Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I tightened my hold on his hands. “I’m sorry.”
“The woman I had met in BC wasn’t the woman who showed up. She was rude and condescending. She belittled everything I loved. I thought she needed some time to adjust, and I gave her space. Tried to be patient, but she only got worse. Rachel disliked her intensely, and they were at odds with each other constantly. I realized I’d been played. She wanted a rich man, and what she saw in BC was the man she thought she was going to get, even though I had told her otherwise. She thought I was teasing her.”
“What happened?”
“I came home unexpectedly early one afternoon. One of the cows had wandered, and I found her quickly and brought her back to the pasture. I decided to come and have a frank conversation with Marie. I was tired of her tantrums and demands. The sulking and pettiness. Of being told how everything I said, did, thought, or owned was wrong. Her attitude with Rachel and telling me I had to choose between them. That morning, she’d informed me that if she was staying, she wanted the house gutted and modernized. I told her to forget it.”
“And?” I prompted.
“I found her in my office, going over bank statements. I was horrified at her invasion of my privacy. We argued again, and she informed me she decided it would be best to sell the ranch, take the money, and go back to BC. She could build the house she wanted.” He huffed out a dry laugh. “As if she had the right. Or as if I had given her the idea I would be open to something like that. As if everything had been great until that moment. I told her to pack her things and get out. Let’s just say there was a lot of shouting, name-calling, and accusations. In her mind, I brought her here under false pretenses. Promised her a life of luxury. When I told her she had been the one to play me, she got pretty damn angry. That’s when things got real. She admitted she’d thought I was rich, given what she’d seen in BC. The hotel, the dinners, et cetera. She wasn’t overly attracted to me, and she spent some time telling me why and how horrible the ranch was.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. I listened, watched to make sure she didn’t steal anything, then walked her to the truck and drove her to the airport. While she was ranting, I had booked her a seat on the next flight out. I dropped her and her suitcases off and left. Last time I saw her was in my rearview. She was flipping me off and yelling.”
“And you never heard from her again?”
“She blew up my phone, so Rachel changed my number and email address. For all I know, she’s latched on to some other sucker. I pity the asshole.” He sighed. “Learned my lesson. First, Anne tells me I’m not enough, then Marie. I have no idea what I was thinking. I decided I had a good life already, and I wasn’t going to try to be enough for anyone else. I’m best on my own,” he added, and I heard the forced lightness in his voice.
I wasn’t going to let that pass.
LUKE
I had no idea what made me tell Sammy all that shit. There was something about this woman, something soft and safe that made it easier to say the thoughts out loud. To get them out of my head. She was right. Having said them, I felt better. Lighter. But I didn’t want to dwell on it, and I made a jesting remark when I was done, thinking that would be the end of it.
I should have known better. I already understood that Sammy wasn’t like most women. In fact, I was certain no one else on the planet even came close.
She had remained surprisingly silent as I spoke, her remarks at a minimum. Until the last one. She tensed, dropped my hands, and spun in the tub, the water rising and cresting, hitting the wood floor with a splash.
“Good thing it’s a wet room,” I remarked.
She didn’t laugh. Her dark eyes snapped fire, and she narrowed her gaze, looking pissed.
And so damn sexy with her hair damp from the steam, her skin glistening with droplets of water. I wanted to lean close and lick them off her, but I knew better. I had a feeling she could somehow flip me—even in a tub. I stayed where I was, watching her.
She rose up, gripping the sides of the porcelain, straddling me.
“Listen to me and listen well, Luke Jonathan Adler.”
I lifted my eyebrows in surprise at her full-naming me. I wasn’t even aware she knew my middle name. Her tone was low and furious. Kinda growly. It was another sexy thing about her right now.