LITMIR.BIZ

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he’d be dishing it up on a silver platter.

      Once the auction concluded, Carter made fast work of securing the diamond ring, along with the certificate of sale. He caught Ann Richardson as she was leaving the salesroom. “Ms. Richardson?”

      The tall willowy blonde turned and surprised Carter at how young she appeared up close. She blinked. “Yes?”

      “Pardon me, ma’am. But I need to speak to you privately.”

      “Is there a problem with the sale? You won the bid on a stunning ring.”

      “No, I’m happy with the ring.”

      “I’m glad. I hope it brings you enjoyment.” She eyed him carefully.

      “It will.” Carter smiled. “I plan on proposing marriage to my girl tomorrow.”

      The caution in her expression softened. “Oh, well, congratulations, Mr.?”

      “Carter McCay.”

      She put out her hand and Carter gave a light shake. “I have no connection to the press, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

      Her eyes widened. Then a guilty smile emerged as if she’d been caught red-handed. “I won’t deny it crossed my mind,” she muttered with a sigh. She glanced around, noting the patrons filing out of the room. She lowered her voice. “They can be brutal.”

      Carter nodded. “Is there someplace we can talk privately? It’s about Roark Black.”

      Ann’s perfect brows lifted as if that was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Concern mixed with curiosity, and she immediately began walking toward a private exit. “Follow me.”

      Her shiny black heels tapped across a stone hallway. Carter fell in step beside her, and it wasn’t long before she ducked into a small office marked Private. She waited until he entered before closing the door. The room was windowless and dark. She flipped a switch and overhead fluorescents brought light into the office. She leaned against a large glass desk and folded her arms. “What about Roark? Is he all right?”

      “I hope so. He’s a friend. We go way back. I met him while on duty in Afghanistan. A couple days ago, I got a text from him with your name on it.”

      “My name?” She leaned toward him, surprised. She pushed shoulder-length hair behind her ears and took a breath. “Where’s the message?”

      Carter pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times until the cryptic message appeared. He moved beside her and handed her the phone. She stood there for a second, reading the passage a few times. “He says he doesn’t trust anyone with this information but me. And he’s in hiding somewhere.” She looked into his eyes. “What’s he gotten himself into?”

      “I have no idea. He mentioned a statue. Do you know what that’s about?”

      She nodded slowly, rereading the message. “It’s the Gold Heart statue. There are only three in existence. He might have stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have.” Ann turned to him again. “He could be in real danger.”

      Carter held her stare a moment. “He could be.”

      Troubled, she sighed quietly and handed back the phone. “He’s a good man.”

      Carter nodded. “Listen, I know Roark. He’s gotten himself into some really tight spots before, and he’s always gotten out.”

      Her voice was a mere whisper. “Are you telling me not to worry?”

      Carter was concerned his friend was in trouble, but he couldn’t do a damn thing about it until he heard from him again. “No sense in worrying. I have faith in him. Roark knows what he’s doing. But whatever it is, he sure as hell wanted me to get this message to you without going through the normal channels. He’s not sure who he can trust.”

      “I understand. Thank you for going through the trouble. Will you promise to let me know if you hear anything more from him?”

      “I can do that,” Carter said.

      “Thank you.” She walked him to the door. “And congratulations on your engagement. I think any woman would love to have a Tarlington ring on her finger.”

      Carter grinned. “That’s the plan.”

      She gave him a full-out dimple-inducing smile, and Carter figured she didn’t offer those up too often. “I think your soon-to-be fiancée is a lucky woman.”

      Carter thanked her and left Waverly’s with a diamond ring in his pocket and a hum in his heart. He’d accomplished his two goals today.

      Tomorrow his life would change forever.

      Pajama-clad, Macy stared at her reflection in the hotel mirror, the phone to her ear and her legs stretched out on the massive bed. She never liked reserving a room with a king bed. With her slight frame, too much of the mattress went to waste. But then, getting two doubles made her feel lonely, as if there was someone missing who should be sleeping in the other bed. Macy had offered to share her hotel room with Avery, but her friend had booked with a smaller, more secluded hotel. Macy had respected her privacy.

      “Are you still thinking about that cowboy from the auction today?” Avery asked.

      She smiled into the phone. The cowboy? Now, he would take up a good portion of her bed and nothing would go to waste. “Guilty as charged. But you can’t blame me, can you? My love life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If I only had one-tenth of the lovers MovieMash.com claimed I had, it would be a miracle. I haven’t been on a date for eight months. That qualifies me for that new reality show, Dating Dilemma.”

      “Oh, Macy. It only means you’ve been dealing with your mother’s illness and grieving. You’ll know when the time is right.”

      Avery, too, had recently lost a parent, a father she’d hardly known, so she could relate to the heartache Macy felt. Avery had been such a dear friend when Tina died. They’d shared the bond of loss together.

      “You had the hots for the cowboy. That’s a start,” Avery encouraged.

      With a sigh, Macy glanced in the mirror again and shook her head at the simple yellow-and-white flowered nightgown she wore. She made a mental note to buy sexy lingerie. “That’s true.”

      There was something about the cowboy that called to Macy. She’d been smitten from the moment she’d spotted him. Smit­ ten. Such a perfect word to describe her feelings for a mystery man who’d helped her get through a tough time today. Not that he’d ever know he’d helped her, but still, Macy had warm feelings for him that went beyond the physical.

      “The poor guy,” she said quietly. “He bought the cursed diamond. I overheard him saying he was getting engaged tomorrow.”

      “How did you hear that?”

      “I have eagle ears, remember? Just as we were walking out of the auction, I heard him tell Ms. Richardson why he bought the ring. I was crushed.”

      Avery giggled. She thought Macy was kidding, and why wouldn’t she? Any normal person wouldn’t develop strong feelings for a man she’d just laid eyes on. But Macy couldn’t really share the truth, that as soon as the cowboy announced he was getting engaged, her heart sank and her stomach clenched. The disappointment overwhelmed her. It had hurt Macy to think that her fantasy cowboy was already taken, and now hours later she still couldn’t wrap her head around it. “He hasn’t proposed yet and his marriage is already doomed.”

      “You don’t know that for sure,” her friend said. “Wouldn’t you like to think it’s not the diamond rings but really some odd quirk of nature, an imbalance of romance or simply a weird coincidence that those three marriages ended with heartbreak?”

      “I don’t know, Av. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not the rings. Maybe I just don’t believe in love anymore. I mean, my mother and all of her close friends

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