him, reaching out to pat his shoulder.
“There are sodas in the fridge,” he hurriedly offered.
The little girl immediately asked for a soda, and Rick was relieved that he could please any of them. A hiccup sounded from the baby he was holding and he peered down at him. He seemed content. Two out of four wasn’t bad.
Except the two he’d hoped to impress were the two he couldn’t count on his side.
Megan took some glasses out of the dishwasher and added ice. Faith had opened the refrigerator and taken out some sodas and put them on the table. Then she turned to him and reached for the baby.
He was amazed at his reluctance to release the little guy. His warmth had been a comfort.
“Does it matter where we sit?” Megan asked.
He shook his head no. But when she joined Torie, he took the seat at that end of the table.
“I like pink,” the little girl announced, beaming at him.
Reminded of his unusual attire, he blushed again. “I, um, I’m not very good with laundry.”
Megan’s mother, sitting on his other side, patted his arm again. “Don’t worry about it. I would be a terrible rancher. How long have you lived here?”
The conversation moved a little more smoothly after that and by the time they’d finished the meal, Rick counted Faith on his side, too.
But Megan hadn’t relaxed, hadn’t drawn him into conversation, hadn’t smiled at him as Faith had. She’d remained silent most of the meal, dealing with the little girl, but not talking to him.
“May we see the rest of the house?” Faith asked as they finished eating.
All of Rick’s comfort disappeared. “Um, it’s in pretty bad shape, Faith,” he said, as he’d been instructed to call her. “I didn’t manage to do any work on it today.”
“Why don’t you just tell us about it, then,” Faith said.
Rick smiled at her. The woman was wonderful. He sent a look at Megan, but she ignored him. “Okay. There are five bedrooms. One of them is down here. The rest are upstairs. I could move to the bedroom down here, and let you have the upstairs. There’s only one bath up there, though I’ve been thinking about adding another one.”
When he finished his year, he’d made a few plans. But until that year was over, he was sticking to his budget. No matter what.
“Why?”
That single word from Megan drew his attention. “Why what?”
“There’s only you. Why would you need another bath upstairs?”
“The bath upstairs is not very large. I’d like a second bathroom added to the master bedroom.”
“Megan, I think it’s admirable that Rick wants to improve his home,” Faith said softly.
There was some kind of rebuke in her words because Megan’s cheeks turned red.
Rick rushed into speech. “I can’t do anything right now, but I’ve been thinking about the future. Unfortunately, you all will have to share that small bath if I move downstairs.”
“We’ll manage,” Megan muttered, not looking at him.
“Of course we will. We only have one bath now. Our house in Fort Worth was much larger, but—well, we’re glad we’re here.”
“When do you want to get married?” Rick asked, fearing Megan had changed her mind. She didn’t appear as determined tonight as she had earlier in the day.
At her mother’s surprised look, he feared he’d blown it. “You did talk to your mother about…I mean—”
“Yes, I know,” Faith hurriedly said. “I thought maybe Megan had explained that we need to handle this business right away.”
“We didn’t get very far in our discussion this afternoon,” he confessed.
“That’s because all you wanted to talk about was food,” Megan said, her chin in the air.
He couldn’t hold back a grin. “Now you see why. I’m not much good with domestic details.”
Megan rolled her eyes.
Faith was more sympathetic. “It’s hard to do everything. I think this arrangement will suit us well.”
“Megan mentioned the end of the month,” Rick began, relief filling him that he’d hadn’t blown the whole thing.
“Must we wait that long?” Faith asked.
“Mother, we’ve paid rent until then,” Megan inserted.
“I know, but that’s three weeks away. I don’t see any reason to wait.”
“You might even get some of your rent back,” Rick added, hoping Megan would agree with her mother. Home-cooked meals right away. He smiled.
“You’re thinking about food again,” Megan accused.
Damn, she was able to read him too easily. He felt a little unnerved.
“Megan, quit teasing Rick. He’s being most cooperative.”
Megan smothered her groan and dropped her gaze to her half-eaten meal. There was nothing wrong with the food. It had been excellent. But her appetite had dwindled as the evening had progressed.
She had promised to marry the man beside her? To share a house, if not his bed, for at least a year? To see him every day?
Already she was learning to read his thoughts, to feel sympathy for him, to want to help him. She had to remain apart from this man. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap that had claimed her sister.
“Today is Saturday. I think Wednesday would be a good day to be married,” Faith said, beaming at Rick. “We could move in Thursday, and, by next weekend, be all settled.”
“I think that sounds great,” he agreed.
He would, Megan thought to herself. He was thinking in terms of his comfort. Selfish man. Suddenly, she was filled with regret. He was providing what she’d asked for. It wasn’t his fault she was in the position she was in. She shouldn’t hold it against him.
“Okay, fine. Is there a justice of the peace in town who can marry us?”
“Megan, no!” Faith returned, alarm on her face.
“What, Mom?”
“Mr. Brown, the pastor of our church, will marry you.” She turned to Rick. “We can’t manage a real wedding, but a nice ceremony and then dinner at Jessica’s restaurant would make it a festive occasion.”
To Megan’s fury, Rick smiled at her mother and nodded agreement.
