Charlene Sands - Exquisite Acquisitions

She was in love with Carter.

She loved him from the very depths of her being.

And she realized, too, that her fears were never about leaving the ranch to go back to her “real” and insane world. She’d dreaded leaving Carter.

Her perfect, stubborn cowboy.

She slammed her eyes shut. Oh, God.

“Hey,” he said tenderly, coming over to the bed. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

She held it together long enough to lift the letter she’d let fall into her lap. “It’s the last…the last l-letter from my m-mother.”

Carter’s sympathy reached his eyes. He climbed onto the bed and wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t cry, Macy.”

She set her head on his shoulder and sniffled some more.

“Or maybe, do cry.” He seemed out of his element, but the comfort of his solid strength helped. He was always trying to protect her. “I don’t know.”

She raised her head to meet his eyes. She knew she probably looked a mess with a tear-stained face and red, blotchy eyes. “It’s just that I thought I knew everything. And now, I find out I was wrong. About a lot of things. It’s crazy, you know.”

“I don’t know,” he said tenderly. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Macy didn’t hesitate to unburden herself. She’d wanted to share this with him for a long time. “Those rings I sold at Waverley’s, well, I thought they were cursed. I started thinking of them as the Love Curse Diamonds. And then when we ran into each other outside the restaurant-”

“When you were almost mowed over by the press?”

She sniffed. “Yes, then. I found out you had proposed to Jocelyn with that ring, and she refused you. I felt so bad that you had gotten hurt.”

Carter didn’t react. He didn’t even flinch at the mention of Jocelyn’s name. She derived some relief and, selfishly, a little bit of pleasure from that. Maybe Carter had gotten over Jocelyn.

She went on, “I believed that anyone who held on to those rings would never be happy. I mean, my mother had been married three times. All three marriages brought her nothing but hard luck. First, my father died in a horrific crash. And then there was Amelio Valenzuela. He was some sort of prince who told my mother after the wedding he was duty-bound to rule his small country. He left her after three weeks and there was a big scandal. Then there was Joseph the Jerk. He was a fashion photographer who adored my mother. He gave her everything she wanted until he put that ring on her finger. That was the ring you bought,” she added. Macy felt guilty enough to duck her head down, even now, after she realized she’d been mistaken about the diamonds. “Joseph cheated on her so often and so blatantly after they were married that she walked out on him a few months after their wedding.”

Carter listened to her and nodded. “So, what happened? Did your mother tell you something in the letter to change your mind?”

“Yes, and with her explanation I’m seeing things more clearly. Now I understand. I know why she did the things that she did.”

“And you don’t believe the rings are cursed?”

She shook her head and drew a deep breath to steady her shallow breathing. Her crying had drained her energy. “I sold those rings at auction because I needed the money. My mother didn’t have a head for business. She was broke when she died, and then I made those errors in judgment.”

Carter kissed her forehead, distracting her. His arms around her lent her the strength she needed. “Which ones?” he asked.

“You remember me telling you about that nude scene I wouldn’t do?”

“Yeah,” he said, squeezing her shoulder, his voice a little lighter. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

“I was sued over that. And then there was another occasion more recently when I signed to host a television special about my mother for Spotlight Entertainment. I was still grieving and was led to believe that hosting the show was a way to honor my mother’s life. Halfway through, I realized it was a bash fest about Tina Tarlington’s love life, with her daughter at the helm. I walked out when they wouldn’t change direction and they sued. I didn’t want to settle the lawsuit, but my attorney cautioned me about the expense involved to fight it, but more importantly, the media frenzy a court battle might create. I finally decided to settle and let my mother’s film legacy speak for itself.”

“So you sold off the rings you thought were cursed, because you needed money.” He was clarifying the statement, more than asking a question.

“Yes, but I wanted to be rid of them.” It felt good to finally reveal the truth to Carter. “It seems silly to me now, but all this time I thought those diamonds caused my mother’s heartache. I thought they were the source of so much misery, including yours.”

Carter’s mouth pulled down for an instant. “That’s not true, Macy. The diamonds weren’t to blame. It was probably my own fault for thinking I was in love with someone like Jocelyn. That whole thing was a mistake.”

Macy nodded, reassured that he wasn’t still in love with Jocelyn. That he’d realized she wasn’t the right woman for him.

“Are you sorry you sold the diamonds?” he asked.

“Not the other two. I’m too practical for that, but I, uh…wish I had held on to the ring my father gave my mother. I’m afraid I’ll never see the Tarlington diamond again.” Tears dripped from her eyes and fatigue caused her shoulders to slump, even while being comforted in Carter’s arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your night.”

“You’re not ruining my night, sweetheart. In fact, stay right here. Don’t move. I have an idea.”

He got up and left the room. Macy dried her eyes with the bedsheet and ran a hand through her long hair. She felt awful. Her stomach ached and her head pounded, but she also felt relieved to have finally told Carter the truth about the ring, and about herself.

And mostly she was relieved to have finally realized her love for him. She adored him and she wouldn’t deny it another second. How could she not? He was her perfect cowboy, stubborn and all.

When he returned, he came bearing a plush black velvet ring box. He sat down beside her on the bed and offered it to her. “This is for you, Macy Tarlington. If you want it.”

Macy took the ring box from Carter’s hand. Joy burst through her heart and all of her fatigue, weariness and heartache melted away. She peered into the depth of Carter’s beautiful eyes, and when he gave her an encouraging nod, she opened the box.

“Oh wow.” She stared at the diamond ring Carter had purchased from the Waverly auction. The diamond’s lustrous facets reflected under the light with a brilliance that only matched the beautiful glow Macy felt inside.

Carter had offered her a ring. She was waiting for the words to come along with them, the words that would seal her fate with happiness. She was so much in love with Carter now that she could barely contain herself. She wanted to jump into his arms, scream at the top of her lungs and make love with him until the early morning dawned.

“I have no use for it now,” Carter said in a sincere tone that, once the words actually registered, burst her hopeful bubble. His next words nearly destroyed her. “I’m never going to propose to a woman ever again. Why don’t you take the ring and sell it? You can open up that drama school you’ve been dreaming about when you go back to Hollywood.”

Everything inside her went limp. Her hopes were instantly dashed, replaced by deep, wrenching disappointment. Pain sliced sharply through her entire body, cutting her like the blade of a dagger. She’d finally given in to her feelings for Carter. She’d finally realized that love was inevitable. And that it yielded great, uncontrollable power.

The Love Curse Diamond had struck again.

Silly her for daring to believe in love again.

She thought her time at the ranch had meant something to Carter. She thought that he might actually fall in love with her. She thought-and this particular notion hurt the most-that Carter hadn’t viewed her as his rebound girl, a temporary solution to his heartache.

Silly, silly her.

He waited for her reply wearing a satisfied expression. He thought he’d found a way to ease her pain. It was his way of protecting her.

The cure will kill you, they say and surely Carter’s solution would slowly, systematically cause her to die at least a thousand deaths. If only she hadn’t fallen in love with him.

Her heart sank yet the pain that blistered her would never see the light of day. She would hide her heartache and lift her head with pride. There wasn’t anything else Carter could do or say to her to make her feel any worse.

“If it’s not enough money to start up a school, I’ll invest in you, Macy. I’ll become your silent partner.”

“You’ll invest in me?” She’d been wrong. She did feel worse. He wanted to go into business with her, not pledge his undying love.

She stared at the ring and bolstered her courage. Concealing her destruction would be the hardest thing Macy would ever have to do. She had no more tears to shed, but keeping her voice steady and her body from collapsing in grief wouldn’t be easy. Summoning up her acting ability, she got into character and pretended to be a woman with more pride than smarts. Macy used every trick in her arsenal to bring him a performance worthy of a standing ovation.

“Carter, thank you. It’s very generous of you.” She smiled wide with gratitude plastered on her face and touched his cheek tenderly. “There’s no need to go into business together.” She took a silent swallow. “The ring will bring me enough money to see my dreams come alive.”

She held her head up and kept the smile on her face. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here at the ranch and for, well…everything.”

“No problem, darlin’.”

“I, uh, I guess this is a good time to tell you. As soon as the work is finished on the inn, I’ll be leaving.”

Carter frowned and his brows knit tightly together. “When?”

“It’s just a matter of putting on the finishing touches now.”

“When?” he asked again.

Macy plunged ahead. The pain would be sharper and the knife twists far more gutting if she prolonged her stay here. “I’ve been in touch with my agent,” she fibbed. “There’s a role that’s perfect for me, and I’ll need something current on my résumé before I take a stab at opening a drama school. Success breeds success, as they say. I need to be in Hollywood before the weekend for an audition.”

“This weekend? That’s in three days.”

She hid her dismay well, yet her mind screamed for mercy. Three days left at Wild River. Three days left to be with Carter McCay. The thought made her stomach knot with tension, but she forced herself to continue with her charade. “Yes, I know. It’s time for me to face my life head on.”

He pierced her with a long, unblinking stare filled with intense regret. She met his regret with bold determination, and he let out a deep sigh of resignation. He wouldn’t try to change her mind. He wouldn’t say a word to stop her. They’d both known this arrangement was temporary. She wondered if he would miss her. She hoped so. She wouldn’t want her time here to have been so easily forgotten.

Carter brushed her hair to the side and kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then brought his lips to her mouth. His intoxicating kiss made her heart bleed.

That night, he made love to her with great passion. He touched every part of her body with his hands and his tongue and his mouth. He stroked her until she cried his name, and he pleasured her as if she was the most desirable woman on the planet.

And with each loving embrace, each sensuous kiss and each powerful release, she fell more and more in love with him.

* * *

Macy stood on her terrace, looking out over her neighborhood as Pacific breezes whipped at her hair. The salty sea air freshened an otherwise smoggy day. Sometimes on a clear day, from one angled view on her terrace, she could actually see the ocean. Today wasn’t one of those days.

Since she’d left Wild River, she’d pretty much stayed isolated in her three-bedroom condo in Brentwood. Her only contact had been with a grocery store clerk, a gas station attendant and her neighbor Ella, who had come by to drop off her mail. She’d felt so odd, so out of place, that it had taken her several days to finally reacclimate to living in Los Angeles again.

Carter had insisted on driving her to the airport and had given her a goodbye kiss that buckled her knees. He held her in a tight embrace afterward, and she thought maybe he wouldn’t let her go. That maybe he’d realized he couldn’t live without her. That maybe he could take one more chance on a woman, the right woman. But Carter had let her go and forced himself to step away from her, though with great reluctance. That was something she could hold on to when she thought back on her time at Wild River. Carter hadn’t said the words, but at least, his actions told her, he wasn’t ready for her to leave.