Page 154 of Beat of Love
As her Yukon closed the distance to Nebraska, Brandy-Lyn’s resolve wavered. What had seemed like a good decision in Texas now weighed heavily on her mind and her thoughts drifted over the last twenty-four hours …
Since the moment she had taken Rafferty’s call, heard the desperation in his, “Help me? Please?” plea, her life had turned upside down.
Her gut instinct had been,“Hell, no.”
But she had wavered, soft-hearted fool that she was, because … Rafferty.
The man deserved,neededa break.
Not even a half hour after capitulating to his crazy scheme, Branna and Jonathan had paid her a visit.
With eyes gleaming from excitement (or was it triumph?) Rafferty’s matchmaking mama had gushed,“Thank you, Brandy,”and pulled her into a hug. Drawing back from Branna’s clutches, Brandy had placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders and earnestly peered at her.“You do understand this is afakeengagement?”
Branna’s airy“Of course, dear,”had sounded as fake as the ridiculous game Rafferty had drawn her into.
From there on it had been a spiral into what only could be termed as surreal chaos. Over dinner, she had explainedRafferty’s predicament to her kids and asked if they were good with her going along with his plan.
“Wow, Mom. That’s a … lot,”Amelia had murmured.
“Poor Connor and Nadie. They must be so sad. And feel so scared,”Olivia had said.
“I think it’s awesome what Raff’s doing,”Preston had stated.
“Raff’s an awesome person,”Amelia had added.
“We’ll be like Connor and Nadie’s honorary siblings,”Olivia had gushed.
Brandy had sighed and rubbed her forehead, the dull throb of a headache already taking root.“None of this tells me if you’re actually okay with me saying yes to Rafferty’s insane request.”
“Yes!”
“Totally!”
“For sure.”
And then Maebh had visited and handed Brandy a tiny black box …
“An engagement, even a pretend one, needs an authentic prop,” the woman said.
To Brandy’s chagrin, her fingers shook as she opened the box. And she couldn’t prevent a gasp. “It’s beautiful.” The gleaming emerald surrounded by a halo of diamonds winked back at her. “But I … I can’t wear this, Meabh,” she protested, shoving the box back toward the old woman.
Instead of taking the ring back, Maebh clasped Brandy’s hand in both of hers. “You can and you will,mo stóirín.”
“But—”
“No buts, Brandy-Lyn. It was just lying in my cupboard, serving no purpose. Something so beautiful needs to be flaunted, admired. Gushed over,” the wily old woman added, the glint in her eyes matching Branna’s from earlier.
Against her better judgment, Brandy lifted the ring from its nest and held it up between her thumb and forefinger. It truly was a masterpiece crafted with glossy gold and sparkling green and white stones.
And it looked new, despite the classic style.
And by new she meant brand new.
“This is new,” she exclaimed, waving the ring about. The octogenarian’s penchant for having a hand in her grandchildren’s engagement rings was well known.
Maebh merely shrugged. “While you’re his fiancée, fake or otherwise, it’s perfect.”
Fake or otherwise.
