Fake Marriage to a Baller: A Wilder Brothers Romance Read online

  I angrily swiped a hand at the tear that was forming at the corner of my eye. “Bud, you know how much money I’ve put into this place. They can’t shut me down. I’d lose everything I worked so hard for. I’ll sue them if I have to.”

  “That might be your only hope, but lawsuits take a lot of time and money. And in the meantime, you’ve got to shut down this operation within 30 days or the fines will start mounting.”

  Bud reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. He mumbled some apologies as he handed the letter over to me. “I wanted to deliver this to you myself, just so I had the chance to let you know that I had nothing to do with any of this. This is real funny business. It’s not right and I’m sorry, Miss Aubrey.”

  Before Bud left, he had me sign a document to prove that I had received the official notice. He quietly walked away as I unfolded the papers and read the contents.

  The papers spelled out my future in a perfunctory legalize. My shelter was no longer permitted. From here on out, I was only allowed to maintain three dogs on my property according to residential statutes. I had thirty days to comply before punitive measures were taken ‘which could result in: one, a fine not to exceed $400 per day; two, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or three, both such fine and confinement.’

  My hands trembled as I read the words that were effectively putting an end to a hard-fought dream of mine. The decision by the Director was completely unfair and Bud was right, this was ‘funny business.’ Every instinct I possessed screamed that I had to fight this injustice, but my shoulders slumped in defeat. How could I fight the town on a waitress’s salary when I was already in so much debt?

  I fought the urge to rip the notice into tiny bits and turned to go back into the house. Maybe I could find an attorney who would be willing to do a free consultation for me. Then I could find out if a lawsuit on my behalf would have any merit. Maybe a sternly written letter from my lawyer was all it would take to reverse this travesty.

  Glancing at my wristwatch as I opened the door, I realized that if I didn’t start getting ready soon, I’d be late for my shift at the restaurant.

  I caught the blur of black movement out of the corner of my eye only moments before I felt the soft brush of fur swish past my leg.

  “Dammit, Jax! Get back in here. I don’t have time for your games right now.”

  Jax ran down the porch and scampered about twenty yards away before he stopped to gauge my reaction.

  Mustering my sternest voice, I commanded, “Jax, Come!”

  Jax tilted his head slightly to the side and leveled a quizzical glance at me, pretending he had no earthly idea what I wanted.

  I took a deep breath. So, you’re going to play it that way. I plastered a big fake smile on my face and called to Jax, my voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness. “C’mere boy! Do you want to play? C’mere.”

  Jax’s tail began to wag, but he maintained his position.

  I patted my leg eagerly and held out my hand. “Jax, you wanna treat? C’mere boy! I’ve got a treat for you! C’mere boy!”

  Jax barked excitedly, then danced around in a circle. He clearly wasn’t falling for my tricks.

  I sat down on my porch and rested my chin in my hands in a sign of defeat. Maybe I could reason with him. “Jax, we just went for a walk an hour ago. I’ve got to get to work soon. Can’t you listen to me just this once?”

  Jax issued an excited yelp, but made no move to come closer to me.

  I didn’t have time for this nonsense. I still had to shower and get ready for work. My manager was a stickler for punctuality and I really couldn’t afford to lose this job. Could this day get any worse?

  Annoyed at the entire chain of events, I stood up quickly. “Dammit, Jax!”

  Jax ran in a circle.

  “Get over here!” I took a step towards him.

  Jax barked and ran ten yards further away before stopping to assess my next move.

  I marched angrily towards him. “Jax, come! Right now, dammit.”

  Jax hunkered down on his front paws for a moment and then sprang up and ran a few yards farther down the yard toward the road.

  Seeing red, I took off in a sprint, running wildly towards him.

  A look of pure joy crossed over Jax’s face before he tore off at full speed towards the road.

  The game of chase was on.

  Chapter 3

  Chase

  Training camp.

  We were practicing in full pads. Across from me, Robertson and Garrett were snorting and scratching the ground with their feet, like angry bulls. Their eyes flared red as they stared at me.

  Garrett doesn’t snort like that. And his eyes...they looked like demon’s eyes...

  The thoughts came to me slowly. Hazily.

  Suddenly, I heard the quarterback call out for the snap. My gut clenched. Somehow, I knew what was coming. And yet, I felt powerless to move, powerless to do anything but remain motionless and wait for their attack...

  Seconds later, Robertson and Garrett charged forward. They fucking clobbered me. I crashed to the ground. Air left my lungs with a whoosh. My ankle twisted awkwardly. Pain shot through my foot and leg like a hot knife. I yelled like a motherfucker.

  My eyes snapped open. I sat straight up, looked around.

  Rather than a football field, I saw the cabin of a commercial airplane. Instead of thousands of cheering fans, I heard the captain come over the intercom and report our estimated arrival time. And I wasn’t lying prone on the ground.

  I was in an airplane, headed home to Grove, Oklahoma.

  A dream, I thought. A very bad dream.

  But it wasn’t a dream, not really. As they say, you’re only as good as your last game. And in my last game, I’d received an injury serious enough to force me to limp off the field.

  My ankle began to throb, as if I’d just sprained it all over again.

  I felt that sick, anxious feeling in my stomach, the one I usually had right before the first snap in a game. Based purely on talent and play, I was in the top ten of most free agency lists. But the team has to sign the person that goes with the talent, and if I didn’t clean up my act pronto, most teams would smartly decide I wasn’t worth the trouble.

  Still, was getting hitched to some matronly chick I barely knew the answer to my problems?

  I clenched my fists. My head said, hell yeah, that’s the answer.

  My gut wasn’t so sure, though.

  I felt a hand touch my sleeve. I looked toward the seat next to me and stared into a pair of pretty blue eyes. Damn, I loved blue eyes, especially on cute blondes with long legs. But honestly, I wasn’t in the mood. Not now.

  “You okay?” she asked, in a high-pitched voice.

  “Yeah, just a bad dream.” I gave her a casual smile, then dismissed her from my thoughts. I looked out the window at the endless plains that farmers had cut into irregular squares, and hesitantly explored the idea of marriage, the way someone might explore a bad tooth with his tongue.

  Her hand dropped away. But not a minute later, I felt her touch on my sleeve again. I glanced at her. She was still looking at me with those big blues.

  She tilted her head to one side. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  “Are you from Oklahoma?” I asked. She wasn’t model-pretty but damned hot nevertheless. Suddenly I wasn’t so oblivious to her.

  She flipped her silky hair back with a toss of her head. “San Diego.”

  “San Diego’s a beautiful city. What are you doing on a plane to Tulsa?”

  “I’m flying in for a conference. I’m in sales.”

  I considered for a moment. Wondered if getting laid wasn’t exactly what I needed right now. Then I glanced at her ring finger. No ring.

  I smiled. “I’m from Oklahoma, but I live part-time in Miami.” I checked her out again, imagined holding those full curves in my palms. When she saw the direction of my stare and didn’t look away, I knew that only a hotel room
stood between me and Nirvana.

  “Really? Part time job?” She flashed her white teeth my way.

  “Football.”

  She put her hand on my arm again. This time her grip was tighter. Possessive. “Oh my God, you play pro football. You’re Chase Wilder! I read about you partying down in Miami all the time.”

  “I’m surprised you even recognized me,” I murmured, teetering on the edge of more bad behavior, at least as far as my agent was concerned.

  “Can I get a selfie with you?”

  I leaned closer to her, got a whiff of expensive perfume.

  Click, and she had a photo of us.

  Five minutes later, I had her cellphone number.

  And two hours later, we were standing at the baggage claim, debating whether we both had enough time to take a quick detour to her hotel room, which was within a mile of Tulsa International Airport. I decided to think of it as an early bachelor party, with just the two of us.

  Just as I was looking her over for the tenth time and already seeing myself spreading those long sexy legs, I heard someone yell, “Chase!”

  The call came from the area that led toward short term parking. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Gage...one of my older brothers. I huddled toward the blonde, tried to hide.

  A hand slapped me on the shoulder. “Hey, bro.”

  I turned, gave him an annoyed frown.

  He immediately backed off, studied the blonde, then grinned. “Got your Mustang outside, at the curb. You ready?”

  I watched as the blonde glanced at Gage, took in his dark hair and deep blue eyes. My brother didn’t have the muscles of a football player, but his square chin and broad shoulders had the kind of appeal that didn’t need muscles.

  The blonde tugged on my sleeve. I leaned closer, so she could whisper in my ear.

  “If you want to bring your friend along, I’m okay with that.”

  Startled, I pulled back. A threesome? With Gage? God knew Gage was no saint. Rough around the edges and used to getting his way, he managed our family ranch and could coax the habit off a nun in five seconds flat. But honestly, I didn’t want to share with him. It just felt too damned incestuous.

  “We gotta go,” Gage said, then looked at the blonde. “Can he call you later?”

  I thought about Nirvana being only a hotel room away. Saw how Gage was looking at me—somewhat impatient, clearly amused, and enjoying the fact that he was making me choose between a ride and blonde.

  I ended up giving her a little wave.

  She pouted. And we parted ways.

  “They’re still throwing themselves at you, huh,” Gage observed.

  “Yeah, I’m up to my ears in pussy.”

  He laughed and slapped me on the back. “That’s my bro.”

  A few minutes later, we were headed back to Clearwater River Ranch, the home where my mother had apparently enjoyed the task of raising five rowdy boys and one headstrong girl. My dad hadn’t been around much, as he’d spent most of his time overseeing the cattle operations and the hired help. I’d always wondered when they’d had time to have sex and make babies.

  It was funny, how going home could bring back the strangest memories. At least I wasn’t thinking about getting cut from the team.

  I felt myself relaxing. Now that I sat behind the wheel of my convertible Mustang, the same car that my other brother Brody and I had spent the better part of a summer fixing up, Miami seemed very far away. The engine rumbled with power and the wind whipped through my hair and I breathed in, once again, the warm smell of wheat growing in the sun.

  I’d missed this.

  The highway unfurled before me like a dark ribbon that cut through fields planted with cotton, soybeans, corn, and just about anything else you could think of. A little up ahead, I noticed a hawk soar effortlessly in an updraft--a little miniature version of the tornadoes that often ripped through the plains in the springtime. Further in the distance, gray clouds gathered on the horizon, promising rain...or worse. I’d forgotten how pretty Oklahoma could be, and how dangerous.

  I wondered what Oklahoma held in store for me this time around, now that I was looking for a ‘good woman.’ I’d probably find her at the end of a rainbow, right next to a unicorn.

  Gage glanced down at my foot, which was shoeless and wrapped in a soft cast that I velcroed off each night, and velcroed back on in the morning. “You have any trouble shifting with that thing?”

  I downshifted, then upshifted again, my movements as smooth as silk.

  He nodded approvingly. “How long until you’ll be able to start training again?”

  “The doc told me to stay off of it for a few more weeks.”

  “You think it’ll be healed in time for the next season?”

  “It had better be. I’m going to rehab the hell out of it.” I downshifted once more as we approached a curve in the highway. The car roared, then fell into a purr and responded instantly, perfectly, like a lover who had only my pleasure in mind.

  “Well, if it isn’t, you oughtta stay off it. Give it the time it needs.”

  “You know what happens to guys who give their injuries ‘the time it needs?’” I glanced his way for emphasis, then returned my attention on the road, which had gone straight again and seemed to stretch into infinity. “They get a reputation of being injury-prone. Then they lose their spot on the team.”

  “Ankle sprains are tricky. If they don’t heal right, you could be walking with a limp for the rest of your life.”

  “I don’t mind walking a little funny if I get to stay in the game.” I slumped a little in my seat.

  He shook his head. “Is it the money? The fame? Or do you just love it that much?”

  I didn’t hesitate. “I just love it that much.”

  “You’re fucked up.”

  “At the very least, I’m fucked...” I went on to tell him about my meeting with my agent, and how he’d suggested that the only way to clean up my act and avoid getting cut from the team was to get married.

  A long silence settled between us once I’d finished. My brother looked lost in thought. Then he pulled out his cellphone, paged through some apps and opened one. Seconds later, I heard the song Sean Jones and I had been playing the night of the orgy, along with the sound of slaps and Sean groaning in ecstasy.

  I twitched the steering wheel. The car swerved briefly before I caught it and straightened it out. “Where’d you get that?”

  “Luke downloaded it,” he replied, mentioning one of my other brothers, the one who had made a career out of sticking his nose into other people’s business. “You’re a stud, bro, but this isn’t good for your career.”

  “Goddamn bitches. I heard they made enough to retire on by selling that video.”

  “With all that money, you’re a target.” After a slight hesitation, he continued, “You going to do it? Get married?”

  “Maybe. Have to find the right woman, though.”

  “So hookers are out.”

  “Call girls too,” I admitted. “And escorts.”

  “How about football groupies?”

  “As long as they haven’t been filmed in an orgy.”

  He shook his head. “This won’t be easy.”

  “No kidding,” I muttered. “Where the hell do I look? The library? The hospital? Where do these ‘good women’ hang out?”

  “I have no idea,” he replied.

  I chuckled. Gage was a chip off the ole block.

  “You’re going to need a prenup,” he said, his voice serious.

  “My agent’s going to handle it.”

  “You trust him with something as important as this?”

  I shrugged. “I gotta trust somebody.”

  With that, we both fell silent. As I steered the Mustang off the highway and into the town of Grove, my thoughts wandered to a woman who had once been in my life, someone whom I’d thought I’d loved. I should have been looking at the town—at the quaint shops that sat on the shore of the Grand Lake o’ the C
herokees, at the sailboats that raced the breeze on the lake, at the tree-lined streets with its antique shops. But suddenly, all I could think of was her. Just like the internet bitches, she’d fucked me over too...royally.

  Gage must have known where my thoughts had led me. He pointed out a new bar in town, and said that the microbrew they served was the best he’d ever tasted; and then started discussing the weather, and how it had impacted the local cattle business. He kept talking and talking.

  I paid him no attention, though. Instead, I remembered the night I’d found out how she’d cleaned out all of my bank accounts and disappeared south of the border. The shock of that moment. The feeling of being kicked in the gut by a steel-hooved mule. Of puking in the toilet.

  Simone.

  That day, I’d felt cold. Like a stone. I’d felt so heavy I could barely move. Eventually the weight of it had broken me, and I’d yielded to the hurt. I’d screamed and cried and hadn’t believed the sun would ever rise. I’d walked around Grove alone and greeted the coming night like a vampire who felt certain he’d never again feel sunlight on his face. At some point, I’d prayed for the day and, when dawn had come, I’d laid down on a park bench and taken a nap.

  Beautiful, honey-skinned Simone with her dark, unreadable eyes.

  That’s where Gage had discovered me.

  I suddenly realized my brother had stopped talking. I looked at him, aware that I had a lump in my throat. Angrily I swallowed past it.

  “It’s hard to cut a woman like that out of your heart,” he said, his gaze missing nothing.

  “It’s been three fucking years,” I growled. “She’s out.”

  He said no more, and there wasn’t really any time for him to make any more of his keen observations, because I had just turned the car onto the long gravel road that led home. We passed beneath an arched sign made of wooden posts that read ‘Clearwater River Ranch’ and then finished the two-minute drive in the turnaround right in front of the house.

  I studied the old place for a moment. I’d always thought, as a kid, that it would make a great haunted house. Now, I recognized it as an old-style Victorian, a big eight thousand square foot home that seemed out-of-place among the cattle and wheat fields. But my mom had always loved it, as she loved all things vintage; and at the moment, she had a big smile on her face as she opened those white double-doors and came down the porch to greet me.