Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Millie, who happens to be dating Callum’s youngest brother, Tripp. Their relationship is magical now, but it didn’t start that way. Tripp’s a rising romance author, something he kept hidden from his family for a long time. From what Millie told me, Callum wasn’t too thrilled with his brother ditching the family brewery to write romance novels, and there was definitely tension between them. Callum is all about the brewery, work-driven and focused, much like me with the ranch.
I’ve heard the rumors about him—how he’s grumpy, married to his job, and uninterested in much else. So when he offered to marry me to get his mother off his back about settling down, it didn’t exactly shock me. It was almost transactional for him, just like it is for me.
But there has to be more to Callum than the gruff, workaholic exterior, right? What kind of man steps up to marry a woman just to help her save her ranch? Surely, there’s a heart under all that seriousness—a big one, I’d imagine. Why else would he do this? I have to believe there’s more to him than the cold, business-minded guy people talk about.
None of that really matters right now. Tonight, Callum and I are sitting down to figure out how to navigate this situation. I’ve got a million questions swirling in my head, but the biggest one, the one that’s been weighing on me, is what do we tell everyone?
Obviously, my ranch hands will know the truth. They’ve seen firsthand how desperate things have gotten around here. And Millie—well, she’s my best friend, there’s no hiding anything from her. But Callum’s family? That’s his problem, not mine. Still, what about everyone else in Magnolia Ridge? The town may be small and charming, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, but that also means it’s a breeding ground for gossip. The rumor mill here is relentless, always spinning stories whether they’re based in fact or fiction. I don’t want to be the center of it, the girl who’s suddenly marrying Callum Atwood out of the blue. People will talk, they always do.
But that’s exactly what this dinner is for, isn’t it? We’re putting all the cards on the table, figuring out how we’re going to play this game. What story we’re going to tell. How we’re going to keep this marriage of convenience from turning into a spectacle for the whole town. My nerves tighten just thinking about it.
The doorbell rings, and my stomach drops.
This is it. My future husband is standing on the other side of that door, and suddenly, everything feels so real. I take a deep breath, wiping my slightly sweaty palms on the sides of my dress before heading toward the door. As much as I’ve been telling myself this is just a practical arrangement, it feels like more than that right now.
I reach for the doorknob, my heart pounding in my chest.
This isn’t just about saving the ranch anymore. It’s about my future. A future with Callum Atwood by my side, for better or worse. With a final surge of resolve, I pull open the door and face the man who, whether I’m ready or not, is about to become my husband.
Chapter 6
Callum
“Whoa,” I breathe out, barely able to form a coherent thought as Violet opens the door. My heart skips a beat, maybe two. She’s standing there, framed by the soft light from inside, looking absolutely stunning. Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to cover it. She’s wearing this long, flowy dress covered in delicate purple flowers, the fabric moving slightly in the evening breeze like it’s made to dance around her. The dress hugs her in all the right places, but in the most effortless, natural way, like she threw it on without a second thought.
Her fiery hair is braided and it looks so good on her. And her lips—God, her lips—look so damn inviting, full and soft, like I could lean in and kiss them for hours. My thoughts go wild for a second, imagining what it would feel like to pull her close, to taste those lips, to lose myself in the warmth of her body pressed against mine.
What the hell am I thinking?
I blink, shaking my head to clear the rush of emotion that hit me out of nowhere. Violet’s about to become my wife, but not in the way I’ve just been fantasizing about. Not really my wife. No, this is just a business arrangement. A deal. Something to help her keep her ranch in her hands and to get my family off my back.
I remind myself that’s all this is. Two years of a fake marriage to solve our separate problems. But looking at her now, standing there like something out of a dream, it’s getting harder to convince myself that I won’t feel something more. Something real. And that’s dangerous.