Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
The casual intimacy of the gesture felt more shocking than the kiss somehow, and it completely stole her breath.
"You should wear your hair down more often," he said quietly. "It suits you."
Before Hope could respond, he returned to his original seat, leaving her flushed and confused.
The pilot announced their descent into Denver. Hope gazed out the window as the plane dropped through clouds, city lights appearing below.
When she glanced back at Colin, he was watching her with an intensity that made her shiver.
"Welcome to Colorado, Hope." His gaze was shuttered, his tone unreadable. "Let's hope this works for the both of us."
Chapter Two
Hope stood at the bedroom window, her gaze unseeing despite all five thousand acres of Colin's ranch spread out before her. Right now, all she could think about was that.
His kiss, which had her lips tingling even until now.
She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, replaying the kiss on the plane. Her first real kiss in nearly a decade. The few awkward embraces she'd exchanged during her thirties hardly counted—nothing like the heat of Colin's mouth, the firm press of his hand at her nape, the way her entire body had responded as if waking from a long sleep.
Heat bloomed across her skin at the memory, and this had her scrambling for something to distract herself.
Aha!
Hope crossed to her suitcase and began unpacking her meager belongings. Her simple dresses and blouses looked plain and dated hanging in the massive walk-in closet, lost among empty shelves meant for a wardrobe ten times the size.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, with Edith's name flashing on the screen.
"Mom?" Hope tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder, continuing to unpack.
"There you are. Just checking you arrived safely." Edith's voice carried the familiar background noise of the farmhouse kitchen. The clanking of pots. The creaking of wooden planks. And in the distance, the neighing of their two old farmhorses.
"We did. The ranch is..." Hope paused, searching for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Beautiful."
"And how's your young man? Frank hasn't stopped talking about him. Says he's never met someone who understood crop rotation so quickly."
"He's fine. Busy with work already." She noticed an envelope that had slipped from her suitcase—one she didn't recognize. "Did you put something in my bag?"
"I don't understand. What would I put...oh."
Edith's dismay was audible, and Hope couldn't help but wonder if some divine force was at work. Edith clearly hadn't wanted her to see this.
A foreclosure notice.
"I didn't want to worry you before you left," Edith was saying miserably. "But the bank called again yesterday. The drought the last two seasons..." Edith continued, her voice strained with false cheer. "You know how it is. But don't you worry. Frank's talking with the credit union about refinancing."
Hope stared at the numbers on the page. The Bartons were three months behind on their mortgage. The property they'd scraped and saved for—the only real home she'd ever known—was at risk.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice came out smaller than intended.
"What could you have done, sweetheart? You've done enough for us over the years. We didn't want to burden you."
The irony twisted in Hope's chest. If only they knew that their financial troubles had given her exactly the push she'd needed to contact Heart's Match. The agency's promise of a generous settlement after a temporary marriage arrangement had seemed like the answer to prayers she hadn't even voiced yet.
"I have some money saved," Hope lied. "I could—"
"Absolutely not. We're just fine. You focus on that handsome man of yours."
Hope closed her eyes, guilt and determination warring within her. Colin's payment would be more than enough to save the farm. All she had to do was play the perfect wife until after the reunion.
"I love you, Mom."
"Love you too, sweetheart."
The call ended, leaving Hope clutching the foreclosure notice. She tucked it into her underwear drawer, beneath practical cotton briefs that seemed hopelessly outdated in this palace of luxury.
A knock at the door made her jump.
"Mrs. Soukoulis?" A woman's voice. "Dinner will be served in thirty minutes."
"Thank you," Hope called back, frantically searching for something appropriate to wear. In the end, she settled on something simple but classic: a little black dress to make her feel like Audrey Hepburn...even if she actually looked the opposite.
In the bathroom, Hope scrutinized her reflection before slowly pulling the pins from her bun.
You should wear your hair down more often. It suits you.
When she came down, the dining room took her breath away with its vaulted ceilings and modern chandeliers. He had told her earlier he lived in a farmhouse. And maybe it was that. The world's poshest farmhouse, that was.
Colin was already there, and she did her best not to squirm as his gaze swept from her loose hair to the simple dress, lingering in a way that made her skin warm.