Page 40 of Sweet Temptation

“If y’all will excuse me a minute,” Garret pushed away from the table, “I need to run upstairs. I’ll be right back.”

Some heads nodded, but the conversation around the table continued as if he were still there. With one exception, he could feel Jackie’s gaze on him all the way to the stairs. All he could think was, now or never.

Resisting the urge to take the steps two at a time, he eased up the staircase and made his way directly to his room. Closing the door behind him, he slowly opened the top dresser drawer. Hidden inside a pair of white athletic socks, he slid out the simple black velvet box. Taking a moment to lift it open, the solitaire ring sparkled under the overhead light.

The ring had been a splurge. When he and his siblings had decided to seek out temporary marriages, he’d thought to only purchase a simple wedding band for his fake bride. Once Jackie came into the picture, he’d not given the rings any more thought until the day last week when he’d found himself at the jewelers. Somehow, a simple band alone didn’t feel right. This solitaire had caught his eye.

A small swirl of gold around the main stone with a tiny diamond encircled at either side had seemed a perfect fit for Jackie. The main diamond, tough enough to stand the test of time. The surrounding design, delicate and whimsical, and reminded him very much of Jackie. Without hesitation, he’d put the ring on his credit card and then brought it home and buried it in the drawer.

Tucking it away in his pocket, sans the sock, he said a small prayer that the look he’d seen in her eyes a few minutes ago meant what he thought it did. That there was a real chance for them. And not just for a single year. Taking the steps downstairs at a measured pace, he returned to the dining room. Voices merry with success bounced back and forth. Jackie sat quietly taking it all in. He willed his heart to stop pounding for fear the whole room would hear it as clearly as he did.

Not wanting to draw attention to his intent, he leaned over Jackie’s shoulder and lowering his voice, whispered, “Join me outside a minute.”

Smiling up at him, she nodded, set her napkin on the table and the two slipped out of the room.

“Is anything wrong?” She glanced down at the hand that now held hers and was leading her through the kitchen and out the back door onto the porch.

“Not at all.” He was hoping something—no, everything—was perfectly right. Looking over his shoulder to ensure no one had thought to follow them, he stood at her side, leaning against the porch railing. “Your grandmother’s right. It’s a beautiful night.”

“They all are.” Her chin lifted, her smile sweet, her gaze settled on the tapestry above of bright lights on dark velvet.

To him, she was more beautiful than the West Texas sky.

“I know I haven’t been here long, but I can’t imagine living in the big city again.” Her hands squeezed the railing as she leaned back slightly. “For one thing, this no rush hour traffic is way better than I imagined.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s true.”

“And having everyone know your business isn’t nearly as bad as it’s made out to be in the movies.”

That much he wasn’t so sure of, though they had used it to their advantage the last few months while trying to save the ranch.

“Have you ever thought of living anywhere else?” Twisting slightly, her gaze dropped to meet his.

“As a kid, yeah. Wanted things more exciting, but after four years of college, and traffic, and boring night skies, moving home became much more enticing.”

“I feel you there.”

His hand at his side, about to pull out the ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket, the hinges on the screen door squeaked open. His brother Preston had a tall glass of tea in hand and one foot on the porch when his mom’s voice rang out behind him. “Preston Sweet, get back here.” Caught like a deer in the headlights, Preston looked at Garret, then Jackie, and before he could advance or retreat, his mother’s voice rang out again, “Preston.”

“Looks like I’m needed inside.” Not waiting for a third call, Preston spun around and stepped into the house, the screen door slamming behind him.

Her gaze on the door, Jackie bit back a smile and swallowed a chuckle. “Wonder what he did wrong?”

“Who said he did anything wrong?”

“I may not have known your mother very long, but there’s no disguising that motherly reproving tone. All that was missing was his middle name.”

“Charles.” He smiled at her. “After my father.”

Again the door squeaked and before his other brother could get his boot on the porch, once again, his mother called out, “Don’t even think about it!”

Now Garret chuckled with no effort to hide it.

“Do you think your mother is trying to give us some privacy?”

Still grinning, he nodded. “No doubt.” He figured he’d better get cracking before someone else tried to step onto the porch and his mom got laryngitis from scolding everyone. “I have something I’d like to show you.”

When he pulled the box out of his pocket and flipped it open to expose the solitaire ring, her eyes widened.

---