Page 6 of Sweet Surprise (Honeysuckle, Texas #2)

“One of these days I’m going to build a chicken coup and have fresh eggs.” Squatting on her haunches, Alice Sweet had a roll of paper towels in one hand and a yellow mess under the other.

“How many?” Carson didn’t have to be a gourmet chef to know that this morning’s eggs were now splattered on the kitchen floor.

“The whole carton. Eighteen eggs. Slipped right out of my hand, flipped open, and splat.” Tossing the gloppy towels into the trash, she pushed to her feet and sighed.

“I used the rest of my eggs last night for the casserole I froze for the Flannagan’s upcoming fundraiser.

Can you run down to the farmers market for me?

Sadie Thompson is saving two dozen eggs for us. ”

Carson nodded.

The back door creaked open and Clint, the lone hand, stood in the doorway, hat in hand. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

Mop in hand, Carson’s mom looked up. “If you’ve come to borrow eggs, you’re just plumb out of luck.”

“No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “I, um, hate to ask this but I need an afternoon off.”

“Of course.” She leaned the mop handle against the counter. “Clint, anything you need is yours.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“It’s none of my business, but nothing serious, I hope?”

“No, ma’am. Just an appointment that I have to keep.”

His mother nodded, but something in the way Clint stood didn’t seem like the self-assured man Carson had gotten to know over the last couple of months. The cowhand seemed almost nervous.

“Morning.” Her son in front of her, Jess nudged Mason into the kitchen. “Sorry we’re late. I didn’t realize how early ranch life starts.”

“No worries. You two sleep in as long as you need to.” His mother pulled out a couple of loaves of bread from the drawer.

Hat in hand, Carson nodded at his mother. “I’d better get going.”

“Thanks, baby.” His mom leaned in for him to kiss her cheek.

“Going?” A hint of panic flickered in Jess’s eyes.

“To town. Mom needs more eggs.”

Growling deep in her throat, his mother sighed. “Wouldn’t need more eggs if I hadn’t dropped the carton.”

“Oh, no.” Jess’s gaze darted about the kitchen floor. “Can I help somehow?”

“Actually,” his mom straightened and smiled at her, “why don’t you go with Carson, make sure he doesn’t get sidetracked?”

“Mom.” The urge to stomp his feet and remind her he wasn’t four years old anymore was almost overpowering.

“I’d be happy to tag along,” Jess cut him off before he said something stupid. “Let me grab my purse.” She swung around to face Mason. “You be good.”

“I’d best be getting to my chores too.” Clint took a step in retreat. “If you’ll excuse me.”

With Jess at his side, Carson followed the ranch hand out the back door. Something in Clint’s gaze made Carson want to take an extra minute to talk to the man. After all, he was doing as much for the ranch as any of the family, with nothing to gain but a good deed. “Hey, Clint.”

The man stopped short in his tracks.

“Was just wondering if there’s anything I can do to help today?”

Clint’s brows buckled at the bridge of his nose. “Help?”

“Well…” Carson shrugged. “You’ve been more than helpful the last few months, and if there’s anything I, or my brothers, can do to help, we want you to know, all you have to do is ask.”

The man didn’t quite smile, but the look in his eyes softened. “Thank you. Appreciate it, but today’s just a simple errand.”

Carson nodded. “Sounds good, but keep the offer in mind.”

“Will do.” He turned and headed to a beat up old truck.

Not till now had Carson noticed the man had out of state plates. Not that there was anything unusual about that, but it caught his eye nonetheless.

“Is something wrong?” Jess came to his side.

Shaking his head, he offered a soft smile. “Mason is all right staying behind?”

“Are you kidding? I had no idea my son was a cow lover.”

That made Carson chuckle. Regardless of the possibility that ranching ran thick in the Sweet family bloodline, what kid could resist a cow-eyed calf?

Without thinking, he extended his elbow to her, delighted when she not only slid her hand into the bend of his arm, but smiled up at him.

For just a second in time, he was transported back ten years to a couple of free spirited college kids without a care in the world. For just a moment.

“Where exactly is the grocery store?” Jess hadn’t had much time to see the town yesterday, but didn’t remember noticing a supermarket while she was there.

“There are a couple of different supermarkets, but we’re going to the farmer’s market. Mom loves Abigail Fine’s fresh eggs, and her honeysuckle wine, but today we’re just getting the eggs.”

“Honeysuckle wine? I didn’t know you could make wine out of honeysuckle.”

Carson shrugged. “I think that old expression where there’s a will, there’s a way might fit under these circumstances.

The town has found a way to make all kinds of things honeysuckle.

From candles and wine, to syrup and tea.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone hasn’t thought to make a salad from the plant. ”

“Salad.” Jess was sure her face had to be crinkled like a Shar-Pei puppy at the thought. Of course, she wasn’t much of a greens person. Just the mention of arugula could send her hunting for a good donut or steak.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Very much so.” Maybe it was the country air, or the good cooking, or the company, but she couldn’t remember sleeping so peacefully and soundly in a very, very long time.

“Good.” Quiet settled around them for a few miles when Carson let out a deep sigh. “I think Mason is liking being on the ranch.”

“You think?” She smiled. “Not even twenty-four hours and I know he loves it.”

A wide smile took over his face. “Can’t blame him. Can you?”

“No.” She shook her head and relaxed into the seat. “You always spoke about home with so much love in your voice and eyes. Not just for your family, but the ranch, the land, the history—any fool could see how much you loved your life. Now I’ve had a little taste of why you love it so much.”

“Enough to stay?” The way he casually stared ahead at the road, anyone would think he’d merely mentioned the weather.

Part of her wanted to say, of course I can stay, want to stay, but another part of her wanted to scream that he’d lost his mind.

She was a city girl. And just to make herself a little more crazy than she already was, a third part of her whispered in her ear that she shouldn’t have to do it all alone.

Unfortunately, her tongue felt stuck in a vat of peanut butter.

“I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but if I have to get married to save the ranch, the idea of marrying someone I actually like, even if only for appearances sake, is way more appealing than striking a bargain with a stranger.”

Somehow that made a modicum of sense even though none of what was going on with his siblings did.

Who married to save a house? Never mind six people all agreeing to do just that.

Although, after less than a day on the Sweet Ranch, it made more sense than it should.

What she didn’t understand at all, was why wasn’t she more upset or offended at an off handed proposition of marriage?

Even when she’d told him she’d considered slugging him for suggesting a marriage of convenience, she really hadn’t.

Maybe all the confusion churning inside of her since learning that Todd was not Mason’s father had numbed all her senses, especially common sense. “You’re really going to marry anyone?”

One shoulder lifted in a lazy shrug that reminded her so much of the young man she once thought she could so easily fall in love with. “Not anyone, or I’d be married already.”

“Preston and Sarah look very happy.”

“They are very happy.” Carson blinked slowly, then sighed. “I think that’s what makes it harder for the rest of us. We all know that whatever arrangements we make will be strictly a business deal.”

“Is it worth it?”

His head turned to momentarily face her. “The ranch, probably. My mom, absolutely. It would kill her to know she’s the one who let the family legacy slip away.”

“But it’s not her fault. Anyone can be taken in by someone they trust.”

“I know that. My siblings know that. And maybe you know that. But she’ll never believe if she’d asked more questions, stayed more hands on—something, anything—then Ray wouldn’t have been able to rob us all blind.”

In a very odd way, she understood how Alice Sweet felt.

What if instead of assuming Todd was the father, she’d said something to Carson?

What if she’d not married the wrong man simply because she was pregnant and scared, and just raised her son on her own?

What if she’d given Carson and herself a little more time to see where things could have gone? “Do you ever think about us?”

Silence never sounded so loud. What possessed her to ask such a thing?

Slowly, he nodded. “Not as much in recent years. But when you left, I missed you—a lot. Your laugh. The way you always poked me when I’d frown at the professor. It was hard losing my friend.”

“We were good friends.” The memories made her smile.

Until she’d started poking him, he didn’t even realize that he would frown at the professors when he either didn’t like what they said, or didn’t agree, or had simply been distracted and struggled to catch up.

Gently, she’d jab him with a pencil or her finger, depending on where he was sitting. “I missed you too.”

Once again, he turned to face her. His gaze darted from the road ahead, back to her. “Tell me the truth. If you and Mason pack up and return to where you came from, will you be all right?”

Wasn’t that a loaded question.

“That’s what I thought.” He sighed again and stared quietly at the road ahead.

“Look. I want to be a father in Mason’s life, but it’s going to be hard as hell if I’m in Honeysuckle and you’re in Dallas.

You don’t have to take me up on my crazy offer for a temporary marriage, but at least consider moving here.

We can find you work and a place to live, and we’ll find a way to make it all work. ”

How long had it been since she’d had a partner and not a problem?

Carson pulled into a parking space by the outdoor market cluttered with colorful umbrellas, small tables and booths, and all sorts of fresh foods and, was that homemade mozzarella hanging from a stand?

It was clear to any idiot that Mason liked the ranch, he’d already learned that the kids in town were friendly, and so far, Alice Sweet was the perfect grandmother. How awful could it be to move to small town USA? “Carson?”

His hand on the door handle, he paused with the door ajar. “Yes.”

“What would happen after the year?”