Page 54 of Unintended Love

“If you insist on me owning these tools, let’s put them in here.” She opened a random drawer, glanced at the tools, then opened a deeper one. They were all empty. “This is such a great kitchen, but I figure it will take me at least a year, or maybe two, to fill it. Living in base housing all those years with tiny kitchens, I never kept many cooking utensils. When we moved to Ethiopia, I didn’t have many. The cooks were smart enough to bring their own. Moving back to Texas, I didn’t bring hardly anything with me.”

“You’ll do just fine here.” Clint looked around the house that she had already started to make into a home with shelves of knick-knacks and accent pillows.

“You have all worked so hard this morning, can I make you lunch?” Theodora offered.

“No.” There were eight of them, and that would take quite a toll on her food budget. “But you can suggest someplace to eat and join us.” Clint remembered the town being rather small.

Theodora smiled and her face lit up. “Do you guys like Cuban food? I found this great little hole-in-the-wall place, but the food is so good.”

“Sold.”

Chapter 21

Ashlin twisted from side to side in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom of the safe house. She loved this outfit because the green blouse looked like silk but was fake so it didn’t wrinkle rolled up in her personal duffel bag. Same with the cream-colored slacks that tricked the eye into believing they were linen, but, again, were fake. They too traveled well. She had no idea the name of the material, but Kira did. Her friend also knew exactly where to get the most awesome travel clothes. The Ladies always carried at least one nice outfit because they never knew when they’d get the chance to go out. She checked one more time, ensuring that no panty lines showed.

Into her pierced ears she slid a pair of large emeralds hand-set in gold. They were her favorites. She’d picked up her birthstone earrings in Cartagena, Columbia at an amazing school. The owner of multiple mines brought high-school-aged girls from the more remote mining towns in the Andes down to the port city, paid for their room and board, and taught them how to make magnificent jewelry. Cruise ships and local hotels sent guests to the school to make their own emerald jewelry, taught by the students. She and her teammates had the best time taking the class and browsing the store next door. The young lady who taught Ashlin had helped her pick out the earrings.

“You look gorgeous.” Clint stepped up behind her and slid his arms around her ribs. He snuggled into the side of her neck and kissed just under her ear. “How did I get so lucky to find a wife as beautiful as you?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” she sassed back.

He stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long minute. “Stay right here. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

True to his word, he returned in just a few seconds. “I wasn’t going to give you your birthday present until later, but you need it now to complete your outfit.”

He handed her an impressive black velvet box, about the size of an index card. “Something I have to warn you about myself: I am terrible at wrapping gifts. I used to pay Xena to wrap all my Christmas gifts, but she wasn’t home when we left. At least it’s in a pretty box.”

Ashlin spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with everything inside of her, trying to tell him how much she loved him. “This is perfect.”

“You haven’t even opened the box yet,” he said without letting go of her.

“I’m sure it will be perfect because you bought it for me.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him once more before stepping out of his embrace. She lifted the lid of the box, and her mouth dropped open. “Clint, this is gorgeous.”

As she gently pulled the necklace out of the box, the certification fell out.

This certifies that the enclosed necklace was custom-designed by the customer, Clinton Riggs, and created by Ezra Rabinowitz using the finest gold from the Queen of Sheba mine and an exquisite large emerald from the world-famous Kenticha mine, both located in Ethiopia. The channel-cut emeralds are a wedding gift from Zesaro Neberu from the world’s newest emerald mine in the Rift Valley, Ethiopia, along with his best wishes.

Ezra Rabinowitz

Her heart felt so large and warm. No one had ever done anything like this for her in her whole life. Her mother and father, who loved her very much, often gave her age-appropriate birthstone jewelry. She had rings and necklaces with flowers made of tiny diamond and emerald chips. The bracelet was given to her on her eighteenth birthday with three oval-shaped emeralds, separated by small diamonds. Her parents weren’t wealthy, but they had purchased her good-quality jewelry with genuine stones in a national-brand jewelry store.

“You designed this?” Ashlin squeaked out.

Clint puffed up his chest a little. “Yes. Mr. Rabinowitz helped a lot. My family has a growing relationship with Zesaro Neberu. He’s actually a Saudi prince, but he owns the Queen of Sheba mine and most of the mining rights in Ethiopia, including the emerald mine where the large one came from. That mine is actually on the other side of the mountain from Eden.”

“It’s beautiful,” she said, on the verge of tears, tracing the heart within a heart with her finger. The thick outer heart was inlaid with emeralds and twisted gracefully. The inner heart held a clear, brilliant cut emerald that looked to be close to two carats. It was huge and impressive alone, but framed by two golden hearts, one set inside the other, made it astounding.

“Lift your hair, so I can put this around her neck,” Clint said in a quiet voice, almost prayerful.

Ashlin did as she was told while facing the mirror. Watching Clint carefully place the gorgeous pendant on her chest, right above the heart that beat so fast for the man behind her, filled her soul with love. After he attached the clasp, he laid his hands on her shoulders.

“Happy birthday, my love.” He gently turned her around to face him. Cupping her face in his large hands and slowly bent down and gave her the softest kiss she’d ever had. “Do you like it?”

“No. I love it.” She grabbed the sides of his head and yanked him down for a voracious kiss. “Let me show you how much I love this.” She started to pull him toward the bed, but he planted his dress boots on the carpet.

“I’m so sorry, Tiger, but we can’t be late for the special dinner.” He grinned and looked at his buzzing phone. “Your birthday isn’t over by any means. I have several surprises in store for you.” He leaned down and lowered his voice. “But when we’re back here in this room, you can show me exactly how much you’ve appreciated this evening. Right now, our ride is pulling up out front. Are you ready to go?”

“I was told it could be cool in mid-May in this area of Texas. Let me grab a light jacket.” She dug into her bag and came out with a matching jacket to her slacks and a handgun. “This will help disguise my weapon.” She stuffed the pistol into the holster in the small of her back and reached for his hand. They walked out the front door, locking it behind them.