She could barely see as she raced down the steps. She didn’t stop until she was inside her car with the doors locked. She sat there, clinging to the steering wheel, her heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
Ryan. Engaged. She had to get home. She turned on the ignition and put the car in reverse. Somehow she managed to make through the traffic to her apartment. She would never know how she managed it.
She let herself into her apartment, locked the door, and went straight to her bedroom.
Hugging her knees to her, she sat there, her mind blank.
Ryan. Engaged. To Sariah Winston.
And he hadn’t told her.
After a few minutes, she got up and put on her sleep shorts. As she reached in the closet for a tee shirt to sleep in, she saw the tee-shirt with Silver Creek Ranch blazed across it. She loved that shirt. It had an image of the ranch and a black bear on it.
She pulled it from the hanger and, hugging it to her, she slid to her closet floor and cried. She cried until the shirt was soaked.
Chapter 35
Ryan adjusted his tie as he knocked on Sariah’s condo door.
She opened the door, dressed in a slinky red dress with red heels. Her hair was pulled up, leaving tendrils to frame her face. She was, in a word, beautiful.
She turned and left him to close the door. “We don’t want to be late.”
They had tickets for a play at the theatre with another couple – her best friend and her husband. Ryan couldn’t remember the last time they’d done anything, much less have dinner alone.
A flash of his future shot through his mind. Endless evenings of social events. Sariah barely speaking to him except to discuss someone else’s adventures.
“Sariah,” he said and she turned around. “Let’s skip it.”
“What?”
“Let’s skip the play and fly somewhere for dinner. Just us.”
“What’s wrong with you? We have tickets.”
“I know. But we haven’t been alone in ages. Besides we haven’t discussed your need to take a break.”
She looked at him, her expression baffled. “You don’t want to go to the play?”
“No. I want to be with you. You’re beautiful.”
The compliment washed right over her. “Thanks.” Her smile was tight and she gave him an air kiss next to his cheek. To kiss him would have messed up her lipstick. “We can’t back out on them now. They’re probably already at the restaurant.” She went to the table in the foyer and picked up her handbag.
He knew then that it wasn’t enough for her. She didn’t want his compliment or that of any one man. She needed to be seen. And admired by many. He didn’t fault her. It made her who she was.
But it wasn’t who he was. Ryan was more private. And more satisfied with the love of just one person.
He’d known this for some time on some level, but only now after spending time with Charlotte did he understand what had been missing from his life.
When she turned, he put a hand lightly on her arm. “Sariah.” He ignored the irritation that settled across her features. “We need to talk.”
“Can we talk on the way?”
“I’m not going.”
Chapter 36
Charlotte locked her door and kicked her shoes off. Just one more day at Skye Travels. She never thought she would have thought that way. But now every time she saw Ryan it was like stabbing a dagger into her heart. Every time she saw him walking toward her, she pretended to be deep in conversation on the phone or she got up and dashed down the hall with some random piece of paper in her hand.
Now she knew he was more than just a handsome face. He was kind. And funny. And for the weekend they’d spent together, he’d made her feel like she was the only woman who existed.
But now the whole experience wore a tarnished haze. The Ryan she’d know was an illusion. The real Ryan was engaged. To one of Dallas’s most popular socialites. Sariah Winston. Charlotte had googled her. Charlotte could never compete with someone like that. Besides, she didn’t poach.
Charlotte was just a small town girl. Not polished like Sariah. She didn’t always know the right thing to say or the right thing to wear. She was just a regular person.
She sighed and opened her refrigerator. A regular person who had nothing worth eating in her refrigerator. She found a jar of peanut butter and piece of bread.
She picked up her phone and found the number for Chinese delivery. It was so tempting. She’d put the number there in a moment of weakness. She was considering deleting it when her mother’s picture popped up on the screen. “Hello?”
“Charlotte.” Her mother’s voice sounded too calm. Something was wrong.
“What’s wrong?”
“Abby is in the hospital.”
Charlotte leaned against the kitchen counter and held her breath.
“They found a donor.”
“She’s bad then?”
“She’s bad, but we have a donor.”
They’d known this time was coming. Just not today. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“It was sudden. And there was so much.” Her mother’s voice hitched. “I didn’t want to call you at work.”
“But I could already have been there.” Charlotte fought to keep the accusation out of her voice. She was just so worried. So damn scared.
“The surgery isn’t until morning. Just drive up tomorrow. She’ll be out when you get here.”
Charlotte laid her phone on the counter and didn’t hear anything her mother was saying. Did she really think that Charlotte didn’t want to see her sister before the surgery? It wasn’t like having a root canal. It was a life threatening surgery.
She took a deep breath and picked up the phone. “Where are you?”
She wrote down the address. “I’m on my way.” She said and hung up the phone.
Chapter 37
Charlotte sat in a chair in her Abby’s bedroom and watched her sister sleep. They’d spent the last week in the hospital and, even though everything had gone smoothly, it was such a relief to be home. Her mother was asleep, leaving Charlotte to watch over Abby.
She’d burned through her Kindle library and browsed for something new to read.
A car door slammed. She went to the window and peeked out behind the simple white curtains. A white BMW sedan sat in the driveway. She watched as the driver’s door opened and a man stepped out.
She gasped as she recognized Ryan.
Ryan? Here? At her mother’s house?
He was looking around. She dropped the curtain and stepped back.
Ryan was here!
Suddenly spurred into action, she dashed to the bathroom, ran a comb through her hair, and brushed her teeth. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. But he’d seen her in less.
The doorbell rang. With her heart pounding in her ears, she reached the front door and held her hand on the doorknob. Counted to ten.
She opened the door. He was standing with his back to her.
“Ryan?”
He turned, took off his sunshades, and grinned at her. “Charlotte.”
“What?” Her words got tangled as her heart melted at the sight of him. “How did you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy. I think might have broken a few rules.”
“You?” She smiled. “I can’t believe you would break any rules.”
He shrugged.” Stranger things have happened.”
“But why?” Her brow furrowed. “Why are you here?”
“I probably should have called first. But…” He looked a little sheepish. “I wasn’t sure what to say.”
She leaned her cheek against the edge of the door.
“And I’m not sure I know what to say now. Except… they said you had a family matter to take care of.”
“I did.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure. It’s kind of a mess. We just got home from the hospital.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
&
nbsp; “Come in.” She gestured toward the couch. Moved the pillows and a blanket to the chair.
He sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to him.”
“Do you need anything? Water? Coffee?” She offered.
“No. I’m good.”
“I don’t think we have any coffee anyway.”
“Charlotte.”
She looked at him.
“Sit. Please.”
She sat down next to him.
“Are you okay?”
She took a deep breath and released it before looking into his sky blue eyes. At the man who should not be in her house. “I’m okay now. It’s been a rough time.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to know.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You. Dallas. Skye Travels. Allowed me to escape the reality of it for a little while. If you knew about it, you’d ask me about it. And it would have been more real than it already was. I needed that little escape.”
“Can you talk about it now?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “My little fifteen-year-old sister had a kidney transplant last week.”
“Oh Charlotte. I didn’t know.” His genuine expression of concern brought tears to her eyes. “How is she?”
“She’s home – here - now and doing well. We just have to be careful, you know.”
“I can’t even imagine. How are you holding up?”
He was the first person to ask her that. “I’m tired. But I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”
“What can I do to help?”
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin. We just got home last night.”
“I can stay for awhile... If you want me to.”
An image of his girlfriend flashed through her mind. Seeing him here. Like this. She’d all but forgotten that he was engaged. “I couldn’t impose on you like that.” She looked at the floor, batting away the tears. She’d barely had time to process what had happened with Ryan over the last week. That, along with the stress of her sister’s surgery was suddenly overwhelming.
“Charlotte.” He put a finger under her chin and gently nudged her to look up at him. Into those deep blue eyes that scattered her thoughts every time. “I’m here because I want to be with you.”
“Sariah…”
He shook his head. “Sariah is no longer in my life.”
“What? She’s your fiancé.”
“Not any more.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We broke up.”
“No.” She stood up.
“You made me realize that she and I weren’t right for each other.”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“If it hadn’t, I would have been locked in a loveless marriage.” He stood up to stand next to her. “You saved me.”
A smile played about her lips as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to do again.”
“What’s that?” Her breath came out in a whisper.
He put a hand on her cheek and lowered his mouth to hers. His lips touched hers ever so lightly.
She sighed. And he pressed his lips firmly against hers.
This. This is what she’d longed for since the moment she first saw him.
Chapter 38
“How did you find me?” Charlotte asked.
“It wasn’t easy.” Ryan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“The only person I told was Noah…” She looked at him sideways.
Ryan held up a hand. “He didn’t tell me anything. He only gave me your address. And he only did that after a lot of convincing.”
“He offered me a full-time job.” She smiled for the first time in a week.
“I know. He told me.”
She bit her lip. “I had to turn it down.”
Ryan shook his head. “I know. He told me that, too. He wasn’t happy about that.”
“How did you convince him to give you my address?”
“I told him that my intentions were honorable.”
“What?” Charlotte made a face. “What are you talking about?”
“I just told him the truth.” He took her hand and pressed a light kiss on the back of her hand. “I told him that I’m going to marry you.”
Charlotte gasped. “You did not!”
He grinned. “I did. And you know what?”
“What?”
“He warned me never to hurt you.”
Charlotte frowned at him. Then shook her head. “He does know that we just met, right?”
This was the part that Ryan had struggled with. The part where the logical part of his brain collided with his heart.
He’d even talked to Noah about it. Noah’s romantic inclinations were well known, so Ryan hadn’t been surprised when he suggested that Ryan follow his heart.
Ryan hadn’t slept much since he had learned that Charlotte had gone home. He’d thought about her constantly. And he’d realized that he’d known she was one for him the moment he’d first seen her – standing in the hallway at Skye Travels. He’d thought she was a figment of his imagination.
Then he’d discovered that she really was the girl of his dreams after he’d spent a weekend with her.
He could be logical and let her go. Or he could find her and let her know he felt.
The old Ryan Armstrong probably would have let her go.
But the longer he stayed away from her, the more he knew he couldn’t let that happen without a fight.
Chapter 39
When Charlotte turned back, Ryan was on one knee in front of her.
“What?”
“Charlotte?”
Charlotte’s face flushed. This man that she’d been crushing on for two weeks. This man that she’d fallen in love with over the course of a weekend was kneeling in front of her.
She thought she’d lose her balance until he took her hand in his. Then she felt steady and right.
“Charlotte Cooper. Will you marry me?”
She shook her head. “We hardly know each other.”
“You’re right. But I know that I love you.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I love you, too.” She whispered.
He lowered his head and kissed her hands. She loved this man. She hadn’t let herself admit it, but with him here, bowed before her, she was overwhelmed with the love in her heart.
He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes.
And she knew. This was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
“Will you?”
“Yes. Ryan Armstrong. I’ll marry you.”
Then Charlotte was in his arms. They had so much to learn about each other.
But when Cupid’s arrow found its mark, there was no reason to deny the love they felt for each other.
If you liked Just Pretend, I think you’ll also enjoy Just Because. Please continue reading for a sneak peek at it – coming soon on Amazon!
About the Author
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Also by Kathryn Kelly
Time Travel Romance
Twist of Fate
When the Stars Align
Once in a Blue Moon
Once Upon a Christmas
Sweet and Wholesome Contemporary Romance
Begin Again
Love Again
Falling Again
Just Happened
Just Maybe
Just Pretend
Just Because
Sweet and Wholesome Contemporary Romance
A Very Merry Christmas Gift
Pretend You’ll Stay
Love Me Tomorrow
Historical Romance
Love Always
Beyond Enemy Lines
Hearts Under Siege
Hea
rts Under Fire
Fated Mates Romance
Riley’s Mate
Aiden’s Mate
Brayden’s Mate
Just Because Excerpt
Layla Johnson had the patience of a saint. She stood behind the counter at Marigold Hardware Store, three different colors of pink paint splattered on her apron.
Mr. Miller, a regular customer, stood on the other side of the counter with his seven-year-old granddaughter.
“How about something like this?” Layla asked, holding up a pale pink paint card that reminded her of the roses on her senior prom corsage. It was called ballet slipper.
“Oooh. That’s pretty.” Abby Miller’s eyes lit up. “Let’s try that one.”
Layla smiled and pulled a fresh pint of paint from the shelf behind her. She keyed in the color code and locked the paint in the mixing machine.
Abby stood on a stool allowing her to reach the top of the counter. She picked up a fresh paint brush in anticipation.
“How big is your dollhouse?” Layla asked as the paint machine did its thing.
“It’s as tall as I am. Maybe taller. And it’s got so many rooms. My grandpa made the whole thing.”
Layla exchanged a smile with Mr. Miller. “Your grandpa must love you a whole lot.”
Abby bounced on the stool. “He does. And it’s going to be so pretty when it’s painted pink.”
“You know,” Layla said. “Pink’s my favorite color, too. In fact, I think you could use one of these darker colors, like this magenta, for the trim and maybe this watermelon color for the inside walls.”
“Maybe.” Abby studied the paint splashes on the block of wood in front of her.
Layla pulled out the little bucket of paint and opened the lid. She was pretty sure she’d soon be wearing this color, too.
Ten minutes later, she gathered up all four paint cans and hauled everything over to the checkout counter.
Just Pretend (Cupid's Kiss Book 6) Page 7
