Chapter 9 ~ Tae

Rhett kissed me. Rhett kissed me. Rhett just kissed me!

Taylor's brain was working double time trying to process Rhett's kiss. She hadn't expected it. She knew that they would have to pretend to be a couple, but she didn't realize he would take it so seriously.

The whole room had watched it happen, too. She was beyond embarrassed, but she didn't have time to think about it.

"Well, he's taking this seriously," Caroline said to her with a smirk.

Their backs were to the room, and they were filling up drinks. They were letting the guests get food first, then the family would fill up their plates, afterward.

The Family.

I'm part of the family now, she thought to herself.

They took relationships seriously here. They accepted her fully, just because she was with Rhett.

"Yes, he decided he was going to do it right," she snickered.

"Well, I'd say he's doing it right all right. That was a hell of a kiss," Caroline said, giving her a look.

Taylor was surprised to hear her curse. She didn't seem like the type to. She shrugged her shoulders pretending to be unaffected by the kiss.

"He seemed really upset about you being worried for him," she told her. "When I told him that you were worrying about his capability to be in a relationship, he got really worked up. He just wants to see you happy. So yes, he is taking the making you happy part seriously," she explained.

"Hmm, that sounds like him," was all his mama said.

"He loves you; that's for sure," she said smiling warmly.

Caroline looked out around the room and finally found her sons.

"It's good to see the three of them together. Now, it's time for Jake to come home," she said with tears in her eyes.

Taylor didn't know where Jake was. She knew he was the next born after Rhett though.

"Where is Jake?" she asked Caroline.

"Jake is in the army. He's stationed in Afghanistan right now," she told Taylor. "Or at least that's where he says he is. We never really know."

She was looking out the window as if in a daze.

"Oh, you must be so proud," Taylor said to her.

She watched as pride filled Caroline's eyes. She could only imagine what it would be like to have a son in constant danger. It had to be hard on her.

"Yes, we are very proud of him, but we still miss him, and I still worry too. I'm a mother. It's what I do," she said simply.

Laughing sympathetically, Taylor said, "I can't wait to be constantly worrying about my children when I'm a mother."

Caroline looked at her with what looked like hope in her eyes.

"You want to have children?" she asked.

Taylor thought it over. She had always wanted to have kids. She thought babies were precious, so it was easy to decide.

"Yes, I would like to have a family one day," she told Rhett's mother.

Nodding her head, she gave her a small smile. Caroline said, "You will make a great mom."

It meant a lot to Taylor to hear her say that. She had to fight back tears as she thought of her own mother. She would never get to see Taylor as a mom, or hold her own grandchild. She changed her focus to thoughts of Rhett.

Smiling, Taylor looked around. Rhett was standing with his brothers and a few other guys. She didn't know the guys, but the three of them looked just like the brothers. They had to be related. They were probably cousins.

"Go mingle," Caroline told her, watching as she walked toward the men.

She watched as Rhett's head turned towards her and took her in.

Walking up, she leaned into Rhett.

He wrapped an arm around her and leaned down to ask her, "Hungry?"

She nodded, and they moved to the line. The rest of the family joined them at the buffet table and then they headed for the tables together.

Sitting down by Rhett, she looked around her. She met the eyes of his other brother Axel, who she hadn't been introduced to yet.

"You must be Axel, the youngest brother," she said, smiling.

He gave her a smirk and nodded.

"I'm the hottest brother, yes, if that's what you are asking?" he said to her cockily.

She giggled at his comment. He was hot, yes, but he was also younger than her. That was a big no for her.

"Hmm, I don't know about that," she said to him.

Turning to look at Rhett, she saw that he was talking to someone beside him.

"Your brother, now that's where it's at," she said giggling.

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh lord, yeah you're broken," he joked.

She shook her head and laughed.

She thought about this for a moment.

"If this is broken, then don't fix me," she thought out loud.

She didn't realize she had said it out loud until Axel reacted.

Axel chuckled at her comment, and said, "You must be stupid to-," but then stopped and turned to his food.

Confused, she looked around. Rhett was glaring at his brother. She laughed at his protective instincts.

Leaning in, she whispered, "We were having a conversation before you tuned my friend here into stone," she said giving him a stern look.

He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry, all I heard was him calling you stupid," he said shrugging.

She could tell he wasn't really sorry.

"Well, he was joking, and we were actually talking about you. So, really, he was calling you stupid, not me," she said grinning broadly at him.

He pretended to look shocked. She was getting used to his silly, dramatic, side.

"My little brother, calling, me, his older brother, stupid? What?" he asked, obviously not shocked at all.

She giggled, and he shot her his charmer smile in response.

"Fine, I'll let you continue your conversation," he said gesturing to Axel who was watching their confrontation closely.

She raised her eyebrow and set down her fork.

"Oh, you'll let me, huh?" she asked sassily. "Why, that was very generous of you, sir," she added.

He smirked again.

"You are very welcome, Pretty Girl," he tugged her hair before returning to his conversation with one of the guys.

Turning back to Axel, she began to speak, but he said something that made her stop.

"Yeah, there's no faking that, Taylor," he said leaning in towards her and lowering his voice.

He then stood up, walked over to where his mother was, and began talking to her.

She sat shocked, staring at her food. She thought about what he had said over and over. She wondered if he knew that they were faking it.

She felt eyes on her and looked up. Rhett was looking at her with worry-filled eyes.

"Where did Axel go?" he asked.

Shaking her head she said, "I don't know. He just got up and walked off."

He looked down at her, taking in her face. She could feel his eyes on every detail of her, so she quickly looked down at her plate of food. She was no longer hungry though.

He tipped her chin up to look at him.

"You all right?" he asked.

She could see that he was concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a small smile. She could tell he didn't believe her, but she was thankful that he didn't push the subject.

"Okay," he said simply.

He looked down at her for a minute more. "Are you done with this?" he asked gesturing to her plate.

She nodded and said, "Yes."

She sat her silverware onto the plate and sat back. He grabbed her plate, and his, and threw them away. Coming back to the table, he grabbed her hand.

"Let's go for a walk while some of these people clear out. When the guests leave, we'll introduce you to the crew," he said.

She placed her hand in his waiting one, and let him pull her up. She thought a walk sounded like a good idea. Following Rhett through the crowded building, they were stopped multiple times to talk. Rhett introduced her as his girlfriend every time.

He didn't stumble on the word like he had the first time when he introduced her to Max. He proudly told them who she was, she said hi and smiled every time. Everyone was nice to her, but she could see the question in many of the women's eyes.

He finally pulled her through the back door, and she sighed. Leaning into him, she let him hold her up for a minute.

"Who knew you could meet so many nice people in one night. Everyone wants to stop and talk to you, and you just can't tell them no," she said to him.

He chuckled and started walking again.

"Trust me, you learn real quick what to say to make clean getaways. It's the only way you can survive get-togethers like these," he said nodding knowingly.

"Now, Rhett Montgomery, have you lied to get away from those nice people before?" she asked pretending to be disappointed.

He sent her a smile that said he wasn't sorry for it.

"Yes, yes I have, because although they mean well, a man can only take so much prodding into his private life in one night," he said shaking his head.

She laughed at his horror-ridden face and looked out around them.

The stars shined brightly above their heads as they walked.

"I can't get over how different it is out here compared to in town," she sighed in aww. "It feels like I'm in a whole different world. I can actually breathe here, without worrying about what I need to do after that next breath," she said looking around.

She let Rhett lead her down a path that he clearly knew by heart. She looked around her as they walked. She was too busy looking up at the stars to realize that Rhett had stopped.

"Oomph," she said as she ran into his hard back.

The breath was knocked out of her. Rhett turned around, chuckling at her misfortune.

"You all right, Pretty Girl?" he asked her.

She nodded and smacked his chest. She took in a gulp of air.

"It's not my fault you're built like a brick wall," she said knocking on his core.

She could feel him flexing under her knuckles and she pushed him back.

"Oh, quit flexing, cowboy. I know you believe your god's gift to womankind, but I do not believe so," she said smiling sweetly at him.

He looked back at her shocked.

"What, you don't think so? I could have sworn you were swooning earlier," he said smirking at her.

She punched his arm as she rolled her eyes.

"You're so full of yourself," she said.

"Hmm, okay, whatever you have to tell yourself," he said cockily as he turned her around again.

Her breath caught at the view. They were standing a couple of feet away from a dock that overlooked a pond. The moon was shining off the center, and it cast a silvery glow on everything around it.

"Wow," was all she could say.

Her brain wasn't forming words yet. Rhett tugged on her hand and led her onto the dock. The dock rocked under them, and Taylor looked down to watch where she stepped.

When Rhett stopped this time he turned around quickly. Taylor, watching where she stepped instead of where she was going, ran into his chest.

"Rhett. Could you give a girl a warning before you stop midstride," she said irritated.

He chuckled, "Well, if you would look where you're going, then we wouldn't have this problem."

She rolled her eyes and stepped around him.

She walked up to the rail to look down at the water. It looked refreshing, but it was too cool to be swimming during this time of year.

She felt the dock rock and looked down to see Rhett sitting by her feet.

A breeze blew through, and she started to shiver. Rhett pulled her down to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Cold?" he asked her.

She relished his warm arms.

"It's just a little chilly with that breeze on the open water," she said leaning into him.

He agreed, and they slipped into a comfortable silence. Taylor took in the way the stars shimmered on the surface of the water. Listening to the crickets chirping in the trees, she relaxed into Rhett's arms.

They sat for a while, when Taylor finally said, "It's so beautiful."

She looked out over the pond gesturing towards the ripples the breeze was leaving behind.

She looked up to see that Rhett wasn't looking at the pond. He was staring straight down at her.

"Yeah, it's beautiful all right," he said softly.

She stared up into his eyes and waited. She looked lower and took in his lips. He had the lips woman dreamed about. They were made for kissing. She leaned into him a little, and just when she thought he would kiss her, he pulled back.

Like a switch flipped, he became closed off.

"We should probably get back. The guests have most likely left, and we should introduce you to the crew," he said as he began walking off the dock.

Taylor let out a huff of disappointment as she followed Rhett back to the bunkhouse. He was silent on the trek back up the hill, and she didn't push him.

When they got to the front door, Rhett pushed it open. He walked away from her to his brothers without looking back, and Taylor didn't follow him. She could tell he was trying to get away from her.

She went to sit down at one of the now-empty tables. She watched as Rhett sat down and began talking to the guys again. She had been introduced to the other men at the table earlier and had learned that they were, in fact, all his cousins.

Taylor listened to the hum of conversation as she sat by herself. After a few more minutes, someone cleared their throat. She looked up into the eyes of a man. He wasn't as tall as Rhett was, but he wasn't terribly bad-looking either.

He motioned to the seat next to her.

"Anyone sitting here?" he asked.

His voice wasn't as deep as Rhett's either. She chastised herself for comparing him to Rhett.

She smiled at him.

"Nope, take your pick. There are seven open seats."

He smiled down at her and took the one beside her.

"I'm Creek. You are?" he asked as he got settled.

She looked at him curiously. He obviously hadn't paid much attention during the night. She was the talk of the room tonight.

"I'm Taylor Houston," she told him smiling.

It was nice to talk to someone without them immediately thinking of her as Rhett's.

"What's a lovely thing like you doing sitting by herself?" he asked her.

She blushed and looked at her hands.

"Oh, I just sat down here," she said simply.

"Well, I saw you sitting here and decided I was going to sit by you before some other lucky dude had the chance to," he smirked.

She giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You're a real charmer, aren't you?" she asked shaking her head.

"I don't know. Is it working?" he asked her.

They continued to talk, and Taylor enjoyed the company of a person who didn't know anything about her, except her name. As the night went on, she found herself quickly becoming friends with the man.

..........

Rhett shouldn't have kissed Taylor earlier in the night. Now, all he could think about were her lips. He had done it just for show then, but it wasn't feeling like a show now.

He had gotten carried away at the dock, and nearly kissed her again. He couldn't do that. Taylor wasn't in the best place in her life to be getting in a relationship. He didn't even know if she would want a relationship with him anyway.

As he had walked into the room, he'd decided some space would be good. He'd left Tae at the door, and walked over to the guys' table.

The guys were deep in conversation, but Rhett wasn't paying a bit of attention to any of them. He was too busy kicking himself.

Rhett had been Taylor's lifeline. He'd been the one to pick her up and dust her off. He'd helped her find a way to live stably again and gave her a purpose and a job. He couldn't go and mess with that. If they got together for real, she would eventually get tired of him and want to leave. If she left, she wouldn't have a job. But if she stayed, it would be awkward because she would hate him.

He argued with himself for half an hour before realizing it didn't matter. He would continue with the plan he'd already put in place. He'd use Taylor to make Mama happy, then they'd pretend to split because they felt they made better friends than lovers.

He felt the need to be near Tae and began looking around for her. He spotted her sitting at a table alone with none other than Creek, the snake, himself.

Creek was one of the newest ranch hands, and he thought he ruled the coop. Rhett had had problems with him since the first day he'd stepped foot onto the ranch. He thought he was better than Rhett because even though Rhett was Jack's son, he still wasn't any higher on the line than any of the other hands.

Jack, on the other hand, loved Creek. He always had a smile for Creek. It bothered Rhett. Creek half-assed his jobs, and never did anything right. He lied and cheated his way into the good graces of Jack, and he never failed to make sure that Rhett realized Jack liked him more.

Rhett watched the two interact and had the feeling of wanting to throw up. It was soon replaced with pure rage when Tae threw her head back, laughing at something he said.

He was still glaring across the room at them when his mother caught his eye. She was looking at him with one eyebrow cocked in question.

He huffed and watched as she walked over to Taylor. She put her hand on her shoulder and smiled sweetly down at her. She then said something, and Tae stood up with her.

Mama started walking to the front of the room with her and motioned for Rhett to join. Rhett walked up behind Tae and whispered in her ear.

"I see you were having fun with Creek," he whispered.

She jumped, and a flush spread across her neck. They were still following his mom, but they'd put some distance between them.

She snapped back, "We were just talking."

He stopped, expecting her to stop too, but she shook her head and continued following his mother. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him.

"It looked like you were enjoying yourself. Who's going to believe we're a couple if my girlfriend is flirting with other men?" he asked icily.

She glared up at him.

"I was not flirting with him, you jerk. We were only talking," she snapped.

She tried to pry herself out of his arms, but he wasn't done yet.

"You may have just been talking, but he wasn't. I could see it across the room. The way he was looking at you. He wanted you. He wasn't just having a friendly conversation," he said in her ear.

She gasped and he used it to his advantage.

"Who could blame him though? You're beautiful, Tae," he whispered.

She finally relaxed in his arms.

"I wasn't flirting, and I didn't see the things you say you saw. I thought he was just being friendly because I was sitting alone," she sighed.

He believed her and decided to let the matter drop.

"Okay, I believe you, but I'm still going to talk to him," he said looking down at her.

She gave him a sassy look, "Rhett Montgomery, you'll be nice. He kept me company while you were off pouting," she said eyeing him.

He smirked and said, "I don't pout."

She sent him a look that screamed sassy all over it. He'd always think of Taylor and picture this look. She knew how to use it without saying any words.

She chuckled and said, "Oh, yes you do. All the time too."

He thought about it and didn't think it was fair for her to say that.

"See you're pouting right now," she said.

He realized he said that last bit out loud. Smiling sheepishly down at her, he shrugged.

"Fine, I pout. Get over it," he said to her, and she slapped him in the chest.

"Excuse you," she said sassily.

He looked up and his mother was smiling happily at them.

"I'm getting very happy mother vibes," he said. "We must be doing a good job."

She looked over her shoulder at his mother and smiled.

"She loves you so much Rhett, so much," she said softly.

It made him sad that she couldn't smile at her own mother like that.

"I know. Now, let's go make her happier," he said pulling her towards his mother at the front of the room.

His mother called the room to attention and the talking stopped. The guests had all left, and only the crew was left. Mama gestured to Rhett and told them all that the rest was his to tell.

Smiling at everyone, he pulled Tae into him. She wrapped her arm around his waist and stood confidently beside him.

He started by saying, "Hey ya'll. Well, we have a new addition to the ranch. This is Taylor Houston. She will be the new cook helping Mama Care. You will treat her with respect, and I expect no one to hit on her, because sorry guys, but she's taken." He tightened his arm around her, and most of the guys chuckled.

He shot a look at Creek, who was glaring at them. He had arrived late, so he missed the introduction Mama made earlier. That was why he hadn't known Tae was Rhett's.

Smiling, Taylor looked up at him in question. He nodded, saying she could say hello.

"I'm very excited to work here on the ranch, and I hope you all like to eat because I like to cook," she said, flashing them a killer smile.

A couple of the guys cheered, and her face shined with pride.

They stepped away from the front of the room and began making their rounds. Introducing her to the crew was easy. She smiled, and they all instantly fell in love with her.

Mitch had blushed when she kissed his cheek when they had gone to move on. Tae had instantly liked the older man fortunately for Rhett.

As they came to the end of the crew, his father and mother were sitting down. He led Tae over to them, and Tae smiled at his mother.

"Well, Caroline, I'm excited to start in the morning. The gentlemen were all very nice, and they welcomed me with open arms," she said hugging his mom.

He had to keep back a smile when she didn't acknowledge Jack. She continued talking to his mother and he slipped his arms around her. This had become their go-to spot. She leaned into him and easily continued her conversation.

His mother finally seemed to remember his father.

"Oh, Taylor, this is my husband, and Rhett's father, Jack Montgomery," she said gesturing to Jack.

"Hello, Mr. Montgomery. It's nice to meet you. You must be very proud of your boys. They seem to be doing a great job around here," she said smiling. "I know I wouldn't be the same without Rhett. He's something special that is for sure," she said smiling at his father.

He gave her a small smile and said, "Yes, he seems to be very caught up in you at the moment. Explains why he has been so distracted." He hid the nasty comment with a smile, but Taylor saw right past it.

"Hmm, well that would probably be because he has been too busy saving my life, Jack," she said fake-smiling right back at him. "I would be dead from pneumonia, dead because I got hit by a car, or I would be miserable in a shelter right now if it wasn't for him," she said smiling broadly at him.

His father looked taken aback by her comment, and Rhett decided it was time to get her out of there.

"All right, I think it's time to get you home," he said into her hair. "You've got to get up early to start your new life."

She smiled up at him, then hugged his mom.

"I have to go grab my purse out of the kitchen then I'll be ready," she said slipping away from them.

His mother pulled him off to the side and hugged him.

"She's good for you Rhett. Don't let her slip out of your fingers, and don't you dare try to let her go, to put her first. She needs you as much as you need her," she said in his ear.

She slipped back by his father, and he knew what was happening there. She was giving him hell for being a jerk. He chuckled as he met Tae at the front and opened the door for her.

She slid under his arm and they walked out into the cold night. It was late now, and Taylor was yawning. He opened her truck door to help her dreary state get in. Her feet were dragging, and she didn't put up a fight when he picked her up and set her in the seat.

Walking around to the other side, he climbed in behind the wheel. He started the truck, and she curled up in her seat. By the time the five-minute drive home was over, Tae was out.

He walked around and opened her door.

"Tae, wake up, we're home," he said softly jiggling her knee.

She opened her eyes to look at him. Her green eyes were clouded with sleep. She groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting go.

Chuckling he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. Carrying her inside, he took her to the bedroom.

She sat her down on the bed and said, "Goodnight, Pretty Girl."

She yawned but didn't let go of him.

"Taylor, you need to go to sleep. You have to actually get up in the morning. It's going to be a rude awakening after sleeping in for the last week," he said chuckling.

Finally, she unwrapped herself from around him and smiled.

"Goodnight, Rhett. Now get out of here so I can change," she said going over to his dresser.

He chuckled as she pulled out a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt.

"Wow, you're kicking me out of my bed, but putting on my clothes? That's messed up Tae," he said walking towards the door.

She stuck out her tongue at him and pointed at the door. He laughed as he walked out of it, but didn't close it. He walked towards the couch.

He groaned as he plopped down. It was nothing near the same as his bed. Stretching out, he realized he needed to go back to get clothes.

He waited a minute and then went back down the hall. Tae had already turned the lights off and crawled into his bed. She was hugging his pillow, and he shook his head.

"Tae, I've got to grab something to sleep in," he said softly.

She didn't respond, and he knew she'd already fallen asleep.

Grabbing sweatpants out of his dresser, he threw them on in the closet. Knowing Taylor would rip him a new one if he didn't, he put his dirty clothes in the hamper.

Stepping out of the closet, he headed to the waiting couch. He had a long night of tossing and turning ahead of him. As he looked around at the entirely different room, he realized Tae had only been here for a week, and she'd already taken over his house.