Renting His Heart Read online

  Chloe stuck out her bottom lip. “But sweetie, you promised me today.”

  This was so far beyond her comfort zone it wasn’t even funny—actually she passed that several hours ago. Tonight was just the icing on the cake.

  “Wait. Let me see . . .” Dana typed something on her computer.

  The chapel doors opened, and a couple stumbled out. They’d clearly had too much to drink that night, but at least they looked happy. A frazzled-looking priest followed behind them and leaned against the doorway, rubbing his face.

  “I need a break before the next one, dear.”

  Dana glanced between the priest, Austin, and Chloe. “I know that was a bit much—sorry about that—but this sweet couple is here and ready to go. And they’re sober if that counts for anything.” She turned to them. “You are sober, right?”

  Austin handed Dana a few hundred-dollar bills more than the wedding would have cost, making sure that the priest saw the transaction. “Yes. We are. And we don’t take up much time. In fact, you can just speed through our ceremony and then relax for a bit while we’re hanging out, so you have a little more time if that works.”

  The priest blinked and sighed. “Fine.”

  Chloe’s stomach plummeted and her heart raced as she looked inside the chapel. While the large heart backdrop was a little cheesy, it was nicer than she’d expected. There were several rows of chairs for those who brought guests with them. Chloe stopped walking for a moment. As annoyed with her mom as she was, didn’t she want her family to be there right now?

  Austin turned and pulled her close. “Second thoughts? Do you want to leave?”

  “No. No, we’re doing this. I’m just sad my parents aren’t here.” Chloe smiled up at him.

  “Hey, I understand. But how about this? We get married tonight, get through the wedding this weekend, and then we can have a big reception with everyone there.”

  Chloe nodded. “That would be nice.”

  “Okay, let’s go. Before the priest falls asleep.” Austin kept an arm around her, and she melted into him. Something about being around him made her feel safe, and that’s what she needed right then.

  The priest opened his folder and had them both sign. “Do you want to say your own vows, or do you want the traditional?”

  “Traditional is fine.” Chloe had no clue what she’d say anyway. ‘Hi, I’ve had a crush on you my whole life and I think I just conned you into something that we’ll both regret later?’ Not exactly memory-making.

  The priest nodded and began. “Dearly beloved, we meet here today to witness a sacred ceremony, the union of Chloe and Austin. With great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two children of God that stand before us. Chloe and Austin, over the course of your relationship, you have developed a strong bond based on shared values and mutual respect. With a solid foundation from which to grow, you have made the decision to take the oath of marriage and spend the rest of your lives together.”

  Chloe could feel the panic rising. He promised so many good things, and yet they were here as a lie to trick everyone waiting for them in Idaho. Austin squeezed her hands and smiled down at her, his eyes promising that everything was going to be okay. She smiled back and nodded slightly to let him know she was all right.

  The priest continued, not looking up from his binder. “Chloe and Austin, please face each other as you declare these vows before God. Chloe, you may start.”

  Chloe smirked. They were already facing each other, which meant he had no clue what was actually going on. That actually helped take a little of the guilt off. If the priest didn’t care enough to pay attention, maybe it wasn’t completely lying. . . “I, Chloe, take you, Austin, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to keep you by my side through good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you, honor you, and love you for the rest of my days, until death do us part.”

  Or until the agreement was over.

  The priest nodded and wrote something in his book before continuing. “Austin, please repeat your vows.”

  Austin brushed a lock of hair from Chloe’s face, his eyes never leaving hers. “I, Austin, take you, Chloe, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to keep you by my side through good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you, honor you, and love you for the rest of my days, until death do us part.”

  For a moment, Chloe wanted to forget about the fact that she was exhausted and had been traveling for the last two days and pretend that this was real. That those blue eyes would always look at her. That what he’d just said was real. Instead, they were just words like the ones she’d written in all of her books.

  The priest finally looked up and nodded before going back to his book. “It is now time to exchange the rings. The circle formed by each ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to each other. May these rings remind you always of these sacred promises you’ve made to each other today. Austin, you will go first. Please repeat after me as you place the ring on the hand of your loved one.”

  Austin took the mood ring Chloe had bought in the airport and slid it onto Chloe’s finger, his touch gentle. “I, Austin, give you, Chloe this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.”

  “Chloe, your turn.” The priest waved for her to go.

  Chloe slid the ring on Austin’s finger and instead of the black it had been, it was now a violet—just like hers. She smiled up at him. “I, Chloe, give you, Austin this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.”

  The priest picked up his pen and turned it to face them. “By the power vested in me, by the state of Nevada, I pronounce you, Austin and Chloe as husband and wife, lawfully wedded before God. You may now kiss the bride.”

  Austin hesitated for a moment before leaning down to brush his lip against hers. Fireworks flew everywhere, and the room disappeared. And just as quickly, they ended. Austin glanced at her lips, and Chloe wanted him to kiss her again, but the priest shoved the binder at them.

  “Sign here and then you can collect the certificate at the front. Tell Dana to wait ten minutes before anyone else comes in. I need a drink.” The priest slammed the book shut and went into a back room, leaving Chloe and Austin alone.

  Chloe stared up at Austin, still feeling their kiss and the butterflies that came with it. They were married now. Real or not, they were married.

  “I guess we should leave now.” Austin took her hand and clasped it in his as they left the chapel. He stopped at the front desk and took the certificate that Dana held out. “Thank you, Dana. You’re a doll. He wants you to give him ten minutes.”

  Dana nodded and glanced over at the couple kissing on the chairs in the waiting room. “I think they can handle waiting a little longer. Good luck you two.”

  Chloe waved and stared down at the certificate that Austin handed her. “Think this will satisfy your grandma?”

  “I hope so. I might have to doctor it a little so it doesn’t say the Chapel O’Love, but otherwise I think it’s set.” He stopped. “What about your mom? Is she going to flip out?”

  Chloe snorted. “Are you kidding? She’s going to be bragging to everyone who will listen that I managed to snag the most eligible bachelor. Never mind that you used to sneak food out of her fridge every day after school.”

  “It’s not my fault that my mom was on weird diets all the time and made us do them with her. Your mom was saving my life.” Austin nodded toward the all-you-can-eat. “Are you hungry? We can eat really quick before we head.”

  Chloe’s stomach growled. They hadn’t eaten since Colorado. She wasn’t even sure how long ago that was, but she could feel herself dragging and knew she needed to sleep soon. “Let’s grab something on the way home. We need to get there before it gets much later.”

>   “Sounds good. We can grab takeout. I’m dragging myself and I don’t have to deal with jet lag.” Austin led her out and they climbed into the car. Austin grabbed burgers from a drive through and handed her the bag.

  Chloe devoured her burger while she gave directions to Austin. She could have cried when they finally pulled up to the hotel. It took every ounce of her energy to climb out of the car. When they walked inside, there wasn’t time to explain to her mom that she was married before she was rushed up to her room.

  “I’m so glad that you had someone to travel with. When you told me you wouldn’t need a ride from the airport, I worried that you would get lost or that something would happen to you.”

  “Mom, I’ve been on my own in France for the last five years. I can handle myself.” Chloe climbed into bed not caring that she hadn’t changed. If she could just go to bed, maybe she’d wake up in the morning and find out that this was all a dream.

  Austin had already had breakfast and toured the backyard, and Chloe still hadn’t come downstairs. Her jet lag must have been worse than she’d let on. He glanced down at the ring on his finger and rubbed it with his thumb. It wasn’t lost on him that it had been somewhere between blue and violet since the night before. It wasn’t exactly the black tungsten that he’d hoped for, but hopefully his mom’s presence would be enough to make it go black.

  He breathed in deeply, the freshly mowed grass filling his senses. He missed the feeling of being outdoors. Working in an office had changed him, and this felt like coming back home again. The idea of starting a ranch with his grandpa’s estate had been a partial joke, but now that he was here, he could actually see it happening. But first he needed to figure out how to actually ranch.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Chloe’s voice broke through the silence of the backyard. “I don’t think I’ve ever slept that long.”

  “You’ve gone nonstop for a couple of days. It’s bound to catch up.” He gestured to the garden. “They’re having the wedding over there. In a fairy garden.”

  Her eyes lit up just like Austin knew they would. She jumped up and ran for the garden. Austin laughed and followed her. She’d had one when she was little, but it was much smaller with only a few fairies.

  “It’s exactly like I’ve always wanted.” Chloe stared at the flowers and all the delicate fairies, pausing at each one.

  Austin went ahead of her and knelt next to two little fairies who were fishing. “This one is my favorite.”

  “Oh, my word. Look at the detail.” Chloe knelt next to Austin and took a picture of the figurine. “Look, there are houses in here too.”

  “I saw that. We’ll have to figure out where to get some of these so you can have your own garden.”

  Chloe nodded and took a few more pictures. “I’d want the garden to be a little bigger, though. So there’s room for some butterfly bushes as well.”

  “Of course. It’ll be perfect.” Austin cringed when he heard his mom’s voice in the distance. “It’s time. You ready for this?”

  She sighed. “Ready or not.”

  He pulled her in for a hug and tried to ignore how right this felt to him. “It’ll be fine. They’ll be thrilled, right?”

  “Sure.” She smiled and broke away. “Ready or not, let’s go.”

  Mom stood in the center of the lawn telling one of the employees where the columns should go for the wedding.

  Austin took a deep breath before he walked toward her. “Hey, Mom. What did you need?”

  “Your date. That Rachel girl who runs this hotel helped me find someone for you. No, not there. More to the right.”

  It took a second before Austin realized she was talking to someone behind him. “I don’t need one, Mom. I’m good.”

  “That’s nice, honey. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we’re moving everything outside. I need you to go find Lacey. It’s beautiful out here and the weather is supposed to be perfect for the wedding.” She stopped and looked over at Chloe. “Oh, hey. When I saw Mike earlier, I just figured you weren’t coming. It’s nice to see you.”

  “Mom, we wanted to—”

  “No, not there.” Mom sighed. “Austin, go now please. Lacey needs to see what it will look like if she holds the wedding out here.” Mom was obviously in her element, so Austin waved for Chloe to follow him. She’d find out the details later. After all the stress of going to Jackpot, she didn’t pay attention to him for more than a minute.

  Chloe caught up to him, but didn’t say anything until they were out of earshot. “She knows this isn’t her wedding, right?”

  “You wouldn’t think so.” Austin laughed. “Now you know why I chose to go with eloping.”

  “Yep.” Chloe slowed. “I have to admit though, I’m kinda sad we don’t get this part. I mean, things could be bad, but at least our parents would be there.”

  Austin turned to her, surprised. “You want them to completely change your plans on you?”

  Chloe shrugged. “No. But this way they didn’t get a choice. It’s okay. Really. I’ll get over it. Besides, if I know—hey, Mom. Have you seen Lacey?”

  A spike of fear shot through Austin as Chloe’s mom walked up. He held out a hand. “Hey, Mrs. P. It’s been a while.”

  Mrs. P.—Mrs. Parker, but Austin had called her that since jr high—glanced between Austin and Chloe, her frown turning to a smile. “Austin. I had no idea you were coming.”

  “I just got in last night.” He shook her hand, hoping she wouldn’t notice his nervousness. Last night she’d taken Chloe to their room before he’d gotten inside with his luggage. He forced a smile when she didn’t let go. This was his mother-in-law now. Which meant Mike was now his brother-in-law. Whoa. He needed to find Mike before he found out about their marriage from Chloe’s mom.

  “Ah. Well, it’s good to see you. Mike took off with his cousins somewhere. The ranch down the road, I think.” She started to walk away, but stopped. “Oh, Chloe. Your date’s name is Lance. You’ll meet him—”

  “Mom.” Chloe took Austin’s hand and squeezed, then held out her other hand to show her mom her ring. “I have a date.”

  Her mom stopped, her mouth dropping open. “What do you mean?”

  “We’re married, Mom. We wanted to surprise you.” Chloe’s voice shook, and she held tightly to Austin’s hand, as if trying to draw strength from him.

  “When?” Her mom reached for a chair and sat down.

  Chloe looked up at Austin, her eyes pleading with him to say something.

  “I . . . had to travel to France for business a few months back and ran into Chloe at the airport. We went to dinner, and then kept talking for hours. It was just . . . right. We got married in a cute little chapel and it’s been hard to be away from her ever since.”

  Her mom stared at the two of them for a moment. “Does Mike know?”

  “No. We were going to tell him this weekend.” Chloe knelt in front of her mom. “I’m sorry for not telling you. I just didn’t think you’d be okay with the fact that Austin and I were married and living across the ocean from each other. When I found out about Lacey’s wedding, I jumped at the chance to come clean.”

  It was a moment before her mom reacted. She reached forward and pulled Chloe into a hug, then gestured for Austin to come forward. She took his hand and pulled him into a hug as well. “I’m so happy for both of you. I’m just sad that you would keep this from me.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” Chloe sniffled, and Austin suspected that her tears were genuine.

  “Austin. I told you—what’s going on here?” Mom’s voice echoed in the lobby. “Is everything all right?”

  Mrs. P. let go of both of them and stood, straightening her pencil skirt. “It seems that there are some congratulations are in order, Emily. Did you know about this?”

  Mom looked between Austin and Mrs. P. “What do you mean?”

  “It seems that our children have made us family.” Chloe’s mom wrapped her arm through Mom’s. “These two up and got mar
ried without telling us.”

  Mom gasped and held her hand to her chest. “What? When did all this happen?”

  “I—” Austin began, but Mrs. P. jumped in.

  “Oh, it’s the sweetest story. Come, we’ll talk so we can let these two lovebirds have some time together.” Mrs. P. dragged Mom away, but not before Mom could shoot daggers back at Austin. She wouldn’t be happy until she’d dragged every last detail from him.

  Chloe leaned against Austin and rested her forehead on his chest. “That was way more stressful that I thought it would be.”

  “Yes, and I have a feeling that it’s only gotten started. My mom isn’t going to let this go any time soon.” He pulled back and tipped Chloe’s chin so she would meet his eyes. “They’re not the ones we have to worry about, though.”

  Chloe’s eyebrows lowered, followed by a groan. “Mike.”

  “Yes. Mike. We need to get to him before our moms do or we’re both toast.” Austin went up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. “Hey, my friend went to some ranch down the road. Can you tell me exactly where that is?”

  The lady beamed. “Of course. Just take a left and head down the road a few miles. Take another left and continue until you see the ranch. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thank you.” Austin pulled his keys out of his pocket and strode out to his car. Chloe jumped in the other side. “How dead do you think we are?”

  “Not me. He’ll be happy for me. You, on the other hand, might want to think about what you want on your will while you drive.”

  Austin wanted to laugh, but Chloe was right. Mike didn’t like having her tag along with them, but he was also very protective of her. More than one boyfriend had been chased away in high school because the guy was scared of her older brother.

  “Maybe we should have thought this part through before deciding anything.” Austin turned the corner and continued down the road. The view was breathtaking. Wheat and corn grew on each side of the road, and the deep blue sky was nothing like he’d ever seen in Massachusetts. He could definitely handle this view every day.