Page 66 of Christmas at the Ranch
I squeezed Arthur’s hand so tightly when we arrived, his fingers turned blue. Then his father offered me a cocktail and I felt better. His mother is quite lovely. She’s a part-time professor and involved in New York charities. His father is an older version of Arthur, without Arthur’s gentle sense of humor.
They asked me the usual questions—how do I like college, what are my goals—and they were impressed with my answers. Even Arthur seemed pleased.
Then we sat down to dinner and it went downhill. Arthur’s father opened a bottle of red wine and I spilled some on the tablecloth. It wasn’t exactly my fault. The housekeeper was juggling three plates and I jumped up to help her. Arthur’s mother said not to worry, but I could tell that his father was upset.
Arthur’s mother asked what I missed about Jackson Hole. I started listing things: swimming in the hot springs and fishing at Emily’s Pond, cross-country skiing in the winter. All of a sudden, I started crying. Arthur was furious.
I couldn’t tell him why I was really crying. That came later, in his apartment. After we left his parents, he said he wanted to go somewhere quiet for a nightcap. I knew he really wanted to have a fight without my roommate eavesdropping.
“What were you thinking, trying to serve dinner?” Arthur demanded. He was pacing around his living room, clutching a shot glass.
“I couldn’t just sit there,” I returned. “I’m used to helping Alice at the ranch.”
“My parents’ housekeeper has been with them for twenty years. She knows how to carry a few dinner plates,” Arthur said. “You embarrassed everyone and ruined a fine tablecloth.”
“I’ll pay for a new one,” I said through gritted teeth.
“It’s not about the money,” Arthur said. “It wasyour attitude. Then you started crying, as if you’re not living in one of the most exciting cities in the world. My parents are both lifelong New Yorkers, how do you think that made them feel?”
“I’ll write your mother an apology,” I said guiltily. “She was nice. I like her very much.”
“Why shouldn’t my mother be nice?” he asked. He was only half listening to my answers. And he didn’t look at me. I wondered if he was going to break up with me.
He set his glass on the coffee table.
“I didn’t only take you there to meet my parents,” he said, sitting across from me. “My mother wanted to give me something.”
He took a velvet box from his pocket. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring. An emerald-cut diamond on a platinum band.
I was so surprised; I didn’t know what to say.
“It’s my mother’s engagement ring,” he said, filling the silence. “I told my parents I was going to propose.”
“You want to get married?” I said in shock.
“That’s what two people do when they’re in love.”
“We’re both in school,” I protested. “We hardly know each other.”
Arthur’s serious expression was replaced by a cheeky grin.
“I believe I know you quite well.” His eyes traveled over my body. “And I’ve received an exciting offer. A friend of my father’s wants me to join his publishinghouse. He doesn’t have any children, and he wants me to take it over.”
“I’m in college. I have years ahead of me.”
“There’s no reason why you can’t continue once we’re married,” he said. “We’ll get an apartment in Midtown. It will be much more convenient. We can meet for lunch and take walks in Central Park. We can even go riding on the weekends.”
It sounded lovely. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the dorms. And my favorite part of New York is Central Park.
But I couldn’t marry Arthur.
“I’m sorry, but the answer is no.” I shook my head. “Your parents would think I’m marrying you for the wrong reasons.”
Arthur’s face contorted. He jumped up.
“If you think they’ll say you married me for my money, you’re wrong,” he declared. “I would never take money from my parents. We’ll live modestly in the beginning.”
My heart pounded and I took a deep breath. My stomach was tied in knots and I was beginning to shake.
