she’d left early that morning.
“Are you certain this is a good idea? The two of you pretending to date. When you were kids, I always thought that the two of you might end up together some day,” her mother said.
With her arms loaded with gowns, she turned and faced her mother, surprised at her comment. “Why would you think that?”
She sighed. “I thought the two of you were always so cute together and you both seemed to gang up on the other boys. You two were the leaders and the others just followed.”
Yes, but that wasn’t a reason for them to become a couple. They had been close until high school. Then a girl had come between them. A girl who didn’t like him being friends with Madison.
