Page 31 of Sweet Deal
As he waited, lips pressed into a tense line gave way to a slow easy smile. “Should I get down on one knee?”
The image, the absurdity, the sweetness of it all, broke through her paralysis. A laugh escaped, shaky but genuine. “Don’t you dare. Your ribs have been through enough.” Their gazes locked, and she nodded. “Yes. I’ll sort of marry you.”
Relief washed over his face. He opened the box, revealing a single diamond nestled within a delicate swirl of gold, flanked by tiny sparkling chips. Carefully, he took the ring from the box.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as he slid it onto her finger. Briefly, she admired how the single stone caught the morning light beautifully. Not too flashy, not too small… just beautiful.
“I could have gotten something bigger, but I didn’t think you’d like that. If you want, we could go shopping, get something… different.”
Shaking her head, she gazed down at the ring, then lifted her eyes to meet his. “No,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion she hadn’t expected. “This is perfect.”
Just a few more days and the woman sitting in the passenger side of the car would be Jim’ssort ofwife. The way she clutched the folder that now held the marriage license they’d applied for, he was pretty convinced that Rachel Sweet was feeling the pressure of the moment as much as he was.
“Isn’t that your mother?” Rachel squinted down the driveway at the figure leaving the front porch.
It took him until they got a little closer to confirm. “Wonder what she’s doing here?”
As soon as they came to a stop, Jim hopped out of the car, trotted around the front to catch the door for Rachel, then met his mom by her truck.
Standing at the open driver’s door, her hand across the top, his mother smiled at him. “I spoke with Alice. Since y’all are in a sure fired hurry to get married, we figured with your ribs, you’d sleep better here on a real bed than on our recliner, so I dropped your stuff off.” Shifting slightly, she flashed a wide smile and waved in Rachel’s direction.
Jim felt his brows furrow. Was his mother actually for the first time ever in his entire life, suggesting he cohabitate with a female before standing in front of a preacher?
“Alice has plenty of space, and since y’all will be living here for a bit anyhow.” His mom shrugged, stepped forward, kissed him on the cheek then stepped back. “I have to run. If I forgot anything, just give me a jingle and I’ll send someone over with it.”
He had no idea if he was confused, stunned, or sound asleep and dreaming. All he could think was that old joke, here’s your hat what’s your hurry, as someone shoves him, and his hat, out the front door. “Thanks.”
Rachel looked up at him as if he’d sprouted a third eye.
The truck door slammed, the engine roared to life, and with a smile and a wave, his mother was kicking up dust behind her.
“That was a little odd.” Rachel stared after the truck.
“My thoughts as well.” Jim nodded, then, heaving a slow sigh, shrugged and turned. “Let’s see what she brought.”
One foot inside the doorway and it was obvious the place was bustling a bit more than usual. From the second floor, Carson called out something Jim didn’t quite understand, then a second later, Jess could be heard answering something about needing more hangers.
“What the heck?” Rachel headed for the stairs, crossing paths with her mom.
Arms burdened with a bundle of linens, Alice Sweet smiled at them. “Just going to toss these in the washing machine and then I’ll change the sheets on the bed.”
Before anyone could ask, she was through the kitchen and out of earshot.
Jim shrugged again and the two went up the stairs. In the middle of the hall, clothing draped over Jess’s arm and Carson carrying a pile of folded shirts, the two stood, kissing.
“Get a room,” Rachel teased, holding back a laugh.
“That’s what we’re doing.” Carson winked at his wife and held up the shirts, his gaze looking briefly over his sister’s shoulder down the stairs. “Like we agreed. The master is better for you guys.”
“Apparently,” Jess shifted the clothes to both arms, “your mothers agree because Alice has been up here directing the move and dusting after us.”
Carson stood in the doorway of his old room and spoke to Jim. “Your mom left a couple of suitcases in there. I suggest you check with the future misses about how much closet space she’s going to let you have before you start unpacking.”
He’d never been in the Sweet master bedroom. Having grown up nearby and being similar in age to the boys, he’d been upstairs plenty of time, but never in the master. “This feels weird.”
“Which part?” Rachel rolled her eyes skyward and walked into the bedroom.
The mattress was stripped, drawers were open and empty, and the closet didn’t look big enough to hold a fraction of the clothes he’d left behind in California. Not that he’d need most of his custom wardrobe here in ranch country—those clothes could stay behind in California. In the corner of the room, his two suitcases sat side by side.Side by side. His eyes drifted to the bed. If getting a license to wed wasn’t serious enough, staring at the bed he and Rachel would be sharing in a few days really drove the situation home.
