“You don’t sound super thrilled by any of that.”
“Well, it’s not exactly how I imagined getting married one day.”
Sunny looked up at him, stared at his handsome face for a few seconds, his medium brown hair looking darker in the dim light coming from the house.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. You never have to apologize to me.”
Why did his words sound so heavy with meaning?
“You are a great person, Dean. I truly mean that.”
She couldn’t imagine any other person on the planet going along with her crazy plan, no matter what they got out of it in the end. She hoped none of this ended up hurting his chances of having the happy future he deserved. If it did, she’d never forgive herself—even if their ruse being successful got her everything she wanted.
CHAPTER NINE
DEAN CHECKED OUT a display of rings at Riverside Gifts and Treats, the combination gift store, ice-cream parlor and candy store that attempted to pull in tourists but more often than not was filled with locals indulging in some sweet, sweet calories. There wasn’t a proper jewelry store in Jade Valley, and Dean didn’t have time to drive to Jackson or any other town that had stores selling actual engagement and wedding rings. It seemed silly to go to the time and expense when his and Sunny’s “marriage” wasn’t going to be lasting long anyway.
He turned a spinning display filled with an array of copper rings engraved with various designs. One designed with flowers all along the band caught his eye and he pulled it from the display to examine it more closely.
“Hey, Dean.”
Maya’s chipper greeting startled him so much he dropped the ring and barely caught it before it rolled off the other side of the polished wood counter.
“Why so nervous?”
Dean stared at the teasing look on her face. Maya took a sip of her milkshake then eyed the ring in his hand. She reached out and took it from him, examined the design.
“I think she’ll like this. So, when are you popping the question?”
He looked beyond her, hoping no one had heard.
Maya leaned forward. “Don’t be so secretive. You want everyone to know, right?”
“Why would I want everyone to know?” he asked, his voice quiet but tense. “We’re just going to do this quietly so it’s no big deal when it’s over.”
Maya shook her head.
“Seriously, you have to at least make it look like it’s real.”
“Why? It’s nobody’s business but ours. Only Jonathon has to think it’s real.”
Said the guy who had proclaimed they were dating in public, who had acted very much a real boyfriend at the movie in the park.
“So what happens if one of his friends or, I don’t know, everyone in town tells him something is fishy? Then you two would have done all this for nothing and Sunny ends up on the outs with her dad.”
He hated the idea of making a big show of a wedding and marriage that weren’t real, but more so he hated the idea of Sunny and Jonathon’s relationship suffering a break.
“I mean, if you’re going to pretend to have a relationship, the least you can do is pretend to be romantic.”
“Fine,” he said, motioning for her to keep her voice down.
But Maya responded with a grin of victory and quiet little hand claps despite the large foam cup in her hand.
“Awesome! I’ve always wanted to plan a wedding.”
Before he could stop her steamrolling, Maya spun and headed toward the exit. No doubt Sunny was about to get an unexpected visit from her bestie. Thinking he’d better warn her, he pulled out his phone and started typing a text.
I think I perhaps just stepped in it.
While waiting for her to respond, he quickly paid for the ring, slipped it into his pocket and made his way out of the store.
I’d think all these years of walking around in cow pastures would have taught you how to avoid that.
Ha Ha Ha. For that I shouldn’t tell you what’s likely coming your way.
Why do I now think this has nothing to do with cow patties?
Because it has to do with your best friend being very excited about being your wedding planner.
What!
Before he could respond, his phone rang. No surprise, it was Sunny.
“I think you had best start explaining. No matter where Maya is right now, it won’t take her long to find me.”
So he told her about his brief but frustrating encounter with Maya.
“Don’t worry. I’ll rein her in.”
He actually laughed. “Because that’s a thing that happens.”
Sunny sighed. “You’re right. She’s a bit like a bulldozer when she wants to be.”
“I thought steamroller, but bulldozer works too.” Dean slipped into his truck but didn’t start the engine.
“Do you think she might be right? Should we have a little ceremony at least?”
“Probably.” He tried to convince himself he’d said so because it made sense in selling the story, but there was a part of him that wanted to see Sunny walking down the aisle toward him even if it was pretend.
“I’m sorry this whole thing is snowballing.”
“What did I tell you about apologizing to me?”
“Still, you didn’t bargain for all this.”
“Well, we’re both navigating new fake marriage waters, don’t you think?”
She laughed the smallest bit. “Yeah, I guess so.”
When they ended the call, he continued to sit in his parking spot wondering if he was the biggest sap to ever breathe air in the state of Wyoming. He had to make sure no one else ever found out that his and Sunny’s romantic relationship wasn’t real, for her sake and his own. If he planned to stay in Jade Valley, he didn’t relish the idea of all his neighbors thinking him a fool at best or, worse, a betrayer of the man who had always treated him like one of the family.
It took him a moment to realize someone was standing in front of his truck waving at him and another for it to register that it was his mom.
“You seemed to be in outer space,” she said as she walked around to his open window. “Thinking about Sunny?”
Her tone and the accusatory look on her face made him realize that in the midst of everything going on, he’d failed to tell his parents that he and Sunny were dating. He imagined the ring in his pocket burning through the denim at the lies that were piling up.
But right now his mom didn’t know he’d lied to her, only that she had heard about her son having a girlfriend through the town’s gossip network instead of from him.
“Who’d you hear it from?”
“Who’d I not hear it from? But I should have heard it from my dear son.” She smiled sweetly but he wasn’t fooled.
“Sorry.” He didn’t say anything more, not wanting to add to the layers of lies and omissions.
“Well, you can make it up to me by bringing her over for dinner tonight.”
“That’s not a lot of notice.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before the entire town knew before your mother. I’ve always thought you two were perfect for each other, so this makes me really happy.”
If their dating made her this happy, how was she going to react when he told her they were getting married? No doubt she’d have a million mom questions about why they were moving so fast. Maybe he and Sunny should do a practice run answering all the questions people might aim at them when the wedding news hit.
“I’ll ask Sunny if she’s available tonight and let you know.”
“Call her now. I’m headed to the store and I need to know if I should pick up some extra things.”
A lifetime of experience let Dean know there was no use arguing, so he texted Sunny.
“Because most people text now, Mom. Plus, I don’t want to chance waking the twins if they’re asleep and she’s near them with her phone.”
“Oh, good point. I knew I raised a smart son.”
He rolled his eyes as he glanced at his phone when it buzzed.
Sounds great. I haven’t seen your parents in a long time.
“Looks like we’ll see you for dinner,” he said, holding up his phone and wiggling it.
His mom smiled like a megajackpot lottery winner. He hated what his and Sunny’s eventual breakup would do to her. He’d just have to help her understand that it wasn’t a big deal, that they simply realized they were better as friends.
When he escorted Sunny into his parents’ house that night, however, he discovered things were not going to be as simple and clean as he hoped. Not only had his mom cooked a spread worthy of Christmas, but she’d also pulled out the china that her mother had given her for her wedding. He was pretty sure he’d only seen those dishes grace the table maybe twice in his entire life.
And his mom had greeted Sunny as soon as she came in with a kiss on the cheek, as if she was already her daughter-in-law, the one who would produce the long-awaited grandchildren.
A jolt went through Dean at that thought, of what would have to happen between him and Sunny for grandchildren to make an appearance. The thing that would not happen between them despite the vows they were going to speak because the marriage wasn’t real. Because Sunny wanted her life, a life without him in it, to be somewhere else. Not to mention she didn’t feel the same about him as he did about her. Soon he was going to have to have a sit-down talk with himself about how he needed to start erasing those feelings if he didn’t plan to truly act on them. Harboring them all these years without ever telling her wasn’t healthy for him. He needed to move on.
“I’m so happy to see you two together,” his mom said as she led Sunny to a seat at the table. She held on to Sunny’s hand as if she was afraid she might run away if she let go.
“I think Sunny’s going to need both hands to eat, Mom.”
“Oh, of course.” She released Sunny but took a moment to pat her gently on the shoulder before turning to put the final couple of dishes on the table.
As Dean took his usual seat at the table, he eyed all the food. There wasn’t much space between all the bowls and platters.
“You look like you’re feeding the lunch rush at Trudy’s, Mom.”
His dad chuckled. “I told her she was overdoing it. As much as we love Sunny, I don’t think she expects the Queen of England treatment.”
Dean’s mom scolded his dad by giving him a gentle smack on the shoulder.
“Hush. It’s not every day your son brings home someone he’s dating.” She leveled her gaze at Dean. “But then that’s hard when he doesn’t date.”
“Mom, you make me sound pitiful.”
Sunny reached over and took his hand, surprising him. Despite their agreement, he couldn’t get used to the moments of feigned affection. Especially when she wore the kind of smile that lit up her face like bright sunshine.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Sunny said, “but it looks scrumptious.”
His mom beamed at the compliment.
“So, how long have you two been secretly dating?” his mom asked as she finally took her own seat.
This was what Dean had expected, why he and Sunny had spent the afternoon getting their proverbial ducks in a row.
“We’ve been talking for a while now, especially after Dad took his tumble,” Sunny said. “But even before that.”
That much wasn’t a lie. Sunny had already thanked him several times for helping out Jonathon until she’d been able to make arrangements for her visit. And they did occasionally communicate with each other before that, though not at the level that would naturally lead to a romantic relationship. But his parents didn’t have to know that.
“You two have known each other forever and never dated,” his dad said. “Why now?”
Dean had expected a litany of questions from his mom. That his dad had tossed in one, a pointed one at that, surprised him.
Sunny shrugged. “Maybe we knew each other too well before. With the years since graduation mostly apart, I don’t know, I just saw him differently.”
Dean’s heart beat faster at the way she was looking at him as if he was her dream come true.
No, hadn’t he told himself he needed to put an end to that type of thinking? To stop being so blasted pitiful if he wasn’t planning to tell her the truth.
“When did you know?” his mom asked him.
“Before she did,” he said simply. “So, about all this food, how about we eat some of it before my stomach consumes itself.”
His dad laughed even if his mom looked like she’d prefer to continue playing romance detective.
Thankfully the conversation veered to more comfortable topics as they ate. He had to bite down on his own laughter when he noticed that Sunny was making a sizable dent in the spread all on her own. But then she’d never been one of those types of girls to pretend she wasn’t hungry when she was. And yet her figure was even more attractive than it had been in high school.
As dinner progressed, he relaxed more with each minute. Even when Sunny held his hand beneath the table, no doubt another part of her plan to look like a young couple in love, he found it more pleasant than troubling.
Maybe he’d been making a bigger deal out of the situation than necessary. This time together could end up being a good thing, a way to say goodbye to his romantic feelings for Sunny once and for all. That sounded like a healthy plan, for both of their sakes.
After dinner, they sat on the front porch talking for a long time. Sunny seemed as genuinely interested in his parents’ trips to Nebraska and up into Yellowstone and the Tetons as they were in her travels to places like Peru, Indonesia and Italy. Even though they weren’t Catholic, his mom was completely rapt as she listened to Sunny talk about her visit to the Vatican.
He had to admit her travels sounded fascinating, and the way she talked about all the places she’d visited made him understand more why she didn’t want to give up her job. Not to mention she was obviously good at it if her company kept her traveling as much as she did. It made him feel somewhat better about his part in the ruse to help her bring her family together in one place. Not that he wasn’t without some guilt, but there was no malice in what they were doing.
When they finally took their leave, later than he’d intended, and both loaded up with enough leftovers to feed a football team, he was wiped out but felt as if they’d cleared a major hurdle. As he’d watched his parents, he’d seen no signs that they could detect anything was off about his and Sunny’s relationship.
He opened the passenger door of his truck for Sunny, then held her hand as she climbed in. Even after so little time pretending to be a couple, the action felt strangely natural. She accepted the plates of leftovers covered in aluminum foil that he carried and placed them next to her. Instead of stepping back and closing the door, he stood there staring at her until she turned to face him.
“Thanks for tonight,” he said.
“No need to thank me. I love your parents—you know that.”
He did, and the fact that after her mother’s death his own mom had showered Sunny with as much maternal love as she could. He suspected Sunny had gone to his mom to talk about things where her dad would have been a poor substitute for her mother.
“Still, who would have thought my parents would be the Spanish Inquisition instead of your dad?”
“Oh, look at you with the historical reference.”
“I wasn’t a complete idiot in school.” He started to step back then, but Sunny suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
“I know you weren’t. I’m sor
ry for teasing you like that.”
He placed his hand over hers and smiled.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I hope you didn’t feel like my telling all those stories earlier was... I don’t know, making it seem like your life is less in any way.”
Dean squeezed her hand. “You’re worrying too much.”
“You’re just being the best about everything and I feel like I’m taking and not giving.”
“You do remember what I get out of this if all goes to plan, right?”
“Yeah, but it still feels like a one-sided relationship.”
How right she was and didn’t even know it.
He assured her again that he was fine, then closed her door before walking around to the driver’s side. After being chatty all night, she was unusually quiet on the ride out of town and toward the ranch. Knowing that she was probably letting her worries run wild in her mind, he deliberately pulled off the road halfway back and cut the engine.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Get out.” Before she could question him, he slipped out and walked around to the back of the truck. By the time she exited the truck, he was sitting on the lowered tailgate looking up at the sky.
“You stopped to stargaze? I’m pretty sure the same sky is sitting over your house.”
“True, but as soon as we get back you’ll be racing off to check on whether one of the twins or your dad has managed to injure themself in the few hours you’ve been gone.”
“Well, I feel like I’ve been called out,” she said, hopping up onto the tailgate beside him.
“It’s okay to care, to even be concerned to some extent, but it’s also okay to loosen your grip a bit too.”
Sunny let out a sigh then lay back to face the sky.
“I know that in theory, but every time it feels as if I’ve relaxed into life I lose someone. I mean, I enjoy my life but I’m also aware that it can be gone in a moment, without notice.”
“That’s true of everyone.”
“I know. Honestly, most of the time I’m fine. I learned that life goes on after tragedy, more than once. But there’s also this part of me that is kind of holding its breath and tries to convince me that if I start breathing again something bad will happen. It’s how I’ve heard some people who are afraid of flying feel, that if they relax while flying it’ll tempt fate too much and the plane will crash.”
The Rancher's Unexpected Twins--A Clean Romance Page 11
