Page 20 of Sweet Temptation

“I’m not sure that’s the response to a proposal that a normal man would want to hear, but I promise you this, no matter what, I will never lie to you.”

“Okay.” She bobbed her head, still holding his hand. “Ditto.”

“There won’t be any money in this for you until after the year. By then we should be able to give you a little bundle for you to set yourself up where you want, but I’d be lying if I were to tell you it will be a lot.”

“I understand. Seems fair enough. After all, I’ll be getting free room and board. I’ve been paying rent since I went off to college. That alone will be a tidy savings.”

“Yes, well, about that room and board. As I mentioned yesterday, the only real apartment building in town burned down a while back. It’s where Preston used to live. Anyhow, there’s a good chance that we’re going to have to stay at the ranch.”

“Okay.”

“Which means, we’ll have to share a room.”

Her lips pressed together tightly, and her eyes bore into him.

“It will still be in name only,” he reassured. “Strictly business.”

“Business,” she muttered.

He had a feeling he was going to be reminding himself of that a whole heck of a lot over the next year or so. Especially since right about now, all he could think about was how the sunlight caught the gold strands in her blonde hair, how her hand rested so lightly in his, and how dang right it all felt.

Right or not, if he didn’t let go of her hand, he might do or say something really stupid. Just about then, he spotted the road sign flashing past: Monahans Sandhills State Park– Next Exit. An idea, impulsive and utterly ridiculous, sparked in his brain. He’d been so focused on the practicalities, the business, he’d forgotten none of that meant there couldn’t be… fun.

“How do you feel about sand?”

“Excuse me?” Surely in the middle of discussing sleeping arrangements for their temporary marriage, he’d not asked about sand? Then again, the last two days had been a little bit likeAlice in Wonderland. For all she knew, she’d fallen down a rabbit hole.

“Ever seen a sand dune?”

Yep. He’d said sand. “Do the bumps by the beach at Galveston count?”

“Nope.” His mouth widened in a grin that almost took over his face. “Hang on, you’re about to see your first, honest-to-goodness, sand dune.”

“Sand dunes,” Jackie breathed, as the truck drove under the massive arch at the entrance to the state park.

Garret pulled into a parking spot in front of a single level building. Inside, he paid the entrance fee and took her over to the area that carried round discs in every color imaginable. He turned to her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Ready to try something completely ridiculous?”

As if leaving Houston, showing up at Brad’s door, and now moving clear across the state to a small town almost impossible to find on a map, and marrying a man she barely knew wasn’t ridiculous enough. Lately her life had become a master class in the absurd. Ridiculous had become her new normal. “Sure.”

From where she stood, she watched as Garret slung the discs over his shoulder, the bright green and red plastic circles a stark contrast to his pale blue chambray shirt. When he turned back to her, his eyes were warm with amusement, and something else… something that made her breath catch in her throat.

“Let’s go.” His hand at the small of her back, he nudged her forward.

Together, they trudged up the slope. With every step, her feet sank deep in the sand. Finally, at the top of the first dune, she was pretty sure her jaw had just dropped wide open. Hills—no, more like mountains of pale golden sand rose against the bright blue sky. She could only imagine that this must be what the Sahara Desert looked like. Her gaze shifted to the bottom of the steep slope. “Uh, I don’t know about this.”

“Don’t tell me Jacqueline Drake is afraid of a little sand,” Garret teased, holding out the bright red disc to her.

“It’s not the sand I’m worried about.” Shaking her head, she cautiously took hold of the disc. “It’s the stopping part.”

“That’s the beauty of it.” He set the green disc down on the edge of the dune. “You don’t have to worry about stopping—the sand does it for you. It’s easy. Watch.”

He sat down on the disc, legs extended in front of him, and pushed off with both hands. Zooming down the dune, kicking up a spray of sand behind him, his whoop of delight echoed back to her. About three quarters of the way down, the disc slowed naturally, coming to a gentle stop at the bottom. He stood up, sand clinging to his jeans, arms raised in triumph. “See? Easy!” he called up to her.

Jackie clutched the red disc. “You’re out of your mind!”

“Probably!” he shouted back, grinning. “Come on, city girl. Live a little!”

Taking a deep breath, she placed the disc at the edge just as he had done. This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman about to slide down a mountain of sand on a plastic disc. She’d been spontaneous and daring following after Brad, and look where that got her. Crazy wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and yet, looking at Garret’s expectant face below, it struck her, with the right man, some chances were worth taking. She flashed a wide smile to accompany her teasing tone. “If I break something, you’re driving me to the hospital!”

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