Charlene Sands - Exquisite Acquisitions

The words sank in as the questions flew. Carter’s wary nature had him looking at an attached bill of sale that appeared absolutely authentic from Waverly’s. And inside the ring, he squinted to read the loving inscription from Clyde Tarlington , With love to my Tina.

Carter was shaken to the core. His suspicions had vanished. He didn’t need any more proof that this diamond ring was the genuine article. He had the actual Tarlington diamond in his possession, and there was only one person on earth who deserved to wear this ring. There was only one person on earth who deserved everything he had to give.

Carter closed his eyes briefly, acknowledging the potent emotion sweeping through him. He’d denied it, stomped on it and disregarded it for too long. Now, it swelled in his heart and made him feel giddy inside. He didn’t have a clue who the heck Bill Fargo really was, but he knew one thing-he owed him a giant Texas-size thank-you.

Macy stared at the cowboy who stood on the grassy hill, his black felt Stetson shading his eyes and his manly physique accented by tight Wrangler jeans and a red Western shirt. When the director called “Action,” Macy took her cue and rode on horseback over to him.

The cowboy was a pretty boy who was cocksure of himself, strutting around the Hollywood set, getting into character by spitting tobacco and dusting up his shiny new leather boots. The irony of Macy landing this role in the Rugged Cologne commercial was almost laughable, but she needed the work and it paid well.

The cowboy spoke his lines, his Southern drawl too drawn out to sound authentic. In a grand sweep, he lifted her off the horse and stumbled backward attempting to carry her weight. Desperately, he clutched at the material of her calico dress while trying to keep his balance and ruined the take.

It seemed the Rugged cowboy needed some more time in the gym.

Macy couldn’t help making comparisons. Ronny Craft was trying, but he needed a few more years of maturity and a complete personality adjustment to pull off being the real cowboy deal. He’d been hitting on her all day, asking her out on a date, and hadn’t quite gotten the hint no matter how many times she’d told him no.

Carter was the real deal, and she missed him like crazy. Just being on horseback again reminded her of the time she’d spent at Wild River Ranch. Working on a set with wranglers and watching them care for the horses brought images of the night Midnight was born. This silly cologne commercial had stirred up memories of Carter that Macy had tried desperately to lock away.

The diamond he’d given back to her would go a long way in helping her achieve her drama school dream, but Macy’s heart wasn’t in it anymore. She couldn’t force herself to sell the ring. She couldn’t force herself to find a location for the school. Every day she found an excuse to put it off.

And every day she hoped her love for Carter would diminish. Every day she’d tried to talk herself out of loving him until she finally realized that she would probably love him until her dying day, in the same way her mother had loved her father.

It hurt to think her love was one-sided. But the hurt also helped to remind her that he had never loved her back. He hadn’t put up even a mild protest when she announced she was leaving the ranch.

“That’s a wrap!” the assistant director shouted an hour later. The crew, who’d been quietly hovering behind an invisible boundary in back of the director, scattered and scurried to clear away the equipment.

Later that day, Macy stopped at the grocery store to buy eggs and vegetables. A veggie omelet was on the menu for tonight’s meal. Macy pulled the scarf from her head, tired of the disguise, and let her black curls fall freely. The media frenzy surrounding her had died down now that the Tina Tarlington auction was over, and Macy could actually drive in her own neighborhood without being followed. She had Whitney Wynds to thank for that. The rising new starlet had stolen the spotlight for her high crimes in fashion. She’d taken a scissor to a designer’s original work, making it all her own for her first Hollywood premiere, and the style police from all across the nation wouldn’t let it rest.

Macy enjoyed the peace as she walked the brick pathway that led to her condo. But her small smile faded as she glanced down at the sidewalk and saw the shadow of a man looming long and tall behind her. A Western hat outlined by the late-afternoon sun told her who it was.

“Ronny,” she said, gripping her grocery bag tight. “I told you on the set, I won’t go out with you.”

“Who’s Ronny?”

She recognized that voice. Macy whirled around so fast she dropped her bag of groceries. “C-Carter?”

He grinned, a devastating grin that made her breath catch. “Hello, Hollywood. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve, uh, missed you, too.” Macy blinked. Her heart thudded heavily against her chest. And her legs went wobbly at the sight of him standing in front of her home. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Carter took a few steps forward and then bent to pick up her grocery bag, sneaking a peek inside. “I bet half those eggs didn’t break.”

She blinked again, trying to get with the program. Carter was here, in Hollywood, and more important, on her doorstep and she wasn’t dreaming. “No, I, uh, guess the grocery boy packed them really good.”

Carter rose, holding the grocery bag in one hand while the other hand touched her arm lightly. His beautiful hazel eyes turned serious. “Do you have time to talk?”

Talk? He wanted to talk?

She nodded, wondering what brought him here. “Okay.”

“I’m not interrupting anything…with Ronny?” he asked, his brows lifting.

“Ronny? Oh no…he’s not-” He’s not a cowboy. He’s not you .

“’Cause if you’ve got something going with him,” Carter said, his voice menacingly low, “I’d have to knock him ten ways to Sunday.”

Macy actually laughed. And so did he. “May I come in?”

Macy let him inside her home and immediately wondered what he thought about her decor. She had good taste but loved to bargain shop. Her home was an eclectic display of design on a budget.

“Nice,” he said as she grabbed the grocery bag from his arms. He walked around, taking a look out her terrace window while she put her grocery bag on the kitchen counter. She was so nervous having him here that she fidgeted with the plastic bags of vegetables and actually counted the unbroken eggs. Carter was right, she’d lost only half of them.

She shoved the carton in the refrigerator, her nerves jangling, and when she turned around Carter was there, standing three feet away.

He looked massive inside her small kitchen and handsome wearing a Western jacket over a pressed white shirt. His jeans were comfortably worn and fit him to perfection. He took his hat off and a lock of his dark blond hair fell onto his forehead. It was so endearing, Macy had to hold herself back from rushing into his arms. She didn’t have a clue what he was doing here.

“I paid a visit to my dad the other day. We…talked for a while.”

Macy swallowed past a big old lump in her throat. “That’s good.”

“Rocky came along.”

She bit her lip, holding back her satisfaction. “I bet Riley was glad to see both of you.”

Carter shrugged. “I think so.”

It was a start, Macy thought, and she wondered if the two of them had actually gotten along during the visit. Still, she was glad Carter had made the effort with his father. But she wondered if that was the reason he was here-to tell her about his progress with his father? She waited for him to say more about it, but his expression changed and she knew that conversation was over.