A week later, Johanna made certain her friend was with her when she left campus after texting her parents about her after-class plans. Melody was her excuse for coming home late, but in reality, she headed far out of town to finally meet with Reider. All through class, he had glared at the white board while she did her best to take notes, but she had been distracted and all she could do was jot down a word or two here and there.

“Are you sure you don’t actually want me to go in with you?” Melody asked after Johanna had parked the car outside the coffee shop.

“No, no need for him to freak out,” she said. “You’ll be alright alone?”

She shrugged. “There’s a bookstore. I’ll get lost in there for a bit. Text if you need me, and I’ll come charging in to save you, but maybe… no, never mind. Not going to go there.”

“What are you going on about?”

“I’m thinking that maybe Ashford is right. This could be really good for you both.” She smirked when Johanna’s mouth fell open. “Text me when you’re ready to go and don’t kill him, at least not yet.”

She sauntered off down the street, and Johanna muttered prayers for her patience and tolerance so she didn’t strangle her friend. It was bad enough that Reider cropped up in her thoughts at the worst times lately. Melody hinting at some good actually coming of this nightmare brought the pen to her lips so she could chew on it as she marched into the coffeehouse and found a table. After grabbing a coffee and danish, she plopped down at the table near the window and watched people pass by. Thankfully, this far out of Lincoln, no one recognized her to give her trouble, which was why they had decided to come so far outside the city. Less chance of anyone telling their families they were together.

If every day could be like that, she’d be content with life.

As Johanna nibbled on her danish, she glanced around the small coffee shop, noting the cozy furniture around the hearth and the cabin feel to it, different for the middle of Nebraska. She liked it and settled back in her seat. Here, away from the watchful eyes of her brothers, she could relax and let her mind wander. Her life was taking turns she’d hoped to avoid, but so far, there was no way out and it ate at her every day. The charity event coming up was going to be her personal hell as the twins paraded her around for their friends like a damn show horse. She would have to stand there and smile and be polite, or they would ensure her life was even more miserable. Worse, they would take it out on Izzy.

Wonder if Reider has the same issues, she thought absently, and her lips twitched in a smile, picturing his face.

The past few nights, he had appeared in her dreams as their simple handshake turned into so much more. Her fingers brushed against her lips, remembering the lingering dream from last night and how flushed she had been when he walked into class that afternoon and sat down heavily beside her. All through the hour, her gaze had darted to his face, his lips, and his piercing green eyes until Ashford dismissed them. When he turned to say he would see her for their first meeting, all she’d been able to do was nod as her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. None of it made sense. She could never have anything to do with him.

Even if they tried it, even if they snuck an innocent kiss, if her brothers found out, they’d pull her out of classes and marry her off before she had a chance to react. She didn’t want to think about what they would do to Reider.

After she finished her danish and refilled her coffee, she sat and checked her watch. Twenty minutes late. She knew if he was thinking like her, he had taken the long way to drive out of town so no one would see. She shrugged and pulled out her notebook and pen, nibbling on the end as she watched people stroll up and down the main street of this small town. It was quaint and quiet, and she would give anything to live out here instead of in their stone and brick mansion.

When an hour ticked by, she texted Melody to let her know Reider was late and tried calling him. As the phone rang, she wondered if he had done this on purpose to set her up and chewed on her pen cap angrily. Leave it to a damn Marquette to make a fool out of her when they needed to complete their work for a class. She needed to be able to rely on him, but as always, his family name proved his character perfectly. As another twenty minutes passed, she stood and shoved her things angrily back into her bag, ready to leave, when tires squealed outside the coffee shop. She glanced up and saw a Wrangler, no doors attached, parallel parking in a hurry, and watched Reider hop out, running for the front door.

The second he stepped inside and spotted her, he hung his head and rushed over. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said. “Please, don’t leave. We still have to get this done.”

She paused in putting away her things and glared at him. “How can we do this if I can’t trust you to be on time? You’re almost two hours late! You know how our families are, and if my brothers come looking for me…” She trailed off, not wanting to picture that. “You can’t pull this shit.”

“Didn’t have much of a choice. My aunt and uncle were killed in an accident recently, and my cousin follows me around,” he snapped, running a hand through his hair as he sighed angrily. “I had to lose him. Took longer than I thought.”

Johanna bit back her anger and frowned. “You lost your aunt and uncle?” Why had she not heard about the accident? Not that her family told her things she needed to know.

“Yeah, car accident over the summer,” he told her and tilted his head as he stared at her. “Why?”

She watched the uncertainty appear on his face as he fidgeted, probably wondering why he would tell her of all people about deaths in the family. She wondered the same and couldn’t look away, too stunned at the revelation of such personal information. “Uh… I’m sorry,” she managed finally. “Really, that’s hard. I didn’t know.”

He thanked her quietly. Johanna sat back down and motioned for him to do the same.

“Do you want a coffee? I probably had too much waiting for you,” she said lightly and surprised herself with a quiet laugh. It’s just the caffeine, she told herself as she pulled her notebook back out. No more coffee today. You might do something stupid.

He set his leather bag on the table and nodded. “Yeah, do you mind if I grab something? Don’t want to pass out at the table.”

“Go ahead. I have to get my things back out anyway.” She watched as he walked to the counter to order his coffee, pulling her things out as she did.

She tried not to stare, but her eyes were drawn to his broad shoulders and the way his t-shirt clung to every edge of his muscled body. She leaned over so far in her chair, it tipped. She quickly righted herself before she tumbled out. One glance around told her that no one had seen, and she buried her head in her bag as she dug for a pen that had not been gnawed on. He might’ve thought she was being sneaky the other day, but she noticed how much he watched her and what she did. No need to give him anything to ask questions about. He might be willing to open up to her, but she was not even close to comfortable talking to him involving anything personal.

When he returned to the table, he set a mug down in front of her and one for himself before he took his seat. Johanna looked at it, her face scrunched. “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

“A gesture of goodwill and an apology for being late,” he said simply and pulled out his notebook and pen.

Johanna thanked him and sipped it. “How did you know what to put in it?” she asked when it tasted exactly like how she usually made her coffee. “Spying on me?”

He laughed, and the sound caressed her body, sending a thrill through her. “No, I asked the barista. And if I was spying on you, it wouldn’t be to learn your coffee habits, trust me.” His eye twitched after he spoke, and Johanna pondered his meaning. “So, let’s get started on the project then.”

She nodded, sneaking a look at her cell for the time. Her brothers would be suspicious if she were gone too long, but the fear she usually felt at getting caught doing something she shouldn’t was overruled by the exhilaration pumping through her veins. Her finger hovered over the screen, debating for a moment if this were really a good idea, then texted Melody that Reider was there and they’d be another hour. She tucked her cell away before she could change her mind and sipped her coffee, not wanting to admit how impressed she was that he even bothered to figure out how she took it.

“Alright, where should we start?”

* * *

Reider wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived so late to the coffeehouse, but it definitely was not an understanding Johanna expressing how sorry she was for a loss in his family. He bought her coffee mostly for the apology, but it felt strange not to buy her something if they were going to be there together. At the same table. Working for a few hours.

It’s not a date, he yelled at himself as he took a drink and chanced another look across the table as she sipped her coffee. But damn, do I wish it was.

His hand stilled, and he choked on his coffee, earning a curious stare from Johanna. “Sorry,” he said and cleared his throat. “Where do you think we should start?”

She flipped through the packet, her lips pursed to one side in thought. The pen went to her lips, and she chewed on the cap before she pulled it quickly from her mouth again. Reider grinned. She did that a lot, and from the way she quickly glanced around, someone must yell at her quite often for doing it.

“A lot of the early assignments are about knowing our new business partner so we can understand how he or she might think,” she said, scanning the pages. “I guess we should start at the beginning.”

“Right, beginning,” he said and stared at the first questions.

He scratched his chin as he read through them, mouthing the words while he bought time to figure out how much would be safe to tell her. Though he found her highly attractive and she at least had one nice bone in her body, he wasn’t planning to reveal every last detail of his life to her. For all he knew, she’d take the answers home and tell her family. As she chewed on her pen cap, he assumed her thoughts ran along the same line as his.

“Want to make a deal?” he asked, pushing the papers aside.

“What kind of deal?” she replied, leaning back in her chair.

“These questions aren’t exactly the best for our case,” he said slowly. “Why don’t we agree right now to either give each other leeway to lie to cover up the real details or we keep our answers as simple as possible? No need to go too far in depth. It’s for the class, right? Not like we’re actually going to be partners in anything outside of the assignment.”

Was that disappointment he caught in her eyes before she blinked? Reider sipped his coffee slowly, waiting for her response as he debated if what he saw were real or not.

“I don’t see why not,” she said with a firm nod. “It's not like Ashford is going to know the difference.”

“Perfect,” he said and scooted his chair closer to the table. “Then, ladies first.”

She smirked, and they started the assignment. The questions went back and forth as each jotted down answers for the other, and they quickly filled out the first few pages of the packet. Each of them would have to take the answers home and type up an actual report, but that wouldn’t take too long and she was good to give him long enough answers to satisfy an overly curious professor. He did the same, the best he could, and soon, they reached the end of what would be due the following Monday.

Reider set his pen down and stretched his hand. “That went well enough, I think,” he said and covered his mouth as he yawned.

“Not sleeping well?” she asked.

Reider opened his mouth to explain exactly why when he noticed the bags under her eyes, too, and wondered what they were from. He thought about asking her why she wasn’t sleeping but remembered they weren’t friends and weren’t supposed to get along. Hell, they weren’t supposed to be around each other at all. He shifted in his chair and rubbed at his twitching eye.

“No,” he answered quietly. “It’s my cousin. He’s been depressed lately, and it’s hard to handle. Not sure what to do with him.”

He gulped the rest of his coffee quickly —cold now—and wanted to kick himself for saying that much to her. She didn’t need to know what was going on in his life, but he’d told her without so much as a worry as to whom she might tell in turn. This meeting might have gone well, but he expected a snarky remark, something to mock him. Instead, she ran her finger over the rim of her mug and sagged in her chair.

“I understand a thing or two about being depressed,” she murmured quietly, not meeting his gaze. “Wondering what it’s all supposed to mean. Being trapped with no clear way out.”

Reider’s anger spiked. She had to be talking about her brothers trying to marry her off, and his hands curled into fists on the table. “Sorry.”

“For what?” she asked without looking up.

“For whatever you’re going through.”

She laughed, and Reider wished it sounded happy instead of bitter so he could learn that sound. “We’re in a truce. Doesn’t mean you have to be nice to me.”

“No, but you were nice to me so I thought I would return the favor.”

“Thank you,” she said. Her gaze locked on his, and he froze. The blood in his veins ran hot, and his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. The amber depths of her eyes dragged him in deeper, and his dreams rushed to the forefront of his mind. Kissing Johanna in the coffeehouse would be a terrible idea. They might be far away from their usual haunts, but that didn’t mean someone who knew the families wouldn’t spread the word. Meeting in public was risky enough.

He cleared his throat after a long minute and shook his head. “No problem. Guess we should set this up for next week. Wednesday work for you?” He pulled out his cell to set a reminder when he saw the rest of the week on his calendar and cursed. “The charity event.”

“What charity event?”

“This Saturday. I’m assuming you’re going,” he said, and her jaw clenched.

“Damn it, forgot about it ‘til now.” She leaned back in her chair, glaring out the window. “That might throw a damper on things a bit.”

“They can’t know we’re working together,” he insisted. “Hell, they can’t even know we have a class together. How are we going to make it through an entire night without anyone figuring out what’s going on?”

“You’re saying you can’t pretend for one night like you still hate me?” she asked and raised a brow.

His eye twitched. “I never said I hated you,” he muttered. “That would be this ridiculous family feud of ours.”

Her eyes lightened and she held up her hands. “You’re right, sorry. Forgot what it does to us.” She chewed on her pen cap for a moment before she said, “We’ll have to lie, is all, if anyone asks about our classes or what not. Really, it should be fine.” Reider’s jaw clenched, and he muttered under his breath. “What did you say?”

“I said I can’t lie to save my life, so you better hope no one does ask us anything or we’re screwed.”

“You can’t lie, really? Not for anything?” He shook his head, and she laughed. “How did you make it through your childhood?”

“Not all of us are as good at lying as a Chadwick,” he rambled without thinking, repeating the old phrase his family had used for decades to describe hers. He wanted to take it back immediately when her whole body stiffened. The truce was over for today. She gathered up her things roughly. “Wait,” he said, but she held up her hand.

“Just don’t, alright? We’ll clearly be fine at the charity event. Won’t be hard to ignore a Marquette like I usually do. Thanks for the reminder.” She stormed off, and Reider rested his elbows on the table, his head in hands.

If he hadn’t opened his mouth and said that, what might have happened? He could no longer deny he was attracted to her fierce beauty and smart-mouth attitude, but as he so kindly reminded her, their families were still at odds with each other and probably always would be. There was no forgetting that fact and no getting around it, but ignoring her was no longer an option, not when he was drawn to every small movement she made. When her lips closed around the pen cap, his gut clenched, and he pictured those lips on his as they were in his dreams. As she shifted in her seat, he wished he could be the chair and feel those hips cradled in his.

Get a hold of yourself. You can’t have her, so let it go, he told himself and packed up his things. It’s one class, and it’s a few hours a week. You can handle this.

But as he stood and turned, he saw Johanna on the sidewalk, talking with her friend. The various tones of brown in her hair changed as she shook her head and the sun played off it. That woman was everything he wanted—attractive, full of fire, and had an attitude that could rival his own. If only her last name was different.

If only our families could get over this damn feud, he thought bitterly and stomped out the door. If he turned right, he would see her again, but he kept his gaze forward and focused on his jeep. As he threw his bag in, his cell went off and he groaned when he saw Micah’s name pop up.

“Micah, what do you need?” he asked, climbing in behind the wheel.

A few cars ahead of him, Johanna climbed into the driver’s side of her car and revved the engine. She sped away, and he smirked, watching the taillights disappear around the corner. Woman had a lead foot like him, too.

“Did you hear me?”

He frowned and stuck the key in the ignition. “No, sorry, what’s up?”

“Your mom wanted to know when you’d be back,” he repeated. “And she also wanted to know if you were secretly on a date and lying to them.”

Reider’s hand slipped off the wheel so hard he caught his head on it and cursed.

“What did you do? You alright?” Micah asked.

“Yeah, freaking fantastic,” he griped. “No, no date. I’ll be home soon.”

“You sure there’s not something going on?”

“If you want to ask something, just ask it,” he snapped, rubbing his forehead.

Micah sighed and muttered, “You’ve been off all week, that’s all. Different. Like you’re hiding something or someone. I just want to make sure my cousin’s not getting into something he shouldn’t.”

Reider stiffened. “Now who’s acting like the babysitter? I’m fine, really. I’ll be home soon, and stop grilling me about my personal life. That is none of your business.”

“It is if it affects the family,” he said quietly and hung up.

He stared at his cell and cursed his cousin for being so damn nosy. Had he followed him after all? Reider glanced quickly up and down the street, but he didn’t recognize anyone or any of the cars, and Micah hadn’t driven since the accident. He played it off as his cousin being lonely and needing to distract himself by digging into Reider’s life.

But the whole drive home, Reider couldn’t shake the feeling that Micah was hiding something from his cousin, something Reider felt was going to bite him in the ass if he weren’t careful.

* * *

Johanna was barely through the door before Frank and Frederick stalked out of the living room and blocked her from running upstairs. “Mind if I put my stuff down?” she muttered as Frank reached for her tote. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Where were you?” he asked, digging through her school papers.

“I texted Mom and told her exactly where I was,” she snapped. “Give me my bag.”

Frank stepped away from her and shook his head as Frederick crossed his arms over his chest. “You were studying with Melody the whole time? Where? We didn’t see you anywhere around town.”

On the outside, she glared at her brothers and crossed her arms, but in her mind, she freaked out, trying to remember if she’d written anything down in the packet of papers that might give Reider away. She wanted to snatch the bag back, but they’d know she’d hidden something and that would start an argument she was in no mood to have.

“We went to a different coffeehouse outside of town,” she said calmly. “Heard they have killer danishes.”

“Really? You expect us to believe you drove all that way for a danish?”

She glared harder at Frederick and straightened, nearly as tall as he was, and she smirked when he glowered at her. “Yes, I do, because it’s the truth.”

Frank pulled out her notebook and flipped through it roughly before he shoved it back and took out the packet of papers. Thankfully, he didn’t even look at those and shoved them back in, bending them all out of whack. “Nothing,” he muttered and handed her tote back.

She yanked it out of his hand and slung it over her shoulder. “Is my inspection over? Can I return to my cell, warden?” she quipped and waited for them to move.

Fredrick and Frank exchanged a glance before they stepped to the side. Johanna walked to the stairs. “If we find out you’re trying to date someone on the side,” Frank warned, “the guy will be sorry he ever touched you.”

She paused before whipping around. “How dare you? You are not Dad, so stop trying to sell me off like a damn cow! I have a life, and it’s mine, not yours. I’ll date whoever the hell I want.”

“No, you can’t, not when you’re a Chadwick,” Frank sniffed. “You’ll date who we approve of, and you’ll marry someone we approve of. Anyone else is not allowed near you.” He moved closer and raised a brow. “Did you see a guy today? Is that why you drove so far away?”

“No, I did not,” she snapped. “I studied with Melody, like I said, so drop it and leave me the hell alone.”

“We will, until Saturday night at the charity event. Your dress is upstairs. Mom said to try it on and make sure it fits,” he added with a smirk.

“And when are you two going to marry your sorry asses off?”

Frank’s face fell. He moved closer until he was barely an inch from her face. “Whenever we damn well please. Maybe after I finish sowing some wild oats—which reminds me, you better not be sleeping around, either.”

“And what if I am? You worried it’ll drive your precious friends away?” she sneered. “Too bad you’ll never know.”

She tried to turn, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. “Do what you want, but if you have a bastard, you’ll ruin this family name and Dad will kick you out. I suggest you keep your damn legs closed,” he whispered and let her go.

Johanna’s hand closed into a fist, ready to deck him, but Lucy, their mom, called out from the kitchen before she entered the hall. Frank and Frederick immediately put smiles on their faces and asked her when dinner would be ready, leaving Johanna to pull herself together quickly.

“There’s my precious girl,” Lucy said and took Johanna’s hand. “Do your mom a favor and try that dress on before dinner. I want to make sure we don’t need to alter it at all.”

“I’m sure it fits fine, Mom,” she said, forcing the smile to stay on her face as Frank and Frederick shot her a warning look behind Lucy’s back.

“Let me see it. The boys tell me there are some suitors interested in you,” she said proudly and cupped Johanna’s cheek. “Go on. Your dad wants to see it, too.”

Johanna gave in and said she’d be back down in a few minutes. Izzy’s door was open, but she wasn’t in her room and Johanna wondered if she were in the kitchen, listening to another lecture from their dad about school. Johanna closed her door and threw her tote across the room with a frustrated cry. Her books and pens scattered everywhere, but she didn’t care. With her back to the door, she slid down it to the floor, holding her face in her hands as a few hot tears pricked her eyes.

This was her life, and it was never going to change. She didn’t have a plan for her life, but she knew she wanted nothing to do with the family business. She wanted freedom, pure freedom. Without meaning to, her thoughts drifted to Reider and how easily they’d spent the afternoon together despite who they were. In those few hours, it was like their last names didn’t exist. Even when he made the joke about Chadwicks, she hadn’t really been mad, but it gave her an excuse to stop the strange friendliness they had together. To get out of there before anything else happened.

She would never have the chance to know what he was really like because of her name and her brothers. She was trapped, and despite what Izzy wished for—a white knight riding in to save her—there were no knights. This wasn’t a damn fairy tale, and no one was coming to save Johanna before the sun set.