LITMIR.BIZ

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one. Maybe marriage to Dallas Calloway could provide all of that, and more. Maybe his offer would be the best way to start over.

      Too much to consider, and far too little time.

      * * *

      Right then, Dallas only wanted enough time to enjoy his lunch alone. But the two women hovering at the dinette where he now sat had no intention of giving him some peace. Maybe if he ignored them, they’d go away. And pigs would probably sprout wings first.

      Jenny propped one hand on her hip and stared at him. “Well?”

      He swallowed the last bite of the barbecue sandwich before he responded. “Well what?”

      “Where is Paris?”

      “She went home.”

      Maria flipped her braid over one shoulder and folded her arms. “Are you gonna ask her out again, mijo?”

      “Nope.”

      Jenny sighed. “Sugar, you really should have given her another chance. A lot of women get drunk on a first date.”

      He saw an opportunity to rattle their chains and jumped on it. “I decided I didn’t need to ask her for a second date.”

      Jen looked crestfallen. “Why not?”

      “Because I asked her to marry me. I figured we’d pretty much moved past the dating game at that point.”

      That effectively shut them up for the time being, but he suspected not for long.

      “You really did it?” Jenny asked, confirming his suspicions.

      “Yeah, I did.”

      “Don’t just sit there, mijo,” Maria said. “Give us all the down and dirty details.”

      Jenny took on that same old wistful, romantic look. “Did you get down on one knee? Did you give her a ring?”

      That beat all he’d ever heard. “No, I didn’t get down on one knee. I approached it as a business proposition, which it is. And when would I have found time to buy a ring?”

      “You have your mother’s ring, Dallas. It’s in the safe.”

      Maria didn’t have to remind him of that. He’d thought about it often, even though he’d never really looked inside the blue velvet box. Giving it to Paris under the circumstances would be as false as the marriage. Ironically, that trinket had been reserved for true love, according to his dad. “A ring is the least of my concerns.”

      Jenny’s face fell like it had weights attached to it. “She said no?”

      He pushed back from the table and came to his feet. “She said she’d think about it.”

      “Then it’s not a lost cause?” Maria asked.

      “Okay, you two, don’t get your hopes up.” Exactly what Paris had said to him before she’d left. “My guess is she’s going to think it over and then refuse the offer.”

      “You should have knelt before her,” Jenny said. “Women like that.”

      “And given her the damn ring,” Maria added. “I’m not sappy like Blondie here, but I do know most gals like to be treated with dignity when a man pops the question. Even your father knew that.”

      “That’s true,” Jenny began. “J.D. could be quite the romantic even if he was a jackass.”

      He didn’t want to hear anything else about the aforementioned jackass since he was the reason Dallas found himself in this predicament. “It wasn’t going to matter to Paris if I rode in on a white horse, considering what I’m asking of her.”

      “A white horse would have been nice,” Jenny added. “That would be hard to resist.”

      He wanted to shake some sense into the woman and dislodge her visions of hearts and flowers. “Again, the ball is now in Paris’s court. If she wants to agree to the marriage terms, then she’ll let me know.”

      “Maybe you should go after her,” Maria added. “Give her a little nudge in the right direction.”

      He had actually thought about doing that very thing before deciding he didn’t want to pressure her more than he already had. “If she wants to go forward, she’ll come to me. I’m not going to coerce her into a decision.” Although that would be a reason for ending the marriage, provided it actually happened. Nah. His sense of honor wouldn’t allow him to use that tactic.

      “I hope she does say yes,” Jenny said. “We could plan a grand wedding on the grounds of the main house. I could make canapés and my famous mint juleps.”

      That’s all he needed—a drunk bride. Then again, that would be grounds for the annulment. He really had to get a grip. “If she decides to go through with it, and that’s a big if, there won’t be any wedding. Just a simple courthouse ceremony and no publicity.”

      Jenny pretended to pout. “That’s no fun, Dallas. You should have your family present for the nuptials.”

      Before she called a caterer, Dallas had to get out of there. “You ladies have a good afternoon talking about me behind my back.”

      With that, he left the kitchen and headed to the barn, all the while recalling how he’d watched Paris drive away. Probably for the last time.

      In reality, the marriage pact was the craziest thing he’d ever conjured up. He sure as hell couldn’t imagine keeping his hands to himself for a day in her presence, much less a year. If everything fell through, he’d be better off. He’d just turn the place over to Fort and find somewhere else to start up Texas Extreme, even if it wouldn’t be the same.

      Accepting the fact that Paris would turn him down flat would be best. He’d bet his last buck that’s exactly what she’d do.

       Five

      “With the power vested in me by the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

      The man should probably be pronouncing them certifiably insane. Four days ago she hadn’t even known Dallas Calloway. Two days ago she’d packed up her limited belongings and moved in with him. Today she wore a diamond-encrusted wedding band and vowed to be his wife. Unbelievable.

      Paris waited for Dallas to follow the justice of the peace’s declaration, expecting a peck on the cheek. Perhaps a brush across her mouth. She got a full-on, well-deep kiss that curled her toes in the white satin pumps she’d purchased with the sleeveless matching dress before she’d left San Antonio.

      After Dallas pulled away and winked, she automatically touched her tingling lips. “That certainly sealed the deal.”

      He leaned over and whispered, “There’s more of that to come if you want more of it.”

      Yes, she wanted more. Much more than she should. “Now that we’ve made this official, what’s the next step?”

      “I have a driver waiting outside the north entrance. He’ll take us back to the plane.”

      The private plane that had whisked her to Houston a few hours ago to meet up with the groom following his appearance at the grand opening of his newest saddle shop. An elaborate aircraft that could pass for a flying motel with a high-class bar and sleeping quarters, of all things.

      Dallas clasped her hand to guide her through the courthouse vestibule and when they stepped outside, Paris was shocked to find hoards of reporters milling around the steps outside. “What is going on?”

      “They’re here for us,” Dallas muttered, followed by a few strong oaths. “Just keep walking and stay close to me.”

      “Not a problem.” She had no intention of crawling into the lion’s den without a proper escort.

      As

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