Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
She drops the fluffy white towel and stands naked in front of me for a moment before she puts on the robe. “Do I really do so little for you?”
“You do a lot for me,” I say. “You’re gorgeous, but you don’t need me to tell you that.”
“It’s the only way...” Her words trail off as she slides the robe over her milky shoulders.
“It’s the only way...what?”
She sighs. “I throw myself at men, I guess. I always have, since I grew up and found out I’m attractive to them. I didn’t get any love at home, so...”
“So you sought it elsewhere,” I finish for her.
I can relate more than she knows.
“Yes, it just... It feels so nice to be wanted, you know?”
The sadness in her voice makes my chest tighten. “I do understand, Misty.”
I’ve been searching for that same feeling—that all-encompassing emotion—that I long for.
I think I’ve finally found it.
Sienna.
She’s the one.
“But we can’t use people as substitutes for those we have lost or longed for,” I continue. “It’s not fair to them, and it’s not fair to us.”
Misty looks at the floor, her damp hair tumbling over her face.
I take her arm. “Come on. Let’s get you to your room. It’s late, and we all need some rest after this day.”
She nods, and we leave my suite, walk up to the third floor, and arrive at the door to her room. She hands me the key and I open it for her.
“Before I go in...” She lifts her chin.
Uh-oh. Does she want a kiss? I just told her—
“You said you’d tell me who you were interested in.”
She’s right. I did. “I’m not sure it matters because she’s gone now. But it’s Sienna.”
Misty presses her lips together for a second, but then she meets my gaze. “Are you sure, Brett?”
And in that moment, I am. I’m sure. “Yes.”
“Then go after her. Fight for her. If you think you may be in love with her, you can’t let her go.”
EPISODE 142
GRACE IS THE TRUE WEALTH
River
The soft light of dawn filters into my bedroom.
Beside me, Emily is sleeping, her bare legs tangled in the bedclothes.
Her hair, a halo of silvery blond waves, fans over the crisp white pillow. Her lips are slightly parted, as if the remnants of a dream whisper through them. I trace my fingers lightly over her cheek, careful not to wake her.
I sit up and pry my gaze away from Emily’s sleeping face.
I was dreaming.
I was dreaming about Rachel.
But it wasn’t what I expected.
Rachel and I, no matter what I thought when I first saw her, were never meant to be. I see that now.
I wish only the best for Rachel, and if she finds happiness with Ginger, so be it.
I’m concerned only with her safety. Though I was certain Misty was behind her accident and the anonymous threats Rachel and Ginger received... Now I’m not so sure.
I get out of bed carefully so as not to disturb Emily. The woman is far from an angel, but damned if she doesn’t look like one in slumber.
Funny.
I didn’t give her a look that first night. I had eyes only for Rachel. Rachel, with her unassuming beauty and unique dimples. Rachel, a scientist who loved to stargaze as much as I do.
Now Emily is the one who has edged into my heart with her headstrong personality, adorable bluntness, and feisty determination. Emily, with her fiery spirit and quick wit. Emily, an artist who breathes life into the highest fashions.
God, we’re different as night and day.
I walk to the window and gaze at the tropical sunrise. The sky is painted with hues of pink and orange, and the palms sway gently with the soft morning breeze. The serenity of this dawn contrasts sharply with my racing thoughts. I cast a look over my shoulder at Emily, so peaceful, oblivious to the turmoil that churns inside me.
I remember Rachel’s face in my dream, how it morphed into Emily’s. The dream felt like a bridge between my past and my present, but Rachel is hardly my past. We shared a few laughs, a few kisses. Nothing more.
No, my past is much more profound.
I walk to the closet, open the safe, and regard its contents.
Twenty Years Earlier...
I take the shovels and we head back out, each going back to our respective houses. When I get to the ranch, the sun is rising, and Uncle Bobby is no doubt already up. I stash the shovels in the barn and then begin my morning chores. My backpack is empty since the others all carried Larson’s cash, but in my pocket is a memento from Larson—one I didn’t tell Brett and the others about.
A moment later, Uncle Bobby enters the barn. “Riv? You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I reply.
“I slept like I was dead. Where’s that mutt of yours?”