Page 31 of Sweet Surprise

“About our arrangement or the party?”

“Either. Both.” He stabbed at a slice of brisket.

Shaking her head, the honesty of her answer surprised her. “Neither, actually. I keep waiting for the panic to set in, but so far…” She shrugged, taking a bite of potato salad.

“Well, the night is young.” Carson winked at her, and Jess felt a flutter in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.

“So who’s next?” Jess tracked his sisters fluttering around the barn, chatting with what Jess assumed were single men—then again, maybe they were just being friendly. There seemed to be a lot of that going around tonight.

Carson lifted his gaze in search of his siblings, then balancing his plate on his knees, blew out a sigh. “I honestly don’t know. It’s not easy finding people who have a reason to go along with our cockeyed plan.”

“It’s not cockeyed. A little unorthodox perhaps, but it comes from love.”

The way Carson’s eyes bore through her, for a moment, she’d have sworn he was trying to read her mind, or perhaps her soul. “Thank you for understanding.”

Her head bobbed and she wished she better understood all the emotions tumbling around inside her as well as she understood how much Alice Sweet’s children had to love her to go through all this to save the ranch, yes, but more so, to save their mother.

“Most folks,” Carson continued, “wouldn’t understand how crushing it would be for Mom to lose the family ranch. She’d feel she let Dad down and that guilt would haunt her till the day she died.” Now his gaze was focused on his mother chatting up a woman who sparkled so much if they hung her from the ceiling she’d make a great disco ball.

“Who is that?”

Carson followed her gaze and chuckled. “That’s Mildred McEntire. The bling queen of West Texas—unofficially, of course.”

“Of course.” Jess chuckled alongside him.

For the next few minutes, Carson pointed out a few other town characters. “That over there is Iris Hathaway. If you want news spread faster than wild fire or the Associated Press, she’s the one to talk to. If you have something to hide, better steer clear of her. That woman could get a rock to spill the beans.”

Jess laughed a little harder. “I’ll remember that.”

The dance floor cleared and as the next song started, folks began filing onto floor, lined up in multiple rows. The lively tune had people stepping and turning in surprised synchronization.

Setting his plate aside, Carson stood and extended his hand. “Shall we?”

“That depends on how badly you want me to make a fool of myself.”

“Not possible.” His hand remained fixed, his smile so genuine, so warm, that Jess found herself placing her hand in his before she could think of another excuse.

The dance was simpler than it looked—lots of stomping, turning, and clapping that had everyone laughing rather than worrying about precision. Jess did her best to keep up. At one point she was supposed to turn left and spun in the wrong direction, crashing into Carson. His strong hands grabbed her arms before she could tumble backward. For just a split second, everything in the world felt oddly right.

The music shifted to something slower, couples began pairing off, and Carson’s hands settled naturally at her waist.

“Our first dance as husband and wife,” Carson said softly. “We should make it look good.”

“For appearances’ sake,” Jess agreed, though the warmth of his hands through the fabric of her dress made it hard to remember this was all for show.

They swayed together, the space between them gradually shrinking until Jess could feel the steady beat of Carson’s heart against her own. It felt natural, comfortable in a way she hadn’t expected. In a way that brought memories crashing back of so many years ago. A time when she’d had hope that things were going to be better. That same feeling had returned full force. And just like before, Carson Sweet was at the root of it all. When she looked up, she found Carson watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He smiled, but there was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite read. “Just enjoying the moment.”

She couldn’t help but wonder if Carson’s thoughts were also taking him back to another place and time.

As the night wore on and the party showed no signs of winding down, Jess found herself relaxing into this new reality. The friendly hugs, and echoes of congratulations, continued at every turn. Folks finally began to slowly slip away. At first folks with young children, then some of the older neighbors. Finally, with only close friends and family left, the band played the last song, and clean up began.

In the far corner, Mason had fallen fast asleep, curled up around Brady.

“How long do you think he’s been there?” Carson asked.

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