Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
But as that need, that pull, tugged at me, it made that ruined place in my chest resonate, echoing with memories of the first time I’d felt like this.
She’s Merv’s granddaughter, my mom had told me, her hands covered in bread flour. She’s going to help him with the ranch.
I’d known even then, standing in the kitchen with her, that I was being matchmade. But I didn’t take it seriously. I was 28, serving with Delta Force. Didn’t imagine myself settling down soon or ever. But when my mom got an idea into her head… So I agreed to go to the church picnic, just to help my mom carry the food.
And that’s when I saw her. White summer dress with a blue ribbon belt. Sun backlighting her and turning her long, blonde hair into a glowing halo like she was an honest-to-god angel, while silhouetting her body in a way that made my thoughts anything but pure.
Back then, I was even more of a big, dumb grunt. Didn’t know what to say, didn’t even approach her. But I spent half that night awake, thinking. I’d heard she had a fence down, on the edge of her ranch.
Before the sun had even crept over the horizon, I was riding over there with a sledgehammer and a bag full of fence posts. I worked away fixing her fence until, near noon, I heard a horse approaching. She rode up in blue jeans and a blouse, a flask of coffee in her saddlebag in case I was friendly and a shotgun across her back just in case I wasn’t.
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
And I knew.
We were married a year later. She was my everything. My forever. For me, the Army had always been about protecting my country. But for the first time, I had a personal stake. When I went overseas, I knew I was doing it to keep her safe. And when Max was born, when I looked down at the fragile little wrapped-up bundle, I knew that I was doing it to make sure the world he grew up in was a good one. I was happy. Complete.
And then they were gone and I didn’t think I’d ever feel those things again. Until…
I stared down at Lorna.
She made me feel the same way Jillian had. The thought was wonderful and terrible. The guilt mixed with the need until I could barely breathe.
I sat there silently watching her until we landed.
Back at the penthouse, Lorna scooped up Cody and hugged him, jamming the Polish army hat she’d bought him onto his head. And then suddenly, Miles scooped them both up from behind, making them yelp in surprise as he gathered them into his arms. He started to say something, but Lorna gave him a warning look. She gently asked Cody if he’d give us a minute and he ran off to his room. She doesn’t want him to know what happened, I realized. Only when he’d gone did she turn back to Miles.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Miles’s voice was shaking. “It should have been me.”
Lorna hugged him again, hard. When they finally released each other, she looked up at him and her expression was heartbreaking: eyes full of hope, praying that now the tension between them would be over. But Miles turned away and I saw Lorna’s shoulders slump in disappointment.
Miles ran his hand through his hair and made his voice fake-light. “Are you ready for the ball tomorrow? Got a dress?”
Lorna grimaced. “Do I really have to?”
“Dad would want you to go,” said Miles. “I’ll be there, too. And Paige is coming as my plus-one.”
Lorna sighed and nodded. Why doesn’t she want to go? I thought all women loved balls and fancy dresses.
My phone rang and I checked the screen. Callahan. I excused myself and went out onto the balcony, closing the doors behind me. “Yeah?”
“Heard about Poland,” said Callahan. “If this fucker hired hitmen in Mexico and Poland, he’s got money.”
I stared out at New York. “Van der Meer,” I told him. “He’s got plenty.”
“Is there any way he could have known you’d be in Poland?” Callahan asked.
I thought about that. “No. It wasn’t a PR trip. The press didn’t know about it. We didn’t even know we were going until the night before. Only some high-level people at McBride knew.”
“Hold that thought,” said Callahan. “Remember I said I had a hunch? Well, my girlfriend’s a hacker. She got me into a certain someone’s bank account. Guess who’s been making some serious cash withdrawals, starting a few months before Mexico?”
“Go on,” I said, my voice tight.
“Miles McBride.”
I spun around, my heart pounding. I could see Miles and Lorna talking inside. The thick glass blocked their voices but I could watch their body language. Lorna pleaded with him, her hands out, while Miles stared sullenly at the floor.