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“I won’t,” I said. “Not unless Sora’s in trouble again, or-”
His tail whipped, and he hooked the giant hammer onto his belt. It made his pants sag a bit on that side, revealing more of his abs and hip area.
“No,” he said sternly. “Not even for Sora. She can handle herself.”
I pursed my lips, knowing full well that I was in love with that fucking dog and if she was ever in trouble I’d race right out of here just as fast as I had last night. Instead of making Fallon a promise I couldn’t keep, I changed the subject.
“So. This Garrek guy. What’s his deal? What do you know about him?”
Now that we were no longer discussing the possibility of me venturing beyond the fence and getting gutted by a genka, whatever that was, Fallon brightened.
“He has a large ranch about a day’s ride from here.” Fallon chuckled and then grimaced. “He is even less agreeable than Silar.”
My hackles rose.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked sharply. The man was going to be escorting my best friend through treacherous territory!
“Only that he is not overly friendly,” Fallon replied. “He can be moody. But he is very strong. Reliable. Competent. I have no doubt he’d be able to keep Magnolia safe.” He smiled. “Perhaps some time with her will soften him some. She is very kind.”
“That she is,” I acknowledged with a nod. “He doesn’t have his own human wife coming?”
If he did, I didn’t know about it. Cherry, Magnolia, and I had been the only ones at the orientation for this program.
“He voted no to a wife. I do not believe he has changed his mind since then.”
“Interesting…”
Before I could ask anymore, Fallon suddenly said, “Why did you participate in the bride program?”
I blinked at him, completely caught off-guard by his question.
“What?” I asked, sounding as shaken as I felt.
“Why did you come out here for marriage?” Fallon cocked his head, eyeing me both appraisingly and appreciatively, making my throat go dry and my stomach clench. “You are so beautiful. Elegant. Clever. Brave. While I doubt there is a single human male out there who could deserve you, surely you must have had them falling at your feet for a chance with you.”
Ah. Crap. Double crap. I hadn’t planned on telling Fallon about the whole I-spurned-my-now-ex-fiance-and-my-family-disowned me thing.
I suddenly felt like a worm. A shitty little worm. Like I’d somehow betrayed Fallon by having a manipulative match-making mother. Even though I’d never so much as kissed Massimo. Even though the engagement had started and ended before Fallon and I had ever even met.
“I was just… looking for something better,” I said after a tense moment of hesitation.
There. At least that wasn’t really a lie.
As the words left my mouth, I realized just how true they were.
22
FALLON
Inormally enjoyed my chores. I liked moving my body, being outside with the animals, and the satisfying feeling of accomplishment I felt at the end of each hard day’s work.
But today, I found it difficult to focus. My mind kept wandering back to my beautiful wife. It would have been far too easy to shirk all my duties around the ranch simply so that I could go and be with her.
I dared to hope that she maybe had felt a little bit of that same pull. She’d sought me out this morning the same way she had last night. Only this time, there was no storm that could have caused any fear for my safety and spurred her on. I liked to think I was not wrong in imagining she’d come to find me simply because she’d wanted to see me. Because she’d maybe even missed me.
She’d been looking for something better. That’s what she’d told me.
I’d almost asked her if she’d found it, but before I could, she’d given Sora a pat and hurried off back towards the house, mumbling something about “helping Magnolia pack.”
