Their wine came and Ethan told her, “We don’t need to order. Chef Charles has a wonderful dinner planned for us tonight.”
This fabulous—and surely expensive—evening was so alien to her, yet Ethan seemed in his element. “I don’t know what to say. Tonight is out of this world.”
“I like making you happy.”
She reached across the table, and he clasped her hand. They sat that way for a while, and she was content. Then the first entre arrived. And the dishes kept coming. She’d heard of places like this. Each plate or bowl held a tiny portion of unique-looking food. She tried it all. Some were fabulous, others were ... interesting. Her only clue the meal had ended was when dessert was served.
Ethan must have noticed her look of relief. He grinned. “You survived. What did you think?”
“Honestly? I really loved most of it. A couple of things, though, yuck. Did they just pull green stuff out of a field and cut it up?”
He cracked up. “I agree. You’ll notice I didn’t eat everything, either.” Pausing, he reached for her hand. “Dallas, I know I put a lot of pressure on you to come this weekend. I’d planned everything in great detail, and I have to admit I had an ulterior motive. I have something to show you, but don’t make your decision just yet.” He reached in his pocket and produced a white gold, beautifully-cut diamond solitaire engagement ring. “I love you, Dallas, and I want to marry you.”
Her heart lurched and began to pound. She grew lightheaded. This couldn’t be happening. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Oh, Cash!
Ethan frowned slightly.
Hell, she must look as terrified as she felt. “Ethan, I—”
Before she could go on, he said, “I don’t want you to accept this now, Dallas. There’s something else you must do first. The hotel delivered a draft of a prenuptial agreement to your room this evening. I’ll pay for an attorney of your choosing to review it with you, and, within reason, we can modify it. Please understand, this isn’t anything to do with you personally. I own a large part of my family business, and I have a responsibility to protect those assets.”
She gazed at him as her heart slowed, and cold seeped in. How very different was Ethan’s declaration of love from Cash’s baring of his soul. A crushing weight built and built, making it almost impossible for her to take a breath.
Ethan closed the ring box and rushed to her. Kneeling, he pulled her into a hug. “I’ve hurt you, and I never meant for that to happen. I’m so sorry, Dallas. I have no choice in this. I wanted you to know about the prenup before you said yes. Though people in the circle I grew up with take it for granted, I knew you might not be expecting one.”
She nodded against his chest, feeling absolutely nothing. “I understand, Ethan. Please, don’t worry.”
THE HOLLOWNESS STAYED with her through her flight to Dallas the next day, in the limo ride home, and during the kiss Ethan gave her at her front door.
He clung to her a moment longer. “Dallas, please don’t turn down my proposal without reading the document. It’s extremely generous as prenups go. It’s not meant to hurt you in any way.”
She pulled back and attempted a smile. “I have so much to think about, not just the prenup, Ethan. I’m confused and tired and completely unable to talk about it right now, okay?”
Kissing her forehead, he whispered, “I understand,” and walked back to the limo.
By the time she told her parents a little about the trip and retrieved Piper, she could hardly move. Her daughter wanted Dallas’s undivided attention, which she gave the little girl while stretched out on the couch. Thank God, Piper could entertain herself. All Dallas had to do was act as her cheering section.
Thoughts roiled inside Dallas’s head. Ethan’s businesslike proposal. The amazing new experiences they shared in New York. How he planned down to the tiniest detail to ensure her happiness. A prenup which would limit the amount of financial security she would achieve in the marriage. It was a document in existence for one reason only—her divorce. Never in her life had she thought of marriage as a financial agreement. She considered marriage a matter of loving someone with all your heart.
She knew someone else who thought of marriage that way. But he gave up on her. Squeezing her eyes shut, the weight in her chest suddenly seemed too much to bear. She turned over and curled up tight. Her stomach churned. Without a bite to eat all day, the burning sensation in her belly grew stronger.
Piper had already eaten dinner. Dallas had only to make it until bedtime. She could last that long. Though she seldom used them, tonight she would take two over-the-counter sleeping pills. She couldn’t bear a night haunted by a man who no longer cared, a man who had forgotten her, a man she could no longer love.
Chapter Fifteen
Ethan checked his tie and opened his office door. After spending the past three days in court, he wanted to take Dallas to lunch. Surely, she had called a lawyer by now about the prenup. With the cowboy out of the picture, nothing stood in Ethan’s way. He’d just received some wonderful news from the Dallas firm that made moving forward with his plans with Dallas even more critical.
Dallas focused intently on her computer screen and didn’t notice him until he leaned on her desk.
He smiled at her. “Go to lunch with me? I’ve missed you.”
She frowned. “Ethan, I’d love to but I’m so behind. I’m still catching up from taking Friday off. Rain check?”
Dallas seemed tired. Makeup didn’t quite hide circles under her eyes. Was she that upset over the damn prenup? “Are you okay, Dallas?” This
