Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 143842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
This feeling of compulsion.
Drawn to the window that looked out toward the side of the house.
Such a fool to give into it, but there I was, shuffling across the room as if I had a hook in my chest.
My breaths turned shallow as I pulled the drape back an inch to peer out, all covert and sneaky like some kind of creeper.
It was just as I’d suspected.
My window faced a matching one next door, the houses a mirror, though his curtains were open wide. A light burning from within illuminated his bedroom.
I somehow already knew he’d be there—on full display.
Still, a choked, strangled sound worked its way up my throat.
The man was fresh from a shower, everything bare, except for the towel that was wrapped low around his waist.
Hair damp and dark brown, longer than I’d realized, soft waves curling over his ears.
He moved to a dresser across the room, and his chiseled back was to me as he pulled something out.
Ink littered his flesh, though I was too far away to be able to discern any of the words or shapes. But I thought I would have been able to make out every carved, hewn muscle of his enormous body from a mile away.
Desire climbed out from the place where she’d been dormant, tugging at my belly in a way that made me feel sick.
And I wondered if he knew, if he could feel me, too, when he turned and waltzed all kinds of casual across his room, roughing a giant hand through the wet locks of his hair as he came, nonchalant even though each step felt profound.
An earthquake.
As powerful as the storm that continued to pound.
Because I swore, he smirked before he reached out and quickly dragged the curtains shut.
My teeth ground.
Cocky. Freaking. Cowboy.
I forced myself away from the window, climbed under the covers, and pulled them up to my chin. My eyes squeezed closed, and I whispered around the knot of sadness that suddenly pulsed in my chest, “Brooke…what am I supposed to do?”
THREE
CODY
Cambrey Pines Spa & Resort.
The most luxurious, upscale, trendy guest ranch Colorado had to offer. Sitting on a hundred acres, tucked back in the pines at the base of a mountain with Time River running through.
It was the place that was going to change my entire life.
The resort was about twenty minutes outside of my hometown of Time River, and I lived ten minutes east of here where I’d decided to settle in the small town of Hendrickson after I’d started my fledgling landscaping company nine years ago.
Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I drove my pickup truck along the winding road that curled through the endless maze of evergreens. Their spires disappeared into the vast canopy of blue above. Any trace of the storm from the night before had been eviscerated by the sun that already beat down, a heatwave unlike anything we’d ever seen laying siege.
Save for the fresh scent that saturated the air.
After a storm, I always got the sense that the muck had been washed away.
Giving life.
A second chance.
That’s what today felt like.
A second chance.
Hell, it was the way I viewed my entire life.
Living each day full and to the extreme. Seeking as much pleasure as I could because I never knew when it was going to run out.
Before I could get lost in the old dread, before I could spiral in the fear, I clamped them off because I refused to waste even a single second of the time I’d been granted, so with a grin on my face, I traveled the mile up the long drive before the woods broke open to the resort in the distance.
The massive lodge sat in the center, four stories high and as fucking posh as it came. A slew of cabins and smaller buildings were situated around the sprawling grounds, surrounding pools and spas and different areas for outdoor activities.
But the pride of the place were the enormous, elaborate stables that sat on the far-right side of the property.
There was already a small group of guests on horses getting ready to hit the trails, a guide ready to lead them out to explore the gorgeous expanse of land, giving them the type of experience they’d never find in the city.
I took a right onto the loop that wound around the stables to the maintenance area that was hidden behind them.
My project manager, Matthew, was already there, idling in his truck. I pulled into the spot next to him, killed the engine, and hopped out.
He followed suit.
The guy was tall and thin and sporting a crop of light brown hair.
“About damned time you got here. I thought I was going to have to head over to your house to drag your lazy ass out of bed.” He couldn’t keep from smiling when he said it.