A Diamond In The Rough. Catherine Mann

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      He tipped her chin for another kiss, one that couldn’t go any further with the day slipping away, but God, she was tempted. Because she couldn’t help but think these changes were too good to be true.

      * * *

      An hour later, Stone opened the hatch on their rental SUV to load up the dogs for their drive over to the Landis-Renshaw compound. Ruby loped into the back and he lifted scruffy little Pearl in, as well, a mesh barrier keeping them from taking over the front seat. He’d stowed their luggage in a cartop carrier. They looked like a regular family on vacation.

      He rubbed the kink in his neck from lack of sleep, but he wouldn’t change a moment of their night together.

      The waves glistened under the power of the noonday sun and he wished they could just blow off his grandmother’s plan and stay at the cottage for the rest of the week. He and Johanna had connected, just like in the past, and he was working hard to reassure her. Maybe he was deluding himself into hoping she could overlook the bigger issues if he corrected some other problems in their relationship.

      To what end?

      Did he really expect they would ride off into the sunset together? He had to be honest with himself and admit he wanted her back in his life on a permanent basis. But being equally honest, he wasn’t sure that was possible no matter how many closets full of comfy clothes and easygoing outings he came up with.

      The beach cottage door opened, and Johanna stepped out with Sterling cradled in her arms. She’d chosen a simple flowery dress, loose and classic. But she looked good in everything she wore. His assistant had ordered everything and assured him the task would be easy. Johanna had pulled her hair back in a jeweled clasp—a Diamonds in the Rough piece. And of course she wore his grandmother’s horseshoe charm.

      He struggled to resist the urge to scoop her up, carry her back inside and peel the dress off her. Instead, he held out his arms. “I’ll take Sterling.”

      She shook her head, her ponytail sweeping along her spine the way his hands ached to do. “I’ll hold him. I’m feeling sentimental about saying goodbye to him. I keep thinking about the day your grandmother got him as a puppy.”

      He closed the back hatch and walked around to open her door. “I always think of you as being there for the horses. I forget sometimes that caring for the dogs falls under your job description, as well.” He leaned in the open door. “It will be tough for you to say goodbye to them, too.”

      “I don’t have pets of my own...so yes.” She stroked the Chihuahua-dachshund mix. “I have become attached. But your grandmother is wise to make sure they’re placed. Too many animals end up at shelters when their owners pass away or go into nursing homes.”

      “We would have taken them all for her. She has to know that.” Not a chance in hell would he have dumped Gran’s pets at the shelter. He closed the door, perhaps a bit more forcefully than he’d intended, but the reminder of a world without Mariah cast clouds over his day.

      He walked around the hood and took his place behind the wheel. He swept off his Stetson and dropped it on the console between them. Starting the car, he pulled his focus back in tight before he landed them nose first in a sand dune. Navigating the beach traffic was tough enough.

      Johanna’s hand fell to rest on his arm as he passed a slow-moving RV. “Clearly, Mariah has a plan in mind for them, and for your future, too. Never doubt for a second that she loves you.”

      He glanced at her. “She loves you, too, you know.”

      “Thank you—” she smiled “—but it’s not the same. I’m not family.”

      “I’m not so sure.” His hands gripped the wheel tighter, settling into their lane along the ocean side road. “She was mad as hell with me when we broke up.”

      “Why was she angry with you?” Johanna sat up straighter. “I was the one who ended our engagement. I made that abundantly clear to everyone.”

      Had she made the breakup public to spare him blowback from his family? He’d been so angry at her then, he hadn’t given thought to the fact that a public breakup actually cast him in a more sympathetic light. He’d been too caught up in his anger—and hurt. “Gran said I had to have done something wrong to make you give back the engagement ring. And she was right.”

      The breakup had been his fault, and nothing significant had changed. He still didn’t want children, and watching her cradle the dog, he couldn’t miss her deep-seated urge to nurture.

      He felt like a first-class ass.

      Johanna adjusted the silver collar around Sterling’s neck. “I’m sorry if I caused a wedge between the two of you.”

      “You have nothing to apologize for,” he insisted, steering onto a bridge that would take them to their barrier island destination. “I’m an adult. My relationships are my own problem.”

      “She’s trying to matchmake, sending us on this trip together.” Johanna traced the top of his hat resting between them.

      No kidding. “I’m sure that was a part of her plan, no matter what she said, but the rest is still true.” Miles of marshy sea grass bowed as they drove deeper into the exclusive beach property of Hilton Head, the South’s answer to Martha’s Vineyard. “She doesn’t trust me to see to the dogs, and she’s right. I would have screwed it up.”

      “I seriously doubt that,” Johanna said with a confidence he didn’t feel when it came to this subject.

      “I wouldn’t have been as thorough as you’ve been.” He’d been impressed and surprised during the meet and greet with the Donavans. “I wouldn’t have even thought of half the things you’ve done to make sure Gem’s in the right home and that the transition goes smoothly for her.”

      “Gem’s going to miss your grandmother.” She swept a hand under her eyes and he realized she’d teared up. “There will be grieving on his part as well.”

      “Are you trying to make me just skip the rest of this trip and take the dogs home with us? Because I’m about five seconds away from doing that,” he half joked. “In fact, much more of this and I’ll even snatch Gem back.”

      She responded with a watery laugh. “Don’t you dare. The Donavans are a fantastic family for Gem, as Mariah clearly already knew.” She reached into her bag and pulled out dog treats. She passed two over the mesh to Pearl and Ruby, before offering another to Sterling. “They’re not cutie pie little puppies anymore, and placing an adult dog can be difficult. And we definitely don’t want someone taking in the dogs in hopes of gaining favor with your grandmother.”

      Protectiveness pumped through him. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

      “Of course not. You’re a good man.”

      “Such a good man my grandmother has to test me and you dumped me flat on my ass,” he said wryly.

      She scooted closer, slipping her hand to the back of his neck. “I miss the happy times between us. Last night was...incredible.”

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