fighting to get words past the lump in her throat. “Daddy has said”—her lip quivered and she took a second to compose herself—“so many times that he wants to live to see me settled down and married, and that his biggest wish is that he gets to walk me down the aisle someday.”
Pax gave Alana a bittersweet smile. “I’ve heard Matt say those very words several times, myself.”
“I want his wish to come true, Pax.” She took another deep breath and then began to talk very fast, as if she had to get the words out in a hurry. “I told him that we’d been dating ever since you came back to Daisy, and that we’d been planning to elope sometime this summer. So you can either fake break up with me right now, and I can go home and tell him the sad news, or you can go along with my story. I said we’d planned to get married on June sixth in a small family ceremony at the church here in Daisy. It’ll be a small thing, and after he’s”—she sniffled—“after he’s…I can’t say the word. When he’s with Mama in heaven, we’ll have it annulled.”
“Whoa!” Pax threw up both palms defensively. “You did what?” He couldn’t wrap his mind around what she’d asked of him. They’d been neighbors and friends their whole lives. They’d attended the same small rural school and the same church. And there was no doubt that there’d been sparks between them, but to marry her? Sweet Jesus in heaven! “You want me to pretend that we’re engaged? To lie to a dying man?”
“But it will make my daddy so happy in his last days,” she said. “And you can’t tell anyone that it’s all fake, not even Maverick, because we have to make Daddy truly believe it. He’d be devastated if he knew I made it all up. Please, Pax. It’s not for very long.” Her big brown eyes shimmered with tears.
He couldn’t say yes to such a crazy idea! But then he couldn’t very well say no, either, now, could he? God, he hated to see a woman cry. If he agreed to what she was asking, he’d be a married man in a month.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Alana said. “I shouldn’t have told him that we were dating until I asked you if you were willing to go along with it.”
Pax took her hand in his and tapped her ring finger. “I wouldn’t be the kind of cowboy who didn’t even buy you a ring.”
“I’ve got Mama’s engagement ring,” she said. “That way you’re not even out money on this deal.”
“All right,” Pax said before he lost his courage. “I’ll do it.”
She threw her arms around him and said, “One more thing, and it’s a big one. Would you please, please ask Daddy for my hand in marriage?” He’s old-fashioned and…”
Pax liked the feeling of her body pressed against his chest. “Of course,” he whispered. “I hope he don’t see right through the lie.”
“He’ll be so happy that he’ll never know.” Alana hugged him even tighter and then moved back. “Thank you, Pax. From the bottom of my heart and soul, I thank you. It’ll mean a lot of pretending, but…”
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll get cleaned up and go talk to your dad this afternoon, and please put that ring on your finger,” Pax said. “If we’re going to do this, let’s make it believable for Matt’s sake.”
She pulled a beautiful diamond ring from her pocket and handed it to him.
It’s only pretend, he told himself as he took the ring from her, and I’d do anything for Matt. “If we’re going to do this, then let’s make it as real as possible,” he said as he got down on one knee and said, “Alana Joy Carey, will you marry me?”
This might be the right way to propose to a woman, down on one knee with the ring in his hand, but Pax had always figured when he popped the question to a woman it would be in a more romantic place than the barn. In his mind, he’d be dressed up in his Sunday finery and everything surrounding them would be ultraromantic.
“Yes.” She smiled.
He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she said with a rather sisterly peck on his forehead. “Now we won’t be lying about the proposal.”