Page 22 of Sweet Temptation

“Which ones?” Rachel shifted in her seat.

“Town clerk assistant and an admin position at the high school.”

“Remind me what she did in Houston?” Preston asked.

“Operations manager for a small insurance company.”

“That’s right.” Preston’s head bobbed.

“So she’s really staying?” Jillian leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

Garret nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and something else he couldn’t quite name. “We hammered out most of the details on the drive back.”

“So when’s the big announcement?” Rachel grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye. “And the wedding?”

“There’s the challenge. We couldn’t figure out a way to move things along quickly without drawing suspicion from Mom. After all, I can’t exactly blurt out over breakfast,Isn’t Jackie great? We’re getting married next week.”

“That might be a bit odd.” Preston shrugged.

“What if,” Carson leaned forward on the desk, “you don’t make it seem sudden? Say you’ve been talking online for months. Finally, met in person in Millers Creek, which is true enough.”

“And it was love at first sight,” Jillian added with dramatic flair, hands clasped to her heart.

“Less is more,” Carson advised. “Don’t over explain. Just say you reconnected, things clicked, and you both realized no point in wasting time when you find the right person.”

“Worked for me,” Preston said with a smile.

“And me,” Carson agreed.

“Speaking of clicking,” Rachel’s gaze sharpened on Garret, “how’s that going? You two seemed pretty cozy at dinner.”

Garret felt heat creep up his neck. “We get along well. It’s… easy being around her.”

“Good, because this needs to move along sooner than later.” Carson leaned back in his seat again. “You’ll need to start cozying up in front of Mom.”

“And the town,” Rachel added. “Don’t forget the town.”

“And you’d better get your stories straight, because Mom will eventually get around to the questions of how you met, how long have you known each other, etc.” Jillian shrugged at her brother. “Otherwise, things could get complicated.”

As if marrying a near stranger wasn’t complicated enough. “I can handle complicated,” Garret said.

“Good,” Preston said. “Because you’re about to get a whole lot of it.”

“Okay,” Jillian stood, “let’s be practical. We’ve had two quick marriages in a row. If we don’t want Mom to get suspicious, we have to come up with an exact plan.”

Garret nodded, it was why they’d all come together, a good idea or two was what he’d hoped for. “Have something specific in mind?”

“Of course I do. Think of this as any other courtship. Sit down with Mom, talk to her. Tell her how much you like Jackie. How there’s something about her that is different and special.”

That would be easy enough, so far Jillian hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. He’d known from the moment Jackie put on a good face and slid down the sand hill even though he could see how scared she was that she wasn’t like any other woman he’d known. Simply having agreed to this hare-brained trust scheme, reinforced how special she was, and he really did think about her more than he should.

Rachel frowned at her sister. “Youwanthim to tell Mom what he’s planning?”

“Hear me out.” Jillian stared daggers at her twin. “Ask Mom what she thinks of Jackie. We all know Mom is a romantic at heart, and she seems to really like Jackie, so she’ll have some profound bit of wisdom for you. Then ask her, is it crazy to court her? Of course Mom will look at you like you have nine heads because no one courts a girl anymore, but if you play it right, I think she’ll not only buy it, I bet she’ll help you win over the girl of your dreams.”

Girl of his dreams. Is that what Jackie was? No, he shook his head. This is pretend. But courting?

“You know,” Rachel piped up, “she has a point. Lay your intentions on the table and get Mom’s help. Then the proposal won’t be a surprise.”

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