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 bent close to the little girl. “Are you excited to see your daddy?”
She nodded fast, her curls bouncing. “I draw him this!” She showed me the paper with the colorful marks. I admired it. “He’ll love it,” I assured her. “But you have to stay close to your mom because it’s a big place, and he’ll see her, but he won’t be able to spot you since you’re so little.”
Her eyes grew round, and she stopped trying to break away. Her mother shot me a grateful smile, and I returned it before glancing at my watch. I hoped the driver would be here soon. The crowd was beginning to thin out, and there was no sign of him. I pushed my cart over to the information area to ask if there was a place for drivers to wait, then went outside, but no one had my name. I went back inside, noting the cowboy was still there. He was pacing now, looking displeased and impatient. I struck up a conversation with a woman who was also waiting, and she kindly agreed to watch my luggage as I ran to the washroom. When I returned, the cowboy was gone, and I was disappointed I never got to see his reunion. I pushed that thought out of my mind, unsure what to do. I didn’t want to contact Rachel since she had far more important things on her mind. I decided to hire a car. I knew the name of the ranch and where it was located. I would simply get myself there and find Luke.
Except as I headed toward the doors, the cowboy walked back in. Our eyes locked again, and something struck me as familiar, as if I’d seen him before. His irises were a clear blue, as bright as the sky on a summer’s day. I’d seen those eyes before—a few times during Zoom meetings with Rachel. For a moment, I was puzzled, then I stopped walking and spun around. “Luke?” I called.
He stopped and turned, a frown on his face. He eyed me up and down, his slow gaze somehow warming me inside.
“Who’s asking?” he demanded.
I stepped closer. “I’m Samantha Morrison.”
“I’m sorry?”
For some reason, I wanted to touch him. I laid my hand on his arm, feeling the band of muscles flex under my touch. “Sammy. The person Rachel sent you to pick up.”
His expression said it all. He wasn’t happy. I’d probably interrupted his day. Rachel said he was busy all the time.
“I’m sorry to have taken you away from your work. I could have hired a—”
“You’re Sam?” he interrupted me, looking angry.
“Sammy. My friends call me Sammy.”
“My sister said Sam. You’re a woman.”
My hackles rose. “Thanks for the information. I’m well aware I’m a woman.”
“Does Rachel know this?” He flicked his fingers as if I were a bug. “That you’re—” his eyes focused on my breasts, then met my narrowed gaze “—that you’re not a Sam?”
I tilted my head to the side, studying him. What was his problem?
“Since we Zoomed several times, I think she figured it out.”
He shook his head. “Well, I don’t think so.”
Then he turned and stormed away.
CHAPTER THREE
LUKE
I stomped to my truck, jumping in and peeling out of the parking lot as quickly as I could get through the paid gate. The woman claiming to be Sam didn’t follow—thank God. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if she had.
She had caught my eye the second she walked through the door, pushing her luggage cart. She scanned the area, looking for whoever was picking her up, not looking particularly upset they weren’t there. She simply stopped by one of the pillars and took out her phone. I couldn’t stop staring. She was very pretty, even if she was a city slicker. Her dress pants and blouse were stylish and well cut, her feet encased in nice-looking shoes. Her hair hung down her back like a ribbon of honey, the light glinting off the strands. I wondered if the color was real or came from a bottle. These days, most women seemed to prefer something different, as opposed to what they were born with. She wasn’t tall, but she held herself with an easy grace that made her seem so.
I watched as she helped a mother who was trying to corral her children, both of whom, it seemed, were anxious for the arrival of their father, I surmised. She bent and spoke to the little girl, smiling and open. She had an amazing smile. Her full lips stretched wide, showing off her teeth. It was quite something, and it transformed her face from pretty to stunning. It reminded me of when the sun would break from the clouds and brighten the sky. I had to look away before she caught me staring. The last thing I was interested in was someone from the city. Especially someone who looked like her. No doubt, despite the sunshine smile, she would be high-maintenance.