Page 17 of Sweet Beginnings (Honeysuckle, Texas #1)
All she could manage was a nod. When Preston squeezed her hand, whether for support or adding his thanks, she was able to add a hopefully steady smile. “That ranch feels as much a home to me as my dad’s house.”
Blinking back watery eyes, Rachel took a step in retreat. “Yes. Well, I guess this is it. I hate to marry and run, but we need to get back before Mom notices anything is different.”
Preston nodded. “Of course. Thanks for the assist.”
Slapping his brother on the back, Carson took a step back before turning around and hugging his brother hard. “See you tomorrow.”
Not till Carson and Rachel’s car pulled out of its parking spot did Preston take a step forward. “Hungry?”
“Not really.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized if they didn’t go eat that meant the only other place to go was to check into their room.
“Popcorn?”
“What?”
“How about popcorn? I’d suggest we do a little sightseeing but I’m pretty sure from where we’re standing we can see the whole town. On the other hand, if we head to our hotel, we can get a large bowl of popcorn and binge a few good movies.”
The butterflies in her stomach stopped fluttering and a smile touched her lips. “I love popcorn.”
Small-town Oklahoma was not known for luxury accommodations, but Preston chose the nicest hotel he could find.
After a quick stop at a local grocery for popcorn, sodas, and a few miscellaneous snacks, checking in had been easy.
So far, the closest thing to a boutique hotel had kept all of its charm.
Even the old-fashioned key fob with the logo on one side and room number on the other was cute.
What wasn’t so cute was the sight awaiting him at the room’s open door.
He’d booked a double room. The photos had shown rooms with two double beds. This room had one king-size bed. No chairs and no extra space.
“Oh.” Sarah came to a stop beside him. “It’s, um, very pretty.”
Not the first words that came to his mind. “There are supposed to be two beds.”
“Oh,” she repeated softly.
Shaking his head, he walked to the phone on a nearby table and punched the number for the front desk.
A moment later the woman who answered explained that they were fully booked for the night and there were no other options.
“Do you have a rollaway bed?” The lady’s answer wasn’t anymore helpful.
Setting the handle back into the cradle, he blew out a sigh. “Looks like this is it.”
Glancing about, Sarah spotted the luggage rack in one corner and slowly crossing the room, set her bag down on it.
Her back to him, he could see her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath before she opened her bag and pulled out a small toiletry kit and then clutching it to her chest, turned to face him. “Which side of the bed do you want?”
His gaze darted to the large bed. “I, uh, don’t know.” Right now if she asked him for his full-given name, he’d probably stumble over it.
“I’d rather sleep on the side closest to the bathroom. I get cold easily when the a/c kicks on.”
“Of course.” Searching the closet, he pulled out an extra blanket and set it on her side of the bed.
At least it was a king. If they each stayed to their side, he could probably sleep two more people between them.
Skinny people. For a brief moment, he wondered how stupid would it look if he were to stack pillows between them.
Images of an old movie he’d watched as a kid with his mom flashed through his mind.
The couple had strung a blanket between them.
Even at a young age Preston had thought it rather stupid, but suddenly, adding any extra barrier seemed like a good idea.
The bathroom door squeaked open and Sarah strolled out wearing Pepto Bismol pink sweatpants and a turquoise sweatshirt. She reminded him of a popular bottle of sunscreen and had to bite back a smile.
“I get cold easily.” Moving quickly, she dropped the bag and her clothes into the suitcase and hurried to the bed, pausing at the sight of the blanket. Her head turned to face him and a smile seemed to tease the corners of her mouth. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yanking the covers back, she quickly crawled into her side of the bed and glanced at the clock on the end table.
Fully clothed, he sat on his side of the bed and picked up the remote control. A few clicks and he scrolled onto a movie channel. “Have you seen the new Top Gun movie?”
Pillows propped behind her, she shook her head. “I wanted to, but never got around to it.”
He nodded. “Tom Cruise it is.”
Another few minutes and they were both settled in, a bowl of popcorn between them and Tom Cruise up to his same cocky antics.
Sarah cracked up laughing as often as she buried her face in her hands.
More than once he’d been tempted to inch closer and curl her into his side—not a good idea.
By the end of the movie, they’d settled into an old comedy with Elvis Presley and a dancer whose name he didn’t recognize.
By the end of that movie, Sarah had fallen asleep, snuggled under the covers.
Flipping channels, he opted for the most boring movie he could find.
Maybe, if there was a God in heaven, he could drift off to sleep and not notice he was in bed with a beautiful woman.
And maybe some day soon, pigs would fly.