The Rose Ring

by Lucie Ulrich

  When Micah’s chair creaked with the release of his weight, Sky breathed a sigh of relief. She needed a good cry.

  His appearance at her side put her plans on hold. He leaned a hip against the counter and looked over at her. “That wasn’t exactly the response I expected.”

  She squeezed some dish soap under the running water. The man didn’t have a clue.

  After several moments of excruciating silence, Micah reached across and turned the water off. “You were going to say yes, weren’t you?”

  Okay, so maybe he wasn’t as clueless as she thought. She stared into the sink and nodded.

  “Wow. I hardly know what to say. You were so ticked off yesterday I figured for sure it’d be a no.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Crazy, huh?”

  “No crazier than me asking.”

  Sticking her hands into the soapy water, Sky swiped a dishcloth across a plate before giving it a quick rinse. “Why did you? I mean I know the reason, but why me?”

  He grabbed the dish towel sitting on the far end of the counter and took the dripping plate from her hand. “Blame it on the rose.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah, the one you put on your mother’s grave the other morning. After leaving Mr. Brown’s office I went to the cemetery to confront a dead man.” He twirled his index finger next to his temple and laughed. “Talk about crazy. Anyway, I passed your mom’s grave on my way out. When I saw the rose I thought of you.” He shrugged. “You know the rest.”

  “Are you sure it was my mother’s grave? There’s no marker up yet.”

  “I’m positive.” He set the plate on the counter and reached for the bowl she’d just rinsed. He tugged, but she didn’t let go. “Hey, what gives?”

  He’d come up with this crazy plan under false pretenses. The whole thing was almost funny. “I haven’t been to my mother’s grave since the day of her funeral.”

  “So you didn’t—”

  “Nope.” She released the bowl.

  “I just assumed… I wonder who put it there.”

  Sky wondered the same thing. Not that it mattered. He’d made his decision, and it no longer included her.

  They finished the dishes in silence.

  “Guess I’d better shove off.” Micah folded the towel in half and placed it next to the stacked dishes. “I’m sorry for the mess I made of everything.” He bent down and brushed her cheek with a light kiss. “You deserve better than a lug like me, anyway.”

  Her cheeks warmed at his touch, and her heart softened at his words. She couldn’t think of a nicer lug.

  He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and headed for the front door.

  “Micah?”

  He turned around. “Yeah?”

  “I think we should go through with it, anyway.” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. D U M.

  “Let’s not go there again, Sky. Best to leave things as they are.”

  “Hear me out.” She took his hand and pulled him to the couch where they sat, facing each other. “I don’t have many friends, but those I have I’d do anything for, especially you. My high school years would have been a nightmare without you. No matter what anyone said or did, you always managed to make me feel special, loved even.”

  His eyes widened. “Loved?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Fat girls have crushes too.”

  Micah’s eyes went wider, and his right leg started a rhythmic bounce. “I had no idea you ever felt that way. I mean, I never saw any hint.”

  She pressed a hand on his bouncing knee then quickly removed it. “Relax, that was a long time ago.”

  He rubbed his palms against his thighs. “Sorry.” He laughed a little. “Guess I didn’t see that one coming.”

  A little piece of her heart broke away. If he couldn’t handle the thought of a high school crush, there was little hope for anything permanent.

  “All I’m saying is that you supported me through four very tough years. Let me do the same for you through the next two.”

  He stood and paced to the frosty window next to the front door. “I don’t know. Maybe we should wait and see what Noah’s lawyer friend has to say.”

  “That’s fine, but you’re going to have to talk to your brother in order to find out what’s going on.”

  “I know.”

  She joined him at the window. “Just know the offer stands.”

  His eyes met hers. “I’m not sure you understand the extent of what you’d be getting yourself into. It won’t be just two years of your life. It’ll be two years of questions and speculations.”

  “Not to worry. My mother drank and liked men. There isn’t much I haven’t heard.”

  “This isn’t about your mother, Sky. It’s about you. I don’t even like saying this, but you do realize some people are going to assume you’re pregnant, don’t you?”

  The thought actually hadn’t crossed her mind, but he was right. A recent breakup, an apparent rebound relationship, and a quickie marriage all screamed pregnancy. The gossips would be having a time with this one. It always amazed her how people took such pleasure out of another’s misfortune or mistake. And all of her life, Sky had felt like a mistake.

  “Doesn’t matter. They’ll be proven wrong in time.”

  He pushed himself away from the wall and dug his keys out of his pocket. “I don’t know what to do about this mess, but you’re right about one thing. As much as I don’t want to, I need to talk to Noah.”

  “That’s a start.”

  Micah grabbed hold of the door handle. “Think real hard about what you’re offering, Sky.”

  She nodded her response. The tears came after she locked the door behind him. She’d go through the motions because she owed him, and because she loved him enough to take a chance. If it didn’t work out, she’d take the money and leave town.

  ****

  While driving toward the outskirts of town, Micah thought about Sky’s offer. He’d resolved things in his mind, yet she was pushing him to stick with the original plan. Why? Surely not because of a high school crush. She said that was in the past, but what if it wasn’t? His head swam with the implications.

  He passed the library, remembering their conversation, then the diner, thinking of all the talks they’d shared. He liked Sky. Liked her a lot. But he wasn’t in love with her. “Enough!” Startled by the sound of his own voice, Micah switched gears. The conversation he was about to have required a clear head.

  When he turned into the motel parking lot, he wondered why his brother had chosen to stay there. With all his bucks, he could afford the bed and breakfast on the other side of town. Could it be things weren’t going as well for him as he pretended?

  He pulled up next to a fancy foreign convertible parked directly in front of room 128.

  The motel room door opened before he stepped out of the truck. Noah, dressed in jeans and a wrinkled, purple dress shirt that hung loosely over his slender build, leaned against the door frame and smiled. “Hello, brother. I wondered how long it would take you to come out and see me.”

  Micah stepped inside. The curtains were drawn, with only a dim lamp lighting the room. The smell of alcohol and wet towels permeated the place. He refused to sit on the stained chair his brother offered. “I won’t be here long.”

  “Suit yourself.” Noah stumbled toward the small dresser facing the bed. “Want a drink?” He poured himself a hefty amount of cheap whisky into an equally cheap plastic cup.

  “It’s not even two o’clock.”

  Noah set the bottle down. “I’ll take that as a no.” He raised his glass in the form of a salute before downing its contents. From the look on his face, the stuff didn’t taste any better than it smelled. But that didn’t stop him from pouring another.

  Impatient, Micah crossed his arms over his chest. “You talk to your lawyer friend yet?”

  “Nope. He’s out of the country and won’t be back for at least six months. High dollar case.
His secretary took my name, but I doubt I’ll hear from him any time soon.”

  Micah pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “What do we do now? I want this thing resolved. I want what’s mine, and I want you gone as soon as possible.”

  “You haven’t changed much, have you? It’s still all about you and what you want.” He downed the drink in his hand. “A certain sled you had to have comes to mind.”

  If Noah had kicked him in the stomach, it couldn’t have hurt more than what he’d just said. The memory of that Christmas Eve and the drive that ended his parents’ lives never left Micah’s mind. He clenched his fists, opened them, clenched again, all in an attempt to keep the tears from forming.

  Noah set the cup down and took a step closer. “I’m sorry, Micah. That was a cheap shot. I’ve had too much to drink.” He reached his arm out, but Micah batted it away.

  “It’s a little late for apologies, brother. I came out here to find out if you’re going to fight the will or not.”

  Noah reached for the bottle then seemed to think better of it. He stumbled across the room and sat on the edge of the unmade bed, his head hanging nearly to his knees. “No. Even with the value of the land, a good lawyer’s fees would eat up too much of the profits.”

  Relief washed over Micah. This isn’t the way he’d have chosen to live the next two years, but at least the land would stay in the family. “Then this is how it’s going to play out. I’ll be the one to get married. You’ll stick around doing nothing of any value. When the money is paid out you’ll get out of my life forever.”

  Noah looked up. “Who are you planning on marrying?”

  “That’s not your concern.”

  A wide grin spread across Noah’s face. “Ah, the cute little thing from the diner. Sky-without-an-e-Baxter, right? You have good taste.”

  Micah wondered when he’d met Sky and what made him assume she was the one. Voicing his thoughts, however, would only extend a conversation he much preferred to end. “When are you heading back to Atlanta to get your stuff, and when should Annie and I expect you to move back?”

  Noah’s first attempt to stand landed him back on the bed. He had to catch himself to keep from falling onto the floor. He laughed. “That didn’t work.” He pushed himself up again and managed to stand upright. To Micah he looked a little like one of those kids’ toys — the little people with the rounded bottoms that toppled every which way.

  Micah took a good look at his brother. His expensive clothes couldn’t mask the dark circles under Noah’s red, puffy eyes. He was barefoot, and his hair hung limp over his forehead. The brother he’d looked up to as a kid now stood before him drunk and disheveled. A momentary sadness filled Micah’s heart but was quickly replaced by the hurt and anger that had plagued him for so many years.

  “I’m ready to move in any time. I’ve sort of been without a job for a few months now.”

  The time frame was sooner than Micah had anticipated, but it explained the motel.

  “I’ll have to talk to Annie. She’ll need to get the cabin ready. One of us will let you know when, but don’t count on it for at least two or three days.”

  “The main house has four bedrooms. How about if I—”

  “No.” Micah made a quarter-turn. “But you’ll likely hear from Annie sometime today. She wants you to come to dinner tonight. I won’t be there, so don’t give her any grief.”

  “Ah, you plannin’ on goin’ courtin’?”

  The way he dropped his g’s irritated Micah. His brother, the city-slicker, just couldn’t keep from poking fun. “My plans are none of your business.”

  “I beg to differ. For the next two years, everything you do is my business. Like it or not, brother, we’re partners. And I have no intention of losing out because you don’t have all your ducks, or should I say cows, in a row.” He chuckled. “Hey, that was pretty good.”

  Micah groaned. “Sober up, brother. And just so you know, Annie still won’t allow any alcohol in the house. If you want to make the next two years bearable, you’d be wise not to have any liquor on your breath when you show up.”

  “Why the helpful advice?”

  “Because, for the next two years, everything you do is my business. And I don’t plan on losing out either.”

  Within fifteen minutes of leaving the motel, Micah found himself back at Sky’s. She opened the door to him. “We need to talk.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Noah looked at the liquor bottle, debating on another drink. What was he doing? Alcohol wasn’t something he turned to in times of trouble. He rarely drank more than one or two glasses of wine. He screwed the lid on the bottle and downed two glasses of water from the bathroom sink before opening the dingy window next to the table.

  Pulling cold air into his lungs, Noah dropped into a chair and laid his head on the small wooden table. He’d attacked his brother with the sole purpose of hurting him and had hit the mark. Regret added to the pounding in his head. Blame was easy, so much easier than accepting the truth. When had he become the man he no longer liked seeing in the mirror?

  He stood and grabbed his coat, hoping a walk would clear his head and give him clear direction.

  Thirty minutes after leaving his room, Noah returned. He flopped onto the bed. The cracks in the ceiling were nothing compared to the fissures in his heart. Too many years, too much hurt. He forced himself to sit up. He needed food, and there was no way he was showing up at the ranch in his condition. He pulled the drawer of his bedside stand open, searching for a phone book, and found a Gideon’s Bible instead.

  Not since his parents’ death had Noah so much as cracked a Bible open. He’d quit going to church, despite Annie’s protests. Sam didn’t care. Sunday was simply a day like any other. Chores needed doing, and though he wasn’t cut out to be a rancher, the ache of physical labor helped diminish the ache of losing his mother and father, if only for a moment at a time.

  Reaching for the book, he flipped through the pages. This was where Annie always turned for answers, but Annie never stopped believing the way he had. Were there any answers left in here for him?

  ****

  Sky left Micah pacing in the living room while she fixed a pot of tea. She thought of Peggy, who firmly believed every situation in life could be handled by two things: prayer and a good, strong cup of tea.

  She placed her rose-pattern tea set on a tray and carried it into the living room. “Sit down, Micah. You’re making me nervous.”

  “Sorry.” He sat in the same place he’d occupied less than an hour ago and pushed the hair from his forehead. “I feel like I’m going ‘round in circles. Propose. Call it off. Propose.”

  She sat next to him. “Technically, you didn’t propose the second time. That was my idea.” She filled a cup with tea and handed it to him. “Here, this will calm your nerves.”

  Micah reached for it and laughed. “Somehow I doubt it.”

  “Well, maybe not, but it couldn’t hurt.”

  “This is pretty.” He balanced the delicate china in his large hands.

  Sky filled her cup while her heart filled with memories. “Thanks. It was Peggy’s. Every cup of tea she ever poured for me came from this set.” She stirred a little honey into her tea. “First time she handed me a cup I was terrified. I’d never seen anything so beautiful, or so breakable. I told her if I had something this fancy I’d only use it for special occasions. Peggy looked at me and laughed. ‘Fancy, shmancy,’ she said. ‘What’s the point in having something if you aren’t going to use it?’”

  “So you use it.”

  “Every day.” She took a sip. “After Peggy died, Carl insisted I have it. He said it’s what Peggy would have wanted. And for once I didn’t argue with him.” She looked him straight on. “But you didn’t come here to talk about teapots or my memories.”

  Micah leaned forward and set the cup and saucer on the table. He turned his head to look at her. “Noah’s decided not to fight the will.”

 
A slight tremble overtook her as the reality of her offer set in. She placed her cup next to his. “What’s our first step?”

  “I need you to hear me out before we make any plans.”

  “Okay.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Did you know I asked Morgan to marry me?”

  Sky’s heart thumped against her ribcage. In all the time he and Morgan dated, she’d never heard either of them mention the word marriage. He’d been even more in love with her than Sky realized. She shook her head, unable to respond verbally.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have expected you to. Only people I told were Sam and Annie.” He sat back. “Took me six weeks to find just the right ring. I planned a special night and even got down on one knee. Morgan took one look at the ring, and with tears in her eyes shut the lid.” He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “She pretty much shut my heart down in the process.”

  “Micah, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m not telling you this because I want your sympathy. I’m telling you because you have to understand that I’m not ready for any type of emotional attachment right now.”

  Sky wanted to kick herself for ever having said anything about the crush. It was stupid and desperate, and now she had him worried. “Look, Micah—“

  “Let me finish.” He took hold of her hands. “There’s no question that you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, but the simple truth is I don’t love you. At least not the way a husband is supposed to love his wife. You have to go into this marriage knowing it’s temporary.”

  Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. His words hurt, but they were the truth, and she’d take truth over a lie any day. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I’m going in with my eyes wide open.”

  “I don’t deserve you, but I sure do appreciate you.” He squeezed her hand. “Now that that’s settled, where do we go from here?”

  “Good question.” She took a sip of her tea. Its warmth and rich flavor did nothing to quell the flutters in her stomach. Getting her heart to line up with her good intentions wasn’t going to be easy, but she loved him enough to risk the pain that was sure to come. She set her tea on the table. “I guess we’ll need a marriage license.”