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Elise’s pulse kicked into high gear. “I guess we should.”
“I’ve been thinking about it. And if we don’t want it to seem too sudden, maybe we should go on a few dates and let people think we’ve rekindled a relationship.”
“Okay, that makes sense. I can tell the social worker that I have a serious boyfriend, and we’re planning to get engaged soon.”
“My thoughts exactly. So we can date for a couple of weeks, then get engaged. It will seem fast, but we’ll just tell everyone we’ve known each other long enough to know this is what we want. Then we’ll tell my family we don’t want a big wedding, and we’ll go to the courthouse.”
“They won’t think that’s strange? It’s still going to be so fast.”
“I know, but I think it’s better than just showing up at the house saying we got married. And it will be more believable to the social worker this way. She’ll just think we’ve been dating for a while and decided to go ahead and get married.”
Elise swallowed to push down the lump forming in her throat. How was it they were casually talking about going on a few dates and then getting married? What were people going to think? Not that it mattered. This was what she needed to do. “That sounds like a plan,” was all she could think to say. “So what about your house?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. It wasn’t built for a lot of people. It’s really the master bedroom, which is a pretty good size. Then the living room and kitchen were built for a bachelor, and a second bedroom that holds my hobby stuff.”
“You have time for a hobby?” Elise teased.
“Just hunting and fishing.”
“I know. I haven’t forgotten. There wasn’t a weekend when we were in high school that you weren’t doing one or the other.”
“It’s true that I don’t have as much time for it as I used to. Especially with half my brothers being married and having kids, I’m needed more on the ranch.”
Elise was reminded again that this was never Garrett’s plan for life. “We won’t keep you from your hobbies.”
“I’m not worried about that. I was thinking I would move into the second bedroom and give you and the boys the master. What kind of beds do they have?”
“Two twin beds, but they are designed to be able to stack as a bunk bed.”
“Perfect. A bunk and a queen bed would fit in there. It might be a little cramped, but it could work for now. I was thinking we could add on the house, maybe in the fall.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I don’t mind staying with the boys. And really, I hate for you to give up your room. We could stay in the second room. I think we have a small daybed in the attic.”
“That’s meant for a little girl. I’m not letting you do that. And I won’t plan for you to stay in that room forever. You need your own space.”
Elise’s heart fluttered at the word. Forever. Garrett wasn’t going into this thinking it was a short-term thing. He was planning for forever. Her teenage girl heart wanted to jump at the thought. But her adult self told her he also was planning to build her a room. He was committing to forever, but not to a romance between them.
She had to stay practical. That’s what all of this was about. She wouldn’t allow herself to let her feelings in. Even if those feelings had been there before. “Thanks, Garrett. I can tell you’ve really thought about this, and it means a lot to me.”
Elise heard him clear his throat. “I just want to make sure we’re covering the bases. I won’t keep you. I’ll call when I get home, and we’ll plan our first date.”
Elise wished she could be excited about that, but making a plan for a date didn’t sound as fun as him asking her out to dinner. “Okay,” she said. “Goodnight, Garrett.”
“Goodnight, Elise.”
She hung up the phone but didn’t move from the couch. All she could think was that Garrett Macklin was a good man. The best man she’d ever known. And somehow she needed to convince herself to stop thinking about him.
8
Garrett couldn’t stop thinking about Elise. Was she really as cool as she sounded with the idea of their marriage arrangement? It was hard for him to swallow that after taking her to dinner a few times, they would become man and wife.
Well, not in every way.
They had made it clear they wouldn’t share a bedroom.
The question that plagued him night and day was the same: was this the right thing to do?
Even now as he stepped out of the shower after a day of work on the ranch, he prayed out loud. “God, this is such a strange situation. It’s not like Elise is a stranger, I’ve known her my whole life. I know she’s a woman of good character and that she follows You.” He sighed. “But it’s certainly not how I expected to be getting married. Now that I ever planned to get married. But I know she needs it. I can help her. I can give her a place to live, and help with the boys. She won’t have to worry about finances really, but she can get a job if she doesn’t have to worry about the boys. But mostly I couldn’t stand the look of fear I saw on her face when she thought she might lose them. As long as it’s okay with you for us to get married, I will do anything to keep that from happening. I’ve seen with my own adopted brothers, how hard it is for a kid to lose their family. Those boys don’t need to know that.
