Fairy Tale Husband (The Cinderella Ball Series, Book #1): The Cinderella Ball Series by Day Leclaire

Author:Day Leclaire [Leclaire, Day]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Day Leclaire Inc
Published: 2020-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

Wynne turned her attention from the endless expanse of pastureland flying by the truck window and glanced at Jake. “I appreciate your teaching me to drive the truck.”

“You should have told me you’d never driven a standard transmission before.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t notice it was standard until we were ready to go shopping.”

“Once you did notice, you should have waited until I returned. You could have caused an accident.”

Silence descended again and she twirled her wedding band around her finger, scrambling for something else to say. “The people of Chesterfield are really nice,” she volunteered. “Belle sure does have a busy store. I guess that’s why you wanted me to go to Two Forks, right? Because it isn’t as crowded there?”

“Wrong. Belle’s place was so packed because word spread that a Mrs. Jake Hondo had wandered in to do her shopping. They were all curious to meet the woman brave enough to take me on.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “I wanted you to go to Two Forks to avoid all those nice, curious people. In particular, I’d hoped to avoid Randolph.”

She blinked. “Oh. Well, except for him, Chesterfield’s an awfully friendly town. I probably met just about everyone. What a wonderful place to celebrate the holidays.” She slanted him another look. “I wonder why Randolph took such a dislike to me.”

“I believe he explained that.”

“Then he wasn’t lying about the inheritance?”

“No.”

Another thought occurred to her. “You must have been standing there a long time to have heard all that.”

“Long enough.”

“Jake—”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Although he denies the relationship, Randolph’s my cousin. A distant cousin, but a cousin nonetheless. Is that what you wanted to know?”

“Why?”

He sighed. “Why what?”

“Why does he deny the relationship?”

“Because my father, Weston Chesterfield the third, wasn’t married to my mother. Ours is an accidental connection, not a legitimate one and he resents it like hell. I may carry the blood of a Chesterfield, but I’m not one according to the law.”

“But that’s not the only reason he resents you,” she guessed.

“No. His anger intensified when my grandfather left his ranch to me. With one small condition, that is.”

“Marriage?”

“You got it.”

“And if you hadn’t married?”

“The ranch would have gone to Randolph.”

“Why would your grandfather add such an odd provision?” she asked. “Why force you to marry?”

“Because he was a meddling old fool who wanted great-grandchildren.”

“But—”

“This discussion is over.” He spun onto a gravel shoulder beneath a huge cottonwood tree and switched off the ignition. Open ranch land stretched in all directions. “It’s your turn to drive.”

Wisely abandoning her previous line of questioning, she asked, “Where are we?”

“Close to the north end of my property. No one ever comes this way except my men, and they’re several clips west of here working my grandfather’s spread. We should have this stretch of road all to ourselves.”

“No one to run into?” she teased.

He didn’t deny it. “It’ll be a hell of a lot safer teaching you here than on the road into Chesterfield, that’s for sure.

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