Page 7 of Sweet Surprise (Honeysuckle, Texas #2)

Was Jess asking what Carson thought she was?

Could it be that she was actually considering marrying him for the trust?

Either way, in the middle of town was no place to have this conversation.

Pulling the door closed, he turned to her, trying desperately to form the correct words before opening his mouth.

“Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about? ”

“That depends on what you think I think we’re talking about.”

Whatever tension had been building inside him completely washed away and in a matter of only a few words, he was chuckling to himself, transported back to college, back to an easier time, and back to just him and the only woman he’s never been able to forget. “Jessica Pratt, you are amazing.”

“I know.” Her smile widened as the sparkle in her eyes brightened. “Seriously, if we were to marry to save the ranch, what happens after the first anniversary and the big payout? I realize we get a divorce, but by then, Mason will be used to living on the ranch and being part of the Sweet family.”

How to sober a man quickly. He knew this was the bigger problem, but he hadn’t quite thought it through, not to mention, he had zero parenting skills, at least for now. “Other than, Mason is a part of the Sweet family and will always be a part of the family, I haven’t quite gotten that far.”

“Mason is my number one priority. I would like to help you and your family save the ranch, but not if Mason is the one to pay the price.”

He hadn’t been a father very long, but already he agreed with her.

For the same reason his mother would never let her kids marry for money if she knew what they were all up to, he could never do anything to hurt his son.

Dang, those words still sent shockwaves in his brain every time he thought them.

His son. Sucking in a deep breath and blowing it out ever so slowly, he reached for the handle again.

“Let’s get the eggs, and let me think this through a little better. ”

“You mean us, right?”

The softness of her smile coaxed a lazy grin from him in response. “I mean us. We’ll think it through.” Especially since marriage for money or not, they had a lot to work out about their son.

“Look.” Vicki jabbed her sister Liz in the ribs. “Carson is coming this way and there’s a woman with him.”

Shorter than her, Liz inched up on her tippy toes to see. “You think that’s her ?”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her younger sibling, Vicki settled for a soft sigh. “Who else do you think would be arriving in town with Carson at this hour of the day?”

“Good point.” Liz nodded.

“Quick.” Grabbing hold of the corner of her sister’s t-shirt, Vicki tugged Liz to her side. “They’re coming this way.”

“Ooh,” Liz squealed gleefully.

All her sister needed to be over the top happy was a blinged out corn hole accessory, or a female stranger in town with one of her nephews.

Of course in this case, Liz had good reason to be excited as well as curious.

Alice had called them late last night and told them about the new unexpected houseguest and her son.

A son that Alice was willing to bet the whole shebang was Carson’s.

“Hi there.” Vicki waved at her nephew. “Don’t usually see you here.”

“Mom needs eggs. I ran into town quick to pick some up for her.” Noticing both his aunts watching Jess, he took a step back. “Aunt Vicki, Aunt Liz, this is an old school friend, Jess.”

“How do you do?” Smiling, Jess shook each woman’s hand.

“Nice to have you here, dear.” Liz beamed at Jess until her sister jabbed her in the ribs.

“You’d better run along and get the eggs. Wouldn’t want your mother blaming us for your showing up late.”

Carson leaned in, kissed Vicki on the cheek, waved at Liz behind her booth, and walked away with Jess at his side.

“I like her.” Liz nodded her head.

“All she said was nice to meet you. How can you like her with only four words exchanged?”

Liz shrugged at her older sister. “I just do.”

Staring after her nephew already at the egg booth, Vicki sighed. She sure hoped Carson liked the pretty woman too.

“They’re cute.” Who knew shopping for eggs could be so entertaining.

Carson took the change for the eggs and squinted at her. “The eggs?”

Chuckling, Jess shook her head. “Your aunts. They’ve been watching us the whole time and the taller blonde… Vicki?”

He nodded.

“Vicki keeps poking Liz in the ribs, probably reminding her not to stare.”

“Aunt Vicki is the oldest of the three sisters, sometimes she can be, well, a little bossy.” Taking two steps forward, Carson paused and looked down at her, his gaze darting over her shoulders to his aunts down the way. “What do you say we give them something to talk about?”

Her eyes popped open before the teasing glint in his eyes made her smile. “What do you have in mind?”

Without saying a word, he reached for her hand, threaded their fingers together, and smiled. “Is this okay?”

“It’s not nice to tease your aunts.” She softened her words with a tilt of her head and flash of a smile.

“Sorry.” Pulling his hand away, he shoved it quickly in his pocket. “I guess for a moment I forgot I wasn’t back in high school.”

A few things rushed through her mind. The first, how she desperately wished she’d said anything else so he would still be holding her hand.

The other, an unexpected longing to have lived in this small town and seen what Carson Sweet was like back in high school.

The small part of her brain shouting at her to use common sense, be practical, behave like an adult, got shoved aside by the longing to hold his hand again.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she’d snatched his wrist from his pocket and laced her fingers with his. “Maybe a little teasing won’t hurt.”

The smile that bloomed across his face made her stomach flutter as if invaded by a flock of trapped butterflies. Next thing she knew, they’d practically skipped to the truck and she had no choice but to let go if she was going to climb in and let him drive them back to the ranch.

“I’m sorry.” He looked at her as he snapped his seat belt in place.

“For what?”

“For not thinking.”

“Excuse me?” She wasn’t following his train of thought at all.

That realization made her a little sad. Once upon a time she almost always knew what he was thinking.

Funny how she never gave that little thing between them any thought.

She never knew what Todd was thinking. Not when they were dating, not when they were married, and even less since the divorce.

She should have realized just how special what they had was.

Too bad that was so long ago. “I’m not following? ”

“Well,” he chuckled softly before sighing, “not only did my aunt see us, but so did half the gossips in town.”

“You really have town gossips?”

He blinked at her a moment before returning his gaze to the street and pulling out of the parking space.

“We most definitely have town gossips. Most likely, I suspect they were town criers in a previous lifetime. Not only will they tell all their friends and neighbors that they saw me holding hands with a woman, they’ll tell their enemies too.

There won’t be a soul in Honeysuckle who hasn’t heard about us by tomorrow morning. ”

“Got it.” Which brought them full circle to what the heck were they going to do about the ranch, his dilemma, and the son they shared?

Why did life have to be so hard? As a kid he could hardly wait to grow up and be an adult.

To get his license, finish high school, be legal to vote, to drink, and to play with the big boys in the real estate world.

Now, not the for the first time, he acknowledged that adulting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“Let’s set the Sweet family problems aside.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

“First thing I need to understand, Todd has raised Mason for nine years. They must have a bond of some kind.”

Jess merely rolled her eyes. “Todd never bonded with Mason. He didn’t like babies, wasn’t much happier about a toddler, and remained indifferent as Mason grew.”

“You did mention something about that, but I thought… I don’t know.

” If he’d found so much delightful about a little boy he’d known less than twenty-four hours, he had a hard time believing that any man could spend nine years with the boy and not feel something.

“He is Mason’s legal father. You were married when he was born. That has to come into play.”

She shook her head again. “He’s already signed away all his parental rights. Basically, he and his mother both told me they wanted nothing to do with another man’s… er.” She cleared her throat. “Son.”

From the way spitting those words out had her squirming in her seat, something told him that the jerk hadn’t been quite so polite about stepping aside. “So, how does Mason feel? Even if the guy would never win a father of the year award, Mason must miss him.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think?”

One shoulder hefted up in a lazy shrug. “Deep down he might, but I’m not seeing any signs.

Mason doesn’t ask where his father is, doesn’t ask what he’s doing, doesn’t ask to see Todd.

Before I knew the truth, I told him his daddy was very sick, wasn’t himself anymore, and would be going to live in heaven soon. ”

“How’d he take it then?”

“Fine. Just said maybe Todd might be happier if he were in heaven.”

“How old is this kid?” Carson couldn’t resist the snarky retort. “Sorry. He seems wiser than his years.”

“Always has been. I remember when he was about three years old, Todd had had a little too much to drink and was grumbling and ranting about leaving a door open and the cost of electricity and he didn’t own an electric company, etc etc.

Mason looked up at me from the kitchen table where he was coloring and softly told me; Daddy’s having a hard day. As if that would help me understand.”

So much impressed him about Mason, despite his tender years, but now, now Carson was blown away. “He’s an amazing boy.”

That brought a wide grin to Jess’s face. “I think so.”

“All right. Then what we need to work out is what lies ahead. I’ve asked it before, but I’ll ask again. Do you think you could be happy living in a small town? Because that’s the easiest way for me to be a part of Mason’s every day life.”

“I don’t honestly know. I’m a city girl.

If I run out of milk, or eggs, I can get to any number of grocery stores in less than five minutes.

If I’m in the mood to shop for something to cheer me up, there are three major malls within a few minutes drive.

Same for movies, take your pick which theater you want to go to.

I’ve never lived in a town where gossip can spread like wildfire. ”

He knew exactly what she was talking about. The hustle and bustle of the bigger cities had both drawn him in, giving him a reason to leave home, and in time, given him a reason to move back to the simpler way of life.

“Is I’m willing to try good enough of an answer?”

He nodded. Willing to try was something he could work with. “I haven’t asked. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a teacher’s aid. Never did finish my degree.”

Again, he nodded. That he could work with. Even small towns had schools.

“Then let’s start there. One step at a time.”

Her mouth tipped into another sweet smile. “One step at a time.”

Now all he had to do was keep himself from rushing. Maybe, if he took his time, everything would fall into place. He could only hope.