Crossing Double (A Heartbreaker Novel Book 3) Read online

  “Yes.”

  Ralph skidded to a stop in front of them and sat. He held a box between his teeth, almost too big for his mouth. Brent said, “Ralph, this is Sara. Can you be a gentleman and shake?”

  The dog instantly lifted a big paw.

  Sara smiled and shook back. “You’re such a cute guy. How old is he?” She rubbed his ears and got a doggy sigh.

  “He’s three. He was a rescue and is a very good judge of character. He wanted to meet you. See if you’re good enough for me. He’s very protective of his friends. But you might have just won an unfair advantage with the ear rubbing. It’s his favorite.”

  She smiled at how sweetly Brent looked at his big dog. His love for Ralph was evident in his voice. “And how will he tell you what kind of character I have?”

  Brent leaned down and said to Ralph, “It’s all up to you, buddy. Are you going to let Sara into our friend circle? Or not?”

  Ralph moved in front of her, sat down with a thumping tail, and dropped the box at her feet. “Well, thank you.” She gave him another rub all over before she picked up the box. “Guess I’m in. Can I open it?”

  Brent nodded. “We thought it’d be the perfect gift for you.”

  Sara eagerly unwrapped the slightly soggy paper. Inside was a Rubik’s cube box. It made her laugh. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it forever.”

  “You might want to open the box before you say that. Things aren’t always what they appear on the outside. Like how wrong I was about you when we first met.” He held out his hand. “Let me help you. It’s taped up pretty well.”

  She handed it back to him. After he took out a little knife from his pocket, she said, “Still armed, I see.”

  He smiled as he ran the blade around the top. “Old habits die hard.” He lifted the lid. Inside the bigger box was a smaller velvety one. Jewelry of some sort. And it was the right size for a ring. Yes!

  Her heart pumped with excitement as he grabbed the soft box and then slowly creaked the lid back.

  “Oh, Brent.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “That is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.” She reached out to take the huge princess-cut diamond surrounded by smaller shimmering ones from the box to try it on.

  He snapped the lid closed. “Not so fast.” He turned to Ralph. “Can I ask her that question we speak-ed about earlier?”

  Ralph let out an affirmation bark after he heard the word “speak.” “Thank you.” Brent swallowed hard. “Little nervous here.” He wiped his moist palms on his suit pants then got down on one knee. He cleared his throat and took her hand. “Sara Chapman, will you do me the honor of letting me spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you’ve made me? Please?”

  He was probably so nervous, he forgot to actually ask her the question that went with the ring. Just barely suppressing her desire to jump up and down, she said, “You want me to move in with you and Ralph in your apartment? Is there room for one more?”

  He blinked at her. “Yes. I mean no. You don’t want to get married?” His face fell like a kid who’s just broken his favorite toy.

  She placed a hand under his chin and lifted it. “I do want to get married. But since you haven’t asked me yet, I’ll ask you.” She laid a fast kiss on his lips. “Brent Keiser, will you please marry me? But I don’t want to live in your crappy apartment. Grams said she saw in her dream that it’s a dump. We can live in my slightly less crappy one.”

  He laughed. “Still so bossy, but yes, I’ll gladly marry you.” He stood and kissed her again before he slid the gorgeous ring onto her finger. “If you don’t like this one, you can pick out another.”

  “No. I love it!” She couldn’t help it. She had to jump up and down. Just a little.

  When she was done squeeing, she slid the ring off her finger. She was just happy he’d cared enough to pick something so beautiful for her. “Why don’t you take this back, though? I bet we could put a big down payment on a small house with the money. I’m fine with a gold band.”

  “Negative. No matter how many millions I give away, I still seem to be rich. You can keep the ring and also pick out any house you’d like. I’m not picky. And I don’t want to hear any arguments about it. I’m sick of living in a dump.”

  “Me too. But it was all I could afford on forty-five K a year.” She hugged him. “Thank you, Brent. I love you. And the ring. And Ralph. I think Mittens will give him a run for his money.”

  “I think you’re going to give me one too.” He pumped a thumb over his shoulder. “Should we go tell everyone the good news?”

  “They probably already know.”

  “Right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That might take some getting used to.”

  “It’s taken me a lifetime. Good thing you’re patient.”

  “It is. Let’s go eat.”

  He surprised her when he scooped her up into his arms and headed for the parking lot with Ralph trotting behind.

  “This is nice.” She circled her arms around his neck. “But why are you carrying me?”

  “I figured I’d better carry you over a threshold now, before you get your hands on those chalupas. You might be too heavy afterward.”

  She punched his shoulder. “Just for that, I’m not sharing my cinnamon twists with you.”

  He stared into her eyes and whispered, “But I’ll always share mine with you.”

  And that was it. She was forever his. Because seriously, everyone knows the cinnamon twists are the best part of the five-dollar box.

  About the Author

  Tamra Baumann is an award-winning author of light-hearted contemporary romance. A reality-show junkie, she justifies her addiction by telling others she’s scouting for potential character material. She adamantly denies she’s actually living vicariously in their closets. Tamra resides with her real-life characters—her husband, kids, and their allergy-ridden dog in the sunny Southwest. Visit her online at: www.tamrabaumann.com

  Also by Tamra Baumann

  It Had to Be Series:

  It Had to Be Him

  It Had to Be Love

  It Had to Be Fate

  It Had to Be Them

  Heartbreaker Series:

  Seeing Double

  Dealing Double

  Matchmaker Series:

  Matching Mr. Right

  Perfectly Ms. Matched

  Matched for Love

  Truly A Match