If the Ring Fits... Page 16

  Tony picked up the telephone and dialed without bothering to consider the time difference. He had an idea.

  * * *

  “Hello, Bill. This is a pleasant surprise.” Rachel shook Tony’s brother-in-law’s hand and motioned for him to take a seat on one of the high stools at the glass counter. “Jenny tells me you are after something special.”

  “That’s right. A ring. And of course I want you to design it.”

  “I’m happy to. How’s Ava feeling?”

  “Good. She says she’s fat.” He shook his head on a laugh. “She’s claimed that the last two pregnancies, too. I think she looks beautiful.”

  Having seen Ava recently, Rachel had to agree. The two women had met for lunch. Radiant was the adjective that came to mind. Rachel chalked it up to overall happiness as much as pregnancy. She was a woman secure in her place in her man’s heart.

  “So you’re here for a ring to make sure she knows how much you love her.” Rachel smiled. “She’s a lucky woman.”

  “I’m the one who fell in the gravy, but I don’t mind letting her think that every now and again.” He winked before folding his hands in front of him and growing serious. “So, how are things with you and Tony?”

  “Oh, you know.” She shrugged and scraped at the remnants of a price sticker on the counter with one of her thumb nails. “We’ve both been so busy.”

  “And then there’s the long distance.”

  “Yes.”

  “It can’t be easy, but then relationships rarely are. Especially ones that mean something. I talked to him the other day,” Bill said. “He said he can’t wait till he comes home again in six weeks. This time, I have a feeling he’ll be around for a while longer.”

  She glanced up. “Why do you say that?”

  He shrugged. “It’s becoming harder for him to leave with so much waiting for him back here.”

  Bill was mistaken, she decided, but said politely, “I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

  She and Tony were in frequent contact, falling back into their usual routine of phone calls and emails. He no longer signed his missives Yours Patiently or simply Yours. These days, he signed them Yours Always. She tried not to attach much meaning to the change. Indeed, she was trying to be very careful about thinking beyond each call or note, except where it pertained to business.

  She smiled at Bill, “About this ring, why don’t you tell me what you have in mind?”

  “I want the feature stone to be a diamond, two carats in a marquis cut. The stones you set around it can be your choice.”

  “You seem to know exactly what you want,” she remarked.

  He flushed. “It has to be perfect.”

  “I understand.”

  “It needs to make a statement. It needs to say, ‘I love you. I can’t live without you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you.’” He coughed. “Um, that’s what the ring needs to say.”

  Oh, if only to hear Tony say all of that to her. She dabbed her eyes. “Sorry. I’m touched by the deep feelings you and Ava share.”

  Half of Bill’s mouth curved up. “I remember how nervous I was when I asked her to marry me. I thought I would pass out before I managed to propose.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “It’s hard, you know. Putting yourself on the line like that. They’re just three little words, but saying ‘I love you’ is pretty scary when you mean it forever.”

  She thought it was an odd thing to say given how openly affectionate she knew Bill and Ava to be with one another.

  “When do you need it?”

  “The beginning of July.” He rattled off the date. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

  Rachel was desperately busy, but she meant it when she said, “For you, Bill, not at all. I’m a sucker for true love.”

  Tony called unexpectedly that night, rousing her from sleep just before midnight. She cradled the phone to her ear as she lay in bed, wishing he were next to her. But that wouldn’t be the case for weeks.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Everything is fine, except that I am missing you.”

  When he said things like that, it always caused her heart to flutter.

  “Your brother-in-law came into the shop today.”

  “Did he?”

  “He ordered a ring for Ava. It’s going to be beautiful.”

  She told him a little about the design she had in mind.

  “Nothing says I love you like a diamond,” he remarked casually.

  Beyond that Tony had little else to say on the subject, which surprised her since he usually peppered her with questions when it came to her designs. She chalked it up to the fact that it was for his sister. Maybe Tony felt awkward discussing such a personal ring. Or maybe it was what the ring represented. Her heart sank at that. As she knew only too well, Tony had never bought a ring for a woman. No rings. No diamonds. Only glittery trinkets that served to soften his goodbyes.

  Their conversation ended not long after that. After hanging up, Rachel moved to the side of the bed where Tony usually slept. There was nothing she could do about the fact that she loved him, but she promised herself one thing. No matter what happened she wasn’t going to regret their time together.

  * * *

  Six weeks passed in a blur, in part because Rachel was so busy. The first wave of advertising had begun, coinciding with the release of the photos from the fashion shoot in Italy. The glossy shots were featured in one of the most widely read fashion magazines. In those where Dona’s shoes were paired with Rachel’s jewelry, the gems stole the show, at least according to Tony. Rachel had to agree. And even though it was petty of her, she hoped Dona thought so, too.

  Now, seated in her shop, she stretched her back and yawned. The day had been a long one, but she was pleased with the finished product nestled in the Expressive Gems box on the counter. Bill’s ring for Ava was ready. She almost hated to part with it. It was gorgeous and filled with such breathtaking sentiment.

  It needs to say “I love you. I can’t live without you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you.”

  Rachel smiled now, recalling Bill’s words the day he’d placed the order. She was biased, but she believed she’d achieved his objective beautifully. Any woman would be proud to own such a ring.

  She glanced at the clock. Even though the shop had officially closed for the day, Bill would be by any time to pick it up.

  He had a special occasion in mind at which he would give the ring to Ava, he’d told Rachel. She envied the pair of them the night ahead.

  She would be spending hers with Francis in the apartment. It would be her last alone for a few weeks, though. Or at least she was assuming that would be the case. Tony was coming in from Rome the following day.

  She was pinching off the dying blooms from the floral arrangement when she heard a sharp knock at the door. Bill sounded impatient. She couldn’t blame him. Smiling, she turned. Then she froze in place. It wasn’t Bill who stood on the other side of the door. It was Tony, wearing his tuxedo and holding a bouquet of white roses.

  Rachel tried to rein in her rioting emotions as she crossed to the door. Her fingers fumbled on the lock. On the other side of the door, Tony grinned.

  “Wh-what are you doing here? When did you get back?” The questions tumbled out in a flurry once she opened the door. His answer was to toss the roses aside and tug her into his arms for a kiss.

  When it ended, he said, “I’ve been thinking about doing that all the way from the airport.”

  “I thought your flight wasn’t due in until tomorrow.” They’d made plans for dinner in the evening. A quiet one at his home. Just the two of them.

  “I changed it.” He shrugged. “I had somewhere very important I needed to be tonight.”

  Somewhere very important? Tony had never mentioned this very important date in any of their previous conversations. But here he was, dressed in formalwear. Meanwhile, she was in wrinkled
linen and had replaced her stylish heels with flats out of deference to her aching arches.

  “I don’t want to keep you.”

  “I have time.”

  He tucked his hands into his pockets. She heard coins jingling. Why was he acting so evasive? Not only evasive, but, well, nervous. Dread shimmied up her spine. In a quiet voice she asked, “What are you doing here, Tony?”

  He took a deep breath. Rachel caught hers.

  “I came for the ring.”

  “The… Oh, the ring. You’re here to pick it up for Bill.”

  She wanted to thump her forehead. Instead, she motioned to the counter near the back of the shop. “Let me just go and get it for you.” Then he could leave and she could mentally regroup.

  “First, may I have another kiss?”

  For courage, it sounded like he added, but she must have heard him wrong. This time, his mouth lingered over hers. Something about this kiss was different, special. Or maybe that was all on her end.

  I love you.

  The words screamed through Rachel’s head and very nearly made it past her lips. But she didn’t say them. She couldn’t be sure Tony would welcome such a complication in their relationship. Indeed, it might only succeed in making him end things sooner.

  “What is this?” he asked after he drew away. He touched her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”

  I love you. But again she held back, substituting “I’ve missed you” instead.

  “I’ve missed you, too, carina. I…” He shook his head. “I need the ring.”

  “Right. The ring.” She blinked away the rest of her tears and worked up a smile. “You said you had somewhere important to be, so I won’t keep you.”

  He followed her to the counter. Instead of taking the ring and turning to leave, he sat down on one of the stools. “May I?” He tapped the lid of the box.

  Work came to her rescue, as it had so many times in the past. “Of course. I wouldn’t mind hearing what you think of it.”

  Tony opened the box and nodded his approval. “The diamond is perfect. Just the right size. What made you go with the mixed sapphires around it?”

  “All the colors, they reminded me of the Murano beads I brought back from Venice.”

  “They are festive.”

  “Yes, happy.” She thought of the years of tradition that went into creating them. “Enduring.”

  “That is what a good marriage should be like, or so I understand.”

  Rachel couldn’t speak from experience, but she agreed. “Do you think your sister will like it?”

  “Oh, Ava would love this.” He took the ring from its perch in the box. The diamond caught the light. “But it is not for her.”

  Rachel frowned. “But Bill said he wanted me to make her a ring. He—”

  “Lied.” Tony’s gaze was on her. “I asked him to. The ring, it is for me, Rachel.”

  “But why?”

  The corners of his mouth curved. This wasn’t his bedroom smile. And that look in his eyes, it was one she had never seen before. “Do you really not know, carina?”

  “Bill said the ring needed to say I love you.” Her gaze connected with Tony as she said it aloud.

  “Yes. That is what the ring needed to say. I needed it to speak for me, Rachel. So you would believe me.”

  “You lo—” She shook her head. “I want to hear you say it. I need to hear you, Tony.”

  Tony always came across as so self-assured. But his guard was down now. She saw vulnerability. She saw the emotion there even before he gave it voice.

  “I love you, Rachel. I have fallen in love with you in a million small ways over these last several months.”

  Fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks. “I love you, too.”

  She watched his eyes pinch shut a moment, almost as if he hadn’t been sure of her feelings.

  “Being away from you, it has been torture. I know our careers will keep us busy, but I am hoping that wherever we have to travel, we will be together.”

  “What exactly are you saying?” she whispered, even though she thought she knew.

  He pulled the ring from the box, took her left hand. She expected him to slip it on her finger.

  He got down on one knee first, a jet-setting playboy eager to trade in his bachelor status.

  “Will you marry me, Rachel? Will you be my wife and partner in all things?”

  She was laughing when she said yes, crying as he pushed the ring over her knuckle.

  “What do you know?” he murmured, straightening and pulling her into his arms. “The fit is perfect.”

  Smiling up at her husband-to-be, Rachel wholeheartedly agreed.

  EPILOGUE

  NEARLY every pew at Saint Cecilia Catholic Church was filled. The guests shifted in their seats, turning toward the back as the music started. The doors opened. Rachel was there. Smiling. A vision in white lace.

  Tony stood at the altar, Bill at his side.

  “I recommend you start breathing,” his brother-in-law whispered. “You’ll pass out otherwise.”

  Tony did feel light-headed. And happy. Ridiculously so, as his gaze connected with Rachel’s. She was his bride. His future. She was on her father’s arm and Griff was beaming. He might have come late to fatherhood, but he had been taking his role seriously this past year. So seriously that he’d taken Tony out for a drink the week before and then given him a lecture.

  “If you break my daughter’s heart, I’ll break you.” The look on the older man’s face had made it clear that he meant it.

  It was the look on Rachel’s face now that held Tony’s attention.

  “Who gives this woman?” the priest asked when she reached the altar.

  “Her mother and I,” Griff said.

  He placed her hand in Tony’s. “Remember what I said,” Griff whispered before withdrawing.

  Tony smiled. With Rachel’s hand tucked in his, he turned to the priest. Their life together was about to start.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt of The Rebel Rancher by Donna Alward!

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  CHAPTER ONE

  CLARA HAD HEARD A LOT about Tyson Diamond. Some of it good, a lot of it questionable. But none of the reports had warned her that he was over six feet of sexy cowboy with a break-your-heart smile and a devilish gleam in his eye.

  And now he was striding this way as Angela, still resplendent in her wedding dress, waved him over.

  Clara wondered if she could say her final congratulations to Sam and Angela and escape before Tyson reached them. She’d managed to avoid him up to this point, after all. She’d been helping his father, Virgil, with his rehab after his stroke, and her off-duty hours were spent helping Angela plan the wedding from the safety of Butterfly House, the transition shelter Angela managed and where Clara currently lived. And Ty had been wrapping up his business up north and spending time with Sam as they worked together running the ranch. Somehow she and Tyson had failed to cross paths in the weeks leadi
ng up to the wedding.

  Until today.

  This afternoon he’d turned up spit-polished in his black suit with his hair just a little messy. Her mouth had gone dry just looking at him. Ty was exactly the sort of man she tried to avoid. Tall, sexy, confident and careless. The kind that ate shy girls like her for breakfast. The kind that girls like her could never resist.

  Her heart had taken a little jump and she’d caught her breath before she could even put a thought together. But Ty had sauntered in, all long legs and crooked grins, and there it had been. Whomp. Attraction, pure and simple. Nothing in the world could have surprised her more.

  He was still several feet away but closing the gap fast, and Clara felt panic start to bubble, making her chest cramp and her breath shorten. She wasn’t ready to handle this. She felt as tongue-tied as a schoolgirl only with the sobering wisdom of a woman who’d been through hell. Putting the two together only created chaos in her mind. A quick exit was in order. She turned to Sam and Angela and forced a smile.

  “I’m going to take Virgil in now, but I wanted to say happy wedding day to you both.” She gave Angela a brief hug. “I’m going to miss you around the house, but you’re going to have a wonderful time on your honeymoon.”

  Sam hugged Clara as well. She didn’t feel the unholy urge to pull away and run the way she usually did when faced with someone intruding on her personal space. She’d learned to trust Sam in the weeks leading up to the wedding, especially after he’d stood beside Angela as she faced her own demons.

  “You did great today,” he said quietly, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. “And you look beautiful.”

  Heat infused her cheeks at the compliment and at the knowledge that Tyson was nearly upon their little group. “Thank you. Now I’d better get Virgil inside, he was looking tired….”

  Sam’s voice cut her off as he looked over her shoulder. “Have you met Ty yet?” he asked. “Ty, this is Clara Ferguson, Dad’s nurse. You’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”