Barbara Dunlop - Thunderbolt over Texas

“And Bradley’s the reason Cole thinks you tried to steal his brooch?”

Sydney nodded again, struggling against the overwhelming weight of defeat. How had Cole found her? How in a city the size of Miami had he happened on that little coffee bar?

She’d thought she was home free. She would have come up with a story, any story. But when she placed the brooch in his hands, he would have known she was on his side.

Instead. Instead…

She groaned out loud. “I wish I could tell you more.”

“Hey.” Gwen gave a sad laugh. “It’s really okay. I don’t need to know. But what are you going to tell the boss? He’s pretty upset, what with your promises and my promises…”

“That they wouldn’t lend it to me, I guess.” She shrugged. What did it matter? Her career was over. They were already scrambling to book another show for the front gallery.

Sydney had broken a cardinal rule. She’d made a promise she couldn’t keep. She should have called her boss as soon as the brooch went missing. No. She should never have offered it in the first place.

She should never have offered up an item she didn’t already have in her hand. But she’d trusted Cole. She knew that if he said he had the Thunderbolt, and he said he’d give her the Thunderbolt, it was as good as done.

Not quite, as it turned out. Not that it was Cole’s fault. It was her fault. All her fault.

“Maybe we can replace the Thunderbolt,” Gwen suggested. “Use one of the ruby necklaces.”

“There’s not enough public interest. It had to be a new piece. It had to be a fantastic piece.”

“It’s not fair that you should get hung out to dry.”

Sydney gave a hollow laugh. “It’s official. Life’s not fair.” She knew she should care a lot more about the demise of her career, but she couldn’t seem to get past losing Cole.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him in the Miami hotel room-the sympathy in his blue eyes when she talked about Nanny and Papa, the twinkle when he fed her a strawberry, and the dark passion when he reached out to touch her hair and pull her in for a kiss.

Stop. She had to stop-

“For the record,” came the voice that was haunting her brain, “I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”

Gwen’s eyes went wide. She quickly slipped down off the window ledge.

Sydney pivoted to see Cole, big as life, lounging against the jamb of her office door.

“I’ll…uh…” Gwen quickly brushed past Cole to exit the room.

Sydney blinked, trying to adjust her focus to something that made sense.

“I waited five hours in that hotel room,” he said. “It took me five hours to convince myself you actually had betrayed me.”

“What are you doing here?” Her fingers curled convulsively into the palms of her hands. The Thunderbolt was genuine. He had no excuse to show up and torture her.

He took a couple of steps into the room, swinging the door shut behind him. “Grandma told me.”

“Grandma told you what?”

“She told me the truth.”

Sydney backed up, shaking her head. That couldn’t be. They were home free. Grandma would never have given away her secret once she had the Thunderbolt back.

Sydney’s butt came up against her small desk. “No,” she whispered.

“Yes.” Cole nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me, Sydney?”

What kind of a question was that? “I gave her my word. My vow.”

“I could have helped you.”

“You were the one she was keeping it from.”

“She’s my responsibility,” he snapped.

Sydney recoiled from the shout.

She wished she knew how to help him. This had to be hell on his pride. You took away what a man like Cole needed to protect, and he was lost.

He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re upset.”

He moved closer, shaking his head. “No. I’m not sorry I yelled. I mean, I am sorry I yelled.” He stopped. “But I’m really sorry I mistrusted you. I’m sorry I treated you so badly. I’m sorry we…” His gaze drifted away from hers.

Some of the tension went out of Sydney. “Yeah? Well, I’m sorry about that part, too.” They’d played with fire and they’d both been burned. She’d known all along that Cole was temporary, but she hadn’t been able to resist him. And now any man she slept with from here on in was going to be held up to his standard.

Even now, his elusive scent teased her.

She shook herself. “Why are you here?”

He hesitated. “I’m here to give you the Thunderbolt.”

Her throat went dry. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh, yes I can.”

“But-”

He reached out and took both of her hands.

Her chest contracted with the touch.

“I’m proposing, Sydney.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Proposing? For real?

“How do you mean?” she ventured, not daring to believe it could be true. She’d already had that dream crushed once.

“Just like we planned. You show the Thunderbolt. And then…” He shrugged his shoulders and glanced down at the floor.

The faint hope leeched out of her body. “A marriage of convenience, Cole?”

He nodded. “It is the only answer.”

She’d once thought so, too. But she’d been wrong. Cole loving her was the only answer. Cole wanting to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her was the only answer she’d accept now.

He’d once asked her if she was ready to walk down the aisle in a white dress, promise to love him, then kiss him, throw a bouquet-and then go their separate ways.

She’s been prepared to do it then. She couldn’t do it now.

“I don’t think it’s the answer anymore,” she told him, her throat aching with disappointment.

“You’ve earned it,” he said.

She raised her hand to her lips to stifle a bitter laugh. “By lying to you? By sleeping with you?”

“Don’t.”

She shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, Cole. But I think I’ll pass.”

She couldn’t show the Thunderbolt under these circumstances. And she wasn’t even sure she wanted to show it. The brooch was exactly where it was supposed to be, safe with Grandma, safe with Cole, someday safe with Cole’s real bride.

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” he insisted. “You’re the reason we found it. You’re the reason we even knew where to look. You were there for Grandma when she couldn’t trust me-”

“Oh, Cole.” Sydney’s heart instantly ached for him. “It wasn’t a matter of trust.”

“No?”

“She was embarrassed beyond belief. I was a stranger. She didn’t care about my opinion the way she cared about yours.”

“That’s not how I see it.”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

“I’m thinking perfectly clearly. I want you to marry me. I want you to reap the professional benefits of showing the Thunderbolt. It’s all I can offer to make up for…”

Sydney fought the chill that moved over her soul. “I don’t want it.” Did he think they could just erase the past two weeks? He’d shown her the moon and the stars, then he’d yanked it all away. She’d watched the way he’d treated his family, felt the way he loved them, felt the way life might be if he might have loved her. But he didn’t, and he never would, and there was nothing she could do about that.

“You’re lying.”

“The answer is no, Cole.”

“You’ll break Grandma’s heart.”

“Low blow,” she retorted, a weak smile cresting his lips.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He clamped his jaw. “Marry me, or I’ll fight dirty.”

She folded her arms across her chest, not about to give an inch. “Go ahead. Give it your best shot.”

“I’ll call Bradley.”

Sydney pulled back in horror.

“I’m sure he’ll have some ideas about showing the Thunderbolt.”

She shook her head. “Cole. No. You don’t know what he’ll-”

“I’ll do it. Either you marry me, or I make a deal with Bradley.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“I don’t bluff.”

“That man’s evil.”

“Then marry me.”

“No.”

He threw up his hands. “I’m not asking you to walk the plank. You only have to put up with me for an hour or two. Give me one little kiss, pretend you like me at the reception, then we each go our own way. You’ll find reasons to be in New York. I’ll find reasons to be on the ranch. And, after a decent interval, we tell everyone it didn’t work out.”

“Could a proposal get any less romantic?” she asked.

He glared at her.

“I mean, really, Cole. Is there anything you could add that would make a girl feel less desirable?”

He stared hard into her eyes. “My desire for you was never in question.”

Familiar stirrings rose up in Sydney’s chest. For a split second she considered saying yes and hauling him off on a real honeymoon. But she couldn’t do that. It would only put off the heartbreak, maybe make the pain even worse.

“You’re thinking about it,” he said. “I can tell you’re thinking about it.”

She shook her head.

“Say yes, Sydney. You can do it.”

Could she?

If she didn’t get past her feelings for Cole, she’d go insane. She needed to focus on something else. And her career was the only reasonable distraction. And at least she’d have the satisfaction of thwarting Bradley.

She gazed into Cole’s eyes, studied those flecks of storm-tossed gray for the last time.

“Fine,” she said, suddenly tired of fighting, tired of feeling, tired of wishing for something he’d never be able to give her. “I’ll marry you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “After all, it’s the professional coup of a lifetime.”

Two weeks later Sydney was seriously rethinking her decision to marry Cole. But the Laurent was already poised for the Viking antique show, Grandma had already pinned the Thunderbolt to the bodice of Sydney’s wedding gown and, most importantly, Sydney had already said “I do.”