Page 21 of Sweet Temptation

“Deal!”

Lowering herself onto the disc, she extended her legs the way Garret had done. Teetering at the edge, her heart hammered rapidly in her chest. Before she could reconsider, she pushed off with both hands.

The initial drop made her stomach lurch, and a startled shriek escaped her lips, followed by sheer exhilaration. The disc picked up speed, and the wind whipped her hair about. Sand sprayed up on either side, tickling her arms and face. Without meaning to, she let out a laugh that built into a full-throated whoop of joy. The disc gradually slowed on its own, coming to rest just a few feet from where Garret stood, applauding wildly.

“That was amazing!” she gasped, her heart still racing frantically.

“You’re a natural.” He offered his hand to help her up, pulling her to her feet with such enthusiasm that she stumbled forward, colliding with his chest. His hands steadied her shoulders, and for a moment, they stood too close, sand-dusted and breathless.

“Sorry,” she murmured, stepping back.

“Don’t be,” he replied softly, then cleared his throat. “Ready to go again?”

Twenty minutes later, they’d climbed the dune three more times, racing each other down on parallel paths. Jackie’s sides ached from laughing, and sand had worked its way into every possible crevice of her clothing. She collapsed at the bottom of the dune after their fourth run, flopping back to make a sand angel.

“I can’t believe I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and never done this.”

Garret dropped down beside her, still clutching his disc. “It’s one of those hidden treasures. Dad used to bring us here when we were kids. Mom would pack a picnic, and we’d spend the whole day sliding down, climbing up, sliding down again.”

The wistful note in his voice made her turn her head to look at him. Sand clung to his dark hair, and a smudge marked his cheek. Without thinking, she reached out and brushed it away. His eyes met hers, curious and warm. “You miss him,” she said simply.

Garret nodded. “Every day. But being here—it brings back the good stuff. Makes him feel closer somehow.”

“Thank you for bringing me,” Jackie let her hand fall back to the sand. “For sharing this with me.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, if you’re going to be my temporary wife, you might as well know what you’re getting into. The Sweet family tradition of completely ridiculous fun.”

“Is that written into the contract? Mandatory ridiculous fun?”

“It’s non-negotiable,” he said gravely, then broke into a grin. “Along with getting sand absolutely everywhere.”

“I think I can live with those terms,” she laughed, sitting up and shaking sand from her hair.

Garret stood up and offered his hand again. “One more run?”

Looking up at him—this man she barely knew and yet was about to sort of marry—Jackie felt something shift inside her. Maybe it was the childlike joy of sliding down sand dunes, or maybe it was the way he’d shared something personal, a memory of his father. Whatever it was, for the first time since arriving in West Texas, the idea of staying didn’t feel quite so crazy.

She took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. “Race you to the top!”

Chapter Nine

The door to their father’s study closed with a soft click as Jillian, the last to arrive, slipped inside. This had become the go-to-meeting place whenever they had something serious to discuss—or plan. Garret glanced around at his siblings; Carson seated at their father’s desk, Rachel curled up in the worn leather chair by the window, Preston standing with arms crossed near the bookcase. The familiar scent of leather, old books, and maybe even their dad’s cologne, lingered in the air.

“So,” Rachel broke the silence, “how did the drive go?”

“Things are coming together. I’m hopeful we’ll work it all out.”

Jillian plopped down on the nearby chair. “Well, Mom clearly likes her.”

“Definitely,” Carson agreed. “She seemed thrilled when y’all told her at dinner that she’d be staying a bit longer.”

“Yeah,” Rachel said. “It was a good strategy to pretend how long hinged on whether or not she found a job.”

Waving a single arm in the air, Jillian sighed. “Well, it’s not like they could tell her she’s staying for a year to pretend marry Garret and collect on the trust.”

“Is she really looking for work?” Carson swirled the cubes in his drink.

Garret nodded. “Yes, we stopped at the café. She pulled two opportunities from the bulletin board.”

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