Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Ding-dong.
I rolled over and moaned.
Ding-dong.
My eyes snapped open and I quickly sat up. “Shit!”
I flung the quilt off of me and looked at the clock. It was nearly nine thirty. “Oh shit!”
Ding-dong.
Whoever was at my door was now banging on it with what sounded like their fists.
Rushing from my bedroom to the front door, I nearly tripped over the stupid sweater dress. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Ding-dong. Bang. Bang. Bang.
“I’m coming!” I cried out, as I unlocked the door and flung it open. The man standing there was the last person I expected to see.
“Caden?”
His eyes slowly raked over my body. It was then that I realized I’d just jumped up and ran to the door in what I’d passed out in the night before—a black lace bra and a matching thong.
“Oh my God!” I cried, slamming the door shut. I quickly went to my hall closet, grabbed a long coat, slipped it on, and tied the belt tightly.
With a deep breath, I opened the door again.
Caden raised a single brow. “Do you always open your door dressed in next to nothing?”
I scowled at him. “No. You woke me up with all the banging and I panicked. I’m late getting to the store.”
“Hence the reason I’m here. Moreen is freaking out, wondering where you are. She said she’s been trying to call you for the last hour.”
“Moreen called you?”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “No. She called Emeline, who called Ensley, who called me, because she’s already at work this morning. She asked if I’d come and make sure you were okay. So that’s what I’m doing.”
I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand, turned, and walked toward the kitchen. I just left Caden standing there. I heard the door shut and silently prayed that he’d just turned and left.
“Is everything okay?”
My body sagged when I realized he came in, instead.
“I overslept.”
“Late night, Flower Child?”
Before answering him, I put a coffee in my Nespresso and reached for a cup. I hit start and turned to lean against the counter. “I was just tired. I fell asleep before I turned my alarm on.”
Caden searched my face and frowned slightly. “Have you been crying, Lilibeth?”
The sound of my name from his lips was sinful. I wasn’t even sure he’d ever used it before.
“No. I just woke up.”
He made his way over to me, placed his finger on my chin and lifted. I couldn’t seem to remember how to breathe the moment he touched me. Yes, one simple fingertip on my chin, and I was ready to melt into a puddle on the floor.
“You have been crying.”
Every single part of my body begged me to reach up and kiss him. Even my stupid head. Instead, I turned away and focused on the coffee filling my mug.
“I’m fine, Caden. Just overslept. I’ll call Moreen and let her know I’m simply running late.”
He cleared his throat. “Okay.”
The sound of him retreating was both a relief and a heartbreak.
Grabbing my coffee, I watched as he turned and headed toward the door. I followed him and stopped in the living room.
“Thank you for stopping by to make sure I was okay.”
He tipped his cowboy hat, opened the door, and slipped out, softly shutting it behind him. I closed my eyes and drew in a few deep breaths, trying to remind my body how to breathe while ignoring the instant feeling of loss.
Why, oh why, was I attracted to Caden Wilde? Why?
Caden
Once I got into my truck, I grabbed the steering wheel and cursed.
“Fuck.”
My head spun with emotions I hadn’t felt in years. Desire, longing, and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on and honestly didn’t want to think about.
I closed my eyes and tried not to see Lilibeth dressed in nothing but lace underwear. Christ Almighty. I knew she had a nice body, but to see those curves up close stole my breath. Then, to see her red-rimmed eyes…it nearly broke me.
Looking back at the house, I drew in a deep breath before turning the ignition on and pulling out of the driveway. I needed to avoid Lilibeth as much as I could. She was quickly becoming a weakness, and I would never be weak for a woman again. Ever.
Ten minutes later, I pulled in and parked at Anna’s Café. It was rare for me to come into town anymore to eat breakfast. One, I was too busy on the ranch, and two, I couldn’t stand the pity on people’s faces whenever they saw me, even a few years later.
The gossip ran rampant after Rachel left River Falls. She had, of course, told people I’d proposed, and that she’d turned me down—twice now. It was even in The Daily Dirt. I thought my mother was going to come unglued when she read it. She told my father she was going to give Janet Miller a piece of her mind once and for all. It took my father, grandfather, and me to talk her out of it. It wasn’t uncommon to see our family featured in the local gossip column. Almost all of us had experienced it at one time or another.