Page 8 of Sweet Beginnings (Honeysuckle, Texas #1)

Out the door and climbing into the front seat of Preston’s car, since she and Preston had never actually dated—not even close—any moment Sarah expected a wave of awkward discomfort to settle in.

They were four years apart and he treated her the same way he had his kid sisters.

The day before senior prom her date had broken his ankle.

She’d been so upset at the idea of going without a date that Ms. Alice had turned to Preston, who, of course, had stepped in to save the day.

He’d been a good sport about it and had gone the whole nine yards to make the night special.

And proved to be a much better dancer than her at the time boyfriend.

For months afterward a handful of townsfolk who’d seen them together had made it a point to let her know she shouldn’t have let him get away. As if she’d ever had him.

Those same gossips were fueled when the year before she’d moved to Austin, he’d needed a last-minute date for a couples event at his then-new job.

After all, one good turn deserved another, and she volunteered.

Considering how often he’d saved her, it seemed only fair she should do the same at least once, though the truth was, she was more than happy to spend some one-on-one time with Preston.

They’d had a great time catching up and she’d had the best time since her prom.

Nice guys were hard to find and he was genuinely a nice guy.

Considering his willingness to marry anyone to save the family ranch, he’d remained a nice guy.

The passenger door slammed shut and a knot formed in her stomach.

Preston circled the hood and settled in the driver’s seat.

Her palms grew moist. Even though Alice Sweet had stepped in as absentee mother after the accident that took the life of Sarah’s mother, maybe marrying the woman’s son to save the ranch that meant so much to all of them wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had.

Not that giving up a year of her life would matter much.

Her last date had been over six months ago and nothing worth repeating.

Wiping her hands down the side of her jeans, she dared to look over at Preston.

Hand on the steering wheel, he wasn’t quite smiling, but he appeared way more calm than she felt.

Like he was thinking about some long-ago pleasant memory.

A time when life was good, easier, maybe even happier.

Then again, for all she knew about him, he could have been thinking about the final score of last night’s ball game.

Either way, he turned the ignition key and twisted to face her. Deep blue eyes settled on hers, and he seemed to quietly promise everything would be fine. Like he’d done so many years ago, he’d take care of her. The tangled knot in her stomach quickly unraveled. Any anxious thoughts faded away.

“I admit, I’m not sure where to start.” He chuckled softly. “Not every day I have to hash out a temporary life on the short drive to town.”

“Temporary life,” she repeated. “I suppose that’s as good a definition as any.”

He reached over and threaded his fingers with hers, settling their joined hands on the console. “We’re going to have to do this a lot if we go through with the plan.”

Staring down at their laced fingers, she nodded, a little surprised at how comfortable, almost normal, the small gesture felt.

“Whenever we’re in public I’ll be expected to hold your hand, occasionally put an arm around you.”

She nodded. When she realized he was continuously glancing in her direction to read her reactions, she blew out a soft sigh and found her words. “I understand. We’re playing a part. Like a very long-running play.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “I suppose that’s exactly what it’s like. But, we don’t have to decide everything on this ride, or even tonight, but we should get a few generalities out of the way to help you make up your mind.”

She’d already made up her mind. Though some might feel it was too late to make any decisions as she’d already lost whatever little bit of mind she might have had left.

The next few miles were driven in silence. She imagined they were each scanning their thoughts for potential problems and pitfalls, though she couldn’t really come up with anything. Instead she shifted her thoughts to logistics. “Where will we live?”

Eyes wide, he blinked and then blew out a deep breath.

“It had been my intention to move into the ranch house to help with the early morning work load. But under the new circumstances, even if the commute is going to be a bear, my apartment makes the most sense. Though, fair warning, I haven’t ever really gotten around to…

um, decorating. The place still has the furniture from my college apartment, but it’s our best option. ”

Understanding that meant waking up in what would most likely be the middle of the night in order to be at the ranch before the crack of dawn, she reluctantly nodded. It would be for the better. “At least there won’t be anyone living with us, watching every move we make.”

“What about your place in Austin?”

So caught up in the good deed of a lifetime, she had forgotten about her cute little apartment in Barton Hills, or that her approval to work from her family home could be yanked at any time.

“If it will make things look more legit, I could cancel my lease and look for something new when this is all over.”

“Then you’re not home permanently?”

She shrugged. “At the moment, I’m for sure here for at least the next few months, but during the pandemic, work from home didn’t have a major impact so we’ve been told that barring something unexpected, there are no plans to require us to work from the main office if we don’t have to.

I’m hoping to be able to move back for good though.

Austin was fun at first, but, even without the ruby slippers, there’s no place like home. ”

One corner of his mouth held a shaky smile. “I see.”

“Do you think the uncertainty is a problem?”

Those lips she’d spent way more time than she should have staring at, flattened into a thin line for a long moment before he shook his head.

“Honestly, in this world of telecommuting and short-haul commutes, I can’t think of any reason this would be a major obstacle.

In real life things happen; when it happens, we’ll deal with it. ”

“Excellent point.” Already Sarah liked the way they were able to work things out. So far the sort-of-almost marriage was looking good.

“If we go through with this,” he cast a side glance in her direction again, “the fewer people who know the better. Less chance for a slip of the tongue.”

“Agreed.”

He squeezed her hand for a split second, sending electric shocks up her arm and at the same time, a comforting warmth to soothe her. “What about your dad? Could you handle not telling him?”

And wasn’t that an excellent question. For the most part, she didn’t keep any secrets from her father.

Then again, sharing details of her love life—not that this arrangement could be considered a love life—but if she had one, sharing wasn’t something she did with her dad.

In that sense keeping the arrangement to herself was easy.

On the other hand, it could break her father’s heart to not be included until the day they filed for divorce.

Divorce . She would be a divorced woman after this.

Not that it mattered in this day and age, but she didn’t like failure and somehow the word divorce and failure were synonymous in her mind.

Yet, how could she fail at a fake marriage?

An annulment would be better, but then would they have to give the money back?

Lord, her mind was out of breath batting all the thoughts back and forth.

“You okay? Change your mind yet?”

She had no idea if he was worried or hopeful. His tone gave away nothing. “Just more questions, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable keeping something this important from my dad.”

Lips pressed tightly together, eyes back on the road, he nodded.

Suddenly, she was the one worried he’d change his mind. “Dad’s a doctor. He’s maintained doctor patient confidences for decades. I’m sure he could keep our secret.”

The tension in Preston’s jaw eased and slowly, he bobbed his head again. “I’m sure you’re right. Your father isn’t exactly the town gossip.”

That made Sarah chuckle. Iris Hathaway came to mind.

Tall, lean yet curvaceous, with big blonde Texas hair and an accent that gave away her Georgia roots, the woman could spread any news faster than the Associated Press.

She and Sarah’s father most definitely had nothing in common.

“Then we’re in agreement to tell my father? ”

Preston nodded. “And you still haven’t changed your mind?”

She shook her head. It felt good to make progress. Two big issues were settled and put aside. Accomplishing that much would have made her smile, except for the million other smaller things they still had to figure out—and sooner was definitely better.

Having pulled into the parking lot beside the café, Preston turned into the nearest space and undid his safety belt. Not till he felt the empty caress of cool air against his skin did he realize Sarah Sue had pulled her hand out of his to release her own seatbelt.

To avoid reaching for her again, he shoved both hands in his pants pockets.

At some point they were going to need to get started showing themselves around town as a couple, but not till they were one hundred percent on board with no cause to back out.

For whatever reason, he felt like an awkward teen on a first date.

It made no sense, but he needed to shake it off and move forward.

Grabbing the front door, he waved Sarah Sue inside.